Extending the Invitation
Notes
Transcript
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Introduction
Introduction
The Bible covers so much history in so few words that we sometimes miss the humanity and the process. Take for example Matthew 4.
As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Thank you Matthew, the succinct. You have captured the facts of the situation. Jesus walked along the shore of Galilee, saw Simon and Andrew, and said, “follow me.”
But if that was all there was to the story, would that have really worked? Wouldn’t they need more information, like what is your name, where are you from, where are you going, and why do you want us to follow you?
Matthew’s account of Jesus’ story has its purpose, but it will not answer any of these questions. That means we’re going to have to draw in the other gospels to fill in the details of this story.
To really grasp what’s going on, we need to back up to the baptism of Jesus, a little more than month before this story in Matthew 4.
Look back to Matthew 3 verse 13:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?” Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized.
After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven: “This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!”
After His baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where he prayed and sought the Father’s direction and then won a great victory over Satan.
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All the while Jesus was in the wilderness, the people were enthralled with John’s preaching. Which made the religious leaders unhappy with how much attention he was getting. They came to question him and asked him, “who are you?” he told them, “I am not the Messiah. or Elijah, or the prophet.” He said, “I am a voice crying out: prepare the way for the Lord…”
That phrase came from Isaiah, and it was about the Messiah. He was claiming that his job was to make a path in people’s hearts for the Messiah.
The very next day John was preaching and baptizing again at the Jordan near Bethany and Jesus came walking toward him. John looked around at the people who were with him and said,
…“Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’ I didn’t know Him, but I came baptizing with water so He might be revealed to Israel.”
And John testified, “I watched the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him. I didn’t know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God!”
John’s close followers included a couple young men named Andrew, the brother of Peter, and young John, the author of this gospel. They heard John the baptist talk about Jesus and calling Him the Son of God, and they saw him come near where John was preaching and then leave. I’m sure they were curious, but they had developed a relationship with John, so they stayed with him.
The next day these two disciples were standing with John the baptist when he saw Jesus walking by again and he said to Andrew and John, “Look! The Lamb of God!”
They didn’t fully understand what John meant by the Lamb of God, but they were interested to know this guy John kept introducing them to. They were eager and curious and teachable. Partly because of John’s nudging and partly because they felt the moving of the Holy Spirit they started to follow behind Jesus at a distance.
They were eager, but nervous. What if this really was the Messiah? What do you say to the Messiah? How do you introduce yourself? Wouldn’t it be too forward to come up to him and say something?
Jesus knew they were following and so he turned around and asked them,
…“What are you looking for?”
They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are You staying?”
This question is so innocent and sincere. They want to spend time with Jesus in private and talk to him about all the eager questions they had in their hearts. Instead of asking if he would come with them—that would be too much like they were in control of the situation—they instead asked if they could come with him.
“Come and you’ll see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. It was about 10 in the morning.
Only someone who was there at the time could give details like “it was about 10 in the morning.” That’s one reason we know it was John, the author of this gospel.
At some point in the day Andrew ran around to find his brother, Simon, and brought him to Jesus. So there was now three of these young men hanging out with Jesus.
“Come and see…”
It’s a simple invitation. It’s not evangelistic. It’s not theological. It’s relational.
“Come with me… Come and see…”
Mission
Mission
The last few weeks we’ve been reviewing our new mission statement. Let’s read it together:
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We exist to be disciples of Jesus who develop new relationships, share Christ’s love, and celebrate transformed lives.
Now, look back at the experience of these young men.
Their hearts were stirred by the Holy Spirit and so they were listening to the preaching of a man called John the Baptist. He said things no one else was willing to say. He called people out of a religiosity that made no impact on the heart or soul of person, and called into repentance and renewal. It thrilled their hearts to hear him speak. They were convicted. But he was only preparing them for someone else. John couldn’t give them what they needed. Repentance prepared their hearts, but John couldn’t fulfill them or transform them.
They needed Jesus.
Our mission statement recognizes this unique position that we are in. Like John our purpose is to prepare the way for the Lord. It is the Lord Jesus who can change hearts and transform lives. He’s the one we want people to meet. We say that we’re going to celebrate transformed lives because we know Jesus will transform them if they get to know Him. But more often than not, a person’s first introduction to Jesus is going to be through one of His disciples—through one of us. That’s why we say that we exist to BE disciples of Jesus who develop new relationships, and share Christ’s love… Our very lives stand in the world as a testimony to the Savior who has given us real life. As we work with diligence, speak with grace and humility, and act with integrity and love, we draw people to us, and ultimately introduce them to the One who can transform their life. And that’s when we get to celebrate.
You might not think of yourself as a John the Baptist. But maybe you can be an Andrew who ran to get Peter. Maybe you’re thinking: I’m not a leader—I’m a kid, or I’m an introvert or I don’t know enough. I want you to consider this statement and take it to heart:
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All who follow Jesus will lead others.
Leading others is a natural thing that happens. When we follow Jesus, we will always end up leading others to follow Him too. You don’t need to be a leader to lead others to Jesus. You don’t need to be an adult. You don’t need to have theology figured out. you don’t need to have a position in the church.
God calls you to be witnesses for Jesus in your family, in your work, and in your personal life. And being a witness is all it takes to lead others to Jesus.
The temptation is to think that means you need to always be giving a Bible study or talking about Jesus—or preaching from the river bank if you’re John the Baptist. In fact, Christ’s Method is almost the opposite of that mindset. It is in the everyday living of your life that makes it possible for you to introduce others to Jesus. Who we are in our everyday life is the witness that God needs.
John the Baptist may have spent time with those young men before Jesus ever got baptized. And then it was another month before Jesus came back and John said, “look, there’s that guy I told you I saw the Spirit descend on. He’s the Son of God.” And then another day went by before John nudged them, and said, “why don’t you go talk to him?”
Even with John’s encouragement they seemed hesitant. Uncertain. Nervous. You get the idea that they wouldn’t have left John to follow Jesus without John introducing Him to them and pushing them His direction.
The story of Andrew and young John meeting Jesus is the story of every heart moved by the Spirit.
It’s the story of the young person who grew up in a Christian home and heard their parents talk about Jesus and went to Sabbath School and sang songs about Jesus. One day they have to decide for themselves if they’ll go up to Jesus themselves and ask, “where are you staying?” The parents can’t make that decision for them. They can only point Him out and say, “there He is! that’s the Lamb of God.”
It’s the story of the elderly lady who has spent her whole life chasing after approval and beauty and comfort and love, only to find her face wrinkled, her friends passing away, and her attempts at love a disappointment. Yet she has a friend who is steady, and maybe a little persistent, and always forgiving and kind, who points her to Jesus and says, “come meet the One who fills my life with love and healing and purpose.” Her friend can’t force her to step up to Jesus, but they can show her what Jesus has meant in their life.
It’s the story of the young adult, shrouded in anxiety and uncertainty. They see the hypocrisy of religiosity, much like Andrew and young John had seen before they met John the Baptist. They seem to see things that the older folks miss: the inhumanity of the immigration system. The monopolistic greed of the health-care system. The injustice of the so-called justice system. The hubris and immorality of politicians. It all makes them skeptical and doubting and uncertain about their future.
When they get to know someone who has hope in the face of all these anxieties—someone who lives an honest life of fidelity and faith and love—that’s when the Spirit can tug at their hearts and awaken a desire for something more than their hearts have yet imagined. That’s when they start to see through the fog and their hearts are ready to be introduced to Jesus.
Jesus is Hope for the anxious.
Healing for the hurt.
Restoration for the broken.
Joy for the sorrowful.
Peace for the war-torn.
But most people need a John the Baptist or an Andrew to point Him out. Someone who isn’t like the religious leaders who push religious services as solutions to their everyday problems. John the Baptist pushed past the political controversies of his day and cut through the fog of religious philosophy and hubris to touch the longings of people’s heart. His no-nonsense honesty and plain-spoken truths were refreshing for people who had been hearing platitudes and politically motivated, religious speeches.
People don’t need sales pitches or debates about what is true. They need a real person who isn’t afraid to be authentic and honest and real. They need a friend who will do life with them.
Here’s what our Mission statement points us to:
We are God’s witnesses to prepare the way for Jesus in the hearts of the people around us.
CMA
CMA
Have you ever heard the lyrics in the song by Gordon Jensen, You’re the Only Jesus? It goes like this:
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you're the only Jesus
Some will ever see
And you're the only Words of Life
Some will ever read
So let them see in you the One in whom
Is all they'll ever need
Some will never get to know Jesus unless they see Him in you. You’re the first introduction. The one who stands beside them in the moments of their life and points out Jesus when He walks by. You’re the one who says, “this is the Messiah! The one who will answer every longing in your soul.”
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In the last several weeks we’ve been talking about applying Christ’s Method Alone in our lives. I really want this to become the culture of our everyday lives and the culture of our church organization.
It starts with mingling with people where they are—in their homes, in businesses, in schools, in shops, and at play. And not just mingling, but having love as the center of our living—to mingle as one who desires good for other people.
And as we get to know people, Christ’s method includes genuine sympathy. Listening to understand. Not to prove a point or come back with an argument against their idea that you disagree with. But listening to understand the burdens and needs of their life and the heart-thirst of their soul.
What good is it if you hear someone’s need but then send them on their way without helping them? And so Christ’s method asks us to minister to the needs we find. When we see someone hungry, to feed them. When they are in prison, to visit them. When they are cold, to clothe them. And when they are orphaned to give them a home. Some needs are as simple as providing a dish when someone gets sick and their family needs a meal. Others take more time and ask more of us.
God will only ask from you what He has provided you.
Christ’s Method has a logical result to it—people start to trust you. You gain their confidence.
People walk next to you as you go about the daily business of living. They’re listening, and trusting you. And that’s when you can point to Jesus and say, “there He is! He’s the one I’ve been telling you about!”
Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Savior mingled with people as one who desired their good. He showed sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He invited them, “Follow Me.” (Ministry of Healing p 143)
A History of Evangelism
A History of Evangelism
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Come back in time with me and consider the idea of Evangelism in the Adventist church.
The Seventh-day Adventist church grew up in a time with no TV or Radio or sports stadiums. When people wanted to be entertained they went to see a political speech or came to a religious gathering where there was often good food, moving music, and …nice girls.
Many political debates charged large entrance fee that would compare to getting a seat at the FIFA world cup coming to the United States later this year. People paid for entertainment then just like they do today.
And churches would take advantage of this desire for good, wholesome amusement. Pastors would debate theology or evolution. Churches would host revival meetings.
Through the 1800’s the Adventist Church put on tent revival meetings all accross the country. Some of those camp meetings would draw people for hundreds of miles around to hear eloquent speakers talk about the fundamentals of their faith. They were convincing and many people became Seventh-day Adventists during that time. The Adventist church membership multiplied by 53 times in the first 50 years of existence. People loved that method of evangelism.
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By the early 1900’s the tent revival and evangelistic meeting had become part of Adventist DNA. We were all-in on tent meetings. We’d buy a plot of land in a city. we wanted to reach. Bring a large tent and chairs from the conference office. Hire Bible workers who would go door to door inviting people to the meeting and visit with them after meetings, and then hold meetings daily for months. The average was something like three months of meetings, and often more than that. By the end they would have baptized dozens or even hundreds of people and they’d start a new church in that city.
While this method seemed to be working well, Ellen White had some cautions.
Talking to ministers and evangelists in her day, Ellen White said this:
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“There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled.
We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit. ” Ministry of Healing, p 143
This quote is taken from the same page as the Christ’s Method Alone quote. Ellen is saying that if you have to choose between preaching and personal work, the personal work—making friends, listening with compassion, ministering to their needs—that’s the work you MUST choose. It’s is Christ’s method alone that brings results. Not preaching by itself.
She’s not saying we shouldn’t preach. What she is saying is that if you have to choose between going from house to house, visiting with and caring for people, or setting up a tent to preach to whoever will come… Choose the personal work.
Evangeliving
Evangeliving
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I’ve been involved in public evangelistic meetings my whole life. When I was 15 I sang at a public meeting held in a dark county in Kentucky. (A Dark County is a county that doesn’t have an Adventist church in it). The meeting was held in the public school auditorium. I don’t know how many were baptized after that meeting, but there was a handful of people who were curious what we had to say and stayed through most of the meetings.
Fifty years ago the math worked like this:
Send out flyers to everyone in the county.
Host the meeting in a neutral location without expressing which church you’re from. That was key in the south because the Baptist ministers would get really heated as soon as they realized it was an Adventist evangelist and they’d counsel and threaten their members not to go to the meetings. So, you keep things on the low down until you’ve presented the Bible truth and people are able to see it without bias or prejudice.
And after 25 or 30 meetings — a full gospel presentation — you ask people to make a committment. Not to wait. No, waiting will only get them back in their home church where their baptist or pentecostal pastor will weave lies about Adventists and disuade their members from following what they know to be true from God’s Word.
And if you sent flyers to 10,000 homes you’d probably get 100 people to attend and 10 to make a decision for baptism.
That was the math 50 years ago.
The rest of that story is that people came in to the church under a deep sense of conviction about doctrine and truth, but without deep relationships. Sometimes people felt like it was a sales pitch. And it was always really flamboyant with the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation being front and center. When people were baptized and became members of the church they had to figure out new relationships. Especially in the south, old friends would push you away and ridicule you. And they had to move from a conviction of truth about end-time events, to an abiding relationship with their Savior, Jesus. It was sometimes a rough transition. And the statistics a year after baptism weren’t always good. Roughly 40% of those who were baptized had left the church within a year or two of being baptized.
By the way, this guy on the screen, John Bradshaw, is the director of It Is Written. If you have a chance to watch him, he’s a very Christ-centered speaker. I got to know him about 3 months after his wedding when he was preaching his 2nd evangelistic meeting in my church. He has always done a really good job of connecting with people and introducing them to Jesus. We need modern-day John the Baptists, and John Bradshaw is definitely one of them.
I remember one family of four that joined our church in Kentucky. They were from a Pentecostal background. When they joined our church they were in culture shock for several months. My family tried to make friends with them, but it was more of the same—Bible study about how to keep the Sabbath or digging deeper into doctrines, not really friend things. That’s not to disparage my parents. They were doing the right thing, but I don’t think they understood the importance of social connection. As a church we have always been so eager to share the doctrinal truths we know from the Bible. We start with doctrine and never move to relationship.
A year after they were baptized, that family was completely out of church. They had learned too much about the Bible to go back to their old church, and they didn’t really care to be in their new one. And, in reality, they left Christianity all together.
Somehow, through the years, our church went from personal invitations and deep relationship building with bible workers going door to door and evangelists doing personal visits with people for months, to the post office delivering advertisements for a meeting. When the Post Office is the primary evangelism arm of the church, there’s a real problem.
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I’m telling you this history because later this year we’re planning on having an evangelistic meeting with a focus on knowing Bible truth and following Jesus. And I don’t want us to repeat the mistakes of the past.
John the Baptist shows us that preaching truth in an honest, authentic and winning way is really important. It’s one of the things that helps prepare a heart to meet Jesus. But doctrine isn’t the point. Jesus is. And agreeing to truth isn’t the point. Becoming a child of God, in the family of God is the point.
Let me explain how I’d like to do things:
A church that is following Christ’s Method will always be making new friends. It’s the hallmark of a healthy Christian community. People want to be with them. Healthy Christians are attractive people. They’re real and honest and kind and generous and helpful. It’s hard to not like a real Christian.
So, we make friends. We invite people into our lives. We text them and invite them to go out to eat with us. We plan a game night and invite them to join. We help them fix their car or can peaches or paint their living room. We invite them to come to a social activity at church. Over and over again we say, “come with me… come and see…”
In our living we reflect Jesus. and when the time is right we introduce people to Jesus:
Look, this is the Jesus that gave my life meaning.
This is the Jesus that saved my marriage.
This is the Jesus who brought me comfort after my loved one died.
This is the Jesus who taught me how to be generous.
This is the Jesus who calmed my anger and showed me peace.
This is the Jesus that turned my hatred into love.
This is the Jesus who satisfies the longings of my soul.
Maybe that introduction happens when you’re having a heart to heart over hot chocolate…
Maybe that introduction happens when they come to a small group your part of—that knitting group, or a book club or a basketball group or a Bible study.
Maybe that introduction happens when you invite them to come to church.
They’re your friend.
Then they’re Jesus’ friend.
And friends of Jesus have a habit of becoming our relatives because they become born again into the family of God.
It might take weeks or months or years, but when the Holy Spirit touches someone’s life, He’ll show when its the right time to say, “come meet Jesus.”
I’ve found through the last 30 years of my involvement in ministry that loving relationship is the foundation of evangelism, but often people need a preacher like John by the Jordan River. Or John Bradshaw. They need someone to lay out the details of doctrine and answer the questions about the future of our world and how to follow Jesus.
I want this church to be a Christ’s Method Alone church, which means that we need to regularly provide opportunities for people to learn what it means to follow Jesus. And so, every year, we’re going to provide a John the Baptist experience—a public proclamation of the full gospel. Some years it will be a small group experience in a classroom setting. Other years it will be a big revival-style event with a speaker and childcare and food—the whole 9 yards! This year it’s going to be the big event. It’s not going to be a long event though. In today’s world, people aren’t going to keep coming day after day for 3 months.
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We’re going to start with my friend Taj Pacleb who will present “Revelation of Hope” from September 26 - October 3rd. Taj is an amazing guy and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy him. Check out his channel on youtube for some encouraging videos and a taste of what he’s like. I know Taj from when he was in Bible college back in 2004 and his wife happens to be good friends of my wife. We know them and love them and we’re sure you will too.
After a week Taj is going to leave, and we’re going to transition to a weekend small group setting. All those who want to dig into the Bible and study to know Jesus better can come Friday nights and Sabbath morning for Sabbath School and Sabbath afternoon for a Bible study. Anyone who wants to go deeper with jesus or wants to prepare for Baptism can join us for those weekend seminars this fall.
After a few weeks we will have covered all the big concepts in the Bible and had some great time answering questions and getting to know people better, and sometime towards the end of that study series—maybe multiple times—we’ll have a baptism and celebrate the transformation Jesus is doing in the lives of our friends.
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And maybe that’s the whole point of why I’m telling you this. The preaching of God’s Word is essential to draw a person’s hear to repentance where they can be ready to receive Jesus. But Christ shows us that people are only willing to hear the preaching if they know the people. Relationship is the foundation of evangelism.
Some people have coined the termed, Evangeliving, because it’s not about an event, it’s about doing life with people.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Go back to that story in John chapter 1. Jesus spent the day with Andrew and John and Simon, who he nicknamed Cephas, which means “stone.” Then the next day he took the three and they found Philip and Nathaniel who had been spending time with John the Baptist too. The five of them spent that day together. Then, the third day they were together Jesus took this bunch of guys to a wedding party.
Hearing authentic, Biblical truth from John the Baptist isn’t the end of the story. Even Jesus’ “Come follow me!” invitation isn’t the end of the story. It’s really just the beginning.
Jesus brought these men together and a bunch more, plus several ladies and it always seemed like there was a bunch of kids too, and they journeyed together and learned from him and ate with him and went to parties with him and did life with him.
That’s what we need to do with each other. We need to enjoy life together. And bring our friends and co-workers into the best life ever. A life with hope, joy, and peace. A life with meaning and purpose. A life in Jesus’ family.
This isn’t about promoting a church. This isn’t about a sales pitch. It’s about introducing people to Jesus and learning together to follow Him all the way.
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Will you stand with me and sing our theme song, The Jesus Way?
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