God’s Part and Ours
Becoming a Hospital – pt. 3
October 5/6, 2002
Intro:
How long does it take to “convert”? And whose job is it to do the “converting”? I want to take a look at those questions this morning as we continue to take a look at what it means for us to become a hospital, meaning a place of help and healing for people who do not know Christ. I remind you that when we talk about the vision of our church as a hospital, we are talking about meeting the needs of people who do not know Jesus, not caring for hurting Christians (which is part of the vision of the church as a greenhouse).
Acts 1
I want to begin the conversation on those questions with a look at Acts 1, reading verses 1-11. As you are looking that up in your Bibles, let me remind you that the book of Acts picks up where the Gospels conclude, with the story of the disciples spreading the news about the resurrection of our Lord. Let’s read it together:
Here is a really great, 3-part blueprint for sharing faith in Christ with others that I want to draw your attention to. First, don’t go without the Holy Spirit. Second, don’t get sidetracked. And third, don’t stand around looking at the sky when you should be getting down to the job.
1. Don’t go without the Holy Spirit.
In verse 4, Jesus commands His disciples to wait. “Do not leave Jerusalem…” He says, for you need to go with the Holy Spirit. He instructs them to wait until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Think about this for a moment – the disciples already had all the facts. They had lived and walked and worked with Jesus, they had seen His death, and they were already witnesses to His resurrection. They knew all they needed to know. But Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the gift of the Holy Spirit – and He gave them the reason in verse 8 – that is where the power comes from. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses…” Trying to witness for Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit is like trying to start a car with no spark plugs. Sure you can push it along a bit, but you are never going to get moving, and you’ll never get very far.
I make few absolutes, but here is one: without the power of the Holy Spirit, no word or deed or example on our part will have any eternal significance for God’s Kingdom. Conversely, with the power of the Holy Spirit, any word or deed or example (no matter how much we might feel we have blown it) WILL make an difference for eternity.
You see, changing people is God’s business. It is only God that can change a person and bring them to faith in Christ, that can convict them of sin and bring them a renewed nature. But there is a really fine line here – on the one hand we can take a realization like that and assume we have no role to play at all – “it’s God’s business, let Him do it.” We need to relax and realize that the results are up to God, but we also need to recognize that He has entrusted unto us the responsibility to be His witnesses. Jesus said that in vs 8 – “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It is our job to witness, it is God’s job to infuse those opportunities to witness with spiritual power so that there are eternally significant consequences in the lives of others.
This is why prayer is so foundational. That is what the disciples were doing when the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, and that is the critical component as far as looking for eternal change in people’s lives. So the very first, and very best, thing that you can do for non-Christians that you know (or even that you don’t…) is to pray for them.
This is the answer to one of the questions I began with: whose job is it to do the converting? It is God’s, and His alone. Our job is to witness effectively and in His power, His job is to bring the results.
Before looking at the second “don’t” in Acts 1, I want to talk for a moment about some really practical ways we can attempt to be good witnesses.
A. Live a life of integrity. People are watching. Especially once they know we claim to be Christians. They are watching to see if what we say we believe matches the way we live, and if it doesn’t match, it is an instant turn-off. But let me say this also here: I believe that the most effective witness is not us pretending that everything is squeaky-clean when it isn’t – not putting on a thin veneer of invincibility and “perfection” that attempts to hide the fact that we are real people. I believe the most effective witness is in how we handle our brokenness. It is how we apologize, how we go to great lengths to right a wrong we might have done, how we let others see our struggles and the difference that God makes as we confront the struggles of life.
Let me use another car analogy. Nobody is going to buy a car they haven’t driven – no matter how nice and clean and shiny it looks on the outside, if it doesn’t go no one will buy it. Non-Christians won’t be impacted by looking at us and seeing a fancy exterior – they need to see how our faith gets us through the struggles of life. They need to see that Jesus makes a difference when life is tough, not that life is never tough. They need to experience us living life alongside them in love for them, and they need to see how our lives are different because of our relationship with God. That is living with integrity.
B. Communicate it. I may have shared once that in High School I tried to live a good life, hoping that others would notice my faith and that God would use that example. Well one day, a casual friend asked me, “How come you are such a nice person?” What a perfect opportunity to share my faith – there it was, handed to me on a platter, as easy as it could possibly be. It had worked – I lived differently and someone noticed. And I froze. I got scared. I said, “uh, I just am.” That is it! I failed to communicate the reason behind my character. I failed to give witness to the power of God in making me a new creation. I blew it. That is why my second key to being a good witness is that we must communicate it. Well, how do we do that?
i. take the opportunities God provides. (unlike me…)
ii. ask questions, and really listen to the answers. This is really an important part. Effective communication of spiritual truth begins with asking questions, it begins with really listening to what people think and feel and need. It means discovering where they hurt, where life is difficult, and then relating faith to that need. Instead of worrying about what we are going to say, we should be thinking about what we are going to ask. So, what are some good questions to ask?
Depending on your personality, you might ask:
Do you ever think about spiritual things?
What do you think is the greatest problem humanity faces?
Where are you on life’s spiritual journey?
Would you be interested in coming with me to …?
Do you ever wonder what life is all about?
Those are “direct” questions. Let me run a video clip here that models an “indirect” way.
Asking questions is really important, but the really important part is to listen to the answers. Genuinely hear where people are at, expect that as you have been praying God is beginning to answer those prayers in their lives and He is starting to create an openness. By really listening and caring about what people are saying, you will create an environment where they will also listen to you and the answers you have found to life’s questions.
I can’t emphasize this strongly enough – ask, and listen. Then talk.
C. Give it time. We tend to think that it is our job to give people the whole story, to tell them everything so that they can make a choice to follow Christ or not. The truth is that it takes time – anywhere from 8-15 significant contacts with Christians before the average person comes to faith. Think even about your own journey – I’m going to guess that most of us took some time coming to Christ. So don’t feel like you have to be pushy or overbearing or give people the whole Gospel all at once. Give people space, give them time to think about things, follow up a conversation with another conversation that opens the door for them to ask more. Even a statement like “I hope I didn’t offend you last time we talked by what I said about Jesus…” could open the door for them to ask more, or if they don’t close the door for you to ask something like “have you thought any more about that?”
This answers another one of the questions that I started with – how long does it take to “convert”. It takes time. Especially when we are talking about spiritual things, it takes people time to really understand. This is Biblical – Jesus repeatedly called people to count the cost, to consider carefully their choice to follow Him. He even made it difficult at times – so that the decision would be sincere and lasting, and not easily abandoned.
I find this reassuring. It takes time, so I don’t have to give them the whole message of Christianity at once. Instead, I can relax and let God work, and be a witness over time.
Jesus told His disciples not to go anywhere without the power of the Holy Spirit. When we do go, we need to do so with a life of integrity, we need to communicate the source of that integrity, and we need to give people (and God!) time to work.
2. Don’t get sidetracked:
In Acts 1:6 we read an interesting question on the lips of the disciples – “Are you going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” It’s a good question – an interesting one. We could have lots of theological conversation about it. And we could get easily sidetracked from our mission. I think the heart of the question is a desire to see God’s Kingdom come, which is a good desire. But I think what the disciples were looking for was an instant, “zap,” and suddenly everyone recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and embrace Christianity. “Lord, are you going to do it now?” I really like what they wanted – God’s Kingdom in all its fullness and power. But I also see how Jesus brings them back to their purpose. He answers, “it’s not for you to know the answer. Your job is to be my witnesses. Leave the rest up to the Father and I.”
This question and answer sums up for me the balance between God’s part and our part. God gives us the responsibility to be effective witnesses for Him, and tells us to leave the rest up to Him. We won’t know all the answers, but our job is clear – be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and be a good witness for Him. We must stay focused on the job Jesus gave us.
3. Don’t stand around looking at the sky:
Did you notice how the story in Acts 1 ends? Jesus is taken up into heaven, and the disciples watch Him go. And then, as they are standing there staring up into the sky, no doubt lingering there, enjoying the moment, feeling a sense of wonder and awe at all they have seen and experienced with Jesus, suddenly two angels appear. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." This is the third principle of evangelism that I find in Acts 1 – we can’t stand around staring at the sky when we have a clearly communicated task to do. Jesus told them, “go, wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, then go to the ends of the earth in His power as my witnesses.” And here they were staring up at the sky! The message from the angels is a reassuring one, not a chastising one. Jesus will come back, He will return. The text doesn’t go this far, but the disciples reaction is the correct one. They get on with the job Jesus left for them.
We need to do the same. Jesus calls us to be His witnesses, locally and globally. He has left us the task of sharing with others the incredible things that He has done for us, always recognizing that it is the power of God that brings change and conversion. We have a task, it is time we got on with it.
So don’t go without the Holy Spirit.
Don’t get sidetracked.
And don’t stand around when there is a job to be done.
Good News on the Evangelism Front:
Reg Bibby is a Canadian sociologist from the University of Lethbridge, and easily the foremost expert on the sociology of religion in Canada. He has done extensive surveying of the Canadian population over the last almost 30 years. The results of his most recent survey, from 2000, reveal some fascinating trends in Canada. I want to share just two of those as I close this sermon as an encouragement to you.
1. People pray. Bibby writes, “a startling large number (of people) claim to be talking to God on a fairly regular basis.” His survey demonstrates that 74% of Canadians pray privately, 50% of those either daily or weekly. That is 3 out of 4 Canadians, talking to God on their own. Only 21% of those people are in church weekly. If this is the case, there is something you hold in common with a lot of people in your circles, and maybe that is an avenue of conversation. You could even start that conversation by saying “I heard the other day that ¾ Canadians pray – do you believe that?”
2. People are receptive. Bibby’s 2000 survey of Canadians asked this question: “Would you consider the possibility of being more involved in a religious group if you found it to be worthwhile for yourself or your family?” The results surprised me: across Canada, 55% of adults and 39% of teens answered yes. This tells us that people are receptive – that we can expect our sharing of faith to be welcomed and not rejected when done sensitively at least 55% of the time.
Conclusion
Having read further in Bibby’s work (and there is lots more I’d love to share), the conclusion I come to is the same one Jesus did: "The harvest is plentiful". Will you go and be a witness to what Jesus has done for you?
