Intentional Christian Living
Luke 14:12-24
Ill. The Times-Reporter of New Philadelphia, Ohio, reported in September, 1985 a celebration of a New Orleans municipal pool. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season.
One of the reasons our evangelism is weak is because it is not as intentional as God intended. I find it difficult to live intentionally when it comes to reaching the lost. I prefer to live totally by happenstance, praying that God send me someone lost. I fail in this area too much. However, in my prayers, I sense that now is the time to lead our Church to intentional evangelism.
This is more than a catch phrase or a program. This is our way of life as directed by our Master. Jesus had finished telling His followers to be humble when they were invited to a party. Jesus was in the house of a Pharisee follower and He noticed how everyone had a pecking order and sat in their “socially assigned” seats (vs. 7).
Just a side note. I typically avoid speaking about a particular “issue” the Church is having because I tend to be non-confrontational (stop laughing, please). Typically, we are cautioned about preaching about topics we notice because we can too easily turn the pulpit into a “bully pulpit”. Notice that Jesus spoke about things the moment He sensed that God had put in on His heart or brought it to His attention.
If I fail in this as pastor, I will fail in one of two areas: 1. Not addressing an issue that could fester into bigger disruptions, 2. Addressing pet peeves under the deception that they are issues God brings to my attention. Please help me guard against both of these. I trust that you will not use this invitation as an opportunity to control the pastor, but as a loving counselor to help me walk closer to God.
Luke 14:12-14 He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
To introduce our topic, let’s see how it came into the conversation. Jesus was telling His followers that we should not live according to what we get out of life, but what we can give without expecting repayment. He is teaching that it is not honorable to invite people to your party so that you will get an invitation to theirs. As a matter of fact, He pushes even further than this. He said don’t ask people where there is a chance of repayment.
The first thing we see in intentional Christian living is this.
I. Intentional Christian living seeks out those who need us the most.
If someone can “pay us back”, or benefit us by their involvement, they are not the subject of intentional Christian living. Therefore, serving them does not carry the fullest of God’s blessings.
Intentional Christian living seeks only God’s approval, and His approval only fully comes when we serve those who cannot ever benefit us. These are the ones who need the service the most. One who could repay us, as logic explains, they could, over time, meet their own need.
Intentional living is seeking to serve and give to those who cannot help themselves. Let me point out that there are three things that intentional evangelism is not:
i. Superficial attempts.
ii. Disingenuous attempts.
iii. Obnoxious attempts.
Luk 14:15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
This is rich and beautiful. One of those followers, either a lawyer, scribe or Pharisee, was deeply moved by what Jesus said. It struck the cord of truth with him, and he obviously realized that this is why God included us.
We could never repay God for His inclusion into His kingdom, and our only chance was for God to invite those who could never repay. In this moment, I believe he is saying, “We are truly blessed in this truth because we are blessed with God’s invitation.”
II. Intentional Christian living is acting like God has acted towards us.
This realization alone motivates us to desire the intentional Christian life at a new level. With this new understanding of God’s grace, Jesus extends a teachable moment.
Luk 14:16-18 But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.'
Different people gave different reasons for not responding to our invitation. The first one purchased a piece of property, probably representing the cares of this world. People get so busy with the cares of this world and life from an unintentional experience, that they fail to respond to God’s invitation.
Luk 14:19 And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.'
Then next one used his job or occupation as an excuse. Many people are so busy working for wealth and prosperity, they do not have time to respond to our invitation.
Luk 14:20 And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'
The third one was too involved in relationships that kept him from coming. So the cares of life, the desire to possess, and other relationships can keep people away from God, or His Church.Jesus’ point is this; None of these three had an apparent need.
God most often works through needs. Many that came to Jesus came out of needs; blind, possessed, sick, a dying loved one. Jesus used these needs to reach their primary need, the need for salvation. But in this, we get our third point:
III. Intentional Christian living looks for needs and opportunities through needs in other people.
Luk 14:21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'
“Go out” means intentional Christian living. Go look for someone to bring in. Discussion questions:
How can our Church intentionally go out and find people to come in?
Who would be found in the “streets and lanes”?
“…bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.”
Since this must obviously be extended to the physically poor, crippled, blind and poor, who do we look for when we intentionally seek people to bring in?
Luk 14:22-23 And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23 And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
• What is different between those found in the streets and lanes and those found in the highway and hedges?
• When do we stop? How far do we go?
IV. Intentional Christian living seeks people where they live, where they hurt, where they travel and where they work.
• How do we, as a Church, intentionally reach into this community, to the lost, hurting and desperate?
• How do we tolerate such “trouble” in our congregation when we sometimes have a difficult time getting along with Churched people?
Luk 14:24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
There were many in the room as guest to this meal who were contemplating the invitation to follow Jesus. Nicodemus was probably part of this gathering and was contemplating the invitation. Joseph of Arimathea could very well have been in this meeting. Both of these men went to get the body of Jesus after His death to bury Him.
As Jesus sends us out to invite the needy, there is a solemn warning with our invitation, just as there was in Jesus invitation. It is vitally important that the complete Gospel be part of our intentional mission. That includes the warnings of missing the invitation of love.
The original context of this passage is this: The friends were the Jews, those in the highway and hedges were the Gentiles. Jesus here prophesied that the Jews would not come to the Kingdom, so it would be opened to the Gentiles. Paul understood this teaching and always went to the “Jews first, and then the Gentiles”.
(Acts 9:20, Acts 13:5&46, Acts 16:13 Acts 18:4, Acts 19:8-9, Romans 1:16, 2:8-9).
However, God operates in principles throughout His entire economy, so we can apply this to our community. How do we include the warning of judgment in the invitation of the Kingdom in our community outreach?
The sad reality is this, if someone rejects Jesus Christ in this life, they are without hope.
How can we intentionally reach into the families of the House of Yahweh with love, service, truth and warning?
Some practical suggestions to help us be a little more intentional in our ministry.
1. Practice personal hospitality.
Be real, and if you are not friendly, you are not Godly.
2. Be both strategic and sincere.
Look for an opportunity to be naturally kind and helpful. Don’t fake it.
3. Never use bait-and-switch tactics.
Always be up front about the gospel and don’t try to trick people into listening to you. Do kindness for kindness, presenting the truth throughout. Do not use kindness to “earn” and opportunity to witness.
4. Exegete the culture and understand your people.
Investigate time to understand the people and their situation. Do not assume you understand them and act in prejudice. Show a willingness to listen to concerns, beliefs and problems.
5. Develop missional patters for your daily life.
Don’t make intentional evangelism the exception or the event, but a matter of daily living and purpose.
6. Pray for God to order your steps.
God is working in the lives of the people we want to reach. He will present opportunities, including moments of helplessness. Watch for God’s hand and always pray for His leadership.
7. Make continual investments and deposits in the lives of others.
Sometimes it is clear that the person is open to our kindness but not our message. Continue the kindness, know God CAN change things, but to stop would deliver the wrong message.
8. Ask. Listen. Learn. Love. Give. Share.
V. Intentional Christian Living is a long-term commitment and a lifestyle.
One Sunday evening, William Booth was walking in London with his son, Bramwell, who was then 12 or 13 years old. The father surprised the son by taking him into a saloon! The place was crowded with men and women, many of them bearing on their faces the marks of vice and crime; some were drunk. The fumes of alcohol and tobacco were poisonous. "Willie," Booth said to his son, "These are our people; these are the people I want you to live for and bring to Christ." Years later, Bramwell Booth wrote, "The impression never left me."
