Last Sunday the congregation of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan received several unwelcome protesters into their 11:30 AM service. On cue members of a gay rights activists group called Back Bash began disrupting the service. They were attempting to protest the passing of California’s gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. Protestors outside the church, dressed in pink and black shouted “Gay is okay” and “Jesus was a homo” through a megaphone. Protestors inside the church shouted profanity, confronted individual church members, threw confetti, glitter, brochures, and condoms all over the sanctuary, and kissed one another beside the pulpit. The incident ended when police arrived and the activists peacefully dispersed. No arrests were made.
It’s not clear why this church was chosen for protest. Activists say that Mount Hope is a hate-filled, anti-gay church. Others in the community say the church has done little more than offer prayer and counseling to hurting people. Whatever the case, it’s clear that the overall message of the church is being rejected by people who desperately need to hear and embrace it.
How different this is from New Testament times. In those days the Christians took the gospel to the streets and they were warmly received. Listen to the response of the crowd in Jerusalem after Peter’s sermon on Pentecost:
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37 (NIV)
Many people of our generation are no longer asking that question. In fact, they don’t want to hear the words come out of our mouths. A few weeks before the election I read one blogger’s reaction to Sarah Palin. He rejected her as a VP candidate because, in his words, “I don’t want her cramming her religion down my throat.”
Part of the problem lies with our culture. The mainstream media, entertainment industry, and secularized public education have nurtured a generation that rejects any claim of absolute truth and insists on tolerance and equal footing of all points of view. The idea of sin and the need for a Savior has been all but erased in our collective consciousness.
But let’s be honest. Is our culture any worse than the ancient Greco-Roman world that the apostles successfully took the good new of Jesus Christ to? A shallow study of history would tell you “no.” The truth is that part of the problem today is Christians and the church. For some reason we have lost the qualities that made the early believers so attractive. Admittedly, there are some people who will refuse Christ no matter what, but we can do much better and become much more winsome to a lost and dying world. This morning we’re going to study …
The Ways of a Winsome Believer
We’re going to take a few cues from the life of Isaac and learn from the things that he did right. He had a magnetic faith early in his life that literally drew pagans to him.
The story begins like a repeat from Abraham’s life. Famine hit the land of Canaan and God appears to Isaac telling him not to go to the land of plenty in Egypt. Along with the command, God renewed His promise to bless and protect Isaac. He reminded Isaac of His covenant with his father Abraham, especially this part:
“…and through your offspring all nation on earth will be blessed …” Genesis 26:4
A literal translation of that verse is awkward in English, but what God said is that nations will come to Abraham’s descendants to be blessed. Isaac, as the chosen seed of Abraham, could expect to see that promise fulfilled … and that’s exactly what happens. By the end of the story, the Philistines come to Isaac to make a covenant of peace and friendship because they want the blessings of God. The ways of Isaac were so winsome that his neighbors wanted in on what God was doing in his life.
One of Isaac’s ways that made him winsome was …
1. Radical obedience to God command
A famine hits the area and Isaac prepared to do the sensible thing: pack up and move to Egypt. The water supply there was reliable and the fields always fertile. God interrupted Isaac’s intention with a simple command:
“Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land a while …” Genesis 26:2, 3a
The author of Genesis understates Isaac’s radical obedience:
So Isaac stayed in Gerar. Genesis 26:6
There are two reasons why radical obedience is essential to winsomeness. First, it is a channel for God’s blessings and, second, it lets people know that our belief is a sincere commitment rather than fuzzy faith. One of the big lessons of this story is that God’s protection and empowering of Isaac were dependent on his radical obedience. If he’d continued on down to Egypt the deal would have been off. Rather than blessing, Isaac would have experienced judgment. Obedience is the channel of God’s blessings. Points 2 and 3 are only possible through it.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if we became radically obedient to God’s command to seek Him in prayer together, seek the lost through evangelism together, seek a holy and righteous life together, and make disciples together we’d see so many blessings that this community would be attracted like a moth to a flame. The difficulty is that radical obedience means abandoning our plans and ways of doing things and risking it all on God’s way. I’m hoping and praying we will expand our vision beyond a heaven-only focus. I’m looking forward to the day when we embark on risky, unconventional adventures because God has called us to do it. Radical obedience will eventually bring the blessings of God.
Radical obedience is also winsome because people are naturally attracted to those who have convictions and stick to them. For the past few decades churches and Christians have attempted to be user-friendly. Water down the message of the Bible. Look the other way when it comes to certain lifestyle issues. Has this approach led people in our culture to arise and seek Christ? No. If anything the spiritual state of our nation is worse. What we need is a return to the days when preachers preached messages like “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” We need to return to the practice of boldly speaking the truth in love in our personal lives. We need Christians to again affirm that there are not many ways, but only one that leads to life and that is Jesus Christ.
But we need a radical obedience that extends beyond personal belief and testimony. Our culture is in desperate need of people who make their decisions based on the word of God rather than what’s in their best economic interest. Our world is waiting for the example of people who follow the commands of God regarding their time, talents, and money. We will not be taken serious nor will our lives be winsome until others see that our faith isn’t just a matter of taste like the brand of cola we drink. They will only be attracted to a faith where adherents willingly sacrifice all for the sake of the kingdom and righteousness of God.
2. An abundant harvest of the Spirit’s fruit
Another understated verse tells us this:
Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. Genesis 26:12
The fruitfulness of Isaac’s crops were remarkable for several reasons. First, Isaac and his family were semi-nomadic pastoralists. They constantly traveled grazing their livestock. Isaac had no experience as a farmer, but the first time he puts his hand to the plow a bumper crop results. Second, Gerar and the surrounding regions were fairly dry. Much of the area is wilderness because there’s no enough rainfall for large-scale crop production. In addition to this, a severe famine dogged the land. There was less rain than usual. We can infer this viewing Isaac’s desperate search for water. Despite it all, Isaac harvested a hundredfold what he’d planted. The only reason was God’s hand of blessing upon him.
For our times we need to change the criteria of fruitfulness. Today any old pagan or atheist can get rich through human knowledge and skill. Material wisdom such as Isaac acquired is not terribly winsome … spiritually anyway. What does attract people like a magnet is the fruit of the Spirit in a Christian’s character. Truly, people don’t care what you know or what you do or how much you have, but they do take notice of how you treat them. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. Not only does He bear witness to our salvation and seal us for the day of redemption, but, given full reign, He transforms our character and the way we relate to others. Galatians 5:22-24 lists the fruit of the Spirit. I want you to notice how relational these characteristics are. Think about how winsome you’d be if these characteristics were true of you:
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-24
I think it’s safe to say that Isaac was fruitful in this way as well. He was terribly mistreated by the Philistines. They stopped up his father’s wells and ran him out of Gerar to the wilderness, but he never returned evil for evil. Isaac maintained peace and self-control in his approach to them. In the end they came running to him for a treaty.
Sadly, in my experience with church folks over the years, few display the fruit of the Spirit. They can fake it pretty well on Sunday mornings, but when you get up close and personal there’s no fruit. These are long time Christians who you’d expect to have made some spiritual progress over the years. I’ve told you before of the man who had fifty year’s perfect attendance in Sunday school, yet he was known as a grump, had no self-control over his snuff addiction, and constantly blamed and belittled his wife. One woman I know has virtual saint status at her church, yet she gossips, manipulates, and tears other down behind their backs. Do you think that kind of behavior is winsome? It’s repulsive. Get a whole church full and it’s a stench to the community.
There are at least a couple of reasons why many Christian yield no spiritual fruit. One is that there are certain sinful habits and ways of interacting with people that they are just not willing to give up. To change is to admit fault and do the painful work of reprogramming. Churches and Christians aid and abet this conduct by failing to offer support for change or accountability for sin. There’s just no expectation of holiness anymore. Another is the amount of work it takes to allow the Holy Spirit to have complete sway. It takes a daily consecration to the will of God and most of us are far to busy for that. It also requires consistent attention to God’s word, but our lust for entertainment rules that out.
Having spiritual fruit is a matter of allowing God to influence us while shutting off the stupid and corrupt counsel of sinful people. Psalm 1 eloquently reminds us of the path to perpetual, winsome spiritual fruit:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3
3. A tangible display of supernatural power
Here’s the big picture of Isaac’s story. Despite his own failures and inexperience Isaac became rich. His crops, livestock, and servants increased. When his neighbors envied his success and pushed him into the wilderness and filled in his father’s wells, Isaac continued to grow rich and powerful. Though all the odds were stacked against him, not the least of which was a severe famine in the land, he miraculously prospered. This convinced the Philistines that the hand of God was upon him. They attributed Isaac’s success to supernatural power and made a treaty because they desired the same blessing. Isaac’s magnetic faith attracted them. They understood that the God of the legendary Abraham was Isaac’s God too. God’s power in his life brought the Philistines to faith.
We should not shy away from this idea. God’s power demonstrates His love for his creatures. People find such a display extremely attractive. Well into New Testament times God used the same method. The early Church had magnetic faith. Notice how the book of Acts describes the link between supernatural power and winsomeness:
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. …And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:43, 47b
Paul, the most magnetic preacher the world has ever seen besides Jesus Himself, said that the secret to his effectiveness was the consistent display of supernatural power that accompanied his words.
And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
He told the church at Corinth that a display of supernatural power would also bring repentance to unbelievers who entered their assembly. His expectation was that all the worshipping believers demonstrate the Spirit’s power, especially in their speech. Notice too that in genuine Christian worship all minister to one another, not just one person or a small group to the majority:
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. 1 Corinthians 14:24-25
The supernatural power of God is winsome. The manifestation of that power need not look exactly like its display in Isaac’s age or New Testament times, but it should be present nonetheless. The church should still be a place of healing – whether of broken bodies or broken relationships. God’s people should still be channels for God’s deliverance – whether from demons or destructive lifestyles. The power of God should still be present to convince, convict, and convert the sinner. The supernatural power of God is both magnetic and transforming to a lost and dying world.
So my friends, where is it? I’m going to say what you probably have never heard a preacher admit from the pulpit: “I don’t know.” But I do have a theory. In the story, Isaac’s primary preoccupation centered on the digging of wells. The Philistines kept filling the in old ones out of envy, but Isaac and his servants persevered. They reopened the old wells and continued searching for new ones. Every time they found a suitable grazing site, they’d dig and they find water. They even discovered what the Bible calls living water, an artesian well in which the water flows out of the ground with no need for pumping or dipping. The wells they discovered were God’s primary means of blessing Isaac. Finding water in dry places was a miracle. That was God’s part. Isaac’s part was to keep searching, keep digging.
We have not yet seen the supernatural work God desires to accomplish through us and our church. It looks like we’re stuck in a dried up river valley. We see none of the life giving power of God right now. We’re tempted to head to Egypt, the place of man-made solutions. But I think the key is the pattern Isaac set. Don’t give up. Keep searching. Keep digging. The water for Isaac’s life-giving wells lay just beneath the surface of the ground. So too the life-giving, attractive, and transforming supernatural power of God is waiting for us to discover.
God will do His part and ultimately it is His presence and power that makes us magnetic. I have to believe that He’s waiting for us to get serious and do our part. He’s waiting for us to live a radical obedience and get past the easy believism that has infected so many churches today. He’s waiting for us to get serious about spiritual fruit and allow the Holy Spirit to have complete sway over our character. That requires total consecration to His reign in our life. He’s waiting for us to search persistently and dig deeper, pushing aside the way we’ve always done it to tap into what He’s authorizing and empowering us to accomplish right now. God will do His part to give us magnetic faith if we’ll do ours.
