L .O.V.E LIKE CHRIST . .
having OPEN hearts and minds
January 15, 2006 Jay Robison 1 PETER 3:15-18
As I was in line this week to buy 2 ct stamps reminded of story yrs ago city of Pittsburgh build a large, multi-million $$ post office at grand opening, Gov made speech, bands played and people cheered. It was quite a celebration.
But when 1st man entered to mail a letter, to embarrassment of engineers, discovered that in rush to meet the deadline, they had omitted usual letter drop.
Here was a costly new post office, w\no place to mail a letter! Remember your purpose
We are in midst of series around church mission statement
Why are we here, TBC exists “To Love like Christ”
Last week Learning and growing
having Open hearts and minds
But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; Vs 15 NRSV
Paul Little "How to Give Away Your Faith"
"Witnessing is that deep-seated conviction that the greatest favor I can do for others is to introduce them to Jesus Christ."
1. Stir up A PASSION FOR SHARING THE GOOD NEWS
Not just interest, inclination or desire but passion
We can be passionate about a lot of things
Came to Ky college basketball is big thing
Elton Trueblood, Quaker scholar, compared evangelism to fire. Evangelism occurs, when Christians are so ignited by their contact w\Christ in turn set other fires. It’s easy to determine when something is aflame. It ignites other material.
Any fire that does not spread will eventually go out.
A church w\out evangelism is a contradiction in terms,
Evangelism not what we tell people, unless what tell is totally consistent w\who we are. Who we are going to make diff.
If we do not truly enjoy our faith, nobody is going to catch fire of enjoyment from us. Madeleine L’Engle, quoted in Christian Reader (May/June 1998, p. 50)]
Passion comes because WE HEAR GOD CALLING OUR NAME
Knows everything about us,
Mt 10:30 God has counted # of hairs on your head
Saw you in every moment of your life, knows you
Better than you know you
Are we really passionate ABOUT GOD’S LOVE FOR US
In Ky 80% of people not in church today are not unchurched
But dechurched means in last 5 yrs been to church
Found it irrelevant, not worth getting up for
George Barna study people to used single words to describe Jesus. "wise, accepting, compassionate, gracious, humble." Of Christians, "critical, exclusive, self righteous, narrow
and repressive."
There is a difference between knowing the good news & being the good news, We are the evidence!
Jesus said, you did not choose me but I chose you Jn 15:15
The Word for Today devotional
Chosen because you are unique everybody is somebody
Chosen cause having something to contribute no one else can
Chosen because wanted by God despite past hurts etc.
Listen to some promises God makes to Christians
God’s presence "I will never leave thee" (Heb. 13:5)
God’s protection - "I am thy shield" (Gen. 15:1)
God’s power "I will strengthen thee & help thee" (Is. 41:10)
God’s leading "God goes before his sheep" (John 10:4)
God’s purposes "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, & not of evil" (Jer. 20:11)
God’s rest -- "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)
God’s cleansing "If we confess our sins, He is faithful\just
to forgive our sins & cleanse us from all unr-ness" (1 Jn 1:9)
God’s goodness "No good thing will He withhold from them
that work uprightly" (Ps 84:11)
God’s faithfulness "The Lord will not forsake His people for
His great name’s sake" (1 Sam. 12:22)
God’s wise plan "All things work together for good to them
that love God" (Rom. 8:28) Our Daily Bread, Jan 1, 1985.
These promises are secure we can build lives on these
No matter what else happens can have absolute confidence.
Many of us are often like Eyore witness with no enthusiasm
Does it really MATTER IF WE SHARE OUR FAITH
Because Life is short; Eternity is long;
Sin separates from God; Heaven can be yours
Consider the difference it makes to God
1 of the things I like about God Lk 15 Jesus story about God
A LOST SHEEP, A LOST COIN, A LOST BOY
Silly how much trouble owners go to to find lost item
That is way God feels about us to
"It is our privilege to have world evangelism as a passion,
not our responsibility to have as a burden." Mary Nordstrom
Lewis Smedes: somewhere people still make & keep promises.
They choose not to quit when going gets rough because
promised once to see it through
They stick to lost causes.
They hold on to a love grown cold.
They stay with people who have become pains in the neck.
They still dare to make promises and care enough
to keep the promises they make.
If you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you
will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon,
then you are like God.
What a marvelous thing a promise is!
When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an
unpredictable future & makes one thing predictable:
she will be there even when being there costs her more than
she wants to pay.
When a person makes a promise, stretches self out into
circumstances that no one can control & controls at least 1 thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances
turn out to be.
W\1 simple word of promise, person creates an island of
certainty in sea of uncertainty.
When a person makes a promise, she stakes a claim on her
personal freedom & power.
When you make a promise, you take a hand in creating your own future. [Keeping Promises, Citation: Lewis Smedes, "The Power of Promises," A Chorus of Witnesses, edited by Long and Plantinga, (Eerdmans, 1994)]
2. Set A PRIORITY TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS
In passage Peter talking to people are suffering for doing right
Keep your conscience clear so that when abused the abusers
put to shame Not gonna be easy
Do it with gentleness toward those we seeking to share with
and reverence toward God, humbling message of salvation
A priority IS SOMETHING WE CHOOSE TO DO OVER AND OVER AGAIN
We live according to priorities.
Choices we make over & over again all had 168 hrs this week
What do your daily decisions say your schedule, speech $$
The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him & he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at airport, plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in w\his equipment & yelled, "Let’s go! Let’s go!" Pilot swung plane into wind & they soon were in the air. "Fly over the north side of the fire," yelled photographer, "and make three or four low level passes." "Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I’m going to take pictures, I’m a photographer and photographers take pictures!" After a pause the pilot said, "You mean you’re not the instructor?"
OPEN hearts and minds are a priority BECAUSE WE HEAR GOD CALLING OUR NAME
Just as we heard God calling us as unique
Part of God’s call for each of us is
Isa 6:8 NRSV Isaiah overhearing God musing Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, & who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
Several reasons why we scared of evangelism & why word carries a bad connotation. May worry that we will offend
Certainly should not be offensive, or mean, cruel or proud
All know of fools out there who say Christian
Isn’t that all the more reason to show not all crazy
Think about this though, if you are sensitive enough to realize you could offend someone in your evangelizing, then offending other people probably isn’t your problem.
May feel you have to do it all at once, seal the deal or nothing Farmer harvests but sows seeds nurtures them harvest later
some feel we not perfect so nothing to tell others
After all, are any of us really perfect no
Don’t hide your weaknesses & pretend to be perfect when witness, because that isn’t sharing whole message w\friend
Is God not eternal and powerful? Don’t you think he might have ability to reach someone again even if you messed up or couldn’t answer one of their questions?
Pastor of church in Cincinnati, one Christmas eve service
Ended w\church hitting streets w\8,000 Krispy Kreme donuts. Went to police stations, fire houses, factories, restaurants.
Gave donuts to people having to work Christmas Eve
Few wks later pastor received call from a local psychologist asking if he minister of the donut church. He said he was. He shared 2 of his clients were victims of the donut attack Were sitting in a restaurant when church people came in
All he said was that those very depressed people got a new lease on life because of that experience.
Church in West Ky gave gift bags to restaurant servers
We are to be ready to see neighbor next door or people next to us on a plane or in classroom not as interruptions to schedule. They are there by divine appointment. We are to see their needs, their loneliness, their longings, & he wants to give us the courage to reach out to them" (REBECCA PIPPERT,).
16yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:16-17 NRSV
Note it says gentleness and reverence
Gentleness not with sledgehammer, no assault with gospel
Reverence if you befriend only to get notch in gospel gun
Turn off cold if no respond not reverent, no like trying to get
People in marketing plan we share more than that
Make his Lordship in your heart absolute
Such boldness is not brash or haughty
Peter says you may suffer for sharing this
if you teen, who does not drink, do drugs, or have casual sex
Peter’s message says something to you about your situation
Christians called to live changed lives, lives that share hope!
Evangelism is one beggar telling
another beggar where to find the bread
We have a message to share about Jesus and this church
Everyone welcome but not everyone comfortable here diverse
no perfect honest maybe help them connect to God elsewhere
3 questions today. first one is this, "If you were to make one change in your life that really made people notice God at work in your life to the point they because to ask you about God, what would that change be?"
#2, If we were to make 1 change in our congregational life that really made people notice God at work here to the point they starting coming and seeking God, what change would that be?"
#3, Are we ready\willing to make that change with God’s help?
L .O.V.E LIKE CHRIST . .
having OPEN hearts and minds
January 15, 2006 Jay Robison 1 PETER 3:15-18
But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; Vs 15 NRSV
1. Stir up
Passion comes because
Are we really passionate
Does it really
Consider the difference it makes to God
"It is our privilege to have world evangelism as a passion,
not our responsibility to have as a burden." Mary Nordstrom
2. Set
A priority
OPEN hearts and minds are a priority
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” Isaiah 6:8 NRSV
16yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:15-17 NRSV
Evangelism is one beggar telling
another beggar where to find the bread
