[Note to the Reader: This sermon owes a great deal to the excellent book by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg entitled Becoming a Contagious Christian]
St. Paul writes, ‘There are different gifts, but the same spirit’ (1 Cor. 12:4); and later in his letter to the Corinthians he writes these things: ‘The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts’ (1 Cor. 12:12); and ‘if the whole body were an eye where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be’ (1 Cor. 12:17)? Verse 20: ‘As it is, there are many parts, but one body’. Verse 27: ‘Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it’ (1 Cor. 12:27).
We are the body of Christ. We are one body, made up of different parts, people with different gifts, each one valued, each one different, each one essential; and at one point Paul writes, ‘those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable’ (1 Cor. 12:22)!
So we come to week seven of our series Making Jesus better known. Today’s message is Be Yourself.
In seeking to make Jesus better known to our friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues let’s be ourselves. Let’s not seek to be like anyone else other than Christ Jesus himself.
After the crucifixion of Jesus, when he died on our behalf for the sins of the whole world, and after His resurrection, and after God sent the Holy Spirit to fill believers with a new power; after all of that God had a plan A to reach people for Christ. God’s plan A is you and me. Yes, you and me, and just in case you’re wondering there is no Plan B; only plan A.
Jesus says to us, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19); but do we sometimes hear that and think, “You can’t possibly mean me”? Well, I believe that God does not make mistakes, and yes, he does mean you and me. He made you to be you. Psalm 139:13, ‘You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb’.
In his book ‘Becoming a contagious Christian’ Bill Hybels writes this: ‘God knew what he was doing when he made you. He did! He custom-designed you with your unique combination of personality, temperament, talents, and background, and he wants to harness and use these in his mission to reach this messed-up world’. In a nut-shell, find the style of sharing your faith that fits you. Find out how you can best communicate the love of Jesus to others and then put it into practice.
In a smaller nutshell: Be yourself; but that immediately challenges the way we tend to do things in business, in employment, and in the Church. I’m sure many of us have been in situations where we’ve thought, “How did I end up doing this job? I don’t like it. It was a job, it was being advertised, I applied, I got it, and now here I am. If only I could find a job that I enjoy; a job that ticks all the boxes. Is there such a job?” In case you’re wondering, I believe I found the one for me.
Unfortunately this also happens in the Church. We advertise vacancies for a secretary to the Church council, or a youth leader, or an office volunteer, or a children’s worker, or a cleaner, and sometimes willing people offer themselves; but sometimes we approach people and excuse the cliché but we’re trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes.
Referring to the distribution of spiritual gifts by God’s Holy Spirit, The Bible says that ‘[God] gives them to each one just as he determines’ (1 Cor. 12:11); so perhaps we need to start turning the process around. Find out what God has gifted you for. If you don’t already know, find out what you are passionate about, consider your abilities, your experience, and your personality, and then use those discoveries to find out what role God has in store for you. That way, we should get a much better fit of people and roles, in business, in church, and in sharing our faith – making Jesus better known to those that don’t yet know him.
In the Bible, when it came to sharing faith with others, we find a whole variety of styles, and perhaps you’ll spot yourself in one or two of these:
1: Peter’s confrontational approach
He could be brash, upfront, and in your face. When Jesus asked the disciples who they believed him to be, Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Mt. 16:15). Shortly after this Jesus began to explain that he must travel to Jerusalem where he would suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, but on the 3rd day be raised to life (Mt.16:21). Upon hearing this Peter rebuked and challenged Jesus; now I find it hard to imagine being a 1st century disciple and challenging Jesus, but that’s what Peter did, and on this occasion Peter was just plain wrong. On another occasion he got out of his fishing boat when he saw Jesus walking on the water (Mt. 14:29). No wonder he was the one to preach the first proper sermon in the early Church.
And when he did (Acts 2), 3000 people heard the Good News, became believers, and were baptised.
It was a perfect fit. People needed to be confronted with the truth of their situation, the truth of the love and judgement of God, and with the truth about the love, forgiveness and salvation of God in Jesus.
I have a friend called Chris who is quite like Peter. He is confrontational, but when I say that don’t hear words like rude, insensitive or arrogant because he is none of those. He is gentle, like-Christ; but he lovingly confronts people with questions about life and faith they would normally avoid. For example he carefully confronted Minty in a pub. Minty was accusing Chris of trying to brainwash the whole pub, but Chris gently but firmly had a conversation with Minty and with another guy who was listening in. Minty eventually walked away but some people are ready to be confronted with the truth about God and themselves.
2: St. Paul’s intellectual approach
God did not send Peter the fisherman to debate with the 1st century philosophers in Athens. No, he sent Paul, a highly-educated man who could debate, argue, defend, and counter-argue. Yes, he was able to confront people with the truth but his approach was very different. In Acts 17 Paul begins creatively with the shrine to an unknown god, and uses that sense of god-awareness to talk about his faith.
Some people do not respond well to the Peter approach because it might sound too simplistic, whereas what they need to hear is not just the Good News proclaimed, but also the message of Jesus defended, explained, defined and unpacked.
My friend John Hibberd heads up Through Faith Missions. He was my Team Leader on Walk West Dorset recently. He is not a Peter but he is a Paul. He has a PhD in Chemistry and as a Christian and an evolutionist loves to debate and discuss with fellow scientists in particular and perhaps this describes you.
3: The (Former) Blind man’s testimonial approach
Perhaps the most culturally acceptable and effective approach in today’s world is that of telling our own story. People might dismiss the preaching of the gospel, and might have no interest in complicated intellectual arguments; but they love a good story.
Jesus healed a blind man in John 9 and his way of sharing his faith was simply to tell people what had happened to him. His story was powerful and his life was changed. Interestingly when he was called before the religious authorities to explain himself he was not prepared to enter into theological debate at all.
Let’s not think we always have to be ready with Bible verses or intellectual arguments. The former blind man said this, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see” (John 9:25)! He later had more to say but his main focus was on what happened in his encounter with Jesus.
Many of you have a story to tell and it doesn’t have to be dramatic. Just say it as it is, or as it was.
For example, when I talk about my experience of being unable to work for 9 months in 2008 people often say how frustrating that must have been for me; to which I say, “I was incredibly peaceful throughout most of that time. I knew there was nothing I could do to get well, but I experienced God’s peace every day.” People are challenged by God as they hear a snippet of your story, your faith-journey. Your story of everyday life will speak to everyday people.
4: Matthew’s interpersonal approach
For many of us this style is a great place to begin. Matthew the tax-collector had an encounter with Jesus that changed his life, and we then discover that he invited his social network round to his place for something to eat, and a time to talk, and a time for them to meet Jesus for themselves (Luke 5:29). Matthew didn’t preach, he wasn’t intellectual and we don’t get a sense of him telling his story, but friendship and hospitality came naturally to him.
Matthew threw a party for his friends, but he also invited someone he knew would get into conversation with people about God. Yes, he’d invited Jesus.
I love the way that Brian and Maureen Ellis open their home, inviting people for dinner, and lunch and who knows, maybe even breakfast? They build genuine friendships because they care about people.
Do you see yourself in Matthew’s approach? Which not-yet-Christian friends could you gather together? Which Christian friends would you also invite?
For me, this is something we as a church need to do much more of. Can we slow down our diaries and our pace of life so that we can eat together with a wider circle of people, to build relationships and to pray for opportunities to gossip the Good News of Jesus?
5: The Samaritan woman’s invitational approach
Who’d have thought it? God uses the most unlikely of people. This example is from 1st Century Samaria, part of what some people now call the West Bank.
In 1st century culture this lady had three things going against her in terms of making Jesus better known to others. She was a Samaritan, a woman, and was living an immoral lifestyle. After her life changing encounter with Jesus she was still a Samaritan woman but a changed one.
First off Jesus challenges us because he was utterly politically incorrect by even talking to this immoral, Samaritan woman, any one of which was a reason not to talk to her; but he did, and she believed in him.
Her approach after this was simple: “Come and see this Jesus who knew everything about me. Could he be the Saviour we’ve been waiting for?” (Paraphrase of John 4:29).
She invited people and they came.
Let’s be wise about what we invite people to; but let’s invite people. The number of people who fill this place three times over on Christmas Eve shows us that people are happy to be invited to this place; and many of you are called to be inviters.
6: Tabitha’s acts of service
Tabitha was a lady in the 1st century church ‘who was always doing good and helping the poor’ (Acts 9:36). She had a reputation for serving people out of her love for Christ, and that describes some of you. It may be the approach that gets the least recognition, and it may take the longest in terms of having an effect on people, but it is a genuine, authentic way of demonstrating your love for Christ, by serving others in any kind of need. It’s the reason why some of my friends run a local project called ‘ARK’ – Acts of Random Kindness – where they, as a group of Christians, find people to bless by repairing the broken fence, the leaking radiator, decorating the room that needs a makeover for the single parent, taking the lonely widow out for lunch, or delivering a food hamper to the family who’ve run out of money – loving God and loving their neighbours.
Whatever your style or approach, you need to be yourself; but we also need to be proactive. Be yourself; and be proactive!
Let’s pray.
