As we start our new year, we’re going to start by looking at who we are. Concordia isn’t just this place. It includes all of us that come here to worship. Its not confined to just the walls of this building but has to look towards the people that live near us. We’re called to shine the love of Jesus in our community, and seek opportunities to share God’s love.
A few moments ago, we heard a story about the Apostle Paul and his ministry to neighbors in the city of Corinth. Paul was an instrumental person in our church history traveling over 10,000 miles over the course of 30 years and planting Christian churches all along the way. But he had a lot of difficulties getting the message out. In fact, Paul’s missionary work was filled with problems. No matter how difficult the situation was, God was still there, and He had a plan for Paul to follow.
The same is true for us today. We may not understand what the plan is, and it might not be an easy path, but God has plan for us too. Tonight, I’d like to spend a few moments looking at how we move through God’s journey set before us. I’d like to look at:
- Paul’s Journey
- God’s Plan
and
- Our Path
1. Paul’s Journey
Let’s start by looking at Paul’s journey. He had a lot of challenges.
First there was travel. Whenever I’ve gone on a business trip, I’ve always known how I’d get there, where I’d sleep and an idea of where to eat. I normally booked a hotel which served a good breakfast so I was ready to go in the morning. I had a comfortable, warm bed to sleep in, my own private bathroom, and sometimes a kitchenette to prepare my own meals.
My work paid for the trips so I didn’t need to figure out how to pay for anything. Traveling isn’t too bad when someone else is paying.
Paul didn’t have it this good. He didn’t have a travel agent and didn’t have an employer taking care of the bills. He didn’t always know where he was going to sleep. There were no Marriotts or Holiday Inns to stay in. Instead, he often found someone willing to let him stay, and willing to feed him while he was there.
Paul’s journey was often challenging.
Then there were multiple jobs. Paul was a tent maker which including things like cutting and sewing cloth, often made from goat’s hair. Other tasks like making rope, dying cloth, and staining hides were also part of the trade. It was dirty, tiring work that didn’t pay all that well. Paul must have worked long hard hours to pay for his missionary journey. Paul was a full-time preacher who made tents to pay the bills.
Then there was the mission field. Paul was not treated well. In fact, many rejected what he was doing. Corinth was a busy port city known for the worship of Poseidon, Helios and Aphrodite. It was a town of sin filled with nearly any vice you could think of, including temple prostitutes. People weren’t all that interested in listening because there were plenty of other gods around.
Even within his own Jewish and Christian communities, he had challenges. He wasn’t always welcome in Jewish circles because he was often seen as someone stirring up trouble and speaking heresy against the temple faith. He wasn’t trusted in many Christian circles either because of his history as Saul, the oppressor of Christians. Many resisted his message and some even tried to get him thrown in jail.
Even in this challenging environment, there were many who listened, many who welcomed Paul’s words, and many who learned to follow Christ.
Paul was called to speak in Corinth and other scary cities where his message was not welcome. In fact, some wanted to kill him. Sometimes he was afraid. Sometimes he might have felt like quitting and going home. It would have been easy to give-up. But, God encouraged him when He said:
“Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10, CSB)
God had a plan for Paul. It wasn’t an easy path, but there was a direction God wanted him to go. God wanted Paul to deliver His message of hope.
2. God’s Plan
God doesn’t only have a plan for Paul. God has a plan for us as well.
God has called us to be witnesses wherever we are. Here in the United States, we’re blessed with the right of free speech, and the right of free expression of religion. We have the opportunity to talk to others about our faith and share the message of God’s love, and how we’re redeemed through Christ. God want’s us to share that message, and we have that opportunity.
We often take for granted the rights we have in this country. There are other places, like Afghanistan and China where Christians have to hide underground. Today, there are no Christian church buildings in Afghanistan and 48,000 mosques. The culture doesn’t tolerate anything but the Muslim faith.
I met a friend in Afghanistan who was a Christian convert and had a New Testament that went with him everywhere. One day, he forgot his Bible at home. When he returned, he was beaten nearly to death by one of his cousins who found it. Fortunately for him, his Imam father never found out. If so, he would have been killed. In Afghanistan anyone who abandons the Muslim faith is condemned to death.
Imagine trying to be a missionary in a country that kills its own family members who convert. For those who serve in risky, or even dangerous mission fields, we need to keep them close to our hearts and even closer to our prayers. Missionaries in Afghanistan and other dangerous places have reasons to be afraid.
But sometimes we can be afraid of things that stand in our way here at home. Sometimes, we may be reluctant to share God’s Word. Perhaps we might fear rejection or being labeled as intolerant. When we’re afraid, our lesson has an answer for us. Look at this passage again:
“Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10, CSB)
The same message that was given to Paul applies to us. No matter what difficulties we face, we can trust that God will always be there. He paid the ultimate price by sending His one and only Son into the world on a cross. There’s no reason to fear, because God’s love can overcome anything, and He will never leave or forsake us. That’s the good news that everyone needs to hear.
3. What we should do
So, what should we do? What path should we follow? Understanding that God has a plan for us is one thing. Understanding what we can do to prepare ourselves for that plan is yet another. Jesus gave us a mission to do. In Matthew, Jesus said:
“Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, CSB)
Jesus told us to spread the Word. Paul gave us an example of how to do that. As we look towards our mission to witness, I want to share 3 things that can help each of us strengthen our faith and lose the fear of sharing the Gospel.
First, be in the Word.
Reading the Bible can be a wonderful way to grow our faith. Reading His Word allows us to get closer to God by learning more about His plan, and seeing how much He really loves us.
From the story of creation, to the future revelation, God’s Book is a story of salvation and redemption. Jesus was the means of that redemption, but scripture predicted his arrival thousands of years before He was born. Reading through the many stories of sin and salvation can give us hope, and strengthen our faith.
Getting into the Word requires a small amount of time, but it can be life changing. Focusing on a short lesson each day can help us see who God is and how much He loves us. It can help us understand why Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice.
Reading the Bible encourages us to stay away from sin and reveals His grace and mercy. As we live in a secular world that doesn’t seem to honor God, somedays we need the strength and courage to move forward. The Bible provides that and so much more. In 2nd Timothy, it reads:
“All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, CSB)
Here at Concordia we offer several ways to equip the church and make reading the Word easy. We have a daily Bible reading plan available as a printed tri-fold, on our website, and in the Concordia app. The web and app versions offer the full text of the daily reading and also allow you to listen to the Word.
One more opportunity exists with a new Bible study that starts next week. The Red Letter Challenge will walk you through scripture for 40 days, as we look to be put Jesus’ Words into practice.
Reading the Word can ground us in what He wants for us. There are numerous opportunities to read God’s Word and understand more fully His path for us. Reading scripture not only builds us up, but it also gives us the tools to share God’s story of salvation, and that’s nothing less than sharing God’s love.
Second, seek a support system.
Finding like-minded Christians is a way to connect with each other and provide support when we struggle. Paul wrote to the church in Galatia that we are to “ Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, CSB)
In our lesson today, we heard of Paul and the friends he met in Aquila and Priscilla. As tent makers, they were able to support one another and share in their successes and challenges. They served one another as friends often do.
Service opportunities allow us to meet new friends such as volunteering with the drive through nativity, Vacation Bible School, or Concordia Fest. Helping with these events allows us to connect to other Christians. Often, these new-found friends can be those people that we learn to rely on when we might need a bit of encouragement.
Another great place to find a support system are the annual STARS retreats. This month we’ll have our teen STARS retreat. In the fall, one for women and another for men. These retreats are an opportunity to re-examine what God has done for us, meet new friends, and connect to people who want to get closer to God. It’s an opportunity to find those who truly care and are willing to help through the trials and tribulations of life.
Support systems are a way to encourage us to keep true to our faith, and give us the courage and strength when we face difficulties.
Third, look for events and worship opportunities to invite friends. Inviting people to church, or one of the many events here at Concordia is a way to meet the mandate that Jesus gave us. It’s a way to reach the lost by introducing them to God’s Word. But, it’s not just events on our church campus that matter.
Like Paul the tentmaker, we may have jobs that we go to daily. We may work to earn a living. Whether we work or not, we’re full-time missionaries wherever we may be, in our places of employment, our school, or where we live.
Wherever we go, whatever we do, whoever we meet, we have opportunities to spread God’s love in our words and in our actions. There’s no time that we are not Christians. So, there can be no time that we are not missionaries either. We live by example to those around us. What we do, where we go, what movie we go see… everything that we do shows others what Christians are like.
So, let our actions show that we love others. Let our words reveal the plan that God has for us. Let what we do, show Jesus’ love through us. That’s how we can reflect God’s grace.
Conclusion (Who we are)
As we look forward to 2019 and the opportunities that we may find, Love, Serve, and Shine by sharing the Gospel…. That’s what it’s all about.
God already shared His love for us through the promise and fulfillment of a savior. Sharing the Gospel with others is our act of love as we look to deliver the message of hope to those around us.
It’s about getting into scripture and replacing any fear we may experience, with the love of God.
It’s about serving those who need our encouragement during the good and bad times, and finding people to support us when we need help.
And, it’s about letting our actions shine like lights of brilliance in a dark and sinful world that may not know hope or grace.
Paul was the example for us to follow. Perhaps we can learn from his journey, and find our own path to share God’s love.
