George's Journey

Motivations in Evangelism (2)

What is the message we proclaim? Evangelism is revealed by God to be literally proclaiming good news. It is spreading a special message, which is, in summarized form, known simply as good news (gospel). But what is that message?

My journey in the kingdom of Christ has revealed to me that a lot of Christians (including myself at one time) do not really understand what the good news is. To some the good news is “the church” and they preach “it” strongly. To others it is “moralism”. To others it is “spirituality”. To others it is “prosperity”. To be honest, it is quite disturbing how long this list gets.

Disturbing, because our central task is to proclaim the good news and yet so many don’t understand what that good news is. Disturbing because God went to a lot of trouble to spell out exactly what the message is. You don’t need “special knowledge” or an epiphany to find out what it is.

The bottom line is that there is only one source for an absolute answer to the question of what the good news is. It is not church councils, favourite preachers, historical traditions (whether written or verbal) or any other human source. The source of the good news is God and it is God who tells us what the good news is.

At this point you may be thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I know all this. Let’s move on.” Please let me warn you to go slowly through this analysis of what the good news is. What God will reveal will change your view of yourself, your church and your world. It is pivotal to all those aspects of your life.

One of the clearest statements in scripture, God’s very word itself, is found in a letter Paul wrote to a church to REMIND them of what the good news was. Written almost 2000 years ago it still shocks us at its simplicity and disturbs us because we have often changed it in our enthusiasm for God.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

It appears that it was not just our brothers and sisters at Corinth who need reminding of what the good news was. See Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Timothy 4:2-3, 2 Peter 2:1-3.

God says that the good news is a story. It is the story of Jesus the Christ; His death for our sins, His burial and resurrection on the third day. Our message is the death of Jesus and his bodily resurrection. This story changes everything. This good news is not an equation. It is a story, a story of love, sacrificial divine love. It is a story because God says it is, not because I like stories or it is the communication flavour of the month. When God chose to reveal what the gospel was He revealed it as a story, the story of Jesus.

Of all the godly kingdom things God could have mentioned in reminding us of what he good news is, He only mentions three things. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This is our message.

It is the message on the lips of the apostolic proclaimers of the first century. See Mark 1:1, Acts 2:22-24; 3:13-15; 4:2, 10, 33; 5:20-32, 42; 8:35, 10:36; 11:20 etc. etc.

How did I ever get this wrong? Why did I proclaim baptism and hardly mention Jesus? How did I get to the point where the church was the central point to my preaching and Jesus hardly got a mention? When did my “gospel” message get to be a negative message of condemnation of all who disagree with me? I really don’t know, but that is what happened. But God didn’t write me off. He kept reminding me of what the good news is and eventually my proud heart broke and I started to see the startlingly obvious. Jesus is our good news and He is our message.

That Jesus’ death and resurrection is the good news is vital to us accurately proclaiming the gospel. However, in this series we are looking at motivations in evangelism. I believe that realizing that we as Christians are called to proclaim Jesus is a powerful motivation for evangelism. Why? Here are a couple of reasons.

Because Jesus is the perfect message. When I preach the church, not matter how idealistically, the church itself discredits the message with its bad behaviour, politics etc. When I preach moralism, my own moral shortcomings (sin) shout louder than my calls to righteousness. However, when I preach Jesus, His life and teachings back up that proclamation perfectly.

Because Jesus is God telling each person that He loves them. Above all else God loves those He has created. He longs for them and He delights in them. They just don’t know it and that’s where we have the great job of informing them of God’s love for each person on this lonely planet.

What do you think? Check out the Facebook page related to this. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128564923839522

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Motivations for Evangelism (1)

A friend commented to me in response to the original paper I wrote on evangelism that all the evangelism methods in the world are practically useless unless we are motivated to proclaim the good news of Jesus. I am paraphrasing him. He is right. A correct understanding of methodology matters little if you and I aren’t motivated to use such methodology.

He also went into detail as to why he doesn’t do much evangelizing. More on that in another post, but it did make me think that we really do need to talk about the motivation God’s wants us to have in evangelism. What should move us to share the good news of Jesus?

As with previous questions I am looking for biblical answers to this question.

Christ’s Love for us compels us to share that love with others

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

When we learned that God has always loved us and that Jesus died FOR us we were awe struck and overwhelmed and we loved it.

We then became convinced (by the message of Jesus) that Jesus died for everyone.

This has far reaching implications in how we regard people and how we should treat them.

Let the scripture speak

2 Corinthians 5:15 “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Through Jesus death we have been brought to life. See also Romans 6:1-18.

This spiritual resurrection has resulted in a new life with a new dynamic that precludes living for ourselves. No longer are we to motivated by selfishness. I love the way the Holy Spirit, through Paul’s mouth, puts it in Philippians 2:3-5 “3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:”

The scripture wants to speak some more.

2 Corinthians 5:16 “So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

We now look at people differently. They are no longer just objects for our amusement or gratification. They are no longer a means to OUR ends. They are no longer just a mass of beings. They are children of God who have strayed from the family and God desperately wants them back.

As a result we have been given a ministry, a task of service, a work to do. We have received the ministry of reconciliation.

Isn’t this just amazing? God does the miraculous, sacrificial and all-powerful thing of providing for the reconciliation of all humans and then what does He do? He turns it over to you and me. Really?

The scripture still is speaking.

19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”.

What is this ministry of reconciliation? Another item in the church budget? Another programme for the church calendar? No. It is much more than that. It is also a ministry that is given to individual Christians, not a mass of them. More on that later.

God has committed to us the task of spreading the message of reconciliation, the good news of Jesus :19.

He has enlisted us as ambassadors who speak for him. And what do we speak? He has given us the message. We can’t mess with it. It is simpy, “Be reconciled to God”!

It all started in a moment of confrontation between you and love and God. The loved of God prevailed in that conflict and your motivation started to change at that very minute and has resulted in a compulsion deep within your soul to share this message of liberation.

Been A While

It has been a while since I have updated the old blog. Been working a lot with the church and with the fruit company. Slowly getting used to having two jobs and having family so close by. Don't get me wrong. I am loving it.

It is definitely new to me. Having a secular job part time is a great thing. Sure, it takes me away from the church work that I love but it does open my eyes up to the world as it is lived by non preachers. Preachers really need to expose themselves to that regularly. It is so easy to start to look at life through the eyes of one who can study the Bible, pray, minister etc. full time. Most of the members of our churches work 30, 40, 50 hour weeks and we need to be sensitive to their situation.

Both times in my life I have had to work in secular jobs at the same time as working with the church the Lord has guided me to computer jobs. First in Toowoomba with Hunts Computers and the Windows environment in the 80s. Second, now with Apple and the OS X environment. I am so blessed that the secular work I do is something that I am passionate about.

Meeting lots of new people. Lots of young people. I am the old guy at work, though no one treats me like the old guy. Learning lots of new skills and having my mind and heart stretched.

Looking forward to seeing what God has planned for me each day.

A Thought

I was thinking

I pass by

… Selfish thoughts and self-promoting ambitions

I leave behind

… Sin for the pleasure of it

I look for the point of this life

… And it all seems so

Petty

Superficial

… Small

I tried

I thought

I thought some more

… Got a headache. What a joke

… But got a God who spoke

Head started to heal

It’s all about Jesus

Without Him, nothing is real

Really?

… Who would have thought it?

… No one

“And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” Ephesians 1:9, 10, NIV.

Nothing.

… Nothing makes sense.

… The church. This world. My life. Nothing.

They don’t make any sort of sense without Jesus.

… It’s not about me. It’s Jesus.

Who would have thought?

Drill down into the meaning of life

… And you find a first century Jewish preacher

God takes the apparently irrelevant and makes him the central hub of the universe.

It was always His purpose, His plan.

Thinking

Thinking about Jesus

Thinking

Thinking about Jesus

http://georgelittlejourney.blogspot.com

Truths About Baptism

Baptism came to be the overlooked stepchild in the kingdom (apologies to stepchildren out there). For so long it had been the focus of stormy arguments about salvation by grace and not works. Yet, as people have turned to scripture for the teachings of Jesus about baptism the arguments are subsiding and the beauty, majesty and power of baptism is being seen in churches, beaches and rivers all over the kingdom.

Here is my list of some truths that are becoming commonly accepted among Christians as the truths God has revealed to us. The baptism I focus on in this article is the Great Commission baptism of Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 15:15-16. There are other baptisms in the New Testament (fire, suffering, Holy Spirit) but its water baptism common to all believers in the early church that I speak of here.

Baptism in the New Testament was only ever immersion in water. There is NO reputable Greek scholar or theologian who denies that the original word for baptism in the New Testament ALWAYS referred to an immersion. The context supplies what the immersion is in. And for every new believer that immersion was in water.

Baptism is a reenactment of and participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Check out Romans 6:3-5 and Colossians 2:12. Isn’t it just like God to place such awesome symmetry to an apparently ridiculous dunking in water? Our lowering into the water is like Jesus dying and being entombed. Our raising out the water is like Jesus being raised from the dead. The significance doesn’t end there. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the very centre of the power of God to save us.

Baptism is closely associated with the beginning of a believer’s walk with Jesus. In the Book Acts, the Holy Spirit’s record of the history of the early church, the longest time between a person coming to faith and their baptism is 3 days. That was when God forced Paul to wait in blindness after He came to faith in Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-18).

Baptism is closely associated with the most wonderful blessings from God. Here is a quick list. Forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16), getting into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27), salvation (Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21), receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, 5:32), entering the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). As an act of faith, baptism is such a significant part of the beginning of our life in Christ.

Baptism was the common experience of Jesus, His disciples and apostles and all of the early church. When Paul wanted to refer to two experiences in Christ that every Christian is connected to, he quoted the death of Jesus and our baptism in Jesus name (1 Corinthians 1:13). His argument there was that we should be united in Jesus, not preacher loyalties, because Jesus died for us and we were all baptized in the name of Jesus.

Baptism is for adults. Baptism is to always be preceded by faith in Christ. Only adults are capable of such faith. There is no need for the baptism of infants as they are in the kingdom of God by their physical birth and innocence. Dedicate them, name them, praise God for them, but don’t call it baptism. Such is a distortion of the express purpose, point and beauty of baptism.

Baptism is about relationship not ritual. It is not a magical ritual any more than a wedding is. Baptism is an expression of a person’s desire for a close walk with Jesus. Some have called it the believer’s wedding ceremony and I like that analogy even though it is not a biblical one.

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Fallacies About Baptism

No doubt about it. Baptism is an important of the process of the task Jesus has given us as well as an important part of the process of the believer’s walk with Jesus.

It is not the most important part, nor is it the pivotal part but it is an important part. Why? Because Jesus said so. Because Jesus was baptized. Because every new believer in the New Testament was baptized. You know the verses.

In a recent study I was doing on baptism I came upon a few fallacies in my own understanding of baptism of believers in Jesus. Well, for whatever value there might be in it, here they are.

You don’t need to understand everything that is going on when you are baptized for your baptism to be valid. There is no way a person can understand everything (or even most things) about baptism before they are baptized. Paul strongly indicated in Romans 6:3 that the Roman Christians were unaware of the death component of baptism. Yet, that ignorance didn’t invalidate their baptism. I have many brethren who, to this day, do not believe that they literally received the Holy Spirit when they were baptized as is promised in Acts 2:38, 5:32 etc. That ignorance on their part did not invalidate their baptism and did not stop God giving them the Holy Spirit.

From the scripture there is only one thing that a person needs to believe before they are properly baptized; belief in Jesus (Mark 16:15). That faith in Christ needs to motivate them to turn from sin (repent). There is no scripture that would indicate that anything else is needed to precede a person’s immersion in water into Christ nor are these things expected to be done perfectly. Perfect baptism is no more possible than perfect faith or perfect repentance.

If you or I add anything else, we are adding to the scripture. Many say that for a baptism to be valid, a person needs to understand what God is doing when they are being baptized. God has never made our understanding of what He IS DOING a condition of Him fulfilling His promises. He does however say that we need to understand what He HAS DONE in Jesus’ death and resurrection. You can't obey the gospel unless you know it.

It doesn’t matter what words are said over you when you are baptized. Nowhere in scripture is there even the hint that that there is a correct formula of words that is to be said over person being baptized. The phrase “in the name of” in some baptism verses refers to the authority by which a baptism is being performed, not the words that must be pronounced over the person being baptized.

It does not matter who baptizes you. The faith or position of the person baptizing you is never said in scripture to be an issue. In fact, Paul once said he was glad that he hadn’t baptized some (1 Corinthians 1:14-15). He was glad they were baptized (in fact it was central to his argument) but who baptized them was unimportant. If it did matter who baptized you, then no one could be confident of the validity of their baptism. Who can know the heart of another person. In baptism a person is making an appeal to God (1 Peter 3:21). The person doing the baptizing is an irrelevant necessity. The power in baptism comes from God not from a minister, pastor or priest or the church for that matter.

It doesn’t matter whether you are baptized in a baptistery, in a church building or any body of water. The only necessity is that there be enough water to immerse you (John 3:23 is an interesting statement of this truth). That’s what the word, baptism, refers to. An immersion. The water needs to be there in quantity, that’s all. Some in the early church believed that the water had to be moving water and so would only baptize in a river or similar body of moving water. Scripture put no such restrictions. The water is water. Not holy water. The water doesn’t do anything. 1 Peter 3:21 is clear. The physical washing of the water is not the issue. It is what is in the heart of the person being baptized that is the isse.

No one is baptized into the church. They are first baptized into Christ and THEN He adds them to His church, His family. A believer in Jesus is baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27). It is a personal thing between the believer and Jesus. No one in scripture is ever described as being baptized into a local church.

Baptism is not the gospel nor is it part of the gospel. God clearly defines what the gospel is. Start with 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 and follow all the links. It is the same everywhere. The good news of Jesus is His death, burial and resurrection. Baptism is a part of obeying the gospel as is faith and repentance.

Baptism is not a work which entitles you to salvation. I find it particularly strange that the most passive thing (allowing someone else immerse you in water) that we are asked by God to submit to is regarded as a work. There is no work for you and I in baptism. God does the working. The person lowering and raising you do some work. But you don’t. You just enjoy the ride!

Baptism is not the key determining factor of whether a person is going to heaven. What is key? Faith in Jesus. You take that away and you have a bath without soap. With faith in Christ, you have a wonderful marriage of God and one of His children. The scripture again is clear on this. It is what a person teaches about Jesus that is pivotal to their being considered faithful (Galatians 1:6, 1 John 4:2 and all the rest). Baptism is an important part of the process but it is not the key. I may be overstating this but I come from a background where baptism was treated as the pivotal part of the salvation process. More often than not, I asked a person if they were baptized before I enquired if they believed in Jesus.

NOTE: the words associated with baptism are spelled differently on one side of the Pacific to the other. I have let the spell checker spell them with a "z" despite my Australian desire to use the "s".

Next: Truths About Baptism. Coming soon.

http://www.georgelittlejourney.blogspot.com/

Family is Messy

I had just finished preaching out of Ephesians 1 on God’s Purpose and was driving home to my sick wife. The clear statement of God that I had just preached is that His purpose has always been to adopt everyone who wanted it, into His family (Ephesians 1:5). With the message I just preached ringing in my ears (literally because of bad case of sinus and some pharmaceutical aids) a new thought occurred to me.

God knows what He is doing. He acts with all “wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:7). He knew that adopting me (and you too) into his family was going to be a messy affair. He knew it before the creation of the world. Yet He still chose to adopt (not foster) every messy up, crazy, dysfunctional child of His who wanted to, into His family. He knew it was going to be messy and yet He still did it.

It then dawned on me that if God deliberately launches Himself into a messy family, then I should not be surprised if my own family (that I was born into) is messy. If you and I are honest (yes, sometimes we aren’t), we have to admit that some of the biggest messes, hurts, abuses that we have suffered have been within our family.

If someone in your family hasn’t ticked you off then you need to get ready because one day they are going to. I’m not being negative or fatalistic, just realistic. The idea of the perfect family was an invention of idealistic social engineers (generic term those that sell us all such false ideas). I have never met, seen or even heard of the perfect (or even close to perfect) family. Even God’s family is not perfect. In fact the only way you can get into His family is by admitting your imperfection.

Parents mess up. Children mess up. Cousins, in-laws, aunties and uncles mess up. It is one of the defining human experiences. Stop yearning for the perfect family. The animal doesn’t exist.

The only way we can survive and prosper in these messy families we find ourselves in is through forgiveness. That’s how God lives with us. We have got to stop holding grudges and keeping lists of offences. It’s not easy. We know that, but it is vital to a healthy family.

You have to come to grips with a life changing truth; your family is family forever. No matter what you do or what they do, they are always your family until the day you die. You may move and lose contact with neighbors. You may shift jobs and no longer even think of that person you worked alongside for months. BUT YOU WILL NEVER STOP BEING FAMILY TO YOUR FAMILY. At the point you breathe your last breath you will be someone’s child, someone’s parent, someone’s cousin, nephew, niece etc.

What’s the point? Learn to live with them. They aren’t going away. Learn to forgive. Learn to ask for forgiveness.

And then it occurred to me; is God trying to teach me something by creating me in the context of a life long family? Hmmmm. This is getting tough.

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