Roots
Pt. 2 - People and Place
I. Introduction
Last week I told you that it is absolutely essential for us to not only have roots, but to also know what those roots are. So, we began a close examination of the core values that are under the surface of our church and should be the foundation of our lives. These things are beneath the surface, often overlooked, seldom talked about, but are necessary to sustain life, produce fruit, aid/assist in movement, anchor us during a storm, and to keep us alive in dry weather.
I want to remind you again that our root system is:
Praise
Purpose
People
Place
Prayer
Pentecost
Presence
Preaching
I told you last week that we must stay rooted to praise and purpose. Our victory, plunder, and peace are directly linked to our willingness and involvement in praise. Purpose is what keeps us moving in the right direction and on the same page. It is also what we must help you to find and discover in order for us corporately to fulfill our purpose. If you find your purpose it will not only change your life, but it will cause our church to blossom and succeed.
Text:
Matthew 9:35-36
35And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness. 36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.
Luke 19:41
41When the city came into view, he wept over it.
So, today I want us to look the next 2 roots that we draw from. People and Place.
II. People
5 times in Matthew, 4 times in Mark, 3 times in Luke we are told that either Jesus was moved by compassion or he told a parable where a character that represented God or Jesus was moved on by compassion. Jesus was moved by people.
In fact, when you stop and think about Jesus’ ministry you can summarize his ministry by saying that he was moved by people, took time for people, touched people, healed people, and ultimately died for people. His ministry was rooted in people. He was surrounded by people, hurt by people, spit on by people, interrupted by people, betrayed by people, and yet he remained rooted to people!
We too must stay rooted to people! We are to stay rooted to each other. I have already talked to you in the past about our responsibilities to each other. We should guard, protect, lift up and assist with the burdens of those inside the walls, but what about the people out there? We must stay rooted to a Jesus kind of life.
So, can I ask you a few questions?
a. Are you moved by people?
When was the last time you were moved by compassion for the plight of others? When were you moved to tears when you saw the hurt and struggle of others? When were you moved to more than sympathy, but to action? Jesus didn’t just see the pain and feel bad. He had compassion which is not only a deep awareness of suffering, but a wish to relieve it. In fact, one of the Greek words used for compassion (which wasn’t used until after Jesus began to use it) actually carries with it the idea of courage. So it isn’t enough to be moved, we must also have the courage to do something about what moves us.
I was intrigued by something I watched in a football game this week. I was numbly watching Texas Tec take on Ole Miss. The sidelines reporter began to do one of those human interest pieces that most guys, myself included, just think are a stupid interruption to the game. But this piece was different. The story was on a white couple by the name of Tuohy. Sean Tuohy had been helping with basketball practice at a local high school when his attention was caught by this large, young black teenager. He began to buy him lunch. During Thanksgiving break, Sean and his wife were driving down a street and they saw this young teenager getting off a city bus wearing nothing but shorts even though it was snowing outside. Sean’s wife said he looked homeless and helpless. The woman convinced her husband to stop to help this young man. This young man was one of 13 children born to a mother hooked on crack. He grew up in the Hurt Village Project in Memphis. Through the ninth grade, he’d been to 11 schools and had a 0.6 GPA. This white woman said, “he just looked like he needed a big hug.” They stopped and took this young man into their home. They adopted him in 2004. They cared for him. Watched over him. Encouraged him. Ultimately they sent him to Ole’ Miss and paid for his education. That young man is Michael Oher. He is now a 6-foot-5, 318-pounder and could be a top-10 pick in April’s NFL Draft. They were moved to the point of taking action.
I had to stop and ask myself a question. Would I do that? Or would I be scared? Would I be hardened? Would I be suspicious and cynical? Am I willing to do more than cry? Am I willing to stop the car and help?
b. Do you take time for people?
Are people just an inconvenient interruption? Do we hurry past the very ones God has called us to minister to? Do we hide out behind closed doors? Do we rush into our automated garage and avoid contact with those around us? Or do we slow down long enough to really see people, talk to people, and become involved with people?
Take a moment right now and ask yourself this question – Whose life am I intimately involved with who isn’t a Christian or doesn’t come to this church?
c. Do you touch people?
Have you noticed that we have become a hands-off society? Even at church we are so careful about avoiding touch. I realize that in today’s climate you have to be wise and extremely careful, but I also know that people need to be touched! Our touch can bring hope and encouragement. A hug can bring safety and peace.
Scientists have discovered that the amount of body contact in our lives plays a vital role in our mental and physical development as infants and in our happiness and vigor as adults. Touch influences our ability to deal with stress and pain, to form close relationships with other people, and even to fight off disease. Various studies have shown that when someone else gently holds a person’s wrist, heartbeat slows and blood pressure declines. Children and adolescents, hospitalized for psychiatric problems, show remarkable reductions in anxiety levels and positive changes in attitude when they receive a brief daily back rub.
Jesus was constantly reaching out and touching someone or someone was constantly touching him. He lived a touchy life. The word touch is used 29 times in the New Testament in reference to Jesus’ ministry. He touched men, women, children, healthy folks, sick folks, and even dead folks. We must as well. Stop right now and turn and either hug someone, pat them on the back, shake their hand. You have the ability to change someone’s life just by touching them! Touch someone! We must do that outside this building as well.
d. Have you healed anyone lately?
I know that when we talk about Jesus healing people that we think about the incredible, jaw dropping miracles that he preformed. And although Scripture is abundantly clear that we should be involved in that aspect of healing (You will do greater things than I have done) I wonder if we have healed anyone lately of other kinds of sickness. Have we healed anyone of depression, loneliness, stress, anger, hate, or fear?
Maybe we don’t see the eye popping miracles because we never heal anyone of the common, overlooked, ignored diseases that we come into contact with on a daily basis.
Whose life have you healed lately? Whose life have you changed? Whose frown have you turned into a smile? Whose head have you raised? Whose heart have you rescued? Whose nerves have you calmed? Whose tears have you dried?
e. Have you died for anyone lately?
I know Jesus died literally and the day may come that we are called to do that as well, but my question is who have you died for lately on a daily basis? Have you died to self, your will, your rights, your wants? Have you died by putting someone else first lately? Have you died by biting your tongue lately rather than attacking? We are called to lay down our lives for others!
Our ability to remain rooted to people really comes down to a heart condition. In order to love people we must have the heart of Christ operating and beating within us!
It is normal for pastors to tell us that we should love others. What they fail to tell us is that this can be hard and almost impossible in our own ability. I think that we miss a step in this process.
The first step of love is not toward them but toward him?
Could it be that the secret to loving is receiving? You give love by first receiving love. “We love each other as a result of his loving us first” (1 John 4:19 NLT).
Long to be more loving? Begin by accepting your place as a dearly loved child. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us” (Eph. 5:1-2).
Want to learn to forgive? Then consider how you’ve been forgiven. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you” (Eph. 4:32 NIV).
Max Lucado is correct when he said,“The secret to loving is living loved. Many people tell us to love. Only God gives us the power to do so.”
All I am saying is because you are loved become moved by those who are not. Because you are loved take time for those who are not. Because you are loved touch those who are not. Because you are loved heal those who are not. Because you are loved die for those who are not!
James’ Testimony
We must stay rooted to people! We are here for people! You are here for people! We have to be more concerned about people than our pet programs. We have to be more concerned about people than doing church! If all we do is church, but don’t stay connected to people then we have missed it. Hang out with the folks that come in here, touch people when they come in here, love on each other and those outside these walls! We must remain rooted to people!
III. Place
But, Jesus wasn’t just moved by people He was also moved by a place. I read to you from Luke 19 where Jesus is making his way into Jerusalem and actually weeps over the city!
The word translated "wept" is the Greek verb klaio, "weep, cry, bewail.” In other words, Jesus bursts into sobbing when he topped the hill to go into Jerusalem. Think about that a moment. He was so moved by the condition of a city that he literally bawled his eyes out. He was rooted to that place. He loved that place. He was connected to that place.
Have you examined the condition of our city lately?
Do you understand that we have been divinely established and placed in this city for such a time as this? In fact, when we were talking about planting we were challenged about Oklahoma City. The statement has been made by friends and acquaintances that the Metro doesn’t need any more churches it already has enough. Really? Look around you are the churches full? Are there still people dying and going to hell? Is the city better off because of the churches!
We are rooted to this place. May I remind you of the word that John received last week during service? I believe it was a word from God. John kicked himself for not giving it last week. He felt like he disobeyed. Now that I have had time to stop and think about it, I think God stopped him because He knew what I was getting ready to speak to you. Listen carefully. Allow this to sink in.
"I have a place for you in this city. It is a unique place that I am propelling you toward, even day by day. It is a niche that is yet being carved and prepared, so do not be discouraged or dismayed as you look around you.
I am calling you to join with me in the carving process. I call you, this year, to renew in your "spiritual disciplines" so that your passion can be known to all, and so that you can follow me in the process. Your commitment to the "spiritual disciplines" of the faith will not gain you points with me, but rather they will place you in a position to assist Me as I carve out the niche. So I call you to a year of learning, rediscovering, and practicing "spiritual disciplines," not out of legalism, but out of love and devotion for Me.
So delight in this new season and take liberty to explore. Know that I’ll be doing many things you hadn’t thought about or prepared for, so be open. I say be open, and again I say, BE OPEN! I’ll give you many new paradigm shifts if you’ll let me. So rejoice I have a place for you in this city.”
I am thankful for this place. I am calling you to take a new look at our place. We must be moved by the plight of our city! Does this mean we will never launch out into other communities? No! I believe God has great plans for us to have impact in other areas of Oklahoma and also into other nations. However, I believe that we have been hand planted by God in the Metro to make a difference here! I would also say that we won’t reach out to other areas if it means ignoring our own place!
What should move us about our city?
The same thing that moved Jesus – blindness. He was moved because they didn’t know the truth! He said if you had only recognized this day! They were blind to who Jesus was and what He could do.
The Apostle Paul writes, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
When we see our city we should be moved by their inability to see Jesus. The drug use is caused by their blindness. Their homosexual lifestyles are caused by blindness. Their stealing, cheating, murdering, abortions, divorces, abuse, suicide is all caused by blindness. If they could just see Jesus and understand who He is and that He loves them these things would end. We have been placed here for one reason, to carry out Luke 4 and give sight to the blind!
Let us weep over their blindness. My prayer is that as you watch the local news, as you fly over this area on a trip, as you go to and from work each day that you will suddenly be moved by compassion for this place. Rooted, can’t get away from it, can’t sleep at night until something is done in this place!
We have a divine assignment! We have been chosen to change this place. That should challenge us, but it should also encourage us because where He guides He provides! We are on the brink of great things. We are partners with God on this. We can’t do this in our own power or might. We must join forces with Him.
IV. Close
Make us open to people again. Help us love again. Help us be moved by compassion again for people and this place.
