How NOT To Be a Witless Witness

How NOT To Be a Witless Witness Philippians   2:14-15 September 19, 1999 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory In the movie "Outbreak" tension mounts early in the story as experts working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control discover an outbreak of the Ebola virus, a deadly, incurable and extremely contagious infection.  As they feverishly work to decide quarantine procedures to try to stop the rapid spread of the disease, a computer image of the North American continent is shown on the wall, showing the potential spread of the virus.  Very quickly, and in rapid succession, lights flash at every center of dense population, indicating where the airborne virus will trigger another lethal epidemic. As a viewer, your heart is in your throat as you are led to consider how quickly such a virus could spread.  Part of the terror comes to the moviegoer because, somewhere in the recesses, you say to yourself, "This could really happen!"  It didn't help a bit when, just weeks after the film was released, another very real outbreak of Ebola was reported in the Congo. The Bible pictures another OUTBREAK--a very real one, poised somewhere between "possible" and "imminent".  In fact, many in the St. Louis metro-east area are already "carriers".  This condition immediately affects the mind and the heart so rapidly that some who've caught it have actually experienced an entire change of the lives, their behavior and their future, even moments after coming into contact with a communicative carrier. But this virus is a friendly one--it brings life, not death, peace instead of fear,   joy instead of worry.  The virus?  It is the gospel, the "good news" of Jesus Christ.  Those who catch it, that is, those who actually become infected with it by trusting its message, experience wholeness and fulfillment.  It is so volatile it can spread like a wildfire, especially since those already infected are anxious to see it spread.   It is most communicable along lines of family and friends.  It is so pandemic that many fear it without understanding it. But some infected groups are moving aggressively to spread their contagion. They meet together regularly and pray for a major outbreak, believing it could really happen.   They spend time, energy and resources to see the virus spread, and they constantly encourage and stir one another up to be even more contagious.  Their symptoms are found in the medical journal we call the New Testament -- love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-discipline, faith, changed lives, cleaner speech, good works.  With these symptoms, the patients actually attract others to themselves where they run a high risk of being infected. In some areas the spread of the gospel virus has reached such epidemic proportions that thousands become infected in one day.  In other areas, though, it appears the carriers are much less dangerous.  These carriers remain voluntarily quarantined within the confines of churches.  There they discuss the latest research information about the disease, the excitement of their love-joy-peace symptoms, and their hope that someday everyone might be infected as they are.  But many of these groups are not very volatile, because their contact with those around them is minimal and ineffective, and, frankly, their symptoms are not that well demonstrated. The desire of our God is that a viral infection of the gospel would spread across our world, our continent and the St. Louis area.   We who are contaminated are called to be contagious.  The Great Commission Jesus left with His church says, "Go and make disciples (new patients) of all groups of people..."  (Matthew 28:18-19)  Among Jesus' very last earthly words to the disciples: "You will be my witnesses..."  (Acts 1:8)  Paul exhorted the church, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders--make the most of every opportunity..." (Col 4:5)   and "your daily life should win the respect of outsiders..." (1 Thessalonians 4:12)  Peter wrote, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God..." The Bible's testimony is loud and unanimous:  you are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, witnesses, ambassadors for Christ, reconcilers,  and YOU ARE CALLED TO BE CONTAGIOUS. Our brief study through Philippians has led us to a couple of verses in chapter 2 this week that I believe are important for us and providentially timely. I want us to park at verses 14-15 for a while and spend some valuable time on the subject of how we can be witnesses for Christ, but do so in a proper and effective way.   We want to be winsome witnesses and not witless witnesses. How many of you would agree with me this morning that it is unequivocally the will of God that we, as part of the church of Jesus Christ, do all we can to clearly and effectively saturate the St. Louis metro-east area with the Good News that anyone can become friends with God through Jesus Christ, find emotional and spiritual wholeness in Jesus Christ, and find life-giving purpose in serving Jesus Christ? How can we do that effectively?  How can we do the best possible job for our Lord and Savior?  Part of the answer to that question comes from our text this morning.   The previous section of Philippians two has urged on the believer the need to commit himself to humble service to one another after the example of Jesus.  We were reminded that all that we can accomplish is done through the leading and power of God in our lives by his Spirit, "for it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to his good purpose..." (2:13).   Now, Paul adds another command in verse 14 and the result of following the kind of lifestyle he has been urging on the believers in Philippi and St. Louis in verses 15 and 16. Do everything without complaining or arguing, SO THAT you may become BLAMELESS AND PURE, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life... Let's start a short explanation of this brief text with the words "pure and blameless".  This is a picture of the Church as Christ wills her to be. According to Ephesians 5:27, the Lord wants to present His bride, the church, to Himself as a "radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."  Now read this text carefully and see how Paul says we get there.  Here's how--he simply says, Do everything without complaining or arguing!   Isn't that amazing?!  Paul says, if you will just avoid griping and complaining, you will become pure and blameless!  Can it be that simple?  That's what he says!  If you'll just do what you know to do as a humble servant of the Lord Jesus, and do it without complaining and arguing, then you will become pure and blameless, and you will be "children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation." What exactly do these words mean?  The first word is the word translated as "blameless" and it is the Greek word AMEMPTOS, and it is the word that was used in first century Rome to refer to someone who was above the criticism of anyone.  In the cop shows, when a suspect has been grilled by the detectives, and his alibi holds, they have no reason to charge the person. they often use the phrase, "he's clean."  That is precisely what Paul was getting at here.  He is saying that God wants us to carry ourselves in such a way in the crooked world around us that no one can point a finger of blame or accusation at us and have anyone believe them.  In verse 16 Paul uses another word very similar to this one, AMOMA, translated as faultless.   It is the word used to describe the condition of animals which were to be sacrificed to God in the Old Covenant - they had to be the best, blemishless. I think of Billy Graham as a good example of some one who has stood forth for Christ for three generations and has maintained a blameless reputation. And it's not that people have not wanted to bring him down--plenty have--but they could find no dirt.  He has been 'blameless',  AMEMPTOS, not perfect, mind you, but in the eyes of those around him, beyond criticism.  We ought to so live that even our enemies, in their honest moments, would admit, "I honestly have nothing against that person--that is a good person." The second word, AKERAIOS, has to do with a person being "genuine".  The word was used to describe pure wine, wine that was unmixed or metal that was unalloyed.   When this term was applied to people it meant they were of solid character, they were "real", "sincere", reliable.  There is an unsettling dearth of AKERAIOS-type people in the world, 'you know it?  You just don't find many sincere and reliable people.  But, it is God's will that in the church you will find them! Please understand that Paul is writing to Christians.  He is not writing to just anyone and saying, "Hey, if you want to get on God's good side, just act like this, and you'll get to go to heaven!"   No, there isn't anyone who can, in and of himself, behave in these ways.  The Bible clearly says that it is when we come into Christ by trusting Him, and then only, that we begin the process of truly cleaning up our lives.  It is not a whitewash, it is a genuine work of God, which He does by changing us on the inside.  He takes our old, sinful nature and re-creates it according to His image.  He gives us a new heart--a heart that doesn't rebel against God like our old nature did, but one that desires to serve and obey Him. This is called SALVATION.  Then, the process of that working out into our lives and behaviors is called SANCTIFICATION.  It is growing into the character and likeness of Jesus, so that we look like the character of God to those around us.  Now, since there are so few such people around, Christians are going to stand out in bold relief.   All around us, Paul says, is a "crooked and depraved generation" (not a literal generation, but an "age").  I don't guess that I have to illustrate to you that we are living in a crooked and depraved generation, do I?  One look through the daily news or the TV Guide will convince even a skeptic. And this is just what the Holy Spirit is saying--you are going to stand out like a bright shining star if you live for the Lord in such a world.  He adds this phrase in verse 16, "as you hold out the word of life".  This clarifies what exactly is meant.  Paul is talking about evangelism here--witnessing the gospel to those around us by our actions and through the sharing of the word of the Word of Life--the gospel. Before I close with some practical application of what that means to us here at MECF, I want to go back and nail down an important point I touched on earlier.  There is a "causal connection" here that we must not miss.  In verses 15b and 16 we see the ultimate purpose of God through us--that we should shine like stars in our dark world, witnessing to God's good work through Christ.  In 15a he says that comes about when we pay careful attention to our "sanctification", or becoming blameless and pure, children of God without fault.  See, on our way to becoming shining stars, we must become blameless and pure and faultless in our character and witness.  Now, follow me back to verse 14 where, I remind you, Paul explains how we get to blamelessness and purity and faultlessness.  That's right--by doing our Christian service WITHOUT COMPLAINING OR ARGUING. One of my most indelible memories is an early episode of the Little Rascals where one of the characters is seated at the table with his family and he complains that he doesn't like the vegetables on his plate.  His father finally says to the belly-acher, "You'll eat it and you'll like it!"  And then, in one last act of defiance, as he puts the putrid food on his fork and starts to eat it, he says in a mousy voice, "Alright, I'll eat it, but I'm not going to like it!" Might this describe you and me in our everyday obedience to the Lord?  Not exactly utter rebellion, but at best a resigned obedience accompanied by a complaint?  What is clear here in Philippians is that Paul was addressing a problem of "murmuring" in the church.  The Christians, at least some of them, were mumbling and grumbling behind the scenes, all the while perfunctorily carrying out their responsibilities.   Tell me, when there is complaining and arguing behind the scenes, who is being complained about usually?  That's right--the church leaders. I'm not going to say that sometimes church leaders are not complaint-worthy, nor am I going to complain about being complained about (?!), because, you see, it is perfectly natural for people who are not happy to gripe about the leadership.  Let me share with you that nine times out of ten, it is because the individuals are not happy with themselves and their own relationship with God.  But it just doesn't feel right for a person to gripe about God, so they take a pot shot at the most public representative of God that they know, an elder or pastor or some equivalent.  It's easy to stir up a little company when griping about leaders, because it's not hard to find someone who's been disappointed by the preacher at one time or another.  And you know it's not healthy, because if the motives were right in the complainer, the complainer would bring it straight to the leader in order to get it worked out.  But ungodly behavior follows the path of least resistance and remains hidden away among others who unfortunately will listen and not confront the complaining and arguing for the sin it is. I'm saying all this because it is easy to fall into this behavior.  our enemy, the Accuser of the Brethren, the Devil, has set it all up this way.  Why? Because he knows he can destroy you by getting you involved in murmuring and griping and he knows your blamelessness and purity and faultlessness topples when you engage in complaining and arguing, and finally, he knows your witness is snuffed out when you behave like that.   The shining star becomes a black hole.  Now you tell me why the devil has made it so attractive to talk about leaders behind their backs?! A quick rehearsal of the biblical way to beat the devil at this game. 1. When you find yourself tempted to complain and argue, bite your tongue NOW, recognize it as something the devil would love for you to fall into, repent NOW and move into more healthy behavior.  If the urge to complain stays with you and feels legitimate, seek out the person who can help you with the issue (usually the one you are wanting to complain about) and go talk to him in love. 2. When you find yourself in the company of someone so engaged in complaining and arguing, BEGIN IMMEDIATELY to pray for them in the spirit, and waste no time in changing the direction of the conversation. Challenge the brother or sister in the Lord to take care of their issues in a healthy, biblical way, by going to see the person with whom they have an offense.  And don't take "no" for an answer. Why is this so urgent?  Because the flow of Paul's logic in this text says that our witness as shining stars in this dark world is contingent upon our being blameless and pure and faultless; and our being blameless and pure and faultless is contingent on our doing everything without complaining or arguing! Bottom line--your first and best step in becoming a good witness to those around you is:  STOP GRIPING AND ARGUING! Now, I would like to launch into a practical challenge to our church. Knowing that it is the will of God that we reach as many people as we can around us with the gospel; and knowing it is His will that we do so as effectively as we possibly can; and knowing further that it is our human nature to NOT share our witness with those around us and to wrongfully make excuses about not doing it; WE MUST BE DELIBERATE AND INTENTIONAL ABOUT THIS CALLING. Let me be very direct.  We have not been very obedient to this calling; we have not been very effective; and we have followed the course of least resistance, for the most part, wrongfully excusing ourselves for not being the witnesses to those around us that Christ has called us to be.  It's time to fix that.  I want to spend the next couple of weeks outlining a plan for all of us to do a better job of reaching out to lost people. Here is the plan in general: 1. We repent as a church for not being committed to our calling. 2. We exhort and encourage one another to more effective effort at saturating the metro-east area with the good news. 3. We commit ourselves to more faithfully reach out to those around us with our witness for Jesus. In a moment, I'm going to ask us as a church family to enter into prayer--a two-fold prayer:  a prayer of repentance and a prayer of concern for those who are lost in the metro-east area, specifically those in our own individual spheres of relationship. But first, I would like to stress one more point that I find in this text. That is, that this whole effort of shining like stars in the universe is a positive thing, and not a negative one.  Paul deals with the negatives--the complaining and arguing that murders the kind of holy life which does eventuate in a "shining star" kind of witness.  But, we get the impression that being a "shining star" witness is a positive calling, even a victorious one.  I believe we need to understand the truth that God is counting on us to impact our society and our friends for Christ.  That's why were are here.  Did you know that if everyone in this fellowship committed himself/herself to influencing one other person for the sake of the gospel, and,  in the next three months we saw that person come to Christ; and then the same thing happened among us and the new converts (and make no mistake about it, new believers are very effective at reaching their friends for Christ) in the next three months; and then the same thing happened two more times, that BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR THERE WOULD BE 2,000 MORE CHRISTIANS IN THE METRO-EAST THAN THERE ARE TODAY?  Did you realize that, if that same thing happened for one more year, there could be 32,000 MORE BELIEVERS IN THE CHURCHES OF THE METRO-EAST BY OCTOBER, 2001? Now, you know me well enough to know it's not a numbers thing.  It's a kingdom thing!   Everyone one of those people who are potentially brought into a saving relationship with Jesus is another soul that will not spend eternity separated from God in a place the Bible calls hell and which Jesus could only describe in terms of an unquenchable fire where the worm does not die, eternal torment, the second and final death, and the lake of fire?  Most of those who would decide for Jesus would become witnesses to others, sponsors of new believers, cell leaders, church leaders, and anyone of those persons who comes to Christ might be another Billy Graham whom the Lord could use to reach multiple hundreds of thousands in the next couple years? Don't tell me it can't be done!  This is God's program, not ours.  Don't be ridiculous--if that many people come to Christ, what would we do with them? We would do exactly what the Great Commission says to do with them--baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and keep on teaching them everything the Lord has commanded, until He comes again!  Where would they go to church?  Watch it!   They would join a thousand cell groups meeting in thousands of neighborhoods around the metro-east!                 [Back to Top]