He Did

                What would you say if I said that God had a message for the people, but he lacked a messenger? After all, He looked about His throne room seeking a messenger. He asked, “Who will go for us? Who will take my message?” Most of us are familiar with this story. Then Isaiah spoke up and said, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” What if I told you that today, He still has a message for the world to hear? Are you willing to step up?

                Many things stop us from stepping up and telling God that we would be that messenger. Some think that in order to tell others about Jesus, he or she must be like Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, Luis Palau or Louie Giglio, or some sort to name a few. These are big names in national and worldwide evangelism. We seem to lack such big names anymore.

                Some may think that in order to tell people about Jesus, then he or she must be educated, have gone to Bible college, maybe even graduate school so that they will be equipped with all the right knowledge and words. There are many college programs that offer the right words. Some of them, you can attend from the comfort of your own living room.

Or maybe telling people comes from the fear of leaving home. It is never easy leaving a culture you know and are comfortable to live in another culture where you know virtually nothing. I do know a little something about that. For example, growing up, boys who lacked physical prowess, or even to just motivate them to prove themselves, coaches and teammates would call them, “girls”. You hit like a girl. You run like a girl. Now my culture was Hispanic by and large. However, when working in Mexico, I didn’t realize how offensive it was to make the same comments. The reaction my jest received was almost as bad as my saying anything negative about the Razorbacks. You just don’t do it.

Sharing the Gospel, sharing God’s message is sometimes over thought. We allow pride and other silly excuses arise and keep us from doing so. As I pondered some of the excuses, I wondered about the Church in Jerusalem. What kept them from sharing the Gospel with the whole world? Was it mere comfort, as I suggested last week? Comfort was just one reason we considered last week.

                Now this may be me with rose-colored glasses on. I truly believe those who love Jesus do want to share God’s message of hope, grace and love with those around them. They just don’t know. This morning, we will look at Philip and see what ways his example can relate to us.

Philip was Motivated {Verse – 1}

                What motivates us? What motivates you? For many in our country, Friday kicked off the Christmas season. People were out and about trying to get the best deals. Of course I am curious as to how many of the things that were bought that day were for actual gifts and how many were bought for personal wants. So for some, money was a huge motivator Friday last. Of course money can often be a motivator. Or perhaps lack thereof. I know that when there is not much in the tank, and the prices seems to be slow in dropping, I look at what I have. If I don’t have much, then the family drive on Sundays is shortened.

                But what motivates us spiritually? For Philip, we see that persecution, Christianity being deemed not just wrong, but now officially illegal, was his motivation to be God’s messenger and carry that message. Now I am not saying that he wasn’t sharing, nor that the church in Jerusalem, wasn’t sharing the message. But they were doing the minimum. Instead of carrying the good news, they shared the good news with those who came to them.

Sometimes we need to be motivated in such a way. I pray that it is not going to take Christianity being declared illegal to be that fire under our seat.  But perhaps God may just use something that strikes each of us in such a way that we would become motivated. Maybe it might be a pricking of the heart, time has been set. “Mr. Harvey, we didn’t catch it in time. I say maybe 4-6 months on the outside.” If you were sitting in the clinic, would such a statement perhaps motivate you? Maybe it won’t take that much. Perhaps it might be a bit of a softer pin prick, such as a loved one being so diagnosed.

Yet there is a better motivation for going out and sharing the message. Reading the Bible, Paul, while still enemies, he says, God sent Jesus to mend that rift, to suffer God’s wrath so that we can call Him, “Papa” or “Daddy”. Hebrew, it’s, ‘Abba’. Should this be enough for motivation, knowing that God does not wish anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance?

Philip was Open to hearing God {Verse – 26-27}

                Now you know I’ve mentioned I like science fiction and I like Star Trek. One of my favorite characters is Commander Spock. He is a half Vulcan, half human person who has put up all emotions. He is the epitome of stoicism. He would say that humanity is too emotional. Or in other words, he’s painted a pendulum. Humanity at one extreme, Vulcan at the other.

Are we sensitive to God’s guiding? Perhaps that might be something wrong with the Restoration Movement, our movement. In order to not be perceived as Charismatics, we try to be more stoic. We dismiss anything not clearly in the Bible, or anything that may cause us to feel uncomfortable. We have the pendulum where it seems that we either take the Bible too literally, or dismiss it. We either cling to emotions or dismiss them. Example of the former is that the New Testament half doesn’t endorse instruments in worship, so there is no piano in the independent Churches of Christ. The other side is the Disciples of Christ, where they clung to the denomination, and have said that the Bible is not the ultimate authority, as shown through their practices. The latter would be our Community Thanksgiving Service last Sunday Evening. There was a song being played and a young lady did an interpretive dance. It was moving. It was different. But was it any different than the dance that David did to celebrate the Ark returning to Israel?

Being sensitive to God’s guidance requires us to seek the middle ground, to see what the Bible says. Is the guiding going against Scripture? How would we know if we are not in the Word? Being open to God’s guidance means that we are listening as we read. That we are looking for the moments, such as was Samuel and Isaiah, that we can say, “Here I am, Lord.”

Philip was Seeking {Verse – 27, 39-40}

                Again, Luke 10.2, we have it memorized, right? “Look, the fields are ready for the harvest, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out more workers.” Philip was one of those who were seeking those he would share the message with. The angel didn’t tell him to look for the Ethiopian. He was told to go someplace. He was guided, but Philip used his own eyes and mind to see where the opportunity was. Yet at the end of the chapter, Philip was sent to another place where there was no one particular, so he shared with all.

                We need to be the same. Sure, God may not send us anywhere. But where we are, are we looking for the opportunity? Do we share a verse with someone suffering? For example, Clara’s son, a 4 year old smart lad, dies suddenly. Now you are not sure if she is a believer. What do you say? Often, I hear such, “Well God needed him” or “there is another angel in heaven.” The problem is those answers and well meaning as they intended to be, aren’t well meaning or comforting. Now depending on Clara, if she is angry, Matthew 5.45 says that God allows things to happen both godly and the ungodly. That is the nature, the curse of living in the world apart from God, the presence of pain for all. If she is questioning why her son died, perhaps there is comfort in Isaiah 57.1, that perhaps it was to spare a future, greater pain than now. This is not to dismiss other passages of comfort. The point is that this is one example of how if we look, we can see opportunities to be the messenger for God.

                Now let me caution you here. I didn’t dismiss the idea of not going. He may well light a fire under us that will carry us to another culture, or perhaps we might find that other culture just around the corner from our house, literally. But here is the great part of not dismissing that fear: if we are willing to answer God’s request, like Isaiah 6.8, or 1 Samuel 3.10, maybe God will use you where you are, or He will provide you with the strength to go where you need to be.

                This is an example of how the Father’s message is carried out.

Let’s Talk Politics

I am told that the fastest way out of town is to talk politics in church, be it that you are from the same party or differing parties. Yet I am choosing to talk about politics because Tuesday is coming. For quite a while, I lived in the world of politics, literally eating and breathing politics. No, none of my family were public office holders. I learned that aside from being Governor or President, there really isn’t as much power as there is behind the scenes. It’s not the ability of the puppet to entertain people, but the ability of the one pulling the strings that brings enjoyment. That is politics.

During my political life, I came to Christ. As I was learning to walk in Christ, I was taught that since the political scene had become so bad, so corrupt, that good Christians do not belong in that realm. I was cited Romans 13.1 about our role with government, that we should be in submission. They claim that it is not permissible to be involved, but to live with what happens.

The Late D. James Kennedy, former pastor of Corral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Corral Ridge, FL, was of a different opinion. He held the view that because political involvement is NOT expressly mentioned in Scripture, then the believer has the freedom to decide to, and even ventured more, stating that though all things are permissible but not beneficial, Christian involvement in politics is indeed both permissible and beneficial. He would say it was a mandate.

Political involvement is one a topic that lacks any real Scriptural support for or against. The best we can do is to infer. When the Bible was written, there were kings and emperors. There was a Senate of elected, but those who did the electing was by far a minority. You had to be a Roman citizen, which meant being born to both Roman citizens or purchasing citizenship, usually at the cost of a lifetime’s worth of wealth.
In our country, things are much different. Our President is not our president until death, thankfully. He serves 4 years, maybe 8, and then we elect a new one. Our lawmakers are the same. They serve a couple of years. If we like them, we reelect them. If not, we change. It has led me to think about this process.

It is more than just how should we vote. I can tell you how you should vote. But is it that simple? Would you, could you agree with me unilaterally? One hand we have a man who claims Christ but prefers Islam. On the other, we have a man who claims Christ, but has a different definition. For my Libertarians, we have another who claims total freedom, which means we legalize homosexual marriages and marijuana. They are for smaller government, but to legalize something creates not freedom but more oversight, more bureaucracy, bigger government. Freedom but without freedom. See? It’s messy, which is not to say anything about tax increases or other ballot issues, or even about the other candidates for the other offices.

How do we approach the topic? Yes we vote. But can a Christian do more? Absolutely. I thought about Matthew 22.21. Jesus was answering a question of paying taxes. He said, looking at a coin, having had them answer about whose image was on it, “Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, but give to God what belongs to God.” Yes, we pay taxes. Then we also become involved in politics as God leads us to. Some are, and will be called into politics and do well being a witness there.

Yet let us now consider Tuesday coming. I am not sure how you each stand on who you are voting for. I thought the last election had the poorest choices. My preferred candidates for this race all dropped 1, 2, 3 in order. I will say that I am pleased that the 2012 election is taking place, unlike my initial fear. However, for some, such as residents in the wake of Sandy, will have a time of voting. Some areas will see UN Monitors seeing that our voting process is kept fair, free from bullies and corruption. Yet what will happen if your candidate doesn’t win?

All of a sudden, though the media doesn’t focus on the President’s shortcomings, they seem to be carrying a sway of the other guy will be elected. (Perhaps creating an aura of false confidence or hope?) Does that mean President Obama will lose? Will President Romney be a step in the right direction? Though our involvement in the process is essential, and we’ll keep it to the voting for this message, the results do not really matter. That’s right, they don’t mean a thing.

Am I contradicting myself? Not really. As I mentioned, the Bible is not so focused on current events. Sure, Jesus and Paul both used current events to reach the people, but the use of current events were a means to an end, spreading the word, the mission of reaching lost souls for the kingdom, the restoration of fellowship between God and man through Christ Jesus.

Our response in the wake of Tuesday will be essential, win or lose, your way or the highway. The world will look to see how we are going to react. First we need to remember from the Great Commission, Mat. 28.20, Jesus is always with us. This should give us boldness and courage, as we saw with the Apostles in the last couple of weeks. Remember, this Great Commission gives the Church her mission, that AS WE GO, we make disciples, baptizing AND THEN teaching them… The passage ends with an awesome promise. Jesus is there with us. We don’t go it alone. We don’t walk alone.

Because he is with us, we are able to live Proverbs 3.5, which tells us to trust in the Lord fully, and lean not on our own understanding. He will direct our paths. James would define this type of faith as having it motivate our actions. Show me faith without deeds and I will show you a dead faith. Even our Sunday School lesson this morning, we see Paul mentioning that new faith, repentance, was displayed by their deeds. (Acts 26.20)

Then finally, from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi (4.6), “Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving in your heart, present your requests to God.” This dovetails with Romans 8.28, the promise that “in all things, God works everything to the good of those who love him.”

But here is the interesting part, do we dare ask what that good might be? Francis Chan, in his book “Crazy Love” challenges our American way of thinking with God’s will being done in our lives. What if it is God’s will to let the country continue down the road she is?
Now I can hear some saying, “Steven, God’s will and good aren’t the same.” It may seem that I’ve jumped onto another highway, but follow me. Good is the old English word meaning godly. When we use to call something good, we were calling it godly. Of course language is always changing. Words’ definitions will morph. Suffer, a word of permitting in the beginning, now means to endure pain, hardship. Good, likewise, means pleasant. God’s Word, “Good” in our Romans verse isn’t about the health and wealth of His children here. Good is about godliness. It is about what His will for us is. It all goes back to the mission, sharing the Gospel as we travel our life.

Now you are with me, let me continue. Do we take it to our personal health and wealth? Or do we have a kingdom view and see that our good is being used to bring peace to those around us, to bring hope and encouragement? What if the Gospel isn’t as effective anymore because we are a stagnate people, because we’ve left our heritage and faith? I can draw some overlay with Acts 8 and our nation now, and will do so the next couple of weeks, but let’s consider, the Gospel wasn’t leaving Jerusalem until Christianity became illegal. Only after the first person died for Christ did people actually become His witnesses to the corners of the earth. What if this is the same good that we need to look for in the Church of America? I am not sure what will be heading toward us as a nation. I do fear that we are living in a historic time that we will see much change, regardless who wins. Our world may even become upside down and inside out.

Remember, as with Horatio, God didn’t promise to see us avoid the storms. Remember when Jesus was sleeping in the boat? The storm came, and in fear, they plead with Jesus to do something. He did. He didn’t calm the storm. He calmed the men. They were seen safely through the storm. What storms are you struggling with?

For Horatio, his storm was several fold. One might liken his life to that of a modern day Job. It was the year 1871. Chicago broke out in a fire. The fire consumed all of Horatio’s assets and investments. Normally, land is easy to reclaim, resurvey. But the fire also took out the Cook County Land Office. He would be able to recoup some of his lands, but most were gone. In the midst of that fiasco, he sent his family on their planned trip to England. He’d catch the next ship in a week or two. While his family traversed the North Atlantic, the storm would rear up again. This time, he lost his four daughters. Only his wife survived.  You can hear his prayer as he passed where his kids were likely lain to rest. “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when storms like sea billows blow, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well with my soul.”

This morning, listen to the words as we sing all the verses. Make them your resolve. With Tuesday drawing nigh, is it well with your soul? Will it be well as Wednesday dawns bright?