This week, a poll came out, or at least was talked about on
the Christian media circuit. The poll talked about who was more generous and
their faith beliefs. It is interesting that where Christian faith is most
lacking is in the north, where charitable giving is also the least. The highest
area of active Christians seems to be in the South. Giving is also the highest
around here. The West was in between. Now this is key: though faith is greater
here in the South, all churches seem to be suffering decline at the same rate. Our evangelistic outreach seems to be almost
non-existent. To this point, one minister in our community said, “Brothers,
I’ve never really thought about this in (all my years of) ministry, but I’ve
come to realize that I’ve never had a burden for the lost. Pray that God will
give me such a burden.”
I’ve come to the conclusion that fear is responsible for why
we do not reach the lost, why we do not “have a burden for the lost”. To now,
we’ve had easy steps in helping us grow to the point of sharing our faith.
Praying, preparing, sharing in written word, but now we are going to be more
active in the sharing of our faith, as will our last step, which we will talk
about on the 9th.
1. Fear prevents us from seeing opportunities
(Mat. 25.15): We fear being rejected. We fear being judged.
Consider the man
who had been given a single talent to use for his Lord. Can we relate to him
today? He had two colleagues. One was given 2 talents and the other, 5 talents.
The one with 5 doubled. The one with 2 doubled. I imagine the one with 1 talent
was seeing the success that his two friends, compatriots were having in their
work. He longed to have that as well. What the others were doing looked so
simple. Could he do that as well and see the same results?
He was tempted to
try, but he also was seized with fear. He feared his master. I also wonder if
there is room to say that he feared himself. He feared how his master might see
him. I imagine what all might have been in his life as he grew up. I can almost
hear his parents tell him time and again that he was a worthless life, stupid
beyond measure, that he would never amount to anything. What if he failed?
Would his master now see the same man his parents knew he’d become? His feared
prompted him to make a decision with the gift that his master gave him. Sit on
it. He would show that he was a faithful steward of what he was given. He has
settled for a simple life.
2. Now
what should we do about this fear? Spirit
helps us to be bold. Consider 2 Timothy 1.7-8. When we are clothed in
Christ, we have been clothed in the Spirit. We are not alone. We focus too much
on Luke 14.26ff about the cost of following Jesus, and forgetting the promise
of eternal fellowship, of never truly being alone in this time as He promised.
And sometimes, more times than we know, when we are willing to lay that which
we love the most aside for Jesus, then we find that God has also shed his grace
on them as well. I was willing to leave my family, only to return a few years
later to baptize two and rededicate another. But what is there to be fearful
of? Let’s look at the man who buried his single talent. Isaiah promised that if
the Word of the Lord goes out, it shall not come back void. You see that is
what is missing from the parable that we tend to ask ourselves: What if it
fails? What if I fail? Who am I? According to 2 Tim 3.9, God qualifies us. We
are not called because of what we’ve done or can do, but we can do because he
has called us.
3. Let’s talk about our faith. People
already know that you are a Christian, or at least they should know. And they
should hear of how God has blessed you. When you go through a storm in your
life and share it with others, you find out that you were not alone within your
circle. When we miscarried our first, it was amazing how many around us had
suffered. But it also allowed us opportunity to share with those who didn’t
have a relationship with Christ. We were not as distraught. Yes, we were
crushed and we mourned. But from there,
God’s grace showered upon us.
Take a moment this week to push
yourself further from your comfort. Talk about your faith. Talk about how Jesus
helped you through a storm. Even within your fellowship of other Christians,
Hebrews 10.24-25 says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deed, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.” And now is the moment in
which we need to decide, are we ready to take the next step? Do you need help
putting aside the fear that we all struggle with? Let us encourage you with
prayer as we stand and sing
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