By Pastor Greg
On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters
made an unusual flight in a homemade airship made of an ordinary patio chair
and 45 helium-filled weather balloons. Larry took along a parachute, his pellet
gun, a CB radio, some sandwiches, some beer, and his camera. When his friends cut the cord, Larry and the
chair rose to 15,000 feet and floated from San Pedro, California all the way to
controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport. After 45
minutes in the sky, Walters shot several balloons. He descended slowly, until
the dangling balloon cables got caught in a power line in Long Beach. Soon after he was safely grounded, reporters
asked him three questions: "Where you scared?" "Yes," he
replied. "Would you do it again,"
they asked? "No," said Larry. And
lastly, they wondered, "Why did you do it?" And I love Larry’s response. He said, "Because you can't just sit
there."
But most of us do, even
Christians. We just sit there… or worse,
we just sit here.
If you are not yet a Christian, I ask
for your patience this morning. Today, I
need to speak specifically with those who are already followers of Jesus. But maybe this will help you understand just
what Jesus meant when He challenged His followers to “count the cost” (Luke
14:28 NLT). The salvation Jesus offers
you is free; yes, however, the Lord does not save us to a life of leisure. We become “disciples,” and a disciple is
someone who follows the Master’s example.
Just out of curiosity, what
example did Jesus give us when it comes to reaching out? The Bible lists many examples, but in each
instance, the Lord’s “reach” would upset many religious leaders. According to Luke, “Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus
teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law
complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them”[1]
(Luke 15:1-2). To confront the Pharisees
and the teachers for their attitude toward “outsiders,” Jesus tells them three
parables; one about a lost sheep, another about a lost coin, and finally the story
of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). And
what Jesus was implying here was that the Pharisees and religious teachers really
didn’t care about those who were lost or separated from the Heavenly Father. These religious leaders were content to let the
sinners and the outcasts suffer the consequences of their actions; to permit
them to burn in hell. They were the
older brothers who grumbled when the Father demonstrated grace and forgiveness
to the younger son.
Jesus associated with all the “Not-quite’s”
and the “Never-get-it-right’s.” He would
sit down next to the outcasts and talk about their spiritual needs. And He instructed His followers to do the
same.
To His followers, His Disciples,
Jesus proclaims, “I have been given all authority in
heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I
have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of
the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).[2] Later, Jesus gives His followers a
commissioning; He tells them where they should “therefore, go.” In Acts 1:8 He says, “And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me
everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” [3]
Therefore, go, says Jesus. He
doesn’t say, “Build a glorious building with lots of meaningful programs so the
people will come;” “Don’t just sit there,” He says; “but GO.”
Unfortunately, His disciples
didn’t listen. They stayed. Oh, their relationship with Jesus was
transformed, as Pastor Kevin shared last week.
But that inner transformation did not have an external effect on these
new Christians… not at first. They didn’t leave their comfort zone until there
was persecution. When a Christian named Stephen was stoned to
death, “a severe persecution broke out against the
church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the
land of Judea and Samaria.”[4] Please notice how Luke phrased this; believers
were scattered to where? To Judea and
Samaria. And where had Jesus told His
followers to take the Gospel message? To
Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8).
It seems the early followers of Jesus
were content to not reach. In
fact, the Lord had to intervene and change even Peter’s heart just to go out
and proclaim the message of Jesus to a non-Jewish Roman soldier named
Cornelius. In Acts 10:28, Peter
confesses, “You know it is against our laws for a
Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But (this is where we see his change of
heart) God has shown me that I should no
longer think of anyone as impure or unclean” [5]
(Acts 10:28). “No longer think,”
confessed Peter. Which means, prior to
this, he did indeed view non-Jewish individuals as outsiders. He had no love for them, nor did he have any
concern for them. It seems Peter cared
little for the eternal destiny of people like Cornelius. And neither did the rest of the new
Christians back home in Jerusalem. Acts
11:2-3 says, “But when Peter arrived back in
Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. 3 “You entered
the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said.” [6] Yes, Jewish Christians criticized Peter for
reaching out to an unbelieving Roman soldier.
They had become just like the Pharisees.
As you can see, this reluctance to
“go” is not new; we are not the first generation that has failed to reach. And, as history has taught us, the Lord will often
put us in a situation that moves the Church beyond the walls of a building.
So, as this sermon series states,
is this us? Are we a church that is
reaching, or have we become content to merely “sit there?” However, before you answer that question, lets
consider what it means to “reach.”
In the story of the Prodigal son,
let’s say that the older brother learns about his younger brother’s misfortune. Feeling compassion, he gathers some food and
clothing and takes these items to his brother.
Maybe he even buys a couple of gift cards for Levi’s Convenience store
out along the Jericho Road. Would you
say he “reached” his younger brother?
Not exactly. Sure, he showed compassion
for him, but the younger brother would have still been alienated from his
father. Caring for the younger brother
does not restore the boys broken relationship with his father. And surely the older brother would have
noticed their father watching for the younger brother to return; the older
brother surely must have known how heartbroken the father was by this
separation. Although he may have shown compassion
by his actions, he still would not have helped bring the young son back to the
father; he would not have “reached” the Prodigal Son.
Now, permit me to ask the question
again; is this us? Do we truly “reach”
the lost people in this world, or do we merely demonstrate compassion? Oh, don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong
with showing the lost and wondering people of this world some compassion and
care, but until we go and make disciples – help heal a broken relationship with
God – we are not fulfilling the Lord’s command.
Jesus said this Himself; I did not
make this up. To “reach” is to go and
tell people everywhere about Him (Acts 1:8).
And caring for the needs of others is not the same as “making disciples”
(Mathew 28:19). Showing people that we
have compassion does not help restore their broken relationship with the
Father.
To “Reach” the world with the
message of Jesus we must first learn to love the people of this world. To “reach” the world, we also must realize
just how much God the Father desires a restored relationship with those who are
lost and separated from Him. And, as
Jesus has pointed out to the Pharisees, people search diligently and tirelessly
for the lost item they value the most.
What would He say to us? If the Lord were to examine us as a church, what
would He say we value the most?
[1] Tyndale House
Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Lk 15:1–2). Carol
Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mt 28:18–20). Carol
Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[3] Tyndale House
Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ac 1:8). Carol Stream,
IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[5] Tyndale House
Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ac 10:28). Carol
Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[6] Tyndale House
Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ac 11:2–3). Carol
Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
