I have two or three scriptures that have been on my heart and mind for the past couple of months. These scriptures began to trouble me when I was asking God just what He wanted me to do. It is one thing to write encouraging words for people hoping you have helped them in some way or possibly got them on the right path to serving God. It is quite another matter when it comes to putting words into action and begin meeting the needs of your neighbors. If you are like me and sometimes find it hard to know the will of God for your life, would you read these scriptures and allow them to speak to you today. I titled this message "Where is the Church" because I feel the church has let not only the world down but our neighbors. Our neighbors and the world outside the church walls need to "feel" the presence of God and they can only feel His presence through His church or His body. That means all those who claim to know Christ as their personal savior must reach out and touch someone else.
You will need your bible or look the scriptures up on-line. Isaiah 58 is the first passage I would like you to look at. Pay attention to verses 6 and 7, "Is this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share our food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
You will notice in the first 5 verses of chapter 58 that God was not pleased with all the rituals of His people during the time of Jacob. God was calling their actions a rebellion and sin. His people were wondering why God had not heard them or seen their fast. They humbled themselves but God had not noticed. In Verse 4 God tells them why He does not hear or notice them. It seems they end their fast and then go about exploiting their workers and quarreling among themselves. God was going to go beyond the law and get to the heart of the matter. In verses 6 and 7 God shows them the true meaning of a fast and expects more than just humbling themselves or going through the motions of worship. God is making His will for His people known. In these verses, God is showing us just what He expects from us.
Now let's look at one other passage of scripture. Matthew 28:18-20, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
I believe that to many of us Christians have forgotten some of the most important factors of our Christian walk. Yes, we are to make disciples of all nations, starting in our own neighborhood. The question we need to look at is, what does it mean "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you?" To answer this we need to return to the basics of the gospel. Even though we are taught many things throughout the gospel, the basic of the gospel is what Christ stated to the Pharisee's when they tried to trip Him up by asking Him "Which is the greatest commandment in the law?" His reply stumped them all and put them to silence. His reply was simple, to the point, and enveloped the whole law, Matthew 22:34-40, "Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
This would be a good time to consider the implication of these scriptures. For instance, do we really love God like we claim? Are our hearts truly sold out to Him and nothing else matters except to please God and do His will? Richard Stearns, in his book 'The Hole In Our Gospel', says:
When Christ came, He brought with Him something we all desire, a physical touch by God the Father Himself. He reached out in our pain and suffering to touch us in some way that would bring hope and happiness to each. When Christ left and went back to the Father, He left us with this message, "You go and do the same." In other words, we are to reach out physically with all that we have, holding nothing back in service to Him. Loving those who are unloved, caring for those who are sick, helping those who are orphaned, and widowed. The next time you go to the store to buy your groceries, remember the one who has nothing, the next time you go to the drug store, remember those who have no means to purchase medicine for their children, the next time you feel the need to buy a new jacket or wardrobe, remember those who feel the bite of the cold winter days and nights with nothing to relieve them. When you snuggle up in your warm comfortable house with all the extra's, remember the one who cuddles up against a heating duct or pulls cardboard around them to block the cold wind.
There are those with diseases that will destroy them if medical attention is not provided. When you hear of someone with a disease like HIV/AIDS, what do you think? Do you say, that's what they deserve, they should have known better? Or, maybe you say, that is God's judgment for their sinful nature?
The church has an awesome responsibility to do what God expects us to do. In the simplest form, here is what God expects from His body: "We are to Love God, We are to love our neighbors, We are to go and make disciples of others who will do the same."
If we truly want to worship God in a way that He will receive it, then we need to pay attention to what God truly expects of us all. We are not to judge anyone, we are to "Love Them." Think of yourself as a change agent. A change agent is one who has been changed by the whole gospel already and now works to bring that change to others. Look at Richard Stearns thoughts on change agents:
So here it is, are you going to love God, love your neighbor, and go and make disciples so they can also do the same?
"God cannot steer a parked car." (Pastor Earl Palmer)
Do not turn your back on the world, reach out and touch them with the love that God has placed in you, the same love that He showed us when He willingly went to the cross. John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 3:16 brings it all together, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
(Please leave a comment if you like, I want to hear from you. If you have any ideas on how to reach our neighbor, again, leave a suggestion in the comment section).
You will need your bible or look the scriptures up on-line. Isaiah 58 is the first passage I would like you to look at. Pay attention to verses 6 and 7, "Is this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share our food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
You will notice in the first 5 verses of chapter 58 that God was not pleased with all the rituals of His people during the time of Jacob. God was calling their actions a rebellion and sin. His people were wondering why God had not heard them or seen their fast. They humbled themselves but God had not noticed. In Verse 4 God tells them why He does not hear or notice them. It seems they end their fast and then go about exploiting their workers and quarreling among themselves. God was going to go beyond the law and get to the heart of the matter. In verses 6 and 7 God shows them the true meaning of a fast and expects more than just humbling themselves or going through the motions of worship. God is making His will for His people known. In these verses, God is showing us just what He expects from us.
Now let's look at one other passage of scripture. Matthew 28:18-20, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
I believe that to many of us Christians have forgotten some of the most important factors of our Christian walk. Yes, we are to make disciples of all nations, starting in our own neighborhood. The question we need to look at is, what does it mean "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you?" To answer this we need to return to the basics of the gospel. Even though we are taught many things throughout the gospel, the basic of the gospel is what Christ stated to the Pharisee's when they tried to trip Him up by asking Him "Which is the greatest commandment in the law?" His reply stumped them all and put them to silence. His reply was simple, to the point, and enveloped the whole law, Matthew 22:34-40, "Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
This would be a good time to consider the implication of these scriptures. For instance, do we really love God like we claim? Are our hearts truly sold out to Him and nothing else matters except to please God and do His will? Richard Stearns, in his book 'The Hole In Our Gospel', says:
"To love God with all of our heart, soul and mind means that we must love God with our whole being--totally and completely. This command to love God in this way sits above the many detailed requirements of the Old Testament Law, because it recognizes that all forms of obedience to God must first and foremost flow out of our love for Him."So the second commandment Jesus referred us to is just as powerful in its position of importance. Jesus made this commandment equal with the first and therefore is saying that to love our neighbor is to show our love to God. It cannot be separated.
If we truly love God then we will express it by loving our neighbors, and when we truly love our neighbors, it expresses our love for God. (Richard Stearns)In Richard Stearn's book, 'The Whole In Our Gospel,' he suggests a third commandment that would clearly go along with the two "greatest commandments," Matthew 28:16-20. (previous scripture). I believe this ties the suggested third commandment into the two greatest commandments very well.
This is a new commandment, which is the beginning of a totally new age, to take the whole gospel to the whole world. This new commandment is a bookend to the momentous announcement in Luke 4:14-20 that Christ came to preach the good news to the poor, restore sight to the blind, release the captives, and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. But it is more than a call to proclaim; it is a call to make disciples. (Disciples are those who, because of their belief, live lives of obedience to "everything Jesus commanded" v. 19.) The first two commandments, then, call believers to love God and then love their neighbors, and the third one calls them to go and disciple new believers who will do the same. (Richard Stearns)This is where the challenge comes to the church, you and me. This entails not only the local body of believers but entails the whole body of Christ throughout the world. We cannot isolate ourselves in one body and close our eyes to the rest of the body and the world outside of our comfort zone. We are all connected through Christ. So the question goes out to all, "Where Is The Church?" As I drive around our city and neighborhoods and notice the poor, the needy, and the injustice that seems to prevail and I don't reach out a hand in some way, then am I serving God as He intended? When I raise my hands in worship and kneel in prayer saying God help the poor and do nothing, am I just like the people in Isaiah 58? When you drive by a street beggar, do you just keep on driving looking the other way hoping not to make eye contact? Maybe you stop and give a few coins then drive away thinking you have done your scriptural duty and feel satisfied with what you gave. I wonder about the homeless who have lost everything through no fault of their own, who sleep under makeshift shelters or in their cars trying to stay protected from the elements and struggle to find some means to buy enough food to get them through another day. Do we just write them off and say, 'That's life,' too bad they are in that situation.
When Christ came, He brought with Him something we all desire, a physical touch by God the Father Himself. He reached out in our pain and suffering to touch us in some way that would bring hope and happiness to each. When Christ left and went back to the Father, He left us with this message, "You go and do the same." In other words, we are to reach out physically with all that we have, holding nothing back in service to Him. Loving those who are unloved, caring for those who are sick, helping those who are orphaned, and widowed. The next time you go to the store to buy your groceries, remember the one who has nothing, the next time you go to the drug store, remember those who have no means to purchase medicine for their children, the next time you feel the need to buy a new jacket or wardrobe, remember those who feel the bite of the cold winter days and nights with nothing to relieve them. When you snuggle up in your warm comfortable house with all the extra's, remember the one who cuddles up against a heating duct or pulls cardboard around them to block the cold wind.
There are those with diseases that will destroy them if medical attention is not provided. When you hear of someone with a disease like HIV/AIDS, what do you think? Do you say, that's what they deserve, they should have known better? Or, maybe you say, that is God's judgment for their sinful nature?
The church has an awesome responsibility to do what God expects us to do. In the simplest form, here is what God expects from His body: "We are to Love God, We are to love our neighbors, We are to go and make disciples of others who will do the same."
If we truly want to worship God in a way that He will receive it, then we need to pay attention to what God truly expects of us all. We are not to judge anyone, we are to "Love Them." Think of yourself as a change agent. A change agent is one who has been changed by the whole gospel already and now works to bring that change to others. Look at Richard Stearns thoughts on change agents:
Any of us who have ever been on a diet or embarked on an exercise regimen know that fitness and weight loss don't just happen. They require us to make a choice and then change our behaviors in deliberate ways--it cannot be "business as usual." And it's not easy. The same is true of discipleship. We won't really become change agents for Chirst just by going to church every Sunday. We will have to make some "on purpose" life choices and then change our priorities and behavior. Only then can God transform us and use us to change the world.When we dedicate our lives to Christ and say we will follow Him, remember that what you own is not yours, it belongs to God. It belonged to Him before you were thought of, and it will always belong to Him. If God wants us to use it for the furtherance of His Kingdom then we must, by all means, give it back to Him.
So here it is, are you going to love God, love your neighbor, and go and make disciples so they can also do the same?
"God cannot steer a parked car." (Pastor Earl Palmer)
If we sit in the parking lot with our engines turned off, just waiting for a voice from the sky, we'll never get anywhere in our quest to solve the world's problems. We need to at least "start our engines." (Richard Stearns)If we are to meet the needs of our neighbors, we are going to have to take one person at a time and take a step towards that person. When we pass that person asking for a handout, or we see someone that is struggling with their expenses, maybe a child has lost hope and seems to have no friends, we need to see each person how the Father sees them, we must feel what the Father feels for them, we need to "see each one through God's eyes." Remember that no matter what condition a person may be in, each one is a creation of God, they are one of His children. Some have just lost their way and the Father loves each one of them just as much as He loves you and me.
Do not turn your back on the world, reach out and touch them with the love that God has placed in you, the same love that He showed us when He willingly went to the cross. John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 3:16 brings it all together, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
(Please leave a comment if you like, I want to hear from you. If you have any ideas on how to reach our neighbor, again, leave a suggestion in the comment section).
