Evangelism

It is always a good thing to spend time just talking with and sharing ideas with people who are intent on bringing God’s message to others, and who are willing to take time to learn more of how it can be done, and how others are doing it successfully. Such was the opportunity I had last week, when I attended the Congress on Evangelism in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a week of sharing and learning with United Methodist people from all across the nation.

It is unfortunate that the words “evangelism” and “evangelicals” have been so caught up with, and distorted by all the political stuff we hear in the media these days. Certainly, just as there was a diversity of people in our sessions last week, male, female, young and older, all different ethnic groups, all different in their church experiences, they were also widely varied in their political views. Evangelism is NOT a political thing or a political movement. That was made clear last week. Evangelism should not be defined as conservative or liberal, or left or right. It is not fundamentalism. Simply put, evangelism is letting others know Jesus died on the cross for us, and God loves us--ALL of us, regardless of our backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, or political opinions. In fact, it often may be that God loves us despite our backgrounds and opinions.

Four things came very clear from all the sessions last week, sessions guided by representatives from churches, large and small (most small) that are thriving.  

First, the only reason any church exists, or should exist, is to bring new people to Christ, and then to help them grow in faith and service in the community. I have great admiration for Adam Hamilton, who is the lead pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist Church in this country, and one of the largest of all churches in the U.S. They have over 15,000 members, and it grows in leaps and bounds, with almost 70% joining by profession of faith, meaning they were not believers before coming to the church.  But the church started in 1991 with just 16 dedicated believers.

Those 16, with Adam, made the church’s mission to exist only for the sake of non believers. Those 16 established the church’s sole stated purpose which continues to be, “To build a Christian community where non-religious and nominally religious people are becoming deeply committed Christians.”  In fact, they will tell you if you are interested in joining the church, you must understand that the Church of the Resurrection does not exist for you to serve you, but exists so that you as a believer in Christ can bring others to Christ. They have very little turnover in membership, almost all who leave do so because they move from the area. Instead they have grown from services in a funeral home to four campuses, with over 28, 000 people coming to Christmas Eve services this past month. All in only 10 years. Everything they do is aimed at non believers—true evangelism. I invite you to explore their web site:  http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/

Second, the only way churches grow sustainably and vitally is through one-to-one relationships between believers and non-church persons. And, that must not be confrontational. To ask someone, “If you should die today, where would you spend eternity?” or any approach even close to that is to turn people away, likely forever. Instead, developing a caring friendship with someone, by learning about them, their interests, their story, will eventually provide an opportunity to bring the new friend to church. It may take time, but it works.

Third, programs alone will not bring new people to Christ. All church programs should either be directed toward providing an opportunity for a believer to bring someone new to the program and foster the opportunity for one-to-one relationship building, or to increase the faith of those new to Christ, while strengthening the understanding of Christ’s message for those who believe so they may reach out more effectively.

And finally, everyone who is a Christian, a true believer, must be an evangelist, that is, someone who by action and word spreads the message of Christ and God’s love. This is not just the pastor’s job alone. The pastor’s role is much more to provide the tools, the training, so that congregation members will know how best to form their new relationships. In the New Testament James points out that our faith in God and our trust in Jesus must work in tandem with our actions, or our faith isn’t really faith at all. There is no mincing of words there, nor did Jesus mince words either when he gave us the Great Commission. All of us are called to go, make disciples.

One thing that Adam Hamilton stresses is, all churches, regardless of size, can bring new people to Christ, and all should make that their purpose. Not every church will become huge, but every church can and will thrive, if its believers accept the personal mission God gives us all.

Belief

 Ezekiel 14: 1-9

Romans 4: 18-25

John 3: 16-18

Belief

Do you know all about the tooth fairy? The Easter Bunny?  Do you believe in them?

You have all swung on a swing haven’t you?  You know that unless someone pushes you, or you learn to pump for yourself, you wont actually swing long.

In college I had a physics professor who was teaching us about friction and inertia and gravity using a pendulum. We all know what a pendulum is, right? It swings from side to side, and it always decreases in the length of its ark with every swing. The professor had fastened a cord to the ceiling. To this cord, he had attached a baseball that hung at about head high if you were sitting on a chair by the ball. He asked how many of us really believed in the physical laws that applied to the pendulum and we all raised our hands. We all believed in gravity, and friction, and the laws of inertia and momentum.

With that, he pulled the ball to one side and marked where he was holding it with a microphone stand. Then he let go of it and with every swing it came back less and less close to the stand. It never touched the stand again after it was first released.  Then, he asked for a volunteer. He had the fellow who volunteered to sit in a chair where the mike stand had been . He then took the weight, which was hanging in the middle of the stage and carried it over to about an inch from the student’s face. He asked him again if he believed the laws of physics we had read about and had seen demonstrated with the ball and the mike stand, and the student said yes, but without a lot of enthusiasm.

With that, the professor let go of the baseball and it swung far away from the student, and then began to come back. It was amazing to see someone move so fast as that young man trying to get out of the way. He knew the physics law, but did he believe in it, or did he just think he believed?

In the mid s1700’s Jonathan Whitfield, along with John Wesley, was preaching to coal miners in England. He asked one man, "What do you believe?" "Well, I believe the same as the church." "And what does the church believe?" "Well, they believe the same as me." Seeing he was getting nowhere, Whitfield asked, "And what is it that you and the church both believe?" "Well, I suppose the same thing."

C. H. Spurgeon claimed that 98 percent of the people he met-- including the criminals he visited in England's prisons--told him they thought the Bible to be true. But the vast majority had never made a personal, life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ. For them, "believe" was not an active verb.

There is a huge difference between knowing and believing.  Just like the student, we need to know the basics of what is offered to us. He needed to know what the physics law are, before he could believe in them. But just knowing is not enough when it comes to Jesus and what he taught and expects of us. It is very easy to think you believe when there is no risk involved. It is more difficult to truly believe when you risk losing something important or comfortable to you. Think of Peter. Peter spend three years with Jesus, observing and learning, and yet on the night Jesus was arrested Peter denied even knowing him. To have admitted that he knew and believed in Jesus would have been to take a risk, and Peter was not ready to do so. 

Once we know the stories about Jesus, we have a choice to make. Do we believe in him, or is knowing about him all we care about. Once we choose to believe, God by his grace will give us the faith that Jesus promises will overcome all obstacles in our path to serve him. And as we begin to serve God as he wants us to, our faith will strengthen more and more, and we will understand God more and more.  As Saint Augustine, one of the earliest church fathers, said, “"Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand." 

From the time I was in college I began to learn and know a lot about God and Jesus.  I took a bunch of religion courses in college: New Testament, Old Testament, Theology, Christian Ethics, and others. From the time Myrna and I were married, I was active in the all the churches we attended. I filled all the leadership positions a church might have:  lay leader, lay speaker, Sunday school teacher, men’s group president, missions chair, youth leader with Myrna, PPR chair, Conference delegate, confirmation teacher, bible study teacher, building campaign chair, pulpit supply, group secretary, finance chair, and more. I KNEW a lot about God and Jesus, and kept on learning over the years. But it was not until a Walk To Emmaus weekend in Elmira New York, a little after midnight on a Saturday night, that I truly believed.

I had to let go of all my self-satisfaction in knowing, and believe. It made all the difference in the world.

In the New Testament letter James wrote to the churches, he sets out to covey to us that our belief in God and our faith in Jesus must work in tandem with our actions, or our faith isn’t really faith at all. He makes it very clear that faith without works is dead. Jesus himself pointed out that people will know we are believers by how we express God’s love to them.

In the book of Revelations, John wrote a letter to each of the most important seven churches in Asia Minor. In chapter 3 he wrote to one of those churches, in the words of Jesus, "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! Be diligent and turn from your indifference. “ Those are pretty harsh words. What a wakeup call they are.

Sitting in a garage doesn’t make you a car. Simply saying that you are a great racecar driver, basketball player, pie baker, quilter, or  cook, or painter, or farmer--whatever it is you might say you are, doesn’t mean anything unless you can demonstrate your skills in a way that would convince any who saw them. It is the same with those who say they are Christians.  Knowing about God and Jesus and being a good person is not enough. The Pharisees knew all about God and were totally obedient to his laws, and more, but Jesus called them hypocrites and non believers.

To be a true Christian, and to receive eternal life, we must be real believers. We must have a burning desure in our hearts to be with Jesus; to know more about him; to know him personally, and to serve him with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength.

In the book of Revelation, just a few words later than the warning about being spit out if we are lukewarm, we have a promise made by Jesus. He said, "I stand at the door and knock. If any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come to him and eat with him and he with me."  If we believe, God promises us eternal life. “For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life.” What awesome promises, if we just believe.

Amen

Isaiah 42: 5-6

Ephesians 3:2-6

Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany

Christ revealed. Christ made known to the world, to the masses. Epiphany.

Several years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was travelling down a Chicago neighbourhood street in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and WHUMP - it smashed into the Jag's shiny black side door. SCREECH. Brakes slammed. Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown.

Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? " Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jag. That brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?”

"Please, mister, please...I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do." pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop." Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE - a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention.

How often do you and I need to have a brick thrown at us to get our attention, to get us to see what is right before us?

The Magi saw a star and knew something very important had happened. We don’t know how many Magi there were, but one thing is certain: The star they saw would have been visible to anyone who was looking. Anyone who was not self-absorbed would have seen it and could have followed it. The Magi had their eyes open, they knew a Messiah was to be born sometime, and they were looking for any sign of that birth. They didn’t need a brick thrown at them. How many others saw the star but thought nothing of it?

Today is Epiphany Sunday. Epiphany is a special time in the church year that is celebrated on January 6, or the Sunday closest to it. The word "epiphany" is from the Greek language, and it means "manifestation" or "showing", or in a way, a “revelation”. Sometimes when we have been struggling with a problem and cannot seem to find a solution, all of a sudden a solution appears, and we have that “ah hah” kind of experience. That is an epiphany—a moment when something becomes clear to us.

From the third century, throughout our Christian church history, the story of the three wise men has been traditionally read on January 6. These men came from the East following a bright star to bring gifts to the child born to be king of the people of Judea. They did not arrive immediately after the birth. It may have been as long as two years after Jesus was born. The story tells us they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is a gift fit for a king, and it signifies that Jesus is a king. Frankincense is a rare kind of incense that was burned at special times in the temple in Jerusalem by the high priests, signifying a precious sacrifice. And myrrh is a spice used in those days in preparing for burial the bodies of those who had died. The gift of myrrh signifies that Jesus will bring us closer to God through his death.

The story of the wise men reminds us that not only the people of Bethlehem or Nazareth or even Jerusalem will be affected by the life of the child born to Mary and Joseph, but people from far away, too. The Magi also reveal to us an absolutely fundamental theme of Jesus. He taught that everyone on earth is acceptable to God. Differences of tribe, nationhood and race are of no account to God, said Jesus. When we put up barriers between what we believe to be the "good" and the "bad" God passes through those barriers as though they don't exist. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, for whom there is neither Christian nor non-Christian, sinner nor saved, church goer or church ignorer. The coming of the Magi shows us Jesus was born not just to the Jewish people,  but to the gentiles too—all people, all over the world.

Behavioural scientists have discovered that we usually see things that we are prepared to see. This tendency is all centered in a network of nerve cells called the "Reticular Activating System." Everybody has this system—it is an essential part of our brain and nervous system that makes us aware of the world around us. It is especially necessary in helping us sort out what is important to us from all the sights and sounds and other stimuli that bombard our senses all the time, even when we are asleep.

When it comes to sight, or sound, the "Reticular Activating System" works like this: Once something has been brought to our attention, and we have been prepared to see or hear it, we will focus on that sight or sound to the virtual exclusion of all others. We could call it “selective seeing”, or “selective hearing”.  Any of you who have been around teenagers much will be aware of how selective hearing works.

But another aspect of this is that once we have become sensitised to seeing or hearing something in particular, we’ll see it or hear it virtually everywhere we go. How many mothers can distinguish their child’s cry from the cry of a bunch of children? Or for another example, you decide to buy a new car. You make up your mind you are going to buy a certain brand, a certain body style, and a certain color. Now, you’ll see those cars everywhere. You will see them on the roads, in TV advertisements, in newspapers and magazines. They are everywhere. What has happened? They were always there, but the moment you were prepared to see them, your Reticular Activating System kicked in, and suddenly you saw them everywhere.

This kind of thing happens in other areas of life, too. We see what we are prepared to see. If we are prepared to see doom & gloom this year, then that’s what we’ll see. If, on the other hand, we have prepared ourselves to see sunshine & opportunities, then that’s what we are going to see.

Many people overlook God in their lives. They are not tuned in, not sensitised to his presence. Jesus has not been truly revealed to them. Yes, they have heard about him; they have probably heard many of the Bible stories—it is hard not to hear about Moses, and Noah, and Jonah, and David and Goliath, and certainly about Jesus being born in a manger on Christmas day. But because they have not been sensitised to the goodness and love and grace of God, they do not see him in their busy, everyday lives. They have heard of him, but they do not know him.

For those people, you and I are to be their star. Our lives are to be the star over the Christ child. Without us reaching out, there are people who may never know the love of God. To us God has revealed his love through his son Jesus, and it is up to us to show others that Christ is there for them. It is up to you and me to help others have their epiphany experience. It is up to us to be their star.

Amen

Covenant

 Exodus 20: 2-17

 Philippians 3: 13-14

 Luke 10: 25-28

Covenant

At 3:00 am on New Year's Eve of 1738/9 while in prayer with a group of Christians in Fetter Lane in London, the power of God swept through the room, with many falling to the ground, others crying for joy, and all lifting praise to God. On that New Year's Day, 1739, the John and Charles Wesley,  and other friends had a Love Feast at Fetter Lane.

It quickly became a feature of Methodist society meetings in Great Britain and throughout the English-speaking world. As Methodists immigrated to North America they made Love Feasts an important part of early American Methodism.

While love feasts became less frequent in the years that followed, they continued to be held in some places; and in recent years the Love Feast has been revived. In many churches it has become a way to celebrate the beginning of a new year.

The Love Feast (sometimes called the Agapé, one of the Greek words for love), is a Christian fellowship meal which recalls the meals of the New Testament Church. It offers us fellowship and community in the name of Jesus. It gives each person present the opportunity to share of themselves in testimony, prayer, song or with a reading from the Bible. The Watch Night Service became a fixture of rural churches, both Baptist and Methodist, across the South. Many churches, particularly African-American Methodist and Baptist churches, still celebrate Watch Night services, though the practice has waned in other churches.

Love Feasts have been held at Annual Conferences and Charge Conferences, where persons may report on what God has been doing in their lives and on the hope and trust they place in God for the future.

One of the most important aspects of the Love Feast for the Wesley’s was the renewing of the Covenant. We are a covenant, or connectional denomination. That means we are connected with every other United Methodist Church in the world, and if you are member of one you are a member of all. As a church we abide by the Book of Discipline, any changes to which are made by General Conference every four years. This year, 2012 is a General Conference year, in which delegates from all over the world will meet for 10 days to make decisions regarding the denomination.

Covenants are important commitments. When Moses received the 10 commandments from God, it was part of the covenant God made with his people. The 10 commandments spell out what God expected of his people.  Jesus simplified those 10 commandments by pointing out that by being obedient to two, you would be obedient to all. God wants us to love him with all our hearts, minds, strength, and souls. And he wants us to love others as he loves us. Unless we do both those, we will not be breaking the covenant God has made with us. God grants us through grace salvation.  If we make a profession of faith, we make a covenant with God.  If we accept God’s salvation, we then in turn are to be obedient to those two commandments that Jesus spelled out. Failure to be obedient breaks the covenant.

When you are baptized as a child your parents and the congregation make a covenant with God, that you will be raised to learn about Jesus Christ and his teachings. When you confirm your baptism, you and the congregation renew that covenant. When you confirm your baptism, you are pledging to grow in your learning about and understanding of God’s message through Christ, and you are pledging to commit your life to serving God.

When you join the United Methodist Church you make a covenant. You vow to serve God through the church with your presence, service, gifts, and witness. You are asked this series of questions:

• Do you reject the spiritual forces of wickedness, the evil powers of this world, and the bondage to sin?
• Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
• Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?
• According to the grace given to you, will you remain faithful members of Christ's holy Church and serve as Christ's representatives in the world?
• As members of Christ's universal Church, will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?
• As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness?

If you answer yes to those questions, you have made a covenant with God and the church, his church. The United Methodist Church does not require anyone to sign a creed, as many churches do. We do not require a tithe as many churches do. But the covenant of membership is still to be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, in recent years, our society has come to consider vows as nothing to take seriously. Wedding vows are often taken lightly. Too often after baptism neither the parents nor the child are seen again. And for too many congregations the vows they make when someone, child or adult, is baptized, are taken lightly too, and the opportunities for children or adults to grow in faith and understanding, or the opportunities to serve are limited.. sometimes even non-existent. And too often, when those opportunities are provided, few take advantage of them, because they do not take their covenant with God seriously.

As we cross the threshold of a new year, it is an opportune time to re-evaluate our lives in light of the future. It is a good time to renew the covenant we have made with God. And it is very fitting to do so as we take Communion, coming forward to remember the gift God gave us, when Jesus willingly died on the cross for us. How will we use the coming year? What are our priorities? Are the things we do and give our lives to of most importance in the light of eternity? How strong is our covenant relationship with God?

Amen