People - we are on a mission - a mission from God.and I want to tell you this morning right off how fired up I am about what God is going in and through this church. 3 or 4 specific things.
Alpha Course - an introduction to the truths of the faith (life change). Many people have come to new found faith in these past weeks..Several of those Alpha groups are continuing on to explore next steps of faith together - they're on a mission.
Easter Week - every year - Easter amazes me here at Lakeview. Hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly to help us all (kids too) experience the truth of the cross and the life change of the resurrection.We're on a mission.
Last Friday night - our children's ministry put on a family fun night simply to give families a place to be together and have tons of fun.Again, dozens of hours by dozens of people. They're on a mission.
MOMS - Tuesday mornings - reaches nearly 75 moms - simply supporting each other and walking through life together. Incredible stories of faith and relationship. MOMS is on a mission.
Money - we don't often connect money to mission in our minds, but let me tell you what's been going on. The staff has cut back substantially in expenses, which is hard to do in a growing/expanding environment. You people have and are continually rising to the challenge - giving is up substantially this year over last. Folks, we are on a mission.
This week we are beginning a 3 week journey talking about the mission God has called us to.which comes directly from the scripture that I read last week (when we held high the value of community) from the example of the first church. Acts 2:42-47- there's a lot of mission there. Great stuff to shoot towards. Notice the outcome in verse 47.
Then one more verse.these are the last words Jesus spoke to His followers and they are words of mission.for the church.Matthew 28:19-20.
Folks, we have been called to a mission by Jesus Himself.and over the next 3 weeks we'll flesh that out. Today we talk about part #1 - which is the mission. Reaching out - finding.
Here's the first thing to realize and it's a great encouragement.
Jesus Models the Mission
Luke 19 tells the story of a man named Zacchaeus..Zacchaeus was very successful at business - but he was lost in life. He did know, however, that there was something missing from his life spiritually - but he couldn't figure out what it was. Then he heard that Jesus was coming to his town.Luke 19 reads like this:
"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way." (Luke 19:1-4)
Interesting that when Zacchaeus decided to search for and see Jesus it was from a "safe distance" - or at least he thought it was.Let's continue with the story.
"When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.' So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, 'He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.'" (Luke 19:5-7) Notice all the religious people and what they thought. But Jesus models the mission..He loves and values people who earnestly seek Him. When we search for Him - He finds us.
In verse 9 Jesus says "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham." This means that he, too - a seeker - is part of God's promise. Then listen to this verse - one of the greatest missional statements in history: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
(Luke 19:10)
Sometimes on Saturday nights I get kinda thoughtful when I drive to and from this church..Mostly on the way home. After we've been together and God has met us and it's been great..on the way home I drive by lots of houses - houses with lights on - people watching T.V..or maybe you can see people walking their dogs - playing with their kids..Then on Sunday morning all over Saskatoon..(people all around us) get up - have a cup of coffee - maybe read the paper they never got to read the day before..and start flipping pancakes - about 9:30. They don't go to church and they don't know Jesus - and most of them have never met someone who follows Jesus that they can relate to, or who they admire or whose life and faith is contagious. For these folks, God is mostly an after thought to the rest of life..or a distant possibility that only becomes reality when life gets harsh..a thought or prayer during a funeral service - or when a relative is sick..or maybe they think about God when they stop to say grace at a family thanksgiving or Christmas meal or when they see Billy Graham preaching in some stadium on T.V..And maybe for just a minute they think about God, but that God seems remote and far off..and certainly not someone I could connect to..
Lost people - lost in indifference - or lost in curiosity sometimes..and some of them seeking - like Zacchaeus - trying to see Jesus from a safe distance..
People - every one of us has been created with a purpose, and that purpose is to first of all know God and love God..and then secondly to show that love from God to the people around us..
But for so many..that love and relationship from God has been misplaced - lost - they have no north star to guide their lives. Whether it's been lost - by misplaced priorities or values or maybe misguided directions in life or whatever..But it's lost and can't be found. People have wandered off the path spiritually. And you know what happens when you're lost spiritually? You forget who you are and what it was you were created for, and then when you're lost, all of your measures for life become confused and unreal - they aren't real..they're artificial. So you begin to gauge life by pay raises - or recognition or standards of living..(what you drive or what you wear or where you eat)..You know, Jesus said - your life does not consist in the abundances of possessions - that's life lost. I mean - it looks like life and it feels like life..but it lacks spirit. Being lost is all about having a misplaced spirit..
Now (one step further) - when you're misplaced in spirit and disconnected from God..where do you go for help or models for shaping your values for life..if it isn't Jesus the North Star - who is it? In our culture I think we turn to television - music - movies. The other night - the kids went to bed and Pam was out - so I did something I seldom do. I turned on the T.V. Frasier was on - supposed to be funny..and it was..But the whole storyline of that episode was how Frasier was hoping to have a romantic evening and if he's lucky, a sexual encounter with this beautiful woman - who is married but unhappily married - and so it seems likely that he will succeed and maybe it's ok. She's unhappily married..So he begins to make the moves on her. But then he realizes through the conversation that she is actually the wife of a guy he knows quite well. And so he quickly pushes her out the door..(Now..notice the values). It wasn't wrong to sleep with a married woman - but you cross the line only when you know her husband. Can you see anything wrong with that picture?
You don't have to watch a lot of TV or go to a lot of movies to see that we live in a spiritless culture..And when we're lost - we take values from a misplaced culture instead of from our true North Star - Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a lost guy. He knew it and so did everybody else. He was not liked and was rejected by the people in his community. He lived in isolation. And Jesus could see that..so He came and sought Zaccheus out..He was on a mission. And now here's the 2 nd big missional truth we've gotta understand..
Lost People Matter to God
I love in this story how incredibly natural Jesus is when He responds to Zacchaeus - He says come on down. Quick - I've gotta come to your house today..I want to get to know you - I'm interested in your life too..I'm seeking you out - I'm a seeker too.
When I was a kid - in the summer..every time large groups of people would come over to our house, the kids would go outside and play hide and seek. Great game - lots of fun because the people hiding all knew pretty much where the guy who was "it" was..Only trouble with playing that game was that my brother Dale was too good a hider. He was always the last one to be found and everybody would be tired of the game..and the guy who was "it" would give up and holler "Come on out Dale. Where are you? Quit hiding - it's not fun anymore...I want to find you now." And then Dale would come out. Could never find him.
You know what? That game - hide and seek - is a parallel to a great theological truth (I love it when that happens). We human beings know God is "it". We know He's out there and most of us even know He's looking for us. But most people spend their lives hiding from Him. Sometimes intentionally because of choices. Lots of times though we're hiding and we don't know it..because we're lost - misplaced and don't know how to get to God. But the truth is, He is coming to us. He's the one saying "come on out - I want to find you.Don't be lost anymore - come on down. I want to get to know you - I'd love to go to your house for supper."
That's the theological truth that we all need to know. God does not wait for lost people to find Him. He chases lost people so they can be found. God seeks lost people. He runs after them. Zacchaeus tried to see Jesus from a safe distance but Jesus didn't let him. God is all about finding lost people - all people. God is for every person (everyone) coming closer to Him - He wants to walk with everyone on this journey through life.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) He wants everyone to come to truth - to faith in Jesus Christ.
That certainly was how it worked in my life. God chased me down. In 1983 I made a significant decision to walk on a pathway other than God's for a while..So I became the life of the party and I became very lost - very fast. Yet every time I tried to hide from God - He'd show up - through some preacher or a friend or through my brothers or my mom and dad. God would speak to me, and every time I was somewhere I thought I could hide or with some people that I could hide with..God would show up - usually through someone who was seeking God..And I'd be drawn to that person and end up spending half the night answering their faith questions..See, I knew the answers - I just didn't want to apply them to my life. But folks, God pursued me. And within 3 years I finally quit running from the radical, chasing, pursuing love of God.
Anyone here ever felt the love of God chasing them (can I hear an amen)? For some of you - you're being chased right now..pursued by a loving God. Maybe it's time to get found.
Lost people matter to God. Folks, He expends more energy than we will ever know (or ever be able to comprehend) pursuing a relationship with us - chasing us - so that we can feel His love - seeking us - so that we can know what it feels like to be found.
So - people are lost - and God pursues them. But how does this actually happen? How does the mission get accomplished? Let me explain.
Now - you remember before I said that God created each of us with purpose. That each of us would know Him and His love inside of us..and then that we would pass Him and His love to other people.
Well as simple as that sounds..that's the backdrop for the mission. Here's how it works. Contagious people connect with others. That's it. See - God's mission is to win over the world with His love - and how He's chosen to do that is through contagious people. People who are so fired up inside because of what God has done for them -that it just exudes out of them. And people get connected to God through contagious people.
Now, a lot of people I see in church say they have faith..but not many people are catching it - it's not very contagious. Here's the truth.People, find God through relationships with contagious people. Remember what Jesus said to Zacchaeus? Let's eat together. I want to be involved in your life. Now you'll notice Zacchaeus wasn't looking for a theological discussion and he wasn't interested in attending a church service. Zacchaeus was drawn to a person - a relationship..See, when you begin mentally and emotionally seeking God..When you really start wrestling with this whole faith thing - how do you see whether faith is credible or not? By meeting people we respect.people that have a credible faith - by watching those people.
Let me tell you about Rose Friesen. Rose if one of my favorite people in this whole church - for a number of reasons. She serves unselfishly - she sacrifices her own preferences for the good of the church. But mostly, Rose loves God and she loves other people. She has a very simple faith. And she's one of the most contagious people I know. She is so excited about what God has done for her and about what God is doing for her..that she can't keep silent. And it shows up in her life..in how she treats people with respect and dignity and kindness. It shows up in her lifestyle and values and choices. It shows up in her words and actions. Rose loves God and because she loves God she loves other people. And folks, it doesn't get better than that - her faith is contagious..People just see something different in Rose - and they want what she's got. And what she's got is a vital and alive daily relationship with Jesus Christ..And because of that many, many people have been found by Jesus..through Rose..because her faith is contagious.
That's the mission - that's Jesus' strategy to win the world to Himself. By contagious people building bridges of love and influence with people who want to be found. Here's the line of the week. Friends don't let friends stay lost from God - they are on a mission.
A couple things here about sharing your faith with someone who is seeking God:
1. Be Real
Authenticity is the only way real faith can be expressed. If your faith is real - in your life - let it play out. You don't need to change your voice or your clothes to talk about God. And you don't need to hammer God at people. Just let His love and life in you live out. Jesus is most contagious to others when we simply live our lives every day for Him.
2. Be ready
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and the person next to you asks "How can Christ come into my life?"..You'd better be able to share your story of how it happened to you. And if you can't - you have a responsibility to find out how. Because God's strategy is to change the world..one person at a time through relationship. The strategy is your mission.
Card - sign up - want to know more about how to be equipped to share your faith? Seminars upcoming - we'll get a hold of you.
Here's how Lakeview Church works...The one single thing that causes this church to burn with passion spiritually and push us to a deeper level individually and as a whole community is seeing other people be found by Jesus. Spreading the good news of Jesus Christ is what has kept the embers of this church burning hot for years..I mean, that's why we put so much energy into planning these weekend services - creativity. We're willing to do whatever it takes to somehow show the reality of God to people in a relevant way. We're on a mission.
That's why our children and youth leaders put so much effort in to what they do - Jr. High - ZOOO - dozens of kids who are still seeking - lost but not found. It's an incredible program. That's why we're putting so much energy and money into Care Ministry - to share the love of God with those in need..it's about the mission.
And that's why we're gonna move to a larger facility - it's not for us. We all fit in here. It's for the next 1,000 people that want to be found. That's who we're on a mission for.
People do you see it? At Lakeview Church we will refuse to be inward looking and we will continue to intentionally do church for those who are not yet part of His community. People are lost - and lost people matter to God. And His strategy for reaching them is for you to live a contagious life of faith. (The church is only meant to supplement that). To love God with all your heart and then to love people..
Jesus said this "Out of the overflow of the heart - the mouth speaks." Out of the abundance..whatever you're really into - whatever you love - you'll talk about.
I have these 2 pictures that I keep in my Bible - 2 of my wife (one you can see, one you can't). I am passionately in love with my wife. She's in my heart - and I am in hers..We've been in a love affair for 15 years now - and we hope to be in love until the day we die. Now, I love showing people one of those pictures. And I love talking about her. "She's beautiful," I say. "And she's got great hair and she loves me. And she supports me and she's got a great laugh." Her character is amazing.she loves God.Wow. I love talking about my wife. "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."
I also love talking about Jesus because I love Jesus - He's in my heart..And people hear this - this is the mission. Being contagious is really about being in a love affair with Jesus Christ. Saying, "Jesus I just want to know you - I want to see Your face. And I want you to fill up my life with Your love..And I want the world to know the love and hope I have because of You." That's being on a mission for God.
* A special thanks to Mike Slaughter pastor at Ginghamsburg Church for sermon ideas relating to this message. |
