Showing posts with label Evangelism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evangelism. Show all posts

If Jesus is the WAY, what about those who've never heard of him?

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 9:30 AM

My sermon message on January 27, 2012, is entitled, "Jesus Is The Way." In it, I try to show that all religions are not essentially the same. In fact, it's not only unfair to say that about Christianity, but it's unfair to say that about other religions, too.

I have reached the conclusion, as I share in my message, that Jesus really is the only way to God, as Jesus himself claimed in John 14:6. I know for some folks this sounds narrow-minded and arrogant, but I don't say this with arrogance but, instead, great humility. If you're interested in hearing my message and how I reached this conclusion (based, in part, on some material by author Less Strobel), click on the message title above to hear a podcast of the message from Gateway's website. 

I did raise one issue in my message that I didn't have the time to address in the sermon - What about those who live in isolated places, who have never had a chance to hear about Jesus? What's going to happen to them? Is the door to heaven closed to them? 

This is a challenging issue to face, and it certainly drives Christianity's focus on world missions and translating God's Word, the Bible, into every known language. My question becomes a non-issue if a person has had an opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ because Christ followers have intentionally sought every tribe and culture and people out. But even as I write this, there are still some on our planet who have not had that privilege. So, how do we face this?

Frankly, God hasn’t told us all we’d like to know about this. Yet, we do know a few things.

1. The Bible tells us that everybody has a moral standard written on their hearts by God, and that everybody is guilty of violating that standard.
Romans 1:19 (NLT): “For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts.”

That’s why virtually every culture in every time and place has had many similar laws and rules—killing another person is always wrong. That’s why our conscience bothers us when we do something wrong.

2. The Bible tells us that everybody has enough information from observing the world to discern that God exists, but people have suppressed that and rejected God anyway — for which we rightfully deserve eternal separation from Him.
Romans 1:20 (NLT2): “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

If you’ve ever been in the mountains or some other beautiful spot on earth, or watched an incredible sunset, you’ve probably said what millions of others have said—there must be a God!

3. We also know that those who sincerely seek God will find Him.
Jesus: “…seek and you will find…” (Matthew 7:7 NIV)

In fact, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is seeking us first, making it possible for us to seek God. And this says to me that people around the world who respond to the understanding that they have and who earnestly seek after the one true God, revealed to them through God's creation, will find an opportunity, in some way, to receive the eternal life that God has graciously provided through Jesus Christ.

4. There’s something else that’s reassuring, too: God is completely fair and just.
Genesis 18:25 (NIV) asks, “…Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

It’s comforting for me to know that each person will be judged uniquely and justly, according to what they know and what they do with that. After being judged by a righteous God who deeply loves every person on this planet and always desires the best for them, no one will be able to walk away claiming that he or she had been treated unjustly.

We know that apart from the payment that Jesus made on the cross, nobody has a chance of getting off Death Row. But exactly how much detailed knowledge a person has to know about Jesus or precisely where the lines are drawn for those who have never heard of him, only God knows.
1 Corinthians 4:5 (TEV): “So you should not pass judgment on anyone before the right time comes. Final judgment must wait until the Lord comes; he will bring to light the dark secrets and expose the hidden purposes of people’s minds. And then all will receive from God the praise they deserve.”

5. And, finally, nobody will be excluded from heaven solely because he or she has lacked some information.

The reason people will be denied admittance is because they have told God that they can live just fine without Him, whether by intentionally admitting this or choosing to remain ignorant of Him. On Judgment Day, God will say, “Based on your own decision to live apart from Me, you will now spend eternity apart from Me.”

God won’t violate our free will—He won’t force us to follow Him. But, the Good News is that through Jesus Christ, God has offered to each one of us the gift of love and forgiveness. 

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT2): "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. "

Let God in, and let Him work through you to transform our world and help every single individual on our planet know Jesus Christ!

Membership Update - Dedicated to Reaching Others (September 2010)

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 4:44 PM

Late last Spring I began a Membership Series for our Gateway members (and anyone else) that is intended to help us grow and become more and more like Jesus Christ. I'm using a tool that we at Gateway call the GUIDE (which is a part of our Membership Covenant). It's an acronym that both describes what a "fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, and at the same time lists biblical disciplines and practices that God has given us to guide us in our spiritual journey. You can read more about the GUIDE in my May Update.

This month I turn to the "D" of GUIDE, which stands for: "Dedicated to Reaching Others." We understand this to mean that "I will seek opportunities to develop relationships with everyday people, recognizing my role as an ambassador to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ."

As you probably know, "Reach" is an important part of our church's DNA, and has been from our very beginning. It's a part of Jesus' own mission: "And I, the Son of Man, have to come to seek and save those ... who are lost." (Luke 19:10 NLT) Every ONE matters to Jesus. No one is beyond his love or his desire to develop a relationship with them.

In the Great Commission Jesus told us, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19 NLT) The Apostle Paul wrote:

"So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!' For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NLT2)

Paul says reaching others is what Christ followers do. It's not up to some of us. It is a fundamental part of what it means to be a Christ follower - period!

But before you start sweating that out and wondering if that means we're supposed to all head out to the street corners and stand on our soap boxes, hear me out. That may be true for a few of us, but notice that our statement above says, "I will seek opportunities to develop relationships..." Reaching others is almost always done best and most effectively and most naturally through relationships. Most often it's relationships we already have, though Christ followers also seek to develop new relationships to share the life-changing message and love of Jesus Christ. It means looking at those around us to see whom we can become more intentional about growing our relationship and, at the right time, sharing our story of our journey with Jesus Christ.

Think about it - an ambassador represents his or her homeland to others. Paul tells us we are Christ's ambassadors, so we represent Jesus Christ and the hope and joy and life-changing love he offers us to others. God often uses us as the "go-between" to help one of our existing friends or relatives get to know our best friend and brother Jesus Christ. We aren't responsible for their relationship with Christ, but we are responsible for looking for natural opportunities to make introductions and even walk alongside our two friends as they get to know each other better.

Our dedication to reach others begins with wherever that person is in their relationship with Christ. From no relationship to a relationship that has slipped, to a relationship that is growing. A significant part of this dedication is coming alongside others in what I would call a mentoring relationship, regardless of where they are on their journey. Mentoring is simply being intentional about sharing with another person or persons about our journeys with Christ. It's an intentional decision to reach out to another, but it invariably becomes a two-way street as God's Spirit works in and through both of us to grow both of us. We may think it's all about the other person, but God has designed this act and process of reaching out to others, of being ambassadors for Christ, as a growth opportunity for both of us. We are always blessed as we allow Christ to use us to reach others, and, in fact, there are some blessings God has reserved for us that we will never experience unless we do reach out to others.

Ultimately, this dedication to reaching others isn't a program or something we do only when the church is making a push. God intends this to be a part of our lifestyle as Christ followers. He intends it to be a natural part of the culture of any church, and we certainly want that here at Gateway. We offer opportunities for you to invite a friend, including regular events such as our Sunday services, and special outreach events, such as Ladies Night Out or our recent Date Night or our regular Bring-A-Friend Sundays (the next one is October 24!). 

I know many of us have some feelings of insecurity or even fear about reaching out to others - I certainly do, and I have to work on it! Yet, Christ wants to use us, and God has already been working in the person we feel led to reach. Even if the results don't seem to go anywhere in our first tries, God is using us to plant seeds. Sometimes we see the fruit of our efforts, and sometimes others do - and we reap the harvest that others planted before us. 

But nothing happens if we do nothing. That's why this begins with us dedicating ourselves to this journey - of allowing God to work in and through us to make the choice to be Christ's ambassador to reach out to the relationships around us. After all, in Christ we represent the one and only way to help people live forever in heaven with Jesus. There's no more important work or task in our lives, because nothing else we do can affect the eternity of another like this. God has given you and me the greatest opportunity there is - to be a part of His life-changing plan to save lives and change the world!

Membership Update - May 2010

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 9:16 PM

Welcome to your journey and our first Membership Update. We believe membership at Gateway is a partnership you choose to make with us to help you on your spiritual journey. Being a member means, in part, that you want your church to encourage you and help you be accountable to the faith entrusted to us by Jesus Christ.
Earlier this year several of us on the staff here at Gateway realized we needed to offer more that was unique to our members to help them on their journey. A significant part of this needs to be a growing role of accountability. When I say that, I don't mean becoming legalistic, but regularly reminding all of us in settings beyond Sunday morning about the importance of the commitment we've made to Jesus Christ. Starting with this Update I’ll be posting monthly updates (early each month - and perhaps additional ones from time to time as circumstances warrant) on my blog to help and encourage you on this journey.
This month we're sending out an email to all our 2010 members, as well as those who were members in 2009 but haven't reaffirmed membership in 2010. We've already heard that some folks just haven't gotten around to formally reaffirming their membership, so this will serve as a reminder.  However, starting in June, this monthly email reminder will only go out to those who have let us know their desire to reaffirm membership in 2010. These blog entries remain accessible to everyone, but only our currently affirmed members will receive an email reminder linking to them.
This month I want to begin with a simple reminder. At Gateway we believe God has given us the mission of “leading everyday people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.” To help us know what a “fully devoted follower” looks like, and also, therefore, how to get there, we use the GUIDE.
The GUIDE (which we spell out in our Membership Covenant) is an acronym for the biblical disciplines and practices below that God has given us to help guide us in our spiritual growth. All of these areas generally serve more than one purpose in God’s Kingdom, but they all serve as means of grace to help us experience and grow in God’s grace. Also, it’s important to understand that all spiritual growth is ultimately a work of the Holy Spirit – we’re just preparing ourselves for when the Spirit does move so we can respond to Him and grow.

I’m going to quickly review the Guide below, and then in coming months I’ll spend more time in each of these areas.
G            Growing in my relationship with Christ – I will pursue a growing relationship with Christ through scripture, prayer and the spiritual disciplines. Spiritual growth is not an accident – it’s disciplining ourselves through spiritual disciplines and practices that help us to be prepared when the Holy Spirit works in and through us. As we prepare ourselves, God uses things we read, circumstances, speakers, programs, relationships, and even (actually, quite often) struggles to grow our relationship with Him.
U            Using spiritual gifts to serve – I will seek opportunities to serve my church family utilizing my gifts, talents, and time. Jesus explicitly said he came to serve and not be served. Serving is not only a way we live out the love of Christ, but it’s also a way His love grows in us and transforms us. As James says, “Faith without works is dead.” Serving is not an option for those committed to Jesus Christ - it is the crux of how we live out the Bible's command to "love our neighbors."
I              Involved in biblical community – I understand that membership means that I am part of the Gateway church family. As such, I will participate in biblical community through worship services, life groups, and ministry teams. To be a follower of Christ is to be a part of his body, and every part of the body is necessary and important. Community helps us grow and live out our place, as well as love one another.
D            Dedicated to reaching others – I will seek opportunities to develop relationships with everyday people, recognizing my role as an ambassador to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Every ONE matters to God, and He calls us to love them all and work for their good. Coming alongside those who don’t have a church home (and especially those who haven't put their faith in Jesus Christ), loving them, mentoring them, encouraging them, and inviting them to opportunities to experience Christ are part of every Christ follower’s spiritual growth journey and mission. This isn't a program but a lifestyle for Christ followers.
E             Exercising stewardship – I recognize that everything belongs to God, and with God’s help, I commit to follow biblical teaching on giving back to God in regards to my time and attention, as well as my biblical tithe. Stewardship is always a spiritual issue about how much we trust and follow Jesus Christ as well as the opportunity to express gratitude to God for all He has done for us through Jesus Christ. If we believe him and trust him, we’ll also do what he says and seek to be good stewards or managers with all he has entrusted to us, for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
To help you assess your growth in each of these areas, we provide an online assessment that you can download and use as you think through and plan your spiritual growth in the coming months and years. I'll also be sharing additional thoughts here in my blog for our journey with Christ.
Sometimes the hardest part in our spiritual journey is simply taking the next step. Use the GUIDE and the assessment and conversations with other Christ followers to figure out and take that next step. As my mother always said, “By the yard it’s hard; by the inch it’s a cinch!”

Meeting People on Their Terms and Turf

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , | Posted On Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Acts is an amazing and extremely relevant book for anyone seeking to follow Jesus Christ. Every chapter is jam-packed with information about how the early church dealt with issues that are just as real today.

For instance, in our reading today in Acts 17-18, we read of Paul's encounter with the Greek philosophers in Athens. These were men who sat around all day pondering the meaning of life and the universe. They were intrigued by Paul's message about a foreign god. These men were searching for answers and meaning in life, but they hadn't found it yet. Acts 17:21 says that everyone in Athens "...seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas."

That statement sounds so much like 21st Century America to me. While there are many Christians in our land, there are many others who are searching for answers in all the latest fads and philosophies. Maybe they were exposed to a strange form of Christianity, and assumed that was the norm for all of Christianity. Maybe they're just rebels and want to figure it out for themselves. I'm sure you can think of more reasons why some folks seem to be intent on trying the religion or spirituality du jour.

Not much has changed in 2000 years! So, Paul's approach to the Athenians may give us some insight into trying to reach folks today who still haven't made a decision to follow Jesus Christ. And the first thing Paul didn't do was antagonize or belittle the Athenians' beliefs. He took them seriously, rather than just dismissing them as wrong. He complemented them and affirmed them, knowing that God cared about these men as much as He cared about anyone else.

If becoming a Christian were about having all the right facts, then showing the Athenians how they were wrong might have made sense. But becoming a Christian is about developing a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It starts and ends with relationship, and that also gives us a great insight into how we share our faith with others - through relationships. We don't win friends and influence enemies by pounding them over the head with a Bible or telling them they're going to Hell because they don't believe in Jesus Christ. We influence people as we share the love of Christ with them, as we demonstrate we care about them. Jesus died for those far from him, just as he died for me and you. We're all saved by grace, through faith, so none of us can brag about how good we are or how much better we are than anyone else (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When we show love and respect to someone who believes differently than we do, who perhaps is caught up in the latest spiritual fad, we gain the privilege of being heard. As trust grows, we can go deeper and deeper in our conversations. As the relationship grows, we can share our own experiences and understandings of the Christian faith in honest, straightforward ways. We can have genuine conversations where the love of Christ works in us and through us. I've always heard that loving people into heaven is almost always more effective than scaring them out of hell. Jesus always had time for the sinners - what bugged him were the religious elites who thought they knew it all.

I've been a pastor for over twenty years now, but the more I know, the more I know I don't know. The longer I walk this journey the more the Holy Spirit tries to push that unholy pride out of me. I really am no better than the person far from God, but I am saved by the grace of God - and that makes all the difference in the world. Paul was no better than the Athenians, but he loved them through Jesus Christ, and he tried to meet them at their point of interest and need. Then he walked them along, with integrity and respect. Some laughed at him, "...but others said, 'We want to hear more about this later.'" (17:32) And Verse 34 says, "...some joined him and became believers."

Paul met the Athenians on their terms, on their turf, and some eventually chose to become followers of Jesus Christ. That model is just as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. Who do you know that needs the love of Christ in their life? How can you love that person and meet them at their point of interest and need? It may take months, even years, but I know that God honors all our efforts, and no relationship with a Christ follower by a person seeking the truth ever comes back void.


Just Take the Next Step

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Our reading today in Acts 13-14 tells us about what has historically been called Paul's first missionary journey. He would ultimately take four of these, and this was the first and shortest (in distance). From this journey we learn several things about sharing the story of Jesus Christ.

First, notice that Paul doesn't travel alone. He begins with Barnabas and John Mark. Also, notice that the Holy Spirit led them out - they didn't do it on their own. And the Holy Spirit used the church to dedicate these men to their mission. (Acts 13:2-3 NLT)

Second, notice that Paul and his companions always started out in the local synagogue when they arrived in a new town. Paul started with those who would have the most connection with the Christian faith - the Jews. In fact, as we see here in Acts 13, Paul's typical pattern was to ground the story of Jesus in the history of Israel. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was the fulfillment of all God had been working toward in what we call the Old Testament. The early Christians discovered this and always attempted to reach Jews by showing them their common history and how Jesus fulfilled prophecy. "'Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God - something the law of Moses could never do.'" (13:38-39) And Acts tells us many did listen and turned their lives over to Jesus Christ.

Third, we notice to see that not everyone liked what Paul and his companions were doing. Some of the Jews became very upset, slandering them and arguing with them. A mob ran them out of Antioch of Pisidia and Iconium, and in Lystra Paul was stoned nearly to death. (14:19-20) Jesus warned that the Gospel would divide friends and families. Today there are folks who are vehemently opposed to Christianity, and they'll do whatever they can to ridicule it or discredit it. When we run into those folks, we just need to realize we're in good company with Paul and other missionaries.

Fourth, we see that when the Jews would reject the Gospel message, Paul would then take the message to the Gentiles. He started with those who would most easily connect with his message, but he discovered that God had also been working in the hearts of the Gentiles, who had no history or connection to Jesus. "'...since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.'" (14:46) Paul then quoted from the prophet Isaiah to show that even this extension of the mission to the Gentiles had always been a part of God's plan: "'"I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth."'" (14:47, from Isaiah 49:6)

Interestingly, the Gentiles, who had little or no common history with Jesus, were often the most grateful ones to hear this Good News. "When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message..." (14:48) Sometimes we may overlook folks around us who are the most eager to hear Good News. They are different from us, in any number of ways, and we presume we have nothing to say or offer them. But Paul discovered otherwise. We make a grave mistake when we presume we know whom God is trying to reach. The Holy Spirit can work in us and anyone, and sometimes all God desires is for us to open that door, to share our story and offer hope and healing to folks who are looking for answers.

Because Paul was faithful in his journey, many Jews and Gentiles came to faith in Christ. I'm sure the journey did not go at all the way Paul had anticipated, but he left himself open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and God took care of the rest. It was not an easy journey - he nearly died - but lives were transformed forever. By faith, many times all we can do - and should do - is just take the next step, and trust God to work out His plans through our faith and obedience. We don't have to worry about where it will all end, or what might happen - just take the next step, and leave the results to God. That's really all walking by faith is - taking the next step.

Taking My Witness Beyond My Limits

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , | Posted On Monday, October 19, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Today's reading from Acts 10-11 shows us a watershed moment in the spread of the Christian faith. Up until this point, the apostles had limited their teaching and preaching to specific Jewish audiences. After all, they were Jewish, Jesus was Jewish, and so they had no real reason to go further. For Jews, the world was divided into two basic camps: Jews, and everyone else, whom they called Gentiles. Some Gentiles had probably come to faith in Christ, but the apostles weren't seeking them out. With the persecutions in Jerusalem (that killed Stephan), the apostles and disciples began to fan out, beyond the Jewish lands and culture. At the same time, God opened a new door through a Gentile named Cornelius.

Cornelius was a Roman centurion or army officer in Caesarea who was seeking after God. He was a part of a class of people the Jews called "God-fearers," who were Gentiles but seeking the God of the Jews. Cornelius receives a vision from an angel to seek out Simon Peter. Shortly afterwards, Simon Peter also has a vision, where he was shown animals that had been forbidden for Jews to touch or eat. Now a voice says to him, "'Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.'" (10:13 NLT) Peter cannot imagine doing this because it goes against so much that he had been taught as a faithful Jew. But the voice says to him, "'Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.'" (10:15) Simon Peter was being challenged to freedom in his faith in ways he had never imagined. He was being challenged to put behind him rules for rules' sake, and instead look at life and existence from God's point of view.

Immediately after his vision, Peter is summoned to visit Cornelius, and he goes. Entering the home of a Gentile again went against so much Peter had been taught as a Jew, but God was expanding his vision. He shared the story of Jesus with Cornelius and his guests, and the Holy Spirit fell upon them. "The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too." (10:45) And immediately afterwards, they were all baptized. Peter and his Jewish friends were discovering that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of David, was not just the God of the Jews - He was the God of all people.

There are huge implications in this event for us today. Sometimes I find myself trapped by old ways of thinking, that only certain people could or would put their faith in Christ. When I see folks who have lived very far from God, when I see folks from other religions and lands, I sometimes have a hard time seeing them as potentially being followers of Christ. So, I do nothing. But God led Peter from the Jews to the Gentiles, to open the door of faith to people Peter would have never imagined could or would respond. Who am I overlooking today? Who do I dismiss as someone who would never be interested in faith in Christ, who could never change? How much am I limiting how God wants to work in and through me?

I've discovered that because God gives me free will, my thoughts can often prevent me from being open to all God wants to do. Yet, the Bible shows us there is no one beyond God's reach. Every single human being born on this planet is a sacred creation of God's, whether they recognize that or not. And every single person needs what Jesus Christ has to offer, because he came for all.

When Peter explained to the remaining apostles and believers in Jerusalem what had happened, they were at first concerned. But as soon as they heard that the Holy Spirit had come into the lives of these Gentiles too, they realized God was doing a new thing. "...'We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.'" (11:18)

With this event, the apostles began to understand for the first time that Jesus died for all people, not just the Jews. It would radically change their outreach in the coming years. Today we need to ask ourselves if we are unintentionally standing in God's way to reach people that we never imagined could be reached. Just because they don't look like me, or have different backgrounds, or have sinned more than I think I have doesn't mean they are outside God's love or reach. And if God wants to reach them, am I willing to be used by Him if that is His will. Will I go where it's uncomfortable for me, as Peter did, in order to be faithful to my calling from God to carry out His witness? I know I need to be a lot more open to how God wants to work. What about you - who could God use you to reach?

The Power to Witness

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , | Posted On Monday, October 12, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Today we turn to the Book of Acts, looking at chapter 1. Scholars tells us that originally the Gospel of Luke and Acts were one book, written by Luke, a doctor (and most likely a Gentile, or non-Jew) who traveled some with the Apostle Paul. As in his gospel, Luke is writing this to "Theophilus." This name literally means "lover of God," and may be the actual name of an individual, or a more general letter to those who love God.

Luke writes Acts to show us the growth of Christianity from a few dozen followers of Jesus after his death to a movement that within thirty years had reached Rome, the center of the western world. He shows us that God's hand was involved in every step of this expansion, through the Holy Spirit, and he will show us the coming of the Holy Spirit almost immediately, in chapter 2. He shows us that Christianity spread, in spite of all kinds of hardships and persecutions. It spread, even converting some of its worst enemies into its biggest advocates.

In Jesus' last appearance to the disciples, he gives them this promise: "'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'" (1:8 - italics added) Jesus says his followers are to be his witnesses, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

To be a "witness" is to be one who observes something and testifies to others. This is really the basic calling of every Christ follower - to be a witness for Christ; to share the Good News of who Jesus is and what he has done. But, as a witness, while we should tell what we know, even more important is what we've experienced.

It seems like many times when Christ followers hear they are called by Jesus to "go and make disciples" or be his "witnesses," they freeze or think that, surely, Jesus is talking to the "trained professionals." He couldn't be talking to me, could he? Yet, a witness is simply someone who recounts their own experience. What is your experience of Jesus? There's a simple and basic formula to telling your witness or story: (1) what was my life like before I met Christ? (2) How did I meet Christ? (3) How has my life changed since I met Christ? Notice, there are no deep theological explanations - it's just telling my story. That's what Jesus desires for us to do.

But, he doesn't leave us to witness all by ourselves. He tells us we will receive the power to witness through the Holy Spirit - Christ's living presence with every Christ follower. When I become a Christ follower, his Spirit comes to live within me, to guide me, to encourage me, to convict me (when I make the wrong choices), and to empower me to do God's will, even when I don't think I can. He empowers me to be His witness, but I have to act on this by faith. I have to believe that He is working in me and will use my witness to affect the lives of others.

In fact, this is one of the greatest privileges you or I have - to be used by God to open the door of eternity for another human being. It's one of the few things we can do here on earth that lives on forever, that has eternal implications. I may think I am just telling my story, but, the truth is, much more is going on. The Holy Spirit is empowering my telling, and He is empowering the hearing of my story, my witness, in the heart and mind of the listener. He is coordinating my witness with the witness of others, working to give that person every opportunity to accept Christ into his or her own life. I may not see the results of this - I may be just one witness in a string of witnesses - but my witness will not be wasted, for God is empowering it and using it. And with God, all things are possible!

So, you and I need to take seriously Jesus' expectation to be his witness. We are never saved for ourselves but always for the sake of others. How will the Holy Spirit use you today to be His witness? Are you looking for opportunities? Are you listing for leadings of the Holy Spirit? Today God just might use you to change another person's eternity!


Last Words, Lasting Message

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Courts generally consider the dying words of an individual to hold great weight. In Luke 23 we see Jesus saying three things as he hangs on the cross. We can be sure each thing he says is very important.

After he was nailed to the cross, Jesus says in verse 34: "...'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.'" After having been beaten, mocked, ridiculed, wrongly accused and nailed to a cross, Jesus offers forgiveness to those around him. Here we see the heart of God for His children, who time after time wronged Him, yet He still loves and forgives. I honestly have a hard time imagining this level of love, yet I know that through Christ in me, God calls me to this as well. I fall terribly short, but this moment on the cross holds out for me the ideal, the goal, the perfection of love that I aspire to, only by the grace of God.

Luke also tells us that Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One of them taunts Jesus, saying, "'So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself - and us, too, while you're at it!'" (vs. 39) The other criminal, though, responds, "'Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong....Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.'" (vss. 40-42)

Jesus is suffering excruciating pain as he hangs on the cross, facing his last hours of life on earth, yet his concern isn't for himself but for this repentant criminal. Jesus utters the second thing on the cross, "'I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.'" (vs. 43) Jesus offered forgiveness, and now he offers love and hope to this man dying next to him. Jesus said he came to seek and save those who were lost, and even as he hangs on the cross facing his own death, he never forgets his mission and purpose. In these last minutes, he enables one more man to follow him into eternity.

If I want a picture of what matters to God, I can't miss it here. Jesus Christ lived and died for us. He never lost sight of his mission, even in his last hours. And he gives us this picture to show us his level of commitment to his mission. We, the church, are the body of Christ in the world today, and his mission is our mission. His level of commitment must become our level of commitment, so that we can remain faithful to him. If he died a horrible death for me, any discomfort I may sometimes experience in seeking those disconnected from God is a small price to pay for all he's done.

But Luke also records Jesus' last words, a prayer, before he dies on the cross: "'Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!'" These words are a quote from Psalm 31:5, with the addition of the word, "Father." And these words from Psalm 31 were traditionally taught by every Jewish mother to her child as the last thing the child would say at night. This prayer of faith as he closed his eyes, was a statement of faith in the Father. No matter what he had been through, Jesus trusted his Heavenly Father (and our Heavenly Father) to care for him.

In his last words, Jesus showed his undying love and concern for us and all those disconnected from God, and his complete trust and faith in his Heavenly Father. He models for us the life he calls us to live, as well. By ourselves, we cannot forgive or love or have this level of faith, but when Jesus is at the center of our lives, His Spirit grows the heart of Jesus within us. And by His power, Jesus' words and actions become ours!

Challenges of Following Jesus

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , | Posted On Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Luke's chapter 19 is one of those chapters that is just full of great and important stuff. But, as I dug into this chapter, I discovered a common theme of following Jesus that speaks to me today.

First is the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Tax collectors were known for cheating people, but the Roman government backed them, so Jews hated them. Zacchaeus encounters Jesus, and Jesus invites himself over to Zacchaeus' home. The people complained, "…'(Jesus) has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,'…" (vs. 7). Yet, Jesus' love and acceptance led Zacchaeus to commit his life to Christ. He gave away half his wealth and gave back to those he cheated four times what he had taken. And at this point Jesus makes very clear that in spite of what others may think or say, this is exactly why he came: "'For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save those who are lost.'" (vs. 10) In this brief verse, Jesus tells us his purpose for coming, and he gives a clear picture of our purpose, too, for those those of us who are committed to following him. As his followers, as the body of Christ, we, too, are here to seek and save those who are lost, who are disconnected from God. We're his hands and his feet and his voice in the world today. But, if we aren't reaching out to those who are lost, we've stopped following Jesus.

The second story is often called the Parable of the Talents as the Gospel of Matthew tells it. Here Luke tells us a slightly different version, but the message is much the same. The Master entrusts to his servants varying amounts of resources and tell them to invest it while he's gone. When the Master returns, one servant returns to his Master ten times what he started with. A second servant returns five times what he started with. In both cases the Masters rewards them by making them governors over cities. The third servant brings back only the original amount - he's done nothing with what his Master entrusted to him. The Master calls him a "wicked servant," and takes away even what he had. Jesus shows us that no matter how much he gives us - talents, abilities, resources, etc. - if we're following him, he expects us to use wisely that which he has entrusted to us for the purpose of advancing his kingdom. When we do nothing with what's been entrusted to us, we lose even what we had. But, when we do use what he has entrusted to us, he provides even more. There's a basic principle of management or stewardship here. As a follower of Christ, am I being faithful with that which God has entrusted to me? It's important, because some day I'm going to have to give an accounting, and if I haven't been faithful, I'm going to discover that I wasn't following Jesus and I'll end up somewhere else.

Next, we see the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on what is traditionally called Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. It's a great day of praise and celebration, but Jesus knows that many of the very people who are singing his praises on Sunday will be calling out for his crucifixion on Friday. Ultimately, talk is cheap. True faith is not demonstrated by what we say but by what we do. Talking the talk means nothing if we don't also walk the talk. That's a big challenge for all of us. Following Christ means following Christ. It means walking in his steps, even when it's uncomfortable or just plain hard. Until we're willing to follow wherever he leads us, even to the cross, our talk is cheap. I write this for myself, because I know I struggle here at times. I am learning that it is precisely when it's hard that following Christ both means the most and also grows me the most. That's not necessarily what I want to hear, but that's the reality.

In a quick final story in this chapter Jesus clears the Temple of thieves and money changers. Sometimes, following Jesus means confronting the wrongs and injustices of this world. That's seldom comfortable, but it's what Jesus did.

Very different stories, but in each one I learn more about what it means to follow Jesus. All these stories show that following Jesus isn't easy - in fact, it's a real challenge at times. But, until I'm walking in his footsteps, I'm not really following him, and I won't get to where he wants me to be. It's worth asking ourselves, "Who's footsteps am I walking in?"

Am I Using the Opportunities God Offers Me?

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , | Posted On Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 12:01 AM

As a follower of Christ, am I taking advantage of the opportunities God sets before me? That's the question that came to my mind after I read Luke 16.

First, in the story of the shrewd manager, Jesus applauds his "shrewdness" for trying to take his future into his own hands. Jesus says the point is that non-Christians often are more shrewd than we are. Are we using the resources God has entrusted to us for the future, to help others, to make an eternal difference, or are we just simply living in the moment. He says what we do now really can make an eternal difference, if we're "shrewd" enough to recognize that.

Jesus is very clear that many of the ways of this world will not be honored in heaven. Faithfulness to Christ and obedience to his teachings may seem strange, even foolish, to many around us, but Jesus tells us these are the things that God honors and rejoices in. Are we using the opportunities we have to live for him, in spite of what others may think or say?

In his story about the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus tells us that we already have everything we need to live our lives in God-honoring ways. The rich man wanted to return and warn his brothers to change their lives, but Jesus says God's Word already offers all the warning anyone needs.

Throughout this chapter I kept feeling God saying to me: "Are you taking advantage of the opportunities I give you to use your resources wisely? Are you taking advantage of the opportunities I give you to live your life well and share the Good News to those who are disconnected from God?" When we get to heaven isn't the time to wish we had done some things differently. Now is the time to be faithful in our living, in our use of God's resources, in telling others about God's Good News of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we may discover that many great opportunities slipped right by us because we weren't watching.

The Heart of God

Posted by Randy | Labels: , | Posted On Friday, October 2, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Luke 15 begins this way: "Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people - even eating with them!"

Jesus was breaking all the rules. How could he allow "these kinds of people" around him? But, these religious leaders were only concerned about themselves, while Jesus' heart always went out to everyone, and especially "these kinds of people" who were disconnected from God. On another occasion he said, "The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost." (Luke 19:10)

In answer to the complaints of the religious leaders, in Luke 15 Jesus told a story to make a point. But then Jesus told another story that made the same point. And he even told a third story that again emphasized his point. Three stories in a row. Clearly, this was important to Jesus - so important that he drove the point home with three stories!

Jesus talked about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. The shepherd left the 99 behind in order to find the one lost sheep. The woman searched her whole house until she found the lost coin. And a father scanned the horizon and then ran out to meet his lost son. And in each case, there was a celebration because what was lost had been found.

Jesus said, "...there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away." (Luke 15:7) All of heaven celebrates when one person far from God gets connected and comes home.

This is the heart of God. It was His heart for me when I was far from Him. It was His heart for you when you were far from Him. And it's still His heart for the many, many more who are still far from Him, and He won't be satisfied until every single one returns home. We weren't saved to kick back on the couch and relax - we were saved to join Jesus, as the body of Christ today, continuing his mission with the same fervor and determination.

There's so much more I could write about each of these three stories, but the bottom line is that Jesus doesn't want anyone to be lost, and he shows us he'll do whatever it takes to find them. If we are his followers, if we are members of his body, the body of Christ, are we driven by his same passion and mission? If we are his followers, are we actually following Jesus? Think about it...

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