Every Member a Missionary
Colossians 4:2-6
Rev. Brian Bill
3/22/09
[Mission Impossible Theme Song]
Mission: Impossible began as a television series in the late 60’s that chronicled the missions of a team of secret agents known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). A hallmark of the series shows the team leader receiving his instructions on a tape: “Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is... As usual, should you or any member of your I.M. Force be captured or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your existence. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.”
We’re beginning a three-part series today called “Mission Possible.” God has called each of us to join Him in mission. This mission, should we choose to accept it, is both clear and compelling. At the same time, it is challenging. With His help however, the achievement of this mission is possible.
Using PBC’s mission statement as a guideline, we will seek to understand and apply our connecting and equipping responsibilities: “The mission of Pontiac Bible Church is to connect people to Jesus and equip them to be growing and faithful followers.” For our purposes this morning, we’re going to focus on the first part of God’s plan for PBC: connecting people to Jesus.
On Mission
I want to propose that while it’s good for our church to have a mission statement; it’s even better for PBC people to be on mission. We could say it like this: Missionaries on mission connect others to Christ.
Wasn’t it great last week to see so many students on mission during the morning services? Pastor Jeff did a super job preaching, reminding us that God wants us to be willing. After the first service I spent the rest of the morning hanging out with our children’s ministry.
I am totally impressed with the caliber of our staff of servants! The Promiseland leaders were prepared, joyful and focused on helping kids understand how much God loves them. The music time was outstanding and the teaching time was creative as the children learned that it is time to beat the greed! They also discovered that real superheroes break down barriers and make friendships with those who don’t yet know Jesus. During the singing time, I heard one of the leaders encourage the kids to invite their friends to our Easter service at Pontiac Township High School. Talk about being on mission!
I then visited the two-year-olds and the three-year-olds. These teachers were also on mission as they ministered to these precious children. I sat down and helped a girl do a puzzle and she immediately realized that I wasn’t much help. After struggling with where to put a certain piece, she turned to me and said, “You’re not very good at puzzles.” The timing of my visit was good however, because the teachers announced that it was snack time. As the adults came around with some hand sanitizer, the kids eagerly washed up. That is, except for one little boy that ignored the sanitizer so he could keep playing with trucks. Two girls immediately raised their hands and told on him, announcing to the class that he hadn’t washed his hands. It didn’t seem to bother him at all. Right before I left, the whole church lost power for a few seconds. As I stood up to leave, one little boy looked up at the lights and then at me and said, “I didn’t do it!”
I finished my morning in the Nursery. Let’s just say that I have a renewed appreciation for those who work in this ministry! I held a baby who was having a hard time and I didn’t have much success calming him down. One of the nursery workers laughed really hard when she saw me look at my watch. Now I understand what’s behind the looks I get from the nursery team when the sermon goes too long! I think it’s the only room in the building with a count-down clock!
On Wednesday night, I had the privilege of hanging out with the AWANA clubbers. I was struck with how many adults and teenagers are serving in this ministry as well. I thanked one high schooler for what she was doing and she said, “I love it and want to do it for two more years!” When I visited one group, I told the kids that I wished I had something like AWANA when I was their age. One of the leaders told me that the reason she likes this ministry so much is that each week the kids learn that Jesus is offering salvation to them. I popped into one room and saw a group of boys quoting various verses of Scripture. I stood outside another room and heard Pat McGee teaching as he repeated this phrase three times: “Jesus is alive! Jesus is alive! Jesus is alive!” I smiled when I finished the night by going to Council Time and heard Steve Hartzell teaching about where our Bible comes from.
I was also amazed at how over 50 junior highers are being loved and taught the gospel by a team of trained servant leaders each Wednesday night. Two of these students indicated that they prayed to receive Christ this past week. Missionaries on mission connect others to Christ.
As I reflected on my foray into our ministry to children and teenagers, four things stood out.
* It takes a lot of people to serve in our student and children’s ministry.
* We have great teams but they need more team members. We’re having a ministry fair next week where you can learn more.
* The gospel is shared all the time and boys and girls are being connected to Christ. This mission force is on mission.
* When they meet together, they are the church. Sometimes we mistakenly think that “church” is something we go to and that it meets only in this room. However, when believers gather together, they are the church, no matter where they are.
This morning we’re going to camp in a passage that gives some practical ways that we can be involved in intercession and evangelism. Please turn in your Bibles to Colossians 4:2-6: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
This text falls naturally into two parts.
* Personal Prayer: Speaking to God about others (verses 2-4)
* Public Proclamation: Speaking to others about God (verses 5-6)
Prayer: Speaking to God About Others
Let’s look first at how to speak to God about others. Verse 2 answers the question, “How do we pray?” We discover three helpful guidelines in this verse: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
1. Pray with faithfulness. The word, “devote” means to “adhere firmly to.” It implies unrelenting persistence and is the opposite of “hit and miss.” It brings back to mind how steadfast the early church was in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” In Luke 18:1, Jesus told his “disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Paul is saying, “Always be ready to break into prayer, and do it instantaneously, at all times.” That’s precisely the admonition in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 where we’re exhorted to “pray continually.”
2. Pray with watchfulness. Verse 2 continues by saying that we’re to be “watchful” or awake when we pray. That doesn’t mean we should keep one eye open when we pray in case someone sneaks up on us. Paul told the believers in 1 Thessalonians 5:6 to not go asleep but to instead be “alert and self-controlled” as the time approaches for the Lord’s return.
I came across a story about an individual who visited the gorgeous gardens of a villa in Italy: “I arrived at the villa on the banks of Lake Como…A gardener opened the gate and conducted me through the exquisite garden. ‘How long have you been here?’ I asked. The gardener replied, ‘Twenty-five years.’ ‘How often has the owner been to see the estate?’ ‘Four times.’ ‘When did he come last?’ ‘Twelve years ago.’ The visitor asked, ‘He writes you, I suppose.’ ‘Never,’ the gardener said. ‘Who comes to look after things?’ ‘I’m left pretty much alone.’ The visitor pressed on, ‘Yet you keep the garden so spick and span that one would think you were expecting the owner tomorrow.’ ‘Today, sir, today,” said the gardener.”
3. Pray with thankfulness. We should never pray without thinking of at least one thing to thank God for because gratitude is a stimulus to prayer. God’s given us so many things, hasn’t He? We can thank Him for His presence, His provision, His pardon, His promises, and for His purposes.
Verse 2 asks the question, “How do we pray?” Verses 3-4 pose another question, “What do we say when we pray?” Let’s take a look: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” There are at least two things we should say when we pray.
* Ask for opportunities. It’s amazing to me that while Paul is under house arrest he doesn’t ask for prayers for his release, or for better food, or anything else like that. He simply wants an open door for the gospel message. In Scripture, a door is an opportunity, or ability. In 1 Corinthians 16:9, Paul says, “a great door for effective work has opened to me.” God has given Pontiac Bible Church some open doors right now in this community. We’re having the Spring Caring Closet on April 25th – what a practical way to serve our community. Let’s pray that these doors stay open and that Jesus opens some more!
* Ask for understanding. Once God opens a door, it’s essential that we have the ability to proclaim the mystery of Christ with clarity so that people can understand. Would you please pray for me? I know that I will not have open doors or be able to communicate with clarity unless you pray for me. Actually, if you don’t pray and I preach a confusing sermon, it’s really your fault! Seriously, I can’t think of anything more comforting than to know that many of you are praying for your pastors every day.
The Priority of Prayer at PBC
As I shared at our business meeting last month, the foundational part of our vision for PBC is prayer. Without prayer, our focus on families, assimilation, discipleship and music will be unfruitful. In light of that, I’ve asked Vera Wahls to lead our prayer priority. She is unable to be here today but she did send some answers to some questions that I gave her.
* Could you tell us about your heart for prayer? I’m so thankful that I have a gracious God that wants to communicate with me and truly desires to hear from me. I know that it is through prayer...that is how I “connect” with my Lord Jesus. And I know that I’m going to grow in my spiritual walk with the Lord through prayer and reading His word…I have so far to go to develop a deeper more committed prayer life; but I KNOW that His power is released in mighty ways for others and for me if we only pray!
* Prayer is one of the 5 vision areas for our church. Why do you think this is so important? Prayer is the key that unlocks the power of God!!! My computer doesn’t run unless it is connected to a power source; our church needs to connect to our Power Source. We are told in Scripture “to be faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12) and that we are to devote ourselves to prayer (1 Corinthians 7:5). Praying is part of God’s plan to grow us up in Him and to shape us according to His will!
* What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with their prayer life? Speaking as one who does struggle, I know that it needs to be a daily choice. Praying Scripture as you read the Bible has been extremely helpful for me, because I find it very difficult to put my thoughts into words. Praying out loud helps to keep me from being distracted, I have a prayer list, and I know many who keep prayer journals. I do encourage others to get a prayer partner and commit to pray on a regular basis. I’m so thankful that God gave me JoAnn Schappaugh as a prayer partner approximately 6 years ago. We continue to pray together and I have learned so much about prayer from her.
* What are some ways that we can devote ourselves to prayer at PBC? We have started to send out a weekly prayer email and to have these requests available on Sunday mornings as well for those who do not use email (they are located on the Resource Table). Ministry leaders are encouraged to submit prayer requests so we as a church family can support each other in prayer. Starting today, we have sign-up sheets on a bulletin board by the Welcome Center to pray for our Good Friday and Easter outreaches; to saturate all the planning, the worship, etc. in prayer. You can sign up for a one-hour block of time and pray wherever you are. [I chose the time of 4:00-5:00 a.m. on Sundays beginning today and going through Easter.] I look forward to those who have a passion to pray to sign up for the Prayer Ministry next week during the Ministry Fair.
* Is there anything else you’d like to add? I confess I’ve not been the prayer warrior that I should be. When asked to lead this ministry; I prayed for over a week and didn’t know what my answer was going to be...I sure didn’t feel qualified. A few weeks ago when Pastor Brian preached about not procrastinating and putting off what we are called to do; I was convicted that if I empty myself out and ask God to guide and show me what to do; that He is the Faithful One and my part is to obey. So...it was time to confess my sin of busyness and procrastination (and I’ll continue to seek God’s help with this) and follow His leading. I am confident of this, He is Trustworthy!
Let’s practice some prayer right now by praying our passage back to God.
Proclamation: Speaking to Others About God
In verses 5-6 we’re going to learn how prayer dovetails with proclamation as we discover that our ability to connect people to Christ is directly related to the intensity of our intercession. Actually, most of us don’t need to hear about the importance of evangelism; we just need to do it. We don’t need more preaching, we need more practice. In light of that, we’ve arranged for some buses to take each of us to different locations around town so that we can do some evangelism. Some of you will be going to the Walmart parking lot and others of you will be going uptown. Please remember to take your coats.
JK (just kidding). You can relax. How many of you were really uncomfortable just now? Some of you were probably looking for a way out of here. That was simply the intro to a video I’d like you to watch. As you watch it, see if one of the characters most resembles your understanding of evangelism.
--> Video: “Evangephopia”
We just need to be normal. Verse 5 focuses on how we walk. In verse 6 the emphasis is on how we talk. We must balance our life and our lips. Let’s look first at verse 5: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
1. Be wise. To be wise in the way we walk means that we’re careful not to say or do anything that would make it difficult to share the gospel. Those who don’t yet know Christ are watching us. 1 Peter 2:12: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” How are you doing in this regard? Would people be surprised to find out that you’re a Christ-follower? How would you like an unbeliever to come up to you and say, “Excuse me, but what you’re doing speaks so loudly that I can’t hear anything you’re saying.”
When Jesus sent his disciples out to spread the good news, he told them in Matthew 10:16 to be “as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.” Brothers and sisters, we need to be careful about the way we act because people are making decisions about the validity of Christianity based upon how we’re living. When we pray, God will give us open doors. Let’s not shut them by our behavior. Don’t put people off; instead, let’s pull them in. Our walk with Christ enables us to talk of Christ.
I was up in Wisconsin on Monday and was surprised to still see snow on the ground. I was even more surprised when I saw someone out on a lake doing some ice fishing. The ice was slushy and there was open water near where he was fishing. It looked really dangerous. Some of you are living pretty close to some open water yourself as you compromise your convictions like the last guy in the drama. Are you wise in what you’re doing and where you’re spending your time?
2. Be ready. Making the most of every opportunity is a commercial term and means to “buy up.” It’s the picture of finding something on sale and buying all you can afford because the price is so good. I’m reminded of a common event in the Bill household when I was growing up. There was a grocery store called Strege’s located across our backyard and down the street. When they would run sales on little pizzas, my mom would send us down one at a time because there was a limit on how much you could buy at one time. I have memories of marching back home with a bag of frozen pizzas only to meet one of my sisters on her way to the store to get some more. The deal was too good to pass up.
Likewise, we’re to urgently buy up every opportunity to speak for Christ when we see one. It’s the idea of snapping up every opportunity to have a spiritual conversation. I was at a volleyball game the evening that the announcement about the prison staying open was made. I watched a PBC member go out of her way to talk to a woman because she had been praying for this family and wanted her to know that God had answered her prayers. She was ready. Are you snapping up the opportunities you have every day?
Our church has a relationship with a family who lives in another country, and is all about the Father’s business. In this month’s update, I read about how the husband is taking a photography class with the express purpose of “representing the Son” to his classmates when they go on trips together. The wife is spending time with neighbors in order to make connections. When an English teaching opportunity fell through for her husband, she wrote this: “We are trusting the Father to fill the gaps in his schedule with other opportunities to serve others.” Later on, they summarized the purpose behind what they’re doing: “We continue to learn and gain insight into the minds of the people we are trying to serve as we listen, ask questions, and just spend time with them.”
Friends, we’re called to do the same thing. Missionaries on mission connect others to Christ.
3. Be gracious. Verse 6 challenges us to guard what comes out of our mouths. Our wise walk should lead to wise words: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” It’s important that we communicate with words of grace when we speak with those who don’t yet know Christ. We must be pointed and pleasant; charming and yet uncompromising. Unfortunately, many times believers go off on people who are living in sin. Or, we let loose about a moral issue in our culture, forgetting that there may be someone listening who is caught in that particular sin. When we’re filled with anger and rage people feel judgment and are not attracted to Jesus.
We need to be more like Jesus, who was the perfect embodiment of both truth and grace. Even when He dealt with sin, He spoke words of grace. In Luke 4:22, after listening to Jesus teach, the people “spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” Remember, we are witnesses, not judges or prosecuting attorneys.
I don’t know where I first heard this, but this acrostic is really helpful. God, help me to T.H.I.N.K. before I speak. My words must be…
T - True (Psalm 34:13)
H - Helpful (Ephesians 4:29)
I - Inspiring (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
N - Necessary (Ephesians 5:4)
K - Kind (Proverbs 15:1)
4. Be appetizing. Our conversations need to be seasoned with salt. Salt enhances flavor and makes food appetizing. It penetrates, permeates, and preserves. “Salty speech” in Paul’s day referred to witty and clever discussion. It was the opposite of being boring or monotone. When we talk about our faith how can we not be interesting? Our proclamation is to be pungent, adding flavor to those we talk with. Several years ago our small group worked on giving our testimonies. One of the common themes in almost all of them is a funny story or interesting comment that peaks the interest of the hearer. Salty speech makes people thirsty for more. We should be talking about Christ in a way that makes someone’s mouth water! Incidentally, our theme for Easter Sunday at the PTHS auditorium is Thirst.
5. Be ready. When we choose to mix it up with people who don’t yet know Christ we need to be ready to give them an answer when they ask us some questions. Another way to say it is that when we are gracious and appetizing, people will want an explanation. Peter put it this way in 1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
We must be ready to answer everyone. You can do that any number of ways. Begin by simply telling your story. Talk about how you became a Christian. Then tell His story. Focus on Jesus, explaining why He had to die on the cross and the need for us to respond to what He has done. Next, invite your searching friends to our Good Friday and Easter services. I can think of one more way to be ready. Some of you are believers but you’ve not yet been baptized. Our next baptism service will be held on Sunday, April 26th. If you’re ready to take the plunge, call the church office. Baptism is a great opportunity to explain what you believe and how Jesus has changed your life.
Missionaries on mission connect others to Christ.
Missional Missionaries
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since we had our 40th Anniversary Banquet at the Elk’s Club. I’ll never forget how former PBC pastor Stan Wiedeman challenged us to become missional in our ministry. This is part of what he said: “We have to stop thinking us vs. them and move toward us for them.”
I’m about halfway through a book called “The Missional Renaissance” by Reggie McNeal that picks up on some things that Stan challenged us with. This book is suggesting that we need a paradigm shift as well as a new scorecard for measuring effectiveness. The first shift that churches must make is to move from an internal to an external focus.
“Moving to an external focus pushes the church from doing missions…into being on mission as a way of life. Missional followers…are the church. Wherever they are, the church is present…The missional church believes it is God who is on mission and that we are to join Him in it…This means that wherever missional followers of Jesus are, the church is there – at home, at work, at school, in the neighborhood, at the ballpark, in the dance studio – wherever followers of Jesus are taking seriously their identity as the people of God.”
This past Tuesday, Pastor Dick, Pastor Jeff and I didn’t have our normal staff meeting. Instead, each of us went to three different locations – Pastor Dick went to Wal-Mart, Pastor Jeff went to County Market and I sat outside the courthouse. As we watched people we prayed this prayer: “God, help us to see people like you do.” We tried to imagine that we had just moved here as missionaries. Here are some of our observations…
* People seemed to be enjoying the nice weather
* We all saw young couples or singles with babies
* Some people looked very burdened
* A lot of people were wearing green and one man had his hair dyed green
* Saw a lot of motorcycles and pick-up trucks
* Watched a man who looked very lonely
* Not a lot people seemed to be smiling
We then came back here to debrief. All three of us saw people from PBC when we were out and then it hit me…PBC is already permeating this county! You were pretty nervous when I told you that we had buses ready to take us all over town to do evangelism but the truth of the matter is that when you leave here you will go all over this county as missionaries. It’s good to bring people to church; but we must also bring the church to people.
McNeal uses the illustration of an airport as a place of connection, not a destination. An airport exists to help people get somewhere else. I picked up Emily from Midway on Thursday night. I didn’t go there to stay there, even though it’s a nice looking place. I went to pick her up so she we could go somewhere else. Likewise, to borrow the word from our mission statement, the church exists to connect people to Jesus and then equips them to live out the Christ-life in relationships, in neighborhoods, in jobs, and in families.
When you leave here today, you are taking Jesus with you. The idea is that we use our life assignments as missionary posts to connect people to Jesus. Let’s think through where Jesus is going…
* Your neighborhood
* The Towers
* Your job
* Your club
* Stores and gas stations you frequent
* The Rec Center or Champion Fitness
* The Golf Course [except Sunday mornings]
* To your backyard as you’re raking, mowing, etc.
* St. James Hospital
* Your school – Dwight, Flanagan, Tri-Point, PTHS, St. Mary’s, Lincoln, Washington, Central, PJHS, PCS
* Sports teams
* On Facebook – 158 PBC people are on this networking site!
Friends, it’s time for us to live our lives with the idea that we are on a mission trip. On mission trips, people focus on the work of God around them, staying sensitive to the Spirit as they sacrifice and serve those around them. This is all done with the express purpose of connecting people to Christ.
In the old Mission Impossible show, the Impossible Missions Force was often sent on covert missions. Your mission, should you decide to accept it is this: Be a missionary on mission so you can connect others to Christ. Is this an impossible mission? It will be…if we refuse to accept it.
Closing Video: “The Mission”
