TITLE: With Christ In The School of Ministry
TEXT: John 9
SCRIBE: Louis Bartet
DATE: 6/13/04
PLACE: Point Assembly of God
The disciples must have been feeling overly spiritual that day, for as they passed the blind beggar they offered Jesus an observation framed in the form of a question: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he should be born blind?” (2).
It must be wonderful to have everything in life figured out.
The disciples are sure that they have assessed the root issue accurately. It is sin. What they want Jesus to do is help them understand the actual source—is it…
the blind man’s sin or
the sins of his parents?
These guys must have gone to school with Job’s friends.
When Eliphaz saw Job, he concluded, “…Have you ever known a truly good and innocent person who was punished? Experience teaches that it is those who sow sin and trouble who harvest the same” (Job 4:7-8, TLB). Job, you’re getting what you deserve. You reap what you sow!
To be sure, some physical maladies are directly related to personal sin, but to say that all blindness, lameness, and deafness is the result of personal sin is incorrect.
The disciples are not concerned about the blind man; what they are focused on is their theological view of blindness. What they are unaware of is that their statement reveals their own blindness, or at best, it revealed their inability to see the more important issues.
An attractive young woman on the fast track toward a lucrative career felt compelled to step out of the corporate world and pursue her desire to work with inner-city youth. She was hired by a church where the ethnic mix was changing, and within weeks she found herself working with gang members. She successfully convinced a few of them to attend a Bible study at the church. One night, as she was teaching, one of the gang members was so into what she was saying that, after hearing those words, he reacted violently by throwing his arms back and accidentally broke a window. When the church found out, they were very upset at having to pay $26 to fix the window, and they restricted the gang members from using the room.
A few weeks later, the pastor accidentally interrupted one of the Bible studies. He spent a few minutes talking and joking with gang members and left. One of the gang members said, “Hey, I like that guy. Let’s go hear him preach this Sunday.” So, the next Sunday the youth worker decided it might be best to seat the gang members in the balcony rather than with the congregation downstairs. When the minister stepped to the pulpit, one of the gang members jumped up and yelled, “Hey, dude, you’re cool!” The congregation responded in shock and after the service, she was reprimanded and fired. (Yaconelli)
The Church should have invited the gang members downstairs. They should have applauded this young woman who was doing an amazing job of reaching out to young people. Instead, they were focused on the wrong issues and missed a great opportunity.
TRANS: When Jesus opens class in Chapter Nine, it is not to discuss His theology of blindness, but to demonstrate the power of God; to do something about the blind man’s problem.
>First, Jesus must deal with religious blindness.
Like the disciples, many in today’s Church are great at discussing problems, but short on meeting needs. In Acts 4, the lame man that Peter ministered to was seated at the Gate Beautiful, in the shadow of the Temple with its priests and rituals. This man didn’t need a theological treatise on the spiritual reasons for congenital lameness. What he needed was a healing.
The dilemma has always been one of perception. Religion tends to assess blame, while Holy Ghost ministry focuses on God’s grace provision in Christ. Peter’s statement had nothing to do with the man’s lameness. As seen in Peter’s statement to the man, it had everything to do with God’s provision: “Such as I have give I thee. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.”
Assessing blame and giving a theological reason for someone’s blindness does nothing to eliminate the problem.
The disciples probably expect a pat on the back for their appraisal of the blind man’s situation, but instead Jesus gives them a failing grade. He says…
· This man’s blindness is not the result of personal sin: “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents” (9:3).
· This man’s blindness is about God’s purpose: “…it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in this man” (9:3).
If this man’s blindness is a punishment from God, then any attempt to restore his sight would be an act against the will of God. Such reasoning gets me off the hook, as I don’t want to be found opposing God’s will. But if this man’s blindness is God’s way of presenting us with an opportunity to display His power, then we cannot pass him by. We must do more than talk about his problem or give a lecture on the Theology of blindness, we are now duty bound to minister God’s provision to him.
Amazing! Religiously blind people seek to justify this man’s blindness, while spiritually sighted people seek a way to display the works of God.
TRANS: Okay Jesus, I get it. Instead of being a problem expert, you want me to major on God’s grace provision. Okay, what next?
>Second, Jesus must deal with religious methods.
...He spit on the ground and made a mud ball from the clay and saliva, and applied it to the blind man’s eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (9:6).
First, Jesus messes with my theology and now with my methodology. “I thought you might wave your hand over his eyes and pronounce the name of your God over him, but instead you put mud in his eyes and tell him to go and dip in a pool. Come on Jesus, he’s a blind man. He can’t see. Jesus, you’ve got to be kidding me?”
Before we start giving Jesus lessons on how to do ministry, maybe we need to acknowledge His level of success is better than ours.
My carpentry skills leave a lot to be desired, but sometimes I amaze myself. I remember trying to unsuccessfully drive a nail into a board. After the first lick or two the nail wouldn’t go any further and would bend. I’d extract it, straighten it out and try again. After three or four failed attempts I went looking for the problem. Duh! Someone had driven a large nail into the board from another direction. My nail was being blocked by this intruder. I removed the culprit and BINGO, success.
Perhaps our failures, if listened to can become the beginning of a successful future.
John was 25 years old, a husband, a father of two, and a Bible School graduate, but he was flunking Church 101. Sunday School attendance was at rock bottom and Church attendance wasn’t much better. Oh, there were some good days, but they could be counted on one hand.
When the Board asked for his resignation, it was a relief. Maybe God hadn’t called him to the ministry. One thing was sure, he wasn’t going any further in life until he got some answers.
John moved his family to another city, got a job paying enough to make ends meet and spent lots of time with his wife and kids. He didn’t quit studying his Bible and praying, but he did stop going to Church.
It was during a conversation with a coworker that the idea was planted in his heart.
“I don’t like going to Church,” said Mike.
“Why,” asked John.
“Well, for starters, Church is a spectators sport. Everyone sits and listens, they don’t get to participate. Besides that the sermons aren’t relevant to my life, I don’t like wearing a suit, and it’s just plain boring,” was Mike’s reply.
John had been reading some of his old sermons the night before, and they confirmed Mike’s viewpoint. “Well, what would make Church more appealing for you,” asked John.
“It might help if they would realize we’re living in the 21st century and not the 14th century. They could quit playing old geezer music and do something more in keeping with the times. It would be nice if they would give me something to help me live life during the week. You know, deal with issues that are relevant to life today and communicate in ways that would involve the congregation more. I don’t know,” Mike responded.
It was then that the idea for The Fellowship was seeded in John’s heart. John began to meet with people who didn’t like to go to Church. Instead of preaching, he let them talk and ask questions. It wasn’t long before his front room was too small, so they rented an abandoned shoe store. His growing group of disciples met on Sunday evenings and continued to try innovative methods to share the message of Christ.
· Panel discussions.
· Dramas
· Videos
· Small groups
· Sunday gatherings in the park
Sometimes on Sunday evening he would deal with issues like Getting Out of Debt, How To Divorce Proof Your Marriage and so on.
Today, he’s leading a congregation of 150 people who don’t like to go to church. He dresses in blue jeans, uses videos, and anything else that enables him to effectively communicate the gospel. The new building they just moved into has a foyer with a coffee shop, picnic tables and chairs, and pool tables.
Not everyone is called to the mud-in-the-eye ministry, but if you are then you’ll be a miserable failure trying to do anything else.
Unfortunately, the Church has bought into the idea that there’s only one way to do things—the way it’s always been done. John found God’s way for his life and enjoying life more than ever. Where he use to dread Sunday’s, now he looks forward to them with joy and anticipation.
TRANS: Okay Jesus, I’m getting the idea. Instead of being a problem expert, you want me to major on God’s grace provision. Instead of allowing tradition to determine the method, you want me to rely on Your leadership. In other words the message remains the same, but the method may vary from week to week. Is there anything else?
>Third, Jesus must deal with religious people.
The blind man’s troubles didn’t begin until the religious leaders learned that Jesus had healed him. Instead of sharing the healed man’s joy, the religious leaders used their superior education, flawless theology and the power of their position to minimize Jesus’ involvement in this undeniable miracle.
The blind man doesn’t know anything about Jesus. He’s no theologian. All he knows is, “whereas I was blind, now I see” (25).
After being constantly pressed he says: “What’s the matter with you guys? You don’t know who this man is, yet He opened my eyes. You say God doesn’t listen to sinners, yet He listened to this man. Hmmm. Makes me think he must be from God, because if He weren’t, how could he have done this miracle?”
Instead of saying, “You’re right,” they get mad and physically throw him out of the synagogue.
Do you remember John, the pastor of people who don’t like to go to church? Well, his greatest critics weren’t the sinners, but other pastors and churches. John would be the first to tell you he’s made some mistakes, but not one of the 150 people attending The Fellowship came from other churches in the area. Some were delivered from drugs, alcohol and other bondages. John’s comfort, God constantly reminds him that religion’s power is to be found in assessing blame and maintaining traditional methods. Religion has never been interested in setting the captive free, for when that happens religion’s power over the blind is also broken.
CONSOLATION: “When Jesus heard what had happened, He found the man…” (35) “…And the man worshipped Jesus” (38).
Then Jesus told him, “I have come into the world to give sight to those who are blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind” (39).
The Pharisees who were standing there asked, “Are you saying we are blind?” (40)
“If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied, “But your guilt remains because you claim to know what you are doing.”
CONCLUSION
TRANS: Okay Jesus, I gotcha.
· Instead of being a problem expert, you want me to major on God’s grace provision.
· You want me to maintain the integrity of the message, but to be open to new methods.
· I shouldn’t be surprised with religious people take issue with effective ministry they can’t control.
· When religious people come against us, instead of fighting with them we should look to you.
Next Sunday evening I want the following people to be ready to share the following information with us.
One problem you’ve observed and God’s grace provision for it. Major on the provision.
One new way of reaching the lost in our area. Let God inspire your heart.
What God said to you this week as you sought Him concerning these issues.
Sources: Michael Yaconnelli, Messy Spirituality, Zondervan.
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(C)2004, louis bartet
http://www.pointag.org
