The world's first text message was sent from a computer to a cellphone by British engineer, Neil Papworth. As reported by CTV News, Papworth sent the text message to his boss on December 03, 1992. It read: "Merry Christmas" and this single text message revolutionized the way we communicate. Since its introduction in 1992, though, text messaging, or SMS (meaning short messaging service), has become the preferred method of communication in the world today. More utilized that phone calls, email or even snail mail.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the book Diffusion of Innovations that describes how new ideas and technologies spread in different cultures. The model describes the adoption or acceptance of a new product or innovation by grouping how different people come to accept the innovation or technology. The first persons to use a new product or technology are called “innovators,” followed by those who are referred to as “early adopters.” Next come the early and late majority, and the last group to eventually adopt a product are called “laggards.” I must admit, when text messaging first came onto the scene, I was a laggard. When it comes to technology, I generally considered myself an early adopter or at least an early majority kind of person, but texting was different. Seriously! Just pick up the phone and call me.
Something changed my mind, though. Want to know what it was? It was my desire to communicate with my daughters. It’s time to use my family as sermon illustrations again. My daughter’s preferred method of communication…their preferred method of staying connected is via text messaging. I would call them and they wouldn’t answer their phones. That was quite irritating, especially when I was paying the bill. Yet, they were constantly on their phones. I soon learned that if I texted them, they’d respond almost immediately. I could call…no answer. Text…boom! Answer right away. It’s how they communicated. Really, though…you’ve got the phone in your hand. Why can’t you just answer the silly thing? That was my reasoning. The only problem is my reasoning didn’t work with them. If I wanted to communicate with my daughters, I was going to have to communicate by their chosen means. I had to become part of the majority, even though I wanted desperately to be a laggard.
Sometimes the church can be a laggard when it comes to the diffusion of innovations. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be an innovation. It may have nothing to do with technology. It may simply be the method in which we communicate the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus gave the church a fairly specific command to connect with people. He called us to connect with people so that they would become disciples of his. It’s called the Great Commission, and we find it in Matthew 28: 18 – 20:
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We have talked about the seismic shifts that are occurring in culture. Certainly with technology…that’s what this message series has been about—staying connected. The entire Christian faith is about being connected. To be disciples of Jesus Christ we must be connected—first, to Jesus Christ, but then, to his body, the church. We need the fellowship of believers, yet in this culture where connection seems to be so easy, the church lags behind in making disciples.
It might first be helpful to understand discipleship a little better. The word Jesus uses in issuing the Great Commission means “a follower.” It doesn’t simply mean being a student. Someone said a student learns what the teacher knows, but a disciple (a follower) becomes what the teacher is. I wonder…and it’s only wondering out loud…if we’re having such a hard time making disciples because we haven’t become disciples ourselves? I said I was only wondering out loud. We’ve spent a lot of time learning what the Bible has to say, but how much time do we actually spend becoming what Jesus is? I’m preaching to myself, people. Jesus give us a directive to follow. It’s what he did while he was here. It’s pretty simple: go, baptize, teach. There’s an appropriate order, too. It begins with going.
I believe going is the most significant part of the Great Commission. “Go and make disciples…” I like to characterize the going as “living evangelistically.” Remember, at First United Methodist Church, Monroe, we desire to create a community of faith where disciples live evangelistically, worship regularly, study devotionally, serve faithfully and give generously. That’s the community we want to create, but it all begins with living evangelistically. As I’ve shared before, living evangelistically is not simply shouting “turn or burn” to one outside a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is living life in such a way that others see something different in us. It is to live a life of grace…a life of compassion…a life of hope…a life of forgiveness…a life of reconciliation.
The old cliché is never truer than in matters of faith: People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. When we show concern and compassion for others it opens the door for a relationship. Relationship is where transformation takes place. We can never underestimate the power of relationship in the making of disciples. The relationships begin “out there” in the world…in the work place…in the marketplace…on the golf course…in the places where we encounter the people we know.
I am reminded of an encounter Jesus had with a Samaritan woman one hot afternoon. As John records the event, Jesus is resting at Jacob’s well near Sychar. It’s noon. He’s tired. He stops to rest while the disciples go into town to buy food. Soon, a woman comes to draw water from the well. Noon is not the time women go to draw water. That usually happens early in the morning. That the woman is coming at noon says something about the woman, suggesting that she didn’t want to be around many folks. Jesus asks the woman for a drink of water. She responds, “You’re a Jew and I’m a Samaritan women. Why are you asking me for a drink?” She was surprised on two fronts. Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans, and men never speak to women publically. Jesus has made two faux pas’. Jesus continues the conversation, telling her something about “living water,” and she sarcastically responds, “Give me some of this water and I won’t have to come back here anymore.” Then, Jesus makes it personal.
“Go get your husband,” Jesus says. She responds that she doesn’t have a husband, and Jesus says, “Nope, you’ve had five of them, and the guy you’re with now is not your husband.” Jesus touched the woman at the place of her spiritual hunger, and it led to a deeper, religious conversation about worship and religious differences, and the conversation ends with a life-changing revelation by Jesus of his Messiahship. It dawns on her who she’s talking to, and it changes her life. She can’t contain her excitement. She drops her water jar, runs to the village and says, “Come, see.” Actually, she says, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did,” but that simple invitation changed an entire village. All she did was share her story. That’s the essence of living invitationally. That is the essence of “going.” The Samaritan woman’s relationship with others in the village opened the door for her invitation. Relationship made the difference.
Each of us has a story to share of what God has done, and is doing in our lives. We must be ready to tell our story…even when we feel our story is insignificant. There is no insignificant story in the Kingdom of God. Not one.
I think I’ve shared with you before why I call Starbucks my satellite office. It’s because I can encounter more unchurched people in an hour at Starbucks than I can by spending forty hours a week in the office. I don’t have many unchurched people stopping by the office to chit-chat. We must go where the people are, and believe you me, there are people at Starbucks. I can’t believe so many people pay so much for coffee! I have my own Starbucks Gold Card, by the way!
If we would connect with people, we must connect with them where they are. We’ve spent far too long expecting people to come to church. Come check us out. Come see what we have going on. Come to worship. The first part of the Great Commission was “go.” Go where they are! This is one place the church plays the part of the laggard. We still want people to come, when all the Lord ever asked us to do was go.
One other place the church plays the laggard, if I may? We lag behind the world in the way we communicate the message. Hear me clearly: the message never changes. The method in which the message is delivered is constantly changing, and unless we change our delivery method, we’ll fail to be effective and fruitful in connecting to others.
If I may illustrate: the message I wanted to communicate with my daughters didn’t change. I still told them the same things I was always telling them. I simply had to adopt the method of communication to which they became accustomed. Message the same. Method different.
One of the ways I’ve had to adapt in the church? Shorter sermons. I know! There are some Sundays it doesn’t feel that way, but truly, attention spans have decreased with the innovation of technology. You need a shorter sermon. That means for me to be effective, I have to preach shorter.
The message Christ has entrusted to us is a message of forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a message of hope and life. It is a message of repentance and reconciliation. It is a message of encouragement and grace. That hasn’t changed in over 2,000 years. With technology rising, and church attendance sagging, the method of communicating that message must change, too.
As we kick off our stewardship campaign Vision: Possible, I hope we realize that God is giving us a vision for reaching our community, our nation and this world for Christ. It will begin with outreach, as we engage faithfully in our world around us. Let us commit to connect with God, with each other, and with others who are searching for meaning and purpose. Let us commit to be open to connecting with them whenever and wherever they are. Let us commit to connect with them in whatever means is necessary, even if it means sending them a text.
