Making a Difference
Becoming a Hospital pt. 2
September 28/29, 2002
Intro:
We’ve been spending the last few weeks talking about the importance of sharing our faith in Christ, and making a difference in our world for eternity. Today I want to talk a little more about that, and giving us each some tools to use in being a witness for Christ.
Let me ask a question: how many of you, right now, feel like you know how to share your faith in Christ with someone else? (show of hands). How many of you have a couple of ideas, but aren’t really sure how you would share? How many of us don’t even know where to begin?
I want to use a simple little story from Mark 2 to illustrate some of the steps in sharing our faith. Read Mark 2:1-12.
1. Walk the talk
The first thing I notice is that this paralyzed man had 4 friends who carried him to Jesus. They didn’t call each other up on the phone and talk about how this might be a good idea, they didn’t call ahead to get tickets and book the handicapped parking space in front of the place Jesus was teaching, they didn’t go to seminars on how to help the handicapped – they just got together, grabbed their buddy’s mat, and went to Jesus.
For most of us, sharing our faith is simply a matter of doing it. We have relationships with people who don’t know Christ, with people who trust us and who know that we “go to church.” For most of us, it could be as simple as saying, “You know, I’d really like sometime to tell you more about what I believe about God. Could we do that sometime?” Pick any lull in any conversation and make that simple statement. And see where it goes…
If people know that we are Christians, and they see by the way we live that we actually live out what we believe, then we have earned the credibility we need to share what God has done for us. So the first step is to live with integrity and just bring God into your conversations. Let’s get a bit more specific.
2. Listen to the Holy Spirit
Back to the story of the 4 friends for point #2. What made them think about the roof? Picture the scene – these guys arrive carrying a stretcher, and the place is packed right out. Can’t even get near the door… Where did the idea come from to climb up the outside of the house, bust through the roof, and lower the sick guy down to Jesus? I don’t know what your answer is to that question, but I believe the idea came from the Holy Spirit. I believe that one of those four friends, determined to get his buddy to Jesus, looked around and suddenly had an idea jump into his head, planted their by the Holy Spirit. “The Roof!” Can you picture the other 4 – “ya, umm, what about the roof??” “Let’s take him up there, bust a hole in the middle, grab some ropes, and lower him down right in the middle of the crowds in front of Jesus!!”
What would your reaction be if you were one of those friends? Or even the paralyzed guy! “that’ll never work…” “it’s too much effort…” “that sounds dangerous…” “I don’t think the guy who owns the house would appreciate us busting a hole in his roof…”
How about, “Whatever it is going to take to get this friend to Jesus.” That is the right answer. That is the answer they came up with.
Here is my point – we need to be listening for the voice of God. Maybe the idea is a hole-in-the-roof kind of crazy, costly, dangerous idea. But will it bring people to Jesus? Will it give them the opportunity to come face-to-face with the Risen Lord? If it is God’s idea, then go for it!
I know some of you are thinking, “great, but how do I know if the idea is my stupid brain, the Taco Bell I had for lunch, or if it is actually God?” Great question! Here is the answer: you’ll know after you do it by the results. Whoa! Wait a minute, what kind of assurance is that?? I’ve got to know everything up front, gotta plan it all out, gotta stay in control… Sorry, you won’t know whether the idea was yours or God’s until after you act on it. That means a risk, I confess it. That means stepping out of our comfort zone, out of the safe (and boring) place of predictable faith in a God whom we try to keep small so that we can stay comfortable and in control.
Here is the encouraging part – almost all the time, the results will not be catastrophic even if it was your idea and not God’s. If these 4 friends had been wrong, they would have had to fix the roof or pay for the damages, then get on with life. Would the paralyzed guy be worse off? Most of the time, if you take a risk and ask a question or extend an invitation or express some care and concern, you won’t do harm even if it was your idea. And when it is the Holy Spirit planting the idea, enjoy the fruit.
So listen for the voice of God, and take a risk…
3. Be yourself, and a little bit more…
Last weekend we had a guest share about what he called “elbow-grease evangelism.” He talked about praying before getting on a plane for the person in the seat next to him – what he called a “captive audience…” And if the person was unreceptive, he’d pray for some turbulence! That is one method… and some of you should be using that method because that is the type of personality and giftedness that you have. But some of us hear that and smile because we could never imagine ourselves sharing faith with a stranger on a plane in the middle of some turbulence.
So what could you imagine yourself doing? Having coffee with a friend and saying, “so we have a new pastor at my church who keeps telling us we should be telling other people about who Jesus is to us – could I share that with you sometime?” Delivering a casserole or a present to someone with a note inside saying simply, “I’m not one for talking lots, but I sent this because I care. I believe in God, and felt like He was telling me you might appreciate someone caring for you right now, no strings attached.” What about, “You know, my church is collecting shoeboxes full of gifts to be sent to children in poverty all across the world. Would your family be interested in being a part of this?”
Here is my point – God gave each of us a unique personality, and all of us the responsibility to be witnesses for Him in our world. That tells me that I can be myself and still be a witness for Christ. You can be yourself and still be a witness for Christ in your world.
I titled this point, “Be yourself, and a little bit more…” because I think we need to be a little bit more deliberate about witnessing for Christ. Rarely, if ever, will the perfect opportunity present itself. The devil is more active than that – always making sure something is going to make it difficult or inconvenient or a pain. So we have to be a little bit more – we have to recognize our personalities, and pray/think/plan out ways to be ourselves and a little bit more in deliberately sharing Christ with others. It is going to take some effort, some deliberation, some strategizing, some courage, even some growth on our parts. But the fruit will be worth it.
I don’t know if the four friends in Mk 2 were naturally persistent, but even if they were the opposition they encountered would have been enough to make most turn away. First, they had to carry their friend. Then, when they got there, it was impossible to even get close enough to see. Then there was that roof in the way. Then, when they finally got their friend lowered down, Jesus didn’t heal him, He forgave his sins. Then the Pharisees got upset. But they stuck with it, and the end result was everybody praising God. It seems to me that they were persistent friends, and I’m guessing that that day they were even a little more persistent than usual.
So far…
1. Live with integrity
2. Listen to the Holy Spirit
3. Use the personality God has given you, and stretch yourself a little bit.
Let’s get really practical next. And to do this, I want to ask Craig Ginn, our guest today, to share with us a few really useable, practical ways to share faith with others. Craig does this full-time with Soul Survivor ministries, so is very well equipped to share with us what will actually make a difference to someone who does not yet know Christ.
GIVE CRAIG SOME TIME TO GET REALLY PRACTICAL
4. Conclusion:
One day a lady criticized D. L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord. Moody’s reply was "I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?" The lady replied, "I don’t do it." Moody retorted, "Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it."
That’s one of the things I love about the four friends in Mk 2. In spite of the difficulties, obstacles, costs, they got their friend to Jesus. And Jesus saved Him – He forgave his sins and healed his body. Without those four, he wouldn’t have been able to come to Christ.
At the scene of car accidents there are three groups of people, each with a different response toward those involved in the accident. The first group is the bystanders and onlookers. They are curious and watch to see what happens but have little active involvement. The second group is the police officers. Their response is to investigate the cause of the accident, assign blame, and give out appropriate warnings and punishments. The third group is the paramedics. They are the people usually most welcomed by those involved in the accident. They could care less whose fault the accident was and they did not engage in lecturing about bad driving habits. Their response was to help those who were hurt. They bandaged wounds, freed trapped people, and gave words of encouragement. Three groups - one is uninvolved, one is assigning blame and assessing punishment, and one is helping the hurting. Which group are you in?
When it comes to reaching the lost and hurting, we’re going to be in one of these three groups. We will be uninvolved and let others do the work. Or we will condemn people for their foolish behavior saying things like, "It’s your own fault that you’re in this mess. If you had been going to church and doing like you should this never would have happened!" Or we will be concentrating on helping those who are lost and hurting. If I was in trouble, I know which group I would welcome most. Let’s be that for the hurting people in our world.
