The Elephant in The Room

If a tree falls in the forest, should we blame the tree?

The blame game.
I'm sure we've all been there.
It has to be somebody's fault and it's so easy to pin it on somebody else.

Playing the blame game can create a gulf, an unspoken middle, an area of confusion and misunderstanding that truly never gets addressed because we are spending too much time quarreling about issues and things around the outside of the problem and never truly getting to the center of it. 

The Pharisees and teachers of the law seem to have a problem and whose fault is it?
Why...their favorite blame game person. It's Jesus, again.

Matthew 15:1-20

New International Version (NIV)

That Which Defiles

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

³ Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’^[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’^{[b] 5} But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ ⁶ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

⁸ “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
⁹ They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’^[c]”

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

¹² Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them; they are blind guides.^[d] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The elephant in the room.
Sometimes it's there all by itself, without an argument. More likely, it is there because of a disagreement. Why is it there? What is it? To whom does the elephant belong? Who let this ginormous monstrosity into the room in the first place? How do we get rid of it?

The first way to address the elephant is to ask the proper questions.
The blame game never accomplishes this. 
As hard as it may be to get a grip on the actual problem, attacking the other participant never gets them to take ownership of it. There has to be a way to get the party in ownership of the elephant to take it by it's lead and escort it from the room. Otherwise, they leave and the elephant remains.

Lets look closer at the conversation between these two parties.

First, the Pharisees come in and have a problem on their minds, but is it actually the real problem?
The problem they have is that people aren't washing their hands before they eat.
It seems like a legitimate problem. "Cleanliness before godliness" is real truth, isn't it?
It's a "tradition" they suggest and it should be upheld.

In addressing the elephant, you'd think Jesus would walk right up to it, punch it in the nose and make it clear that it has no reason to be here in the first place. But he doesn't do that.

If they aren't going to actually come out and say what their problem is then he isn't going to come out and address it either. Jesus decides to take a side route and hit a nerve with them while not actually addressing the elephant.

“And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

It seems the Pharisees and teachers of the law had a little law they made up for themselves where if they had something valuable they wanted to devote to God, they could do so and consecrate it for that purpose, but if their own mother or father was in need and maybe that item could be of used to honor them they decided that the item didn't have to be used for that purpose. God comes first.

In doing so they were, essentially, breaking a commandment. "Honor your father and mother".
They nullified the word of God for the sake of their own "tradition".
He even had Scripture to drive his point home. Jesus quotes Isaiah with boldness.

⁸ “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
⁹ They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’^[c]”

Ok. Jesus hit the point here and they should have gotten it.
But, was the problem actually addressed? And what in the world does any of this have to do with the blessed subject of evangelism that we have been talking about this summer?

Lets rewind.
They come to Jesus complaining about the "washing of hands".
The uncleanness. The filthy. What's their real problem? Well, just take a stroll through the gospels and see. They have never liked the company that Jesus has kept. He eats with "sinners and tax collectors". The downtrodden of society. Those who are destitute and poor. The sick. The needy.
These religious leaders think that if Jesus is the Messiah, then he should be hanging around with those who keep the covenant, the laws, the ones working in the temple and upholding the ways of God as they have traditionally been presented for the generations. Themselves.

Without hitting it on the head, Jesus skirt the issues directly and hits them where they live.
Their traditions.

Listen to Jesus again. Go back up and read it.
If I am hearing this properly, I see Jesus saying to them...
"You complain and gripe because I'm hanging around with the poor and sinners. You think I should be hanging around with you. What makes you special? You are no better than these folks out here and these are the folks who are truly in need!"

To top it off, Jesus turns to the crowd and addresses them also.

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them."

Not only does he put the Pharisees and leaders on the spot, he trumps their authority and tell the crowd that what these people have been teaching is null and void. 

And his disciples ask him...
“Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

NO! Geez...really?? You think I offended them? Really? That's like asking a preacher on fire on a Sunday morning if he really gets what he's doing when he's stepping on people's toes. "Hey, pastor, I think somebody might not like that...." NO! Really????

The elephant in the room might just be true for us in 2013 as well.

Do we want to socialize with those outside of here? Do we want to welcome in those that we are not familiar with and have never met? Are there people in need around us? Do we see the need? or, instead of approaching the need, we create a prickly point to ponder, hang back, point the prickly thing at somebody else, creating a buffer and a wall and then separating ourselves so as to not have actual contact with the issue in the first place.

The word "pharisee" literally means "separated one".
How 'separated' are we from our world?
Is there an unspoken 'elephant' in our rooms?

How can we be used of God to lead the elephant out of the room?

Get Out

The hardest work is out. 

It's a phrase we have uttered to nearly everyone we know at some point.
Our kids have walked in when we're on the phone and they are getting loud.
So, we exclaim, "GET OUT!"

If you are in management, maybe you have had to deal with incompetent worker at some point or other. Their antics and incapability to perform their job properly might cause you to lose it in their presence and force them to leave your office. "GET OUT!"

No doubt, there have been arguments at home, work, even church. And, somebody has most likely screamed the phrase in anger. "GET OUT!"

For some reason, this famous phrase came to mind as I read this passage from Matthew.
Maybe you'll see what I mean after you take a moment.

Matthew 13:24-30

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

A farmer's greatest enemy is not bugs or too much sun or not enough fertilizer.
It's weeds.

They suck the life right out of the ground. They suck up moisture and make it hard for anything else to grow. Not to mention, they just don't help anything look good. Nobody likes the look of a bunch of weeds between the rows in your garden.

A farmer's work is to make them get out.

He pulls and he hoes. He cultivates and he waters.
But he never does any actual harm to the garden he cares for.
The chief goal is to make sure that everything grows properly.

One thing that causes me some wonder as I read here is the interpretation.
Who is the one planting seed supposed to be? Who is the enemy?
What do the wheat and weeds represent? What is this parable actually saying to us?

Well, unlike some parables that leave us wondering, this is one of the few parables where Jesus actually gives the interpretation. Just a few lines later He is giving the explanation...

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

As I have read the Parable of the Wheat in my earlier years, I wanted to make a true assumption.
There must be a way to get rid of them weeds.
After all, weeds don't do anything good. They just debilitate the garden, the things that need to grow.
After all, we all know people we have seen in the church who don't seem to do anything good.
What are they doing here? Why are they in this place? Wouldn't we be better off if they were gone?

Oh, but here comes a very dangerous point. How do we go about judging that someone is a "weed"?
The weeds in this parable, after all, were planted by "the enemy".
How is it that we go about determining that someone else is a "child of the enemy"?
Is it even safe for us to do so?

Lets look at the true emotion that we feel when we are dealing with someone who we feel falls into that category. What is ti we would like to tell them? You know it to be true. "GET OUT!"
"Get out of here and quit causing trouble!" "Get out of here and quit holding us up from going somewhere!" "Take your horrible attitude and your horrible self and leave us alone!"

If we could check our own attitude at the door for just a second, we might want some clarification.

You see, this parable has absolutely nothing to do with us.

It doesn't tell us to do anything. It doesn't tell us to go and work on anything.
It's simply for the means of clarification.

Jesus says He is the one who sows the good seed. He doesn't specifically say who the good seed is or point fingers at anybody to designate them. In other places, he explains what good fruit looks like and what a person do if they are truly a child of God. But, he doesn't point to any specific person and tell them, "You are my child." and to anybody else, "You are a child of the devil." (Although, John chapter 8 does have Jesus in a conversation with the Pharisees and he does say to them "You are children of your father", meaning the devil.)

What I'm saying is, Jesus did not make it his way to go about judging others into a palce of salvation or condemnation. What he says in the parable is true. Leave it till the end.

The Father will sort it out. Who are his children and who needs to go away.

What could we take from this parable?

Jesus wants to plant good seed and spread the kingdom. How does he do that?
Through you and me. We are his workers, his hands and feet, his eyes and ears.
There are needs to be met and people who need to be met.

Maybe we need to go. Maybe we need to GET OUT.

Get out of the pews and into the street. Into peoples homes and hearts and lives.
Can we see ourselves getting out instead of expecting or demanding others to get out?

Could we be God's children in a field full of weeds?

God needs wheat, children of good seed.
God wants to grow something good in good soil.
Is your heart in the right place to receive the seed, be his child, cause some good int he world around you?

The work is out there. And, the field is ripe with harvest.

International Harvester

This work is not a one man job.

When this summer of evangelism began we were with some men on a boat.
They were fishermen. Jesus called to them that they should come and fish for men.

Jesus has told his followers lots of things.
Things having to do with sharing the message with the world around them.
They are the light of the world. They should let their good deeds shine before men.
They are the salt of the earth. What would happen if they lost their saltiness?

He has shown how God grows the kingdom. Through the planting of seeds he grows the kingdom through men's hearts. The seed looks for good ground to take hold and sprout.

After a time of planting and growing, of shining and salting, come the harvest.
That is where we shall spend this last few Sundays. In the harvest.

Lets look to our scripture before we go further.

Matthew 9:35-38

New International Version (NIV)

The Workers Are Few

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

I am currently in the midst of a class at MTSO called Theology and the Practice of Ministry.
We discuss our understanding of God and how we put that into practice we perform ministry.
This really needs to be broken down and looked at a bit deeper.

What is theology? I recall when i began my studies all those years ago at Mt Vernon Nazarene.
My very first class was a theology class. I try to draw some parallel between my beginnings and what those fishermen on that boat must have begun to experience. I'm sure I drove my pastor, Jay Hawes, crazy with all my questions. My chief one being, "What is theology?" I must have asked that for the first five weeks. "What is theology? I don't get it!!" It took a bit, but it began to sink in and wasn't as complicated as my mind wanted to make it.

Theology, simply stated, is the knowledge and understanding, the study of the writings and teachings about God.

In this summer of evangelism, it is important for us to put it put there. What is theology? Can you make a theological statement? If you can tell me in one sentence what you believe, even three simple words, you just made a theological statement.

If we can get a grip on theology then it's time to move on to practice.
What is practice? Or, maybe, better yet, how do you practice?
The key word that will come up is repetition.
Doing something again and again. We learn with our hearts and minds when we going through something over and over again till we work out the kinks.

If we have a good handle on practice then we can move on to the last. Ministry.
If you've read enough here in my blogs, then you should have a handle on this word.
Ministry, in simple terms, is about meeting peoples needs.
What are the needs that people have in the world around us?

Look back at the scripture we read...
What is it that Jesus saw in the people around him?

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

People need healing. People have sickness and hurting in their lives. There's a need.
We might notice that people we come into contact with are harassed with the concerns of this life. Feeding their families. Finding work. Sometimes, the basic idea of 'holding it together' can be enough to harass a person. It makes people feel helpless. They have no shepherd to guide them and show them direction to go.

Our instructor is the Reverend Stan Ling for this class.
He would shorten the definition of ministry beyond those three words.
Stan would easily say that ministry is "meeting people".
There, in itself, is the need. To meet people. Meet them where they are at.
In their hardship. In their pain and suffering. In their sickness. In their grief.

Meet people.

But, this work is extensive. It's harvest time.
We have covered evangelism all summer. Planting seeds. Casting out out fishing lines.
Now, the season draws to a close. It's time to bring in the harvest that we see around us.
That harvest is the people with the needs that they have yet to be met.

Are we willing to take that work on?
Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."
Catch that. The harvest is plentiful.
Our churches may be wasting away. Withering and dying.
The answer to our woes are right before us. The harvest is plentiful.
The answer, however, is two sided. The workers are few.

How many of us are willing to lay claim to the work?

On a farm, it can be daunting work if it is being done by one man.
All those acres of land with the crop ready to come in.
How long does it take for one combine to bring it in?
It's a blessing to be able to call upon a child, a sibling, anybody who might be able to come in and share the load.

I share with you the story of just such a man.
His name is Phil George. He runs a small garage in the town of Pleasantville, OH.
The father of two daughters, he has run this garage for several decades.
His father before him owned this business. Phil worked with him for 20+ years until the day his daddy turned the keys over to him. Phil recalls the day and the conversation.
"We stepped out there [pointing out front] on that piece of cement. He turned around and put the key in my hand. He said, 'This is all yours now. I'm not coming in tomorrow. All these cars sitting out here...there's your problem now, not mine.' And, he turned it all over to me."

Stereotypically speaking, this is how it happens. A father turning it over to his son.
There are girls out there who make great mechanics. Great farmers, too.
But, the child has to want to do it. In Phil's case, neither of his two daughters are mechanically inclined. And, Phil has no one to turn the work over too.

He said, "Sometimes, I wish I had a son to put a key in his hand."

Is there a parallel to be drawn for the church here?
Would Jesus like someone to 'take the key' to the garage and carry on the work?
If this is your church, then how about taking real ownership of it.

I would love to step out side the back door, metaphorically speaking, and hand the keys off.
"Here you go. It's your church. Run wild with it. Go meet people."
I'm not going anywhere. I'm here and I'm working. I'd love for you to join me.

Jesus is the International Harvester.
People of every nation and race. All kinds of needs.
Harassed. Worrying, Nervous. In need.

The harvest is plentiful .The workers are few.

The Growing Church

Time to make the doughnuts.

If we are to take this subject of evangelism seriously then I believe we have to do some serious thinking about church growth.

Church growth is a process, like so many other things.
It takes time and patience. Those two themes alone should bring out the key word for us. Grow.
And, we need to take a look at what we are getting ourselves into today...

grow

verb \ˈgrō\

: to become larger : to increase in size, amount, etc.
: to become better or improved in some way : to become more developed, mature, etc.

: to become larger and change from being a child to being an adult as time passes : to pass from childhood to adulthood

Sometimes I am just amazed at how a good definition sets us up for the scripture we will cover.
Today's scripture has to do with the specific idea of growing.

Mark 4:26-29

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

What does it mean to grow?
Well, before we even talk about growing, something has to happen first.
Seeds have to be planted.

Someone has to take the time to go through the land tossing seeds down on the ground.
Paul would say something about that in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 3:5-7

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

Planting seed. Watering it. This is the process of growth.
Not a whole lot has to happen beyond that point.
The haphazardly done work of scattering seeds is the center from which it comes.

Which leaves us with an important question to ask...
Do you have any seed to scatter?
Which brings us back to center of last week's message...
Where is our faith?

The matter begs us to look deeper into the idea of growth and change.
I think it would be helpful to hear the story of someone else's growth.
The story of Karnail Sidhu is what we shall focus upon.

Karnail grew up in small village in India called "Kalala" which, in translation, means ' healing place'.
He had grown up to become an engineer and work for a fairly successful center in his country.
After 1984 and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the country took a sever downturn.
People were fighting in defense of their beliefs. And, some people were just fighting.

Until 1993, Karnail and his family lived in a stable at an old farm.
And, then he got the brilliant idea to move to Canada.

Brilliant in the sense that they could start over. A new place to grow and flourish.
But, growing and flourishing take time. When one plans such an extreme move, one must first take into consideration all that it will take to make it happen. Karnail did not.

When moving from one country to the next, you cannot simply walk in and continue to be the person you once were. A doctor cannot just walk in and instantly go back to his once profitable life. A successful lawyer cannot simply walk in and begin to practice law in this new country. Nobody knows you. Your credentials don't means anything in this new land. In the case of Karnail, a well respected engineer, life would begin all over again.

Wendy Zarr of the Immigrant Services Society would state that people coming into the country find a very different lifestyle than they remember. People have to settle for "survival jobs".
A doctor has to maybe learn how to do a different line of work. A waiter, for instance.
It can feel very degrading. Starting over in a new place and a new world.

Think about the church, long established in a small community.
Maybe that church has seen better days. Maybe there are memories of a time gone by.
Sweltering congregation. Large choir. Sunday school groups meeting in the kitchen because there is no room left for groups to meet. The memories can leave a person in mourning when once they find themselves in decline.

There is a place and time where one might find themselves, or their church, in need of simply scattering seeds. The time when our credentials meant something has passed by. A new generation has come to the forefront and they have no connection to the memories the church had in the past. The process of growing needs to start from the beginning. Just laying seed out in order for it to take root and grow.

In Karnail Sidhu's case, he found new life in pretty much that place. The vineyard.
How does a well respected engineer start over again in a new country? By planting seeds.
Karnail's family now owns one of the most respected wineries in all of Canada.
A job he never would have seen himself doing, but is proud to have the opportunity he has.

The church finds itself in similar circumstances.
In a place where nobody knows who we are, what we stand for or why we are here.
There are memories of a time gone by, a land of plenty that we once lived in.
Do we get lost in those memories or do we go forward?

I can empathize with Karnail. I found myself in a 'new land' back in 2000.
I met this pretty Methodist girl and my whole world was turned upside down.
My credentials from my old world meant nothing in these Methodist surroundings.
I had to start all over again studying for the ministry. And, now I'm finally at a precipice.

The scripture from Mark makes me think of the Dunkin' Doughnuts commercial.
The seed is always at work. That Doughnut guy was always working. Getting up and laying down.
The work was always going on. Finally he meets himself at the door, coming and going.
The seed that grows the kingdom is like that, always working.

The church can go through decline and find itself in need of starting over.
We need to do the work that got it all started in the first place. Planting seeds.
We have memories of what it was like in 1960 something. The issue is...we're not going back to 1960 something. We are going forward. And, we must go forward too. Or, watch it all wither.
Are we willing to do the work of planting seeds for growth?
 
Which brings it back to the question...do you have any seed to scatter?
Or, the focus from last week...where is your faith?
So many of us think we have nothing to share, nothing in our experience that is of use.

God can use us, however. He can make us of use in his kingdom.

And, the most beautiful things can grow.

A Little Bit of Faith

Outreach only goes as far as the faith does.

When we began covering this subject of evangelism in June we started with a few men on a boat.
They had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
And, I'm willing to bet, no one here knew where this would go either.

These men have heard some wild tales. Stories from the Savior.
Parables, they are called.
Jesus uses them for a special purpose. To keep the message of the Kingdom hidden.
Hidden from a people who have long sought for the wrong thing.
They have looked for relief, but in the wrong places.
In Old Testament times, from idols made of stone, gold or rock.
In New Testament times, from rulers, governors and messiahs.

And, now, this Messiah stands in front of them and calls them to come and follow.

What have they heard? What have they seen?
The miracles they have witnessed. The world they have encountered.
All for one purpose. To enrich their faith.

Faith. It what the Christian life needs.
It is the oil that makes the engine run. Without it the engine would seize and lock up.
The smallest little bit of faith can grow and blossom and become something great.

Jesus told his followers exactly that.

Mark 4:30-34

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
³³ With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. ³⁴ He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

The Kingdom of God. Do we really grasp what it is?
Jesus has told he followers in other places that the kingdom of God was like seed that was scattered on the ground. It needs to find good soil so it can take root.

Jesus has said that the kingdom of God belongs to little children. The disciples wanted to keep the children from him. Maybe they will bother the Messiah, get in the way. But, he says, "Come".

Jesus has proclaimed that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. It's easier for a camel to thread the eye of a needle. What in the world does that mean?

In every instance where Jesus speaks about the kingdom there is an unmissable, unsaid notion that he is eluding to the subject of faith.

Faith is what it takes to enter the kingdom.
Faith is what it takes to grow the kingdom.
Faith is what it takes to part with all we have and follow.

We looked at the word earlier this summer, but it begs another look.

Definition of FAITH

 noun

1 a :  allegiance to duty or a person :  loyalty

   b (1) :  fidelity to one's promises (2) :  sincerity of intentions

2 a (1) :  belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) :  belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

   b (1) :  firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) :  complete trust

3:  something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially :  a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

 In this summer of evangelism, we have been looking at the subject from many different angles.
Let us now look at it head on from the subject of faith.

It takes faith to make this church work.
It takes faith the reach out and share what we have.
It takes faith to get up on Sunday morning and come here to this service.

When Jesus spoke to these disciples on that shore, long ago, and beckoned them to come...
"Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
Some might call that blind faith. Webster's had something to note there also.
— on faith

:  without question <took everything he said on faith>

As much as I don't want people to take everything I say on faith, to often they do.
What choice do they have? They have come to sit and listen to me and they have to presume that I know what I'm talking about. What I am presenting must be the truth. alliegance to a duty or person

People get wrapped up in the person they are following. The tend to repeat the words coming out of their mouths. You see it on Facebook all day long. People re-posting this televangelist's words or that author's thoughts. fidelity to one's promises.  sincerity of intention. I think people want to be authentic. They have a desire to be true. They put their faith in people and things hoping this or that will get them to a true point and place in life. But, is there something we still lack?

belief and trust in and loyalty to God. There it is! Our central focus. We need God to lead and guide us. He shows us where to go. We pour our hearts out to him and trust that he will show us the right way. He couldn't have given any clearer instructions to his disciples.

Matthew 7:7-12

New International Version (NIV)

Ask, Seek, Knock

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Which brings another point of that definition out...belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion.
What the Law and the Prophets? Essentially, everything these people believed. Everything they hung their hats on and trusted in. What essentially were the Law and the Prophets doing? Simply showing the world around them the truth about the almighty God. Sounds like a good evangelism technique.

Let your light shine. Use your saltiness to flavor the world around you.

Matthew 5:13-16

New International Version (NIV)

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

It takes faith to shine your light. It takes faith to put yourself out there in hopes that you can be of use to God somehow. So...why don't we see our altars lined with folks and people seeking the Lord? Are we short on faith? Are we afraid to share our faith? AH, that might be a question of more importance. Where is our faith? What are we doing with it? Do we have anything to share at all? Are we afraid the world might not understand or we might be thought less of?
firm belief in something for which there is no proof. That's the kicker, isn't it? Having to share what we believe and not really knowing how to back it up. How to explain it. How to define it. People have questions and we are supposed to have the answers. To often we are left with our knees shaking and our tongues searching for some place to hide.

The popular term now is to call is your faith story. There are many websites out there now where you can go to learn how to share your story, what you believe. Max Lucado has a good one called His Story, Our Story. But hearing someone else's experience of sharing the story might be the best motivator of all. Listen to this one from a lady speaking on her faith and her marraige.

"We began to pray every morning as we had coffee in our bedroom."
When I look back, thinking of what about my faith I’d share, I think of a simple practice my husband and I began 30 years ago.  It started with a parish retreat we made together.  It was about marriage.  We weren’t having big marriage problems.  But, the wear and tear of our being different from each other was beginning to show.  I liked to talk about my experiences.  We husband didn’t.  I was more emotional.  He wasn’t.  You know the pattern.  Well, at this retreat, they suggested that we pray together.  My first thought was, “That’s too idealistic.  In fact, it’s impossible.”  But, the thing that attracted both of us – and became the compromise that made it work – was that we didn’t have to use words.  All we had to do was sit together, at the same time, in the same place, each morning.  Each of us was to pray individually, but to do it with each other.  

So, we began to to pray every morning as we had coffee in our bedroom, in two easy chairs before the kids got up.  This simple practice got us through all kinds of challenging bumps in the road.  It got us through our child raising years and all through our empty nest years.  Eventually, we did share some things.  It began by our just talking about things in our day and stuff we were bringing to prayer.  Eventually, the way a married couple does, we knew each other so well, that we knew what we were each talking to God about.  This little practice became the center of our faith live and our private connection with each other, in faith, each day.  Very few people ever knew we did it, but as I look back, it was the most important foundation of our faith throughout our adult married lives.

A few moments each day to pray. Someone close to you to support you.
We find out faith in the simplest of places and it can carry us into and through the most difficult.

And, so I challenge you as we finish this morning...
Where can you share your little bit of faith?

To The Moon and Back

  This message was a 'leftover' from the Fried Chicken & Burritos blog.
Last year when I came to Thornville & Pleasantville I had several months

of messages already done. As I approached October, this message was on
the docket, but never got used. Just didn't feel the Lord wanted me to use it. 
Until now...                                                                                 

Don't hide among the chosen.



My daughter is starting to enjoy some of my old Christian contemporary music from the 90's

Last night we were enjoying some Geoff Moore and the Distance, circa 1993.
"Godgottaholdonme" "That's When I Know I'm Home" "Heart to God, Hand to Man"

But, she says, "click on that one Daddy".

I rolled my mouse over the song titles in my Windows Media Player until she says, "Yea, that one. I love that one."

In a fast food restaurant, not long ago
Somewhere in central O-HI-O
I came across a table of 5 or 6 boys
They were just being rowdy and making lots of noise
Then one said, "Hey I got a question for you"
"If we nuked Russia, where'd you go? What'd you do?"
Another one said, "I think I got the solution"
"You see my friends the answer lies in seclusion"
"You get your friends, you gather up some food"
"Pack em in a rocket and you - - Go to the moon"
"Leave this place behind, to live with your own kind"
"Get yourself some piece of mind - - Go to the moon"
 - Go To The Moon, Geoff Moore and the Distance,  from the album "A Place To Stand", 1988

My girl can pick 'em. She even went back to the 80's!
(Not to mention, this is secretly my favorite GMD song also.)

Separatism.
That's what this song is all about.
Really got the ol brain a rolling.
Took a trip down memory lane.

(These perspectives are simply from my own personal experiences. They do not summarize any one group or denomination as a whole. Your experience may vary depending upon how long you have sat among the chosen.)
I spent 10 years in a holiness denomination.
Reaching the lost for Jesus was central to the way we thought, but fraternizing with people from other denominations was almost frowned upon.
We tended to be separatists in that phase of our Christianity.
We stayed in our own little circle, working with just ourselves.

Now, I'm in the United Methodist Church, and we tend to be very ecumenical.
We do things with people from other denominations, but where is the passion to save the lost?
Do we even know how to define what "lost" means?
In this politically correct world, it's seems troublesome to even define or proclaim what being lost in sin regards.
We tend to be separatists who don't want to get our hands dirty, even for all of our social causes and creeds.
At least that's what I've seen and experienced.
You can tell me I'm wrong, if you'd like.

But this is not just a 'Wesleyan' thing.
It's an all denominational thing.
Hey, if you are 'Baptist' at all, you might have it built right into your ideology.
"You can't find God unless God fore-ordained that you be here in the first place."
"If you are not like us and believe like us, well, we don't socialize with you."

If you are 'non-denominational' now, you have pulled away from any organization.
You probably don't socialize too much with Baptists or Methodists.
You stick to your own little world of Pastor so & so who has a pod-cast.
The idea of other organizations and denominations is, most likely, foreign to you.

Well, if you take it even broader, it's not a 'Baptist' or denominational or church issue.
It's a human thing.
We naturally tend to be separatists.

For some reason we tend to think we can handle things on our own.
We don't need anyone's help. We can do it ourselves.
We don't want anybody telling us what to do, or how to do it, or when to do it.

Look at what we see coming out of Hollywood, on our TVs, in media.
"One man against the world."
We see men, single handedly, taking on an army or corrupt political system.
They do it on their own with little or no help from anyone.
They should get their own television show.
"The Mentalist" Thursdays at 10 PM on CBS
"The Equalizer" "The Closer" "The Young and The Restless"

"The Separatist", Sundays at 10:30 AM on
"He sits in his own pew. He reads his own Bible. He keeps to himself."



During my time in the holiness church, I'm sure I felt more than once that we tended to take our liberties with such scriptures as...


"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." (2 Cor. 6.7)

Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives." (Ezra 10.11)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12.1,2)

What I witnessed in my time is a people who are afraid to have anything to do with the world, to reach out and share the love of God with anyone.
How are we going to bring anybody to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ if we aren't around them, fraternizing with them, socializing in their midst?
So, we use scripture like these ones to keep us separated, to make it sound as if we are supposed to stay away.
"You stay in your camp and I'll stay in mine and we won't have anything to do with each other and that'll be fine."

NO. It's not fine. It's death.

How are we going to keep the church alive if we don't share the love of God with people?
How are we going to keep the doors open on this place if no new people come to be with us?

I've seen it right in the church on Sunday morning.
Some people come in and our regular attendees go over there and the new people sit down and nobody really gets to know them, no one reaches out to them.

The mindset is like, "If you want to be here, fine. If you don't come back, fine. We don't care. I'm going to be here next Sunday where you are or not. I've been in this church for 50 years. I could care less if anybody new darkens the doorway."

Instead of looking for any excuse possible to share the Love of Jesus with others, we actually look for any possible excuse to stay in our own little world and do nothing with anybody else.

It's terrible.

When I read a passage such as Matthew 25, I just can't hang on to any separatism.

Here, Jesus tells his listeners that they should love other people as if they were actually dealing with Jesus, himself. People in prison (spiritual or physical), people who are sick (spiritual or physical), a long detailed outpouring of how we should use our lives to be outpoured for others.

It's too easy to get caught in categorizing sin and how bad it is and then we don't want to socialize with anybody who might 'infect' us with their viewpoint or their personal sins.

We don't even want to hang around with people from other denominations, because their views on certain doctrines might cause us to rethink some things. (Goodness gracious!)

We know what we believe and what we have in front of us we feel is the absolute truth and nobody is going to change that.

Sounds like a pretty lonely life to me.

God didn't call us to be loners.
There is a whole Body of Christ out there needing our hands and feet and eyes and ears.
Our compassion, our sympathy and empathy, our encouragement.
Feels like the wheels are falling off the car because the pit crew is on strike.
The can't see the doctrinal accuracy of using Quaker State over Pennzoil.

I was preaching a revival one time in West Virginia.
Little Nazarene church.
I preached upon the story of the prodigal son.
At the end of the parable is the part about the older brother.
It is clear as a bell what point Jesus is making.
The older brother is cast in role of the religious leaders, who did not want to share their salvation with God.

The word Pharisee literally means "separated one".

They did it in everything.
Racial issues, Economic issues, Social issues.
Anything where they had it in mind that they might be compromising their own personal holiness, they would pull away from general society and keep to themselves.

As I approached the climax of my sermon and the point I was making, the pastor abruptly got up and kind of hip butted me out of the pulpit.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, lets have a word of prayer."
It was my first revival meeting where I preached. I didn't know how to handle that.
So, I played nice and just kept my mouth shut.
Have to know when to pick your battles.

But, as I sit here behind my computer screen some ten years later, I can get on my soap box and let it rail.

Not a lot of comfort food today, folks.
Had a few jalapeños mixed in with my burrito.
The side effects can be a moment of soap-box preaching.

How do we live in the world while somehow being separate from it?
"Love the sinner and hate the sin." - a popular phrase
That seems good, but maybe a little simplistic.

Look a little deeper at what Paul says back in Romans 12, again.
I have heard many a sermon preached from those first two verses.
Be transformed. Renewing of your mind. Living sacrifice. Present yourself to God.
And, then do what?
Sit here and focus on my own personal whiteness?
Better keep the garment clean. We don't want someone else's sin to mess our clothes up.

In my time as a lay person, I can't ever remember anybody really touching on the verses following Romans 12.1,2
Romans 12:3-21
New International Version (NIV)

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Sounds like we have something to do once we have offered ourselves to God.
Sounds like we need to do more than simply sit back and throw some money or food at the problem while never actually getting our rears out of the pew.

Man, that jalapeño has some serious bite today.
I might have to go get some mouthwash if I want to kiss my wife later.

GMD can close it out today.

Well now before this little story comes to a close
There's just a thing or two I'd like you to know
I believe in fellowship and brotherhood and accountability
And that believer to believer can be encouraging

But if the salt is gonna season - or -
Shine the light in darkened rooms
Don't hide among the chosen
We cannot - - Go to the moon

Leave this place behind
Come back some other time
Get yourself some peace of mind

Go to the moon

But, only if you don't think you can handle it here.

With God, all things are possible.

Geoff Moore and the Distance "Go To The Moon" on Spotify

The Big Giveaway

Put your money where your mouth is.

Today is a message I have looked forward to for some time.
And, yet I dread it all the same.

This message is going to go two different directions.
There is much good to be said and done today.
And, there is much judgment and harm to be spoken of, also.

The Parable of the Bags of Gold. AKA the Parable of the Talents.

The NIV has taken the road in translation to clearly denote this as a money issue. "Bags of Gold"
(Luke's gospel in the 19th chapter calls it either the parable of the Ten Minas or the Parable of the Pounds, lending itself more to a money idea.)
The idea of 'talents', as other translations have used, leaves it open to interpretation. We have been speaking about gifts, talents and what God has called us to do in ministry - i.e. meeting people's needs, as we cover the subject of evangelism - i.e. reaching people with the message of Christ.

The 25th chapter of Matthew is about the clearest place to make a point on this subject. What Jesus does with these three parables is unmistakably brilliant. He preaches a simple 3 point sermon.
1) The king is coming back. Are you ready? (25.1-13 Parable of the Ten Virgins)
2) The king gave his servants a 'talent'. Did they do something with it while he was gone? (25.14-30)
3) When he gets back, 'the tests will be graded'. Did you pass? (25.31-46 The Sheep & the Goats)

SO, talents, as it is has traditionally been translated, can either be thought of as money or as a personal ability. This 'english word' can be used either way. The point is to use what has been given to you as a means to help others. The middle part of this chapter will be our center today, but we will look through the whole chapter. And, just for fun, we are going to cover it from back to front, from the end to the beginning. I think it will sink in better if we cover it that way.

In case there is any squabbling about that idea, using what we have to help others, in the context of Chap 25 here in Matthew is that story of the sheep and the goats. Jesus speaks to his listeners about the idea that some will feed others, and clothe them, and comfort them when they are sick, and visit others in prison. The idea is that in doing so, they have done this very act of kindness to Jesus himself.

We should act as if the people we are helping or comforting is actually Jesus, himself.

And, in the same story, Jesus explains that some will not comfort others, or feed them, or even give a cup of cold water to a person in need. The ones who did act appropriately are taken away into glory. The others are taken away in darkness and judgment.

In the middle of this chapter is the part we want to focus on. Lets read before we go further.

Matthew 25:14-30

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

You might see what I mean by my really wanting  to cover this chapter and yet being reluctant to do so. When I read through this passage (well, any passage for that matter) what I hope & dream is that my readers and listeners, who are reading it also, will get a sense of putting themselves in the passage. Making it literal and actual for themselves. I can only imagine what Jesus' disciples are thinking as they hear this message. What are the common everyday folks are thinking?

These people are poor. Many of them barely have enough to feed their families each day. Five bags of gold?? Dude, I'd give my arm for just a chunk, a piece. But, instead of using it on myself, I'm supposed to go make it double? I'm supposed to go use it to help others? It is puzzling. And, tempting. To have that kind of wealth at your disposal. To be able to help others in some small way. Can you see yourself doing such? Would you like to be of use to the Lord for his kingdom?

The problem is, many a folk would rather do what the last man does. One bag of gold. That's still a lot of cash! But, maybe it's scary. The thought of responsibility is frightening to some. And, so, we find ways to side step the issue. We bury the issue, like the gold. We debate and we argue, like the servant. In the end, we try to give it back, stating that we really didn't want it in the first place. Some folks know that have a gift and that they could be doing something to serve the Lord and they just plain, flat out, don't want to do it. As Jesus takes that bag of gold from the last servant and then gives it to the one who has ten, some folks wish God would do that with them. Just take this thing away, ok? I don't want it and I don't want to have to do anything. Just let me sit here in my pew and leave me alone.

Man, if we had any idea.... An inkling of a notion as to the seriousness of not doing something with what God has given us.  It's as if the last servant doesn't see that coming. And, many a good going church person doesn't see it either.

²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The seriousness of this chapter is at the onset. Jesus speaks of ten virgins. A more appropriate term may be "bridesmaids". It's very possible that these women served the bride as she waited for the return of her groom. It sounds very much like a wedding party. It's late at night. They have lamps. They are trying to stay up as late as possible. Sounds like the night before my wedding.

I remember it clearly. Fishing out at the pond. We stayed at my bride's aunt and uncle's house. I stayed up at late as I could and then succumbed to the sleep. The nerves were on end. The day was coming and I wondered if I was truly ready. And, then it was here. I woke up late in the morning, almost noon. I sat there on the couch. The sleep did little to calm my nerves. My friend and best man was nothing but a chatterbox. I think he was more nervous than I was. If memory serves me correctly, he talked until it was time to walk down the aisle.

Expectancy. There's the key word for today. And, I just have to know...

Definition of EXPECT

intransitive verb

1 archaic : wait, stay

2: to look forward

3: to be pregnant : await the birth of one's child —used in progressive tenses <she's expecting next month>

Didn't Jesus say something similar to this? It was actually in the preceding chapter, 24 of Matthew.
Someone asks Jesus a question about what is to come. It leads to all this that we are covering. From Chapter 24 into 25.

³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

We all want to know. Some of us want to know because we truly want to know how much time we have left. There are things to accomplish. There is work to get done. Jesus makes it real in these two chapters. He spells out lots of judgment and harsh circumstances that will unfold before he comes. Chapter 24 in maybe the darkest piece of writing the bible has to deliver. Then his tone changes in Chapter 25. Jesus focuses on the work that needs to be done before he returns. He spells out in parable story, as only he can, that those who are waiting for him have enough oil to light their lamp and last through the hard stuff. Those who are waiting realize that they have a gift from above and are tirelessly working to multiply what they have. Those who are waiting for him are using what they have to serve others, regardless of the ugliness or the circumstances, as if they are actually serving Jesus, himself.

Oh, but there was more to that definition....

transitive verb

1archaic : await

2: to anticipate or look forward to the coming or occurrence of <we expect them any minute now> <expected a telephone call>

3: suppose, think

4 a : to consider probable or certain <expect to be forgiven> <expect that things will improve>

   b : to consider reasonable, due, or necessary <expected hard work from the students>

   c : to consider bound in duty or obligated <they expect you to pay your bills>

OOOOOO you mean I'm expected to be involved in evangelism? Hmmm it seems the word goes both ways. To be bound in duty. We need to evangelize. More than that, we want to evangelize. We do so with an expectancy that Jesus will return. We want to know when he will return. We work fervently as we watch and wait for his return.

Some people don't want to know. Some folks wish they could avoid the all the hardship and the work. It really burns in my craw when I see perfectly good people who could be doing something to help their church grow and go somewhere....and they do nothing. They come. They sit. I see the gifts in them. I can tell God has blessed them with great things. And, they do nothing. There is a world going to hell around us and we are content to watch it roll on past. Some folks talk a good game. They talk about what can be done or what we could do as a church. Then....nothing. If that person walking past us truly is Jesus, we just let them go without a thought or care. And, the opportunity to do something for God's Kingdom just slipped away. There is no 'expectancy' in what is done. No buzz. No electricity. Nothing. And, the world rolls on by.

Today, I'm putting a challenge in front of my people. There are several envelopes laying on the table at the front of the sanctuary. There are different amounts of money in each envelope. Some have $30. Some $20. Some $10. Some $5. We are going to conduct our own experiment. We are going set out our own "bags of gold". I'm asking you to come and take an envelope. And, then you'll need to pray. And, I mean, seriously pray. The kind of prayer you put into looking for a new pastor. Where are the people who prayed on those Wednesday nights...pleading...asking?? I've heard stories. That kind of prayer. That kind of dedication. You take an envelope and you go ask the Lord where and how you can be of use to Him.

And, here's the catch. (Because, there's always a catch) Just as the servants in the parable had to give an account to the master when he returned about what they did with the gift, so will you. 60 days from now, the first Sunday of November. It will be All Saints Sunday. A time when we light candles and remember those who have gone before us in faith. "Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses...." You will give an account of what has happened with that envelope and how the Lord used you in the work of his kingdom.

Maybe you're down at the local gas station. You fill somebody's gas tank. It's that simple it's over. There's your report. Maybe you buy a stranger breakfast down at the local restaurant. Easy enough. Maybe, just maybe, it leads to more. My first Nazarene pastor was a man named Jay Hawes. What a character! One thing he was good at in his life was finances. Before accepting that call to ministry, Jay worked for UPS. "Brown Blood" as the 'lifers' are called. He had his future in front of him. His plan was to be a millionaire before he was 40. He had it all mapped out. Then God got a hold of him.

There was always this air of expectancy around Jay. He was always looking for where God wanted to use him next. He told the story about how when he learned to give back out of what God had given him that he took on this challenge. Every time God blessed him with something, he was going to turn it around and give in return. He was going to try and 'out give' God. What a wild man! He said it nearly killed him. As he realized everything God was sending his way, he kept trying to return the blessing in some way. Sometimes financial. Sometimes spiritual. Sometimes in simple human need.

That's how he lived his life. He always preached that we never knew when our day would come. He lived his life expecting to see Jesus some day. As he entered his fifties, macular degeneration set into his eyes so that he could not read the bible from the pulpit. Didn't stop him from preaching. He couldn't drive himself around anymore. Didn't stop him from trying. Although, he accepted help in carting him around where he needed to go.

I look forward to seeing him someday. And, to seeing my Jesus. I expect it.

And, the work will go on until that day comes.

Two By Two

We were never meant to do this work alone.

Last week, I took a passage and interpreted the whole thing under the auspices of one word. Grace.
I thought maybe I'd tackle this passage in similar fashion, not with a word so much, but with a phrase.
The thing that should stand out in this passage is the way in which Jesus sends his followers out.
We'll grab hold of that after we read the scripture from the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 10

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[b]
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Way back up in verse 1. The phrase "After this" jumps off the page. (That's not "the phrase" we are using to interpret this passage, but it begs a look into it.) What happened before we got into this passage? A quick page turn back to Chap 9 shows that the previous chapter starts off with the sending of the twelve. And, Jesus gives the twelve pretty much the same instruction he gives the seventy-two.

Luke 9

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³ He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. ⁵ If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” ⁶ So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

SO, he sends out the twelve. Together. All together. Not on their own. Not under their own power or authority or strength. HE calls them together. He gives them power and authority. He sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He sends them out to heal.

Lots of things happen in Chap 9. After the twelve are sent out the Feeding of the Five Thousand happens. Peter declares Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus predicts his own death. Peter, James and John join Jesus on a mountain top for the Transfiguration. Jesus predicts his death a second time. The disciples debate over who is the greatest and try to stop a man who is casting out demons in the name of Jesus.

 ⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

 Jesus and the twelve can't enter a Samaritan town because they won't accept Him. So they move on towards Jerusalem. And, finally, Jesus explains what the cost of discipleship truly is.

The Cost of Following Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Let everything that happened in Chap 9 just kind of simmer on the back burner of your mind as you prepare for Chap 10. 

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go."

I don't know for sure, but Jesus must be planning on going to alot of places if he needs 36 groups of two to go before him. This is in addition to the twelve. "seventy-two others" is what it says. Here's the catchy part. "two by two he sent them out" In Noah like fashion, Jesus sent them out, not in. The animals and Noah's family came into the ark for protection. Jesus sends his followers out into the storm of the world with seemingly no protection from the elements. The only thing they truly have is his command. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

I'm willing to bet many of these people have either been walking around with Jesus and the twelve for awhile or at least since he fed the five thousand, recorded in Chap 9. Sending out the twelve was an experiment. Sending out seventy-two simply expands upon the spiritual test. Two by two. For all the commands that Jesus gives them here, each person is listening while knowing they have someone at their side who is taking it all in also.

I can only imagine the conversation two people might be having as the walked ahead to the next town.
"Hey, Jesus said not to pack any sandals."
"Did he really say we were to heal the sick? Like he does?"
"So, what are we going to do? Lay hands on somebody and say, 'be healed in the name of Jesus'?"
"We are supposed to say, 'the kingdom of God has come near'?"
"Man, I hope we run into a family that can cook 'cause I'm starving."

Jesus pronounces a lot of judgement in this passage in addition to sending out the seventy-two.
Maybe it has something to do with previously being rejected by the Samaritans. Maybe he knows people won't listen to the message. Maybe he knows that these groups of twos being sent out will be confronted by unfriendly faces. The last Sunday of July we covered Matthew 10 where Jesus said similar words. The Matthew 10 passage is also a sending out of the twelve, but it has all of the discourse we find here in Luke. Jesus tells his twelve to do much of the same.

⁵ .....Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,^[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Hmmmm. Sending out as a group, rather than going it alone. Sending out in pairs of two, so you have someone to lean on. With what purpose? Heal. Raise. Cleanse. Drive out. Give.

How could we put those 5 things into practice in our everyday lives?

I'd like to encourage anyone reading this to share this message with someone. Share it with one special intent. The person you share it with could become your "partner". Your friend. That person who goes with you and helps you spread the message. That person and you could 'go ahead' with you. Go and share the good news of Jesus Christ with someone. Go find one thing the two of you could do together that could make a difference in God's Kingdom. Go with the intent of carrying out the 5 verbs above. Notice they all action words. Maybe a brief definition is in order on each, just to help us grab some context.

Definition of HEAL

transitive verb

1 a : to make sound or whole <heal a wound>

   b : to restore to health

2 a : to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome : mend <the troubles … had not been forgotten, but they had been healed — William Power>

   b : to patch up (a breach or division) <heal a breach between friends>

3: to restore to original purity or integrity <healed of sin>

Hmmmmmm. How could your pairing of two affect the world around with healing?
And, notice the transitive word up there. We can transfer healing between two parties.
As I have learned to do with Webster's, I scrolled down the page a little farther (because there is usually more) and, of course, there was more. Webster's listed definition from their "Medical Dictionary" that I'm sure will make us think spiritually. Chew on this for a bit!

Medical Definition of HEAL

1: to make sound or whole especially in bodily condition

2: to cure of disease or disorder <heal injured tissues>

The next word we usually think about in a death state, because we have read many time about Jesus raising the dead. And, that is exactly what he tells the disciples to do. But maybe there's more to the word than we think. There was a mile of definition here, so I cut out what i thought didn't apply.
Notice that word, transitive, there again.

Definition of RAISE

transitive verb

1: to cause or help to rise to a standing position

2 a : awaken, arouse

   b : to stir up : incite <raise a rebellion>

   d : to recall from or as if from death

3 a : to set upright by lifting or building <raise a monument>

   b : to lift up <raise your hand> <raise sunken treasure>

   c : to place higher in rank or dignity : elevate

   d : heighten, invigorate <raise the spirits>

4 : to get together for a purpose : collect <raise funds>

5 a : grow, cultivate <raise cotton>

   b : to bring to maturity : rear <raise a child>

6 b : to give voice to <raise a cheer>

7: to bring up for consideration or debate <raise an issue>

8 a : to increase the strength, intensity, or pitch of <don't raise your voice>

b : to increase the degree of

c : to cause to rise in level or amount <raise the rent>

11: to multiply (a quantity) by itself a specified number of times <raise two to the fourth power> 

 

 How could your pairing of two affect the world around you by raising?

The next word might take a bit more thought and imagination. We usually think of this more as the work of God. Jesus sends his followers forth telling them to cleanse those who have leprosy. This subject needs it own sermon on it's own Sunday. Webster's is, actually, very simplistic here. It's used as a verb and we get to visit the Medical Dictionary again.

Definition of CLEANSE

: clean; especially : to rid of impurities by or as if by washing

Cleanse is a verb and simply used. How could your pairing of two affect the world around you by cleansing? What could you cleanse? What is that medical definition?

Medical Definition of CLEANSE

transitive verb

: to make clean 

 

That's it??? Yep, that's it. Funny that we had to go to the medical definition to get that transitive part, though. Medically speaking, one would need to be clean and stay clean to then affect cleansing or cleanness to another. You really don't want your doctor or surgeon to be dirty or full of germs when they take care of you or operate.  It must be the same in the spiritual reference as well. How can we clean up the world around us if we are full of uncleanness ourselves. Another subject that deserves more attention I can give it at this moment. Here comes another one.

Jesus told his disciples to "drive out demons". This one is sure to stir up some trouble.

Definition of Drive out

[phrasal verb] transitive

: to force someone or something to leave a place

 

Have you ever witnessed a demon possession? I can't say that I have. How is it that our enemy affects the world around us? That might require some thought and study. Do we see evil around us that needs driving out? Would you like to handle that on your own or would you rather have somebody by your side? Maybe we should take a look at the seven sons of Sceva.

You'll find that story in Acts 19. Here, Luke the historian, records a story about seven sons who went out thinking they could just throw around the name of Jesus and make spirits obey. They found that idea to be less than worthy. They come up against a spirit who won't leave. Why?

¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

 In this case, it didn't matter that someone was beside you. Especially if that someone doesn't believe in Jesus Christ as his/her Savior & Lord. Having a pairing of two ensures that you have someone else besides yourself who believes and can support the other one. The sons of Sceva didn't fair so well. The name of Jesus is not something you just throw around for personal gain and power. You have to know him. You have to walk with him. You have to believe in him. None of this make sense without that all important relationship.

Lastly and maybe most importantly....
 This word should be self-explanatory. We know how to do it, but it can be hard to do it all by yourself. Giving requires that we actually have something to give. Do you have anything to give? Can the two of you put your heads together and figure out something to give? Jesus said, Freely you have received; freely give. Freely look at the definition. There was a mile of it again. Editing needed.

Definition of GIVE

transitive verb

1: to make a present of <give a doll to a child>

2 a : to grant or bestow by formal action <the law gives citizens the right to vote>

   b : to accord or yield to another <gave him her confidence>

3 a : to put into the possession of another for his or her use <gave me his phone number>

   b (1) : to administer as a sacrament (2) : to administer as a medicine

   c : to commit to another as a trust or responsibility and usually for an expressed reason

14 a : to cause one to have or receive <mountains always gave him pleasure>

     b : to cause a person to catch by contagion, infection, or exposure

15 a : to allow one to have or take <give me time>

     b : to lead or attempt to lead —used with an infinitive <you gave me to understand you'd be late> 

 

There was actually something medical about this word, as shown in line 3. It read the same as line 14b. to cause a person to catch by contagion, infection, or exposure Now, how could someone find Jesus simply by being in close proximity to use. Infected by our joyfulness. Exposed to our worship. Given the contagion of forgiveness and love.

That's alot of information! But, Jesus' discourse wasn't short either and we really didn't dig into all of that. How do we wrap this up? Maybe, we could ask a few questions as we close.

After reading through all of this, can you see yourself and your friend following through on any of this? Can you see the Lord using you in some way to 'go ahead' of himself, working in his grace, sharing the message of the kingdom?

Better yet, and maybe we should ask this first, can you see someone else around you that you can lean on and depend upon? Is there somebody who can be your friend, the person to support you and whom you can support?

We need each other as we endeavor to share the message of Jesus Christ with a world that so desperately needs to hear about him. We aren't called to do this alone. It's scary at times. It might put a knot in your stomach or give you the butterflies. 

 

But, it's whole lot easier with someone by your side.