MORE THOUGHTS ON MISSION MODEL: BUILDING BRIDGES

MORE THOUGHTS ON MISSION MODEL: BUILDING BRIDGES 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 July 22, 2007 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction In 1876 a small gathering convened in St. Louis to discuss the need and practicality of erecting a bridge across the Mississippi River to enable travel and trade whenever the river experienced its winter freeze. Special interest groups saw to it that the bridge requirements would include no less than 500 foot spans and no higher than 50 feet over the city—a concept so impracticable everyone thought it impossible. Except for James Buchanan Eads. He was a man with no engineering degree; he had never built a bridge before; he was, in fact, a river boat captain in charge of an underwater salvage company. But he knew the Mississippi River. In fact, he was probably the only man alive at the time who knew that a bridge over this river with its strong current at the narrow St. Louis crossing would require the pylons to be dug over 100 feet deep through 30 yards of gravel and sand in order to reach the bed rock. Unbelievably, the outspoken, self-confident Eads got the nod and set out with a projected budget of 3/4 million dollars to construct what became a landmark steel-arched cantilevered bridge. While it was being built Eads’ critics were loud and numberless. They joked it would cost $7 million and take him 7 million years. When he was finished and opened in 1874 James Eads was everyone’s hero, having accomplished what no one thought could be done. It is reported that Eads did not hear one word of thanks from anyone until the day the bridge opened. I’m sure that, today—135 years later, all of you have ridden across its rail deck on the Metro Link or walked on its main deck during some downtown festival. Bridge-building in the Purposes of God God built a bridge. To reach the doomed and desperate humanity that He loved, He made the ultimate sacrifice of His Son to span the barrier of sin that separated God and man. And to this day, it is unthinkable to mankind that God would go to such lengths to show His love for us. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) Let’s turn to 2 Corinthians 5 for a personal, written explanation from God concerning what He did to allow us access to His presence, His forgiveness and healing. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, no counting mean’s sins against them. But here is the rest of the story: God called everyone who crosses His reconciliation bridge to become reconcilers—bridge builders—themselves! You might have missed it, but we just read about it in the middle of verse 18: God gave us the ministry of reconciliation! The church has been handed the plans to build bridges with others so they, too, may find God’s forgiveness and be reconciled with Him. We will use the same plans and same materials, as provided by the Lord Jesus, but we are dispatched as bridge builders. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 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. One quick note about that last sentence. There is a question as to what Paul means by it and to whom he is saying it. Was he urging the Corinthian believers to be reconciled to God? They were already saved. Is he suddenly changing audiences and addressing unsaved people? Probably not. I think he is simply quoting what the “appeal” (vs. 20) is that God makes through us. Allow me to paraphrase the text to clarify what I mean Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 5:20 We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. What appeal? This one [the same one we share with unbelievers all the time]: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God!” Back to the point, we should understand that Jesus, God’s “bridge” and bridge builder, has recruited us—and all those whom He has reconciled—as bridge builders to others. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21) So the church of Jesus—in our case, this local body of believers—is being sent by Christ to build bridges with others. We do so by sharing the gospel with them as clearly and compellingly as we can in the power of His Spirit, with the hope they will respond in faith and be reconciled to God through Christ. That is our mission—to build bridges between people and God. Now, it is true that Christ has already done that. But until unsaved people hear and understand that He has done that for them, they are unable to respond in faith and accept Christ’s reconciliation of them to God. So our task is to build bridges to people so they will respond in faith and let Christ bridge them to fellowship with the Father. To be credible witnesses, we must be trusted, credible messengers. We have to build bridges of trust. To whom are we sent to build bridges? Very simply, to every one God allows us to influence. So our family, friends, neighbors, business associates, clients, customers—everyone we know—are people to whom we are sent as bridge builders. In a broader sense, we are sent to the St. Louis metro-east area. How do we know that? Because God has us here, and not in Timbuktu or Hong Kong. In His sovereignty and favor God has us intentionally in place where we are, to reach those around us. That’s why the mission statement of MECF reads as it does: We are called to saturate the metro east area with the good news that anyone who wants to may become friends with God (reconciled) through Christ, find wholeness in Christ and life-giving purpose through serving Christ. And in an even broader perspective, we are called to do our part in reaching people in the farthest reaches of the globe through meaningful mission outreach and the support of the gospel enterprise among other people groups. How to Build a Bridge to Sam This morning and next week I want to focus on the personal bridge building you and I do as members of His church and ambassadors for Him. We’re going to use “Sam” as our example. As a sinful human being, God loves Sam and desires that he should come to repentance, reconciliation and a rich relationship with Him. Remember our discipleship chart. Every person God loves and saves begins as a lost person. Ephesians describes the unsaved person as …separate from Christ…excluded from…the covenants of the promise…without hope and without God in the world… (Ephesians 2:12). As soon as the person first becomes aware of the message of Christ and shows any interest at all, he is a “disciple” (or, learner, even though he is not yet an obedient follower). This is where “discipleship” begins, and this is where our ministry to Sam begins. We as Christians, or perhaps only one of us, begins to share Christ with Sam. After a while, maybe a short time—maybe a long time, we hope to see Sam give his life to Christ in faith, to receive Christ as his savior and begin to walk in the Christian life. At this point, usually marked by public confession of faith and baptism, Sam moves from being a “learner” to being a follower; from merely a disciple to born again Christian. But, as you know, and as the great commission outlines, the church’s job is not done yet, but we go on teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19) That is, the discipleship process continues, from initial witness through conversion and maturity, all the way to glory, when Sam meets the Lord in person, at his death or the end of the age. Bottom line: discipleship is an ongoing process with Sam and with every person we disciple. For the remainder of this teaching we will focus on the early part of the bridge building experience in Sam’s life. As a lost person needing to know about the bridge God provided for a reconciled relationship with him, what does Sam need? This will also answer the question of what God wants the church to provide for Sam. First, Sam needs a bridge-builder, or a discipler, to minister to him. Remember our study last week—God always uses people to get His bidding done. The same is true in the bridge building ministry with Sam. God will faithfully move some Christian into a place of relationship with Sam. Maybe you’ll be Sam’s new neighbor, or boss or client. One way or another God will get one or more believers into proximity with Sam to begin to influence him toward Christ and faith. The discipler/bridge-builder will become someone whom Sam respects and trusts, either quickly or over time. By the way this Christian behaves, speaks and represents Christ to Sam, Sam begins to acknowledge the appeal and winsomeness of the discipler (only, what Sam doesn’t know is that it is God at work in the person—not that person’s own goodness).Soon he will find out all about how God makes a difference in a person’s life. As very young and tentative faith begins to form in Sam, he is drawn to ask questions, inquire about his new friend’s church and relationship with God and Christ. It is then that the Word of God begins to be shared with Sam with more deliberateness, because he is open to hearing. What does the New Testament teach? Faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) Sam is going precisely nowhere in terms of faith and salvation without God’s Word. Sam is being invited to Life Group meetings and worship services where the Word is being shared. His discipler and other believers who are also building bridges to his life are answering his questions with Bible teaching and encouragement. Soon the Holy Spirit has his way with Sam and he accepts Christ’s offer of salvation into his life by trusting Jesus. His new life is celebrated by those who have built bridges, and others are still building bridges of relationship with Sam. But the greatest bridge has been crossed. Now the body of Christ around Sam continues to build him up in the faith through teaching, prayer, worship and fellowship. What did Sam need? He needed a bridge-builder whom he could trust and through whom he could understand the gospel. He needed to hear the Word of God, again from someone he trusted, and he needed friendly confines of the church family to continue to encourage him in his faith. God provided all the bridge building through the church and the Christians who make it up. Here’s my message in a nutshell: You are somebody’s bridge-builder. It is absolutely God’s will that you be used by Him in discipling others. How do we know that? Because here is what His Word says concerning you: • You are the light of the world, the salt of the earth (Mat. 5:13-14) • You are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing (2 Cor. 2:15) • You are God’s workmanship (trophy), created in Christ for good works (Eph. 2:10) • You shine like stars in the universe as you hold forth the Word of life (Phil. 2:15-16) • You are conversationalists with speech that full of grace and seasoned with salt so you may know how to answer everyone (Col. 4:6) YOU ARE A BRIDGE BUILDER! Don’t say you can’t do it, and make God a liar. His Word tells you that’s who you are and that’s what you do. I want to close with a short list of things disciplers need to do to fulfill God’s will through their lives and ministries: 1. Disciplers need to learn to trust God’s arrangements If God is sovereign and His plan is to not only reconcile you to Himself through Christ, but also to use you to reconcile others to Himself, don’t tell Him He can’t, or that you’re not the right person to reach someone else. We need to learn that God doesn’t make mistakes. If He wants to use you, you are exactly who He wants you to be—trust Him. And you are exactly where He wants you to be. Stop worrying about why you’re not someplace else where you think God can use you. If He wants you there, He can get you there. Meanwhile, what makes you think that where you are at this time in your life is a mistake? God has you where He has you for a reason. Look around—there are Sams all around you. God has placed them there, and He’s placed you near them—as a bridge builder. Trust God’s arrangements. 2. Disciplers need to seek God’s leading, wisdom and power As we learn to trust God’s arrangements, the natural result will be an increased awareness of the possibilities of serving Him in our relationships with the people He has sovereignly placed around us. How do we know the people He’s calling us to build bridges to? In one sense, is there anyone you come into contact with who does NOT deserve to receive your good influence in the Lord? We’ve all had the unfortunate experience of being all riled up by some message on being a soul-winner, and we run out and grab the first person we see. They don’t know what hit them! To be sensitive, effective witnesses, we need to lean into the Lord. He doesn’t need any more witless witnesses. He wants those who will follow His Spirit in wisdom and become trusted bridge builders. It is, after all, from God that wisdom comes. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own under- standing; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6) God is quite interested in leading you through His Spirit living in you—it’s one of the reasons He indwells you. As we share our testimony and the wisdom of the Word with disciples we will also need His wisdom, His insights, His timing. It just makes perfect sense to pray at all times in search of His leading and His wisdom. And it goes without saying that without His power we are hopeless in terms of getting any real and lasting ministry accomplished. That’s why I urge you to pray daily something along the lines of the RWA prayer. Say to Him every morning, “Lord I am Ready Willing and Available.” You have a copy of the prayer in your bulletin this morning. I urge you to use it, and never again stumble out into the world ill-equipped with your own feeble wisdom, ideas and power. 3. Be alert to the “Sams” in their circles of influence If God is sovereign, interested in your being a bridge builder for Him and willing to answer your requests for His leading, wisdom and power, why wouldn’t we expect to run into people He wants us to serve as His ambassadors? I mean you fervently prayed, “Lord, lead me to someone you want me to influence. I need you to really impress on me this is your choice for me. I ask for your wisdom and power because I know that on my own I won’t be able to do it… “ You leave the house and someone stops you to ask directions. He seems friendly and wants to talk. “Lord, is this the one?” He tells you he’s new in town and they just bought the house next to yours. He and his family don’t know anyone, he says. [you’re just not sure yet]. ‘Turns out, he taking the same bus as you, and you sit together for the half-hour commute. “Should I witness to him? How do I know he’s the one?” He gets off at the same stop and he walks to the same office building where you work. ”Lord, you may be leading me here, but I’m just not sure…” He’s your new coworker! He offers to buy you lunch so you can help him get familiar with the company. Maybe? Once we are convinced there are no accidents; once we’ve prayed for God’s leading, wisdom and power; then our sensitivity to others ought to be heightened. The person you come into contact with in such a seemingly unexpected way is probably your disciple! Stay alert to the divine appointments God is making for you. Lastly, 4. Be obedient in faithful witness We’re all afraid of failure, of looking/feeling foolish, of coming across as offensive or boorish or crazy to others. That’s human sinful nature. But when the Spirit of God brings a clear opportunity for ministry before you, it’s time to stop thinking of how weak and cowardly you are and to remember how strong and righteous He is. It is time to step out in faith and speak to your divine appointment, your new disciple, in a way that intentionally lead to a conversation about Christ. Do we really care more about how we look than being obedient to God? I don’t think we do. If we keep it in our minds that it is God we are serving by faithfully sharing our witness with others, we will be stronger and more responsive disciplers. Not long ago I spoke with a man and the subject of the RWA prayer came up, as I had just recently taught on the concept. He confessed sheepishly to me that he doesn’t want to pray the prayer. Why? He said he was sure he wouldn’t share the gospel with anyone, so he didn’t want to ask for God’s leading and power, because he’d have to tell God no. I dare you to sincerely pray in the fashion of the RWA prayer. And I’ll leave your obedience to you and God. Because I have a feeling that sincerely praying for God to lead and empower you leaves you no option. Because you’ve committed yourself once you’ve prayed. Maybe it will be the first time you’ve exercised courageous faith at such a level. Conclusion Once when his critics taunted his about his crazy bridge project, James Eads responded publicly: “Must we admit that because a thing never has been done, it never can be, when our knowledge and judgment assure us that it is entirely practicable?”   [Back to Top]