The Importance of One

Vacation Bible School starts TOMORROW! Our theme is “In the Wild,” and all this week from 9:00 to 12:30, we’ll be looking in the Bible for incredible encounters with the Lord as we learn to ZOOM IN and FOCUS ON JESUS. There’s still time to get registered, or to invite your ONE, kids. If you’ve just finished Kindergarten through 5th grade, VBS is just for you. You can use the QR code on the screen or on the poster on the “What’s Happening” wall to register. It’s going to be a great week!

Along with that, immediately following our services this morning, we are going to take some special time to cover our facilities and the kids and leaders who will be here this week in prayer. You’ll be able to grab a prayer walk brochure as you go out of the sanctuary at the end of service, and we would really appreciate you taking a few minutes before you head out to lunch to pray for Vacation Bible School.

Due to VBS this week, Silver Seekers will be postponed from this coming Tuesday to next Tuesday, June 11.

Finally, today the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, led by Franklin Graham, has made a call for a special day of prayer for President Trump today. While I agree that, as believers, we must be in prayer for President Trump… It believe that that perspective is too narrow for today. Mr. Graham has referenced in his call for this day of prayer, and I agree that it would include the President. However, the text of that passage reads:

1 Timothy 2:1–3 CSB

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior,

So we’re going to stand and take time to pray for all of our elected representatives this morning:

President Donald Trump

Vice Present Mike Pence

Senate (Mitch McConnell - R, Chuck Schumer - D)

House of Representatives (Speaker Nancy Pelosi - D, Majority leader Steny Hoyer - D, Minority leader - Kevin McCarthy - R)

U.S. Supreme Court Justices

For each of these, we pray for:

correction where they walk in sin,

wisdom as they make decisions that affect all of us,

guidance in knowing an doing the will of God,

holiness in their own personal lives… that those who know Christ would live in such a way that they honor him with their obedience. That those who do not know Christ would come to a knowledge of the truth through a believing witness, and then walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,

that all of our elected representatives would walk in humility, seeking to place others before themselves,

and that all of our elected representatives would pursue and achieve a spirit of unity and cooperation with each other, that they might be good stewards of the resources, position, time, and money that we have entrusted them with.

Opening

John 1:43–49 CSB

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” 46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him. “Come and see,” Philip answered. 47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered. 49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

We have a tendency to discount the value of “one.” I can’t imagine eating only one Oreo, unless it’s the last one. You can’t even buy a decent cup of coffee for one dollar anymore. One second, one minute… these things seem insignificant. But are they really?

While honestly the Oreo might be insignificant, the others are a matter of perspective. One dollar seems insignificant until you need one. Think back on your life: how many times has a single second meant a radical change in your life’s direction? How about one minute? What can happen in a minute’s time?

What about some other “ones” that have great meaning: one good friend, one child, one spouse, one family… These obviously are not “ones” that we would call insignificant. There’s great value in each of these.

The Bible speaks of the importance of “one” in many ways: one pearl of great worth, one lost sheep, one lost coin, one wayward son…

We are about halfway through our series that we’re calling “Who’s Your One?” We’re asking this question to give us a focus, a direction as a body toward joining with Christ’s mission in the world. That we would each prayerfully listen for God to prompt us with the identity of one person in our circle of influence with whom we can share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ this year. Our goal is that sharing the Gospel would become a part of who we are, a part of our DNA, and that we would see a great movement of the Kingdom of God in our neighborhoods, in our city, state, nation, and even the world.

But it all starts with “one.” One neighbor. One coworker. One conversation. One message of hope. One invitation. One step of obedience.

Before we look more deeply at our focal passage today, I need to make an opening point. If we are going to have evangelism become a part of our DNA, we are going to have to make a decision:

1) Commit to being an intentional witness.

If we are going to have evangelism become a part of who we are, a part of our DNA church, then we are going to have to first commit to being intentional about sharing our faith.

I shared this story with our evening crowd back in February, but I wanted to share it here today as well:

Ten years ago, we had a youth ministry praise band that was completely made up of students. Ryne Swann was the leader of the band, Justin Taylor played electric guitar, Tommy Nutter was on bass, and Bekah Trujillo was the female vocalist. Her now husband, Adam Boucher, was the drummer. But here’s what happened: Tommy left (2008), and then in the spring of 2009, Bekah and Adam both graduated from high school. And of course, we didn’t have them just hang out here and stay in the praise band. They went off to college and such. I stepped back into the band by playing the cajon: a box drum that you sit on that basically does the kick and snare sounds. Wonderfully portable, but not exactly a full drum sound.

Then we had a song that we wanted to do that just didn’t sound right without a full drum kit. But I didn’t know how to play the actual drums. I could keep a beat on the cajon, but putting my feet into the mix seemed like too much to ask. So what were we to do? Well, I decided that I needed to learn to play the drums. So I would go up to the youth room during my work day, put on some music to play along with, and start playing the drums. It took a few weeks, but I learned to keep a simple four-count beat. Over time, as I kept practicing and playing in the band, I started being able to add cymbal hits and fills and rolls and such to my repertoire. I’m not a great drummer by any stretch, but I can keep a beat and sort of look like I know what I’m doing, even now (I think…it’s been a while).

How did this happen? How was I able to learn to play the drums at my age? Simple: discipline. I went up and played several times per week. At first, it was as simple as it could be. Over time, it got to where playing the drums was just a part of my skill set. A part of who I am. I can sit down and play pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, self-discipline is something that many of us aren’t actually all that great at. But for something to become second nature, such as playing a musical instrument, it requires a great deal of discipline in order to happen. And spiritual disciplines are no different.

Full disclosure here: this point is one that I haven’t fully gotten a hold of yet. In the book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Don Whitney lists several disciplines that growing believers need to pursue in order to continue, well… growing. Bible intake, prayer, fasting, serving, stewardship, silence & solitude, and worship were most of those disciplines. We would probably all agree that just about all of these things are important disciplines for the Christian life. However, he also lists evangelism as a spiritual discipline.

Evangelism as a discipline? How does that work?

It’s simple. You do it. And you do it intentionally. And you do it often. In fact, you even set aside time to do it.

Here’s what Don Whitney wrote:

Evangelism is a natural overflow of the Christian life. Every Christian should be able to talk about what the Lord has done for him or her and what He means to him or her. But evangelism is also a discipline in that we must discipline ourselves to get into situations where evangelism can occur, that is, we must not just wait for witnessing opportunities to happen. Jesus said in , “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” To “let” your light shine before others means more than simply, “Don’t do anything to keep your light from shining.” Think of His exhortation as more proactive, as in, “Let there be the light of good works shining in your life; let there be the evidence of God-honoring change radiating from you. Let it begin! Make room for it!”

Am I at a point where I’m being intentional about finding time, or even better: about MAKING time to share my faith? Is telling people about Jesus a part of MY DNA?

In our passage today, we see Jesus calling Philip with the invitation, “Follow Me.” Philip believes. How does Philip respond to the fact that he is now a follower of Jesus? He gets intentional and goes to tell his friend Nathanael:

Jesus had a mission, right? We’ve looked at this each of the last two weeks. :

Luke 19:10 CSB

10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

We’ve also noted that if we are to be disciples: followers of Jesus, then we should take up His mission as our own: to seek and to save the lost. This is what “Who’s Your One?” is all about: seeking the lost so that they can be saved through faith in Christ.

1 john 1:45

There was an intentionality in all that Jesus did. He was going in a direction for His entire time on earth: the direction of Calvary. He came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus wasn’t accidentally born from a virgin’s womb. Jesus didn’t accidentally live a perfectly sinless life. Jesus didn’t accidentally get killed by being nailed to a cross. No! This was His mission. In fact, it was His intention because He loves us.

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

1 john 4:

1 John 4:10 CSB

10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

It was the express intent of Jesus to be the “atoning sacrifice for our sins.” And this morning, if you have never understood the love of God shown through the giving of His Son on the cross in our place, then please hear this: God loves you and gave Jesus for you, so that you could have your sins (the things you’ve done that displease God) forgiven, and Jesus defeated death, rising from the grave, and will never die again, so that you can have that same eternal life with God through believing in Him. Place your faith in Him this morning, giving up your life for Him, and be saved.

Then join with the believers in this intentional mission to tell others about the love of God in Jesus.

John 1:45 CSB

45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

In our passage today, we see Jesus calling Philip with the invitation, “Follow Me.” But look at what Philip does in verse 45:

But look at what Philip does in verse 45:

Philip doesn’t accidentally go find Nathanael. He doesn’t accidentally say what he says. He is absolutely committed to being an intentional witness.

This brings us to our second point this morning:

2) Go and Tell

Philip went and found Nathanael. He decided to GO and TELL Nathanael.

It is fantastic to have a commitment to be something. But if you don’t actually DO the thing that you claim to be committed TO, are you really all that committed?

It’s like the story of the fishermen that I ended with last week. You can go back and listen to that on our website or podcast if you missed it. Are we following Jesus if we never do what Jesus did, to seek the lost so that they might be saved?

Nathanael and Philip have an interesting conversation. Nathanael’s prejudices show:

John 1:46 CSB

46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him. “Come and see,” Philip answered.

Philip will not be distracted. He just answers, “Come and see.” Philip goes and tells, so that Nathanael will come and see. Maybe that’s you this morning: someone did a “go and tell” and you’re here this morning to “come and see.”

john 1:46-

Honestly, brothers and sisters, we should be ready and willing and able to tell people about what Jesus has done in our lives. But maybe you’re intimidated by that. You don’t feel prepared. That’s ok. We’ll talk about some objections and fears in a moment. But you can engage people’s lives, can’t you? You can decide to have a meal or coffee with them. You can ask a neighbor into your home. You can share an invitation to come here to meet with the believers of Eastern Hills so they can hear the message of the Gospel, right?

Some stats that I’ve read say that 96 percent of people that will ever come to faith in Jesus Christ will be people that are invited by a follower of Jesus to come and see. However, I also read that about 20 percent of believers will invite another believer to their church gathering. A believer will invite another believer to their church worship service, but only about 1 in 5 will do that. Here’s the scary one. Only 2 percent of believers, of those who claim to follow Jesus, will ever invite an unchurched or unsaved person.

So to paint this picture a little clearer… if you have someone move in next door to you, you are ten times more likely to invite them to come meet the church if you find out they are a believer than if you find out that they aren’t. Does that seem backwards to you? It does to me. I was greatly convicted of that.

So for this morning, I want to ask a question and give a challenge: “Can you name one person whom you have invited to come and see who Jesus is: whether through your personal testimony or through bringing them to the gathering of the church family?” This isn’t a headhunter thing… it’s reflection. Can you think of one? Who is that one? Who is your one now? Can you seek to engage them? It’s not about you saving them… you can’t do that. It’s telling them about what Jesus has done in your life.. it’s going and telling, so they would come and see.

Look at how Nathanael responds once he meets Jesus himself:

John 1:47–49 CSB

47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered. 49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

john 1:

That was all it took. He met Jesus, and his life was changed. He was in. He was invited to come and see.

Matthew 13:45–46 CSB

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

Being with Jesus, being in the kingdom of heaven, is worth everything. Jesus is that pearl of priceless value, the pearl worth everything to possess. And we look at this from a salvation standpoint, which is accurate: Jesus is absolutely worthy giving up everything else in order to be in a relationship with Him. However, it doesn’t stop there. Jesus is worth giving everything up to daily, over and over and over again:

This is where the challenge comes in to go and tell, and I want to make this very practical. This challenge goes out to each disciple of Jesus in this room or listening on the Internet… I’m challenging myself at the same time. The challenge is to do at least one of three things during the next three months:

Matthew 16:24 CSB

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

So our walking with Jesus is to be a constant walk of denial of self and surrender to our King. This is where the challenge comes in to go and tell, and I want to make this very practical. This challenge goes out to each disciple of Jesus in this room or listening on the Internet… I’m challenging myself at the same time. The challenge is to do one of three things during the next three months:

First, invite one unchurched (unsaved) person to sit down in a social setting: breakfast, coffee, lunch, etc… get to know them and their story, and commit to sharing the story of how you came to faith in Christ with them. This would probably be your “one.”

Second, invite one family in your neighborhood to your home. Find out more about them. Get to know them. Find out how you can minister to them. Have one member of your family share their story of how they came to Christ.

Third, like Andrew invited Peter, and Philip invited Nathanael, invite one unchurched person to come here with you and meet the rest of the family of Eastern Hills. Then talk with them about what you experience together and try to answer any questions that they have.

Go and tell, so that they would come and see.

My final point today is really related to our reasons for NOT sharing, for NOT inviting:

3) Recognize and repent of excuses.

We all have excuses and reasons why we don’t share the Gospel, or invite people to come and see. I have them too. What we need to do is have a shift in our mindsets, or the focus of our hearts.

We need to be reminded of the fact that in Christ, we have the greatest of all treasures. We are the man in the parable in :

He was like the man in the parable in :

Matthew 13:45–46 CSB

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

Matthew 16:24 CSB

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

So our walking with Jesus is to be a constant walk of denial of self and surrender to our King. And we as disciples are to be followers of Jesus. That means that we share in Jesus’ mission to seek and to save the lost.

With that being the case, excuses have to go out the window. Johnny Hunt, former pastor of FBC Woodstock, and now the NAMB Vice-President of Evangelism and Leadership, has a list of 10 excuses (we call them “reasons”) that we need to repent of if we are going to live out a commitment to be intentional about going and telling, so that people would come and see:

SPIRITUAL LETHARGY. When we don’t work out, we tend to get flabby and lazy. When we fail to obey the Lord, spiritual lethargy starts to set in. A lack of growth in our walk with Jesus inevitably leads to a diminished desire to share Christ with other people.

GROWING INCLUSIVENESS. “All religions lead to God,” is a prevailing opinion. Sometimes this view affirms Jesus is not the only way to salvation, but that salvation can be found in other “good religions.” It’s a subtle belief that somehow “good” followers will make it to heaven outside of true Christian conversion. All roads do not lead to God. If I were the devil, I can tell you that one method I would employ to keep people out of heaven would be to get them to think they were going there when they aren’t.

“All religions lead to God” is a prevailing opinion. Sometimes this view affirms Jesus is not the only way to salvation,

but He can be found in other “good religions.” It’s a subtle belief that somehow “good” followers will make it to heaven

outside of true Christian conversion.

DISBELIEF IN HELL. This undermines the urgency of placing one’s faith in Christ alone. One must escape the wrath of God, and Jesus is the only refuge. Do you believe that hell is a reality? The Bible says that it is. Shouldn’t that move us forward with the message of the Gospel?

This undermines the urgency of placing one’s faith in Christ alone. One must escape the wrath of God, and Jesus

is the only refuge.

BUSYNESS. We have been given a mission by the Lord to tell the unchurched about Jesus. This needs to be on our to-do list. What priority do you give to reaching the lost?

The unchurched need us to tell them about Jesus. This needs to be on our to-do list. What priority do you give to

reaching the lost?

FEAR OF REJECTION. Research shows that only one in four unchurched persons will be resistant to faith discussions; 75 percent are open. The few with an antagonistic attitude are not rejecting you personally; their anger is merely a reflection of something in their past.

Research shows that only one in four unchurched persons will be resistant to faith discussions; 75 percent are open. The few with an antagonistic attitude are not rejecting you personally; their anger is merely a reflection of something in their past.

are open. The few with an antagonistic attitude are not rejecting you personally; their anger is merely a reflection

Listen to this quote: “They keep from engaging because they are afraid that, if the person doesn’t respond well, their own safety or reputation might be hurt or ruined. This isn’t because they think that keeping a good reputation is important for their continued ability to share, but because they would rather have men’s flattery, approval, and respect, or care more for their own temporary safety than the eternal safety of the other. Their lack of willingness to interfere is the result of selfishness… not love.”

Does this sound like something that fits with our modern concerns? This (modernized by me) was written by St. Augustine of Hippo in 426. This is something that we’ve been dealing with for literally hundreds of years. Fear of sharing the Gospel isn’t new. You can work past it.

of something in their past.

This (modernized by me) was said by St. Augustine of Hippo

A DESIRE TO BE TOLERANT. The Gospel is, in some sense, intolerant. The one true God insists there can be no other gods. He is a jealous God. The Christian message speaks of a “narrow way” and “no other name under heaven” and “I am the way…” No one gets mad at a math teacher for saying that there is only one right answer to 2+2. Either Jesus is the way, or He isn’t.

The gospel is, in some sense, intolerant. The one true God insists there can be no other gods. He is a jealous God. The

Christian message speaks of a “narrow way” and “no other name under heaven” and “I am the way…”

LOSING THE HABIT OF WITNESSING. For many reasons, you may have quit witnessing. As I said earlier, witnessing is a discipline. It can be developed.

For many reasons, you may have quit witnessing. Witnessing is a discipline. It can be regained!

LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY. When you have someone holding you accountable, it can increase your zeal for witnessing.

When you have someone holding you accountable, it can increase your zeal for witnessing.

FAILURE TO INVITE. When was the last time you invited an unchurched person to worship with the church? Have you offered to take someone to worship service or meet them? It’s such a simple gesture that can have a significant outcome.

When was the last time you invited an unchurched person to church? Have you offered to take someone to church or

meet them? It’s such a simple gesture that can have a significant outcome.

CHURCH NOT INTENT ON REACHING THE LOST. It is said it takes 85 church members to reach an unsaved person. What a terrible ratio. Churches must regain their passion for the lost.

It is said it takes 85 church members to reach an unsaved person. What a terrible ratio. Churches must regain their

Closing

In closing, listen to this quote: “They keep from engaging because they are afraid that, if the person doesn’t respond well, their own safety or reputation might be hurt or ruined. This isn’t because they think that keeping a good reputation is important for their continued ability to share, but because they would rather have men’s flattery, approval, and respect, or that they care more for their own temporary safety. Their lack of willingness to engage is the result of selfishness… not love.”

passion for the lost.

The question, church, is are we going to be intentional? Are we going to go and tell, that people would come and see? Are we going to repent of our excuses and join Jesus’ mission to seek the lost that they might be saved?

Are we willing to make a commitment to join with Jesus in His mission?

If so, we’re not going to call you down or have you fill out a card or anything like that. Just make the commitment between yourself and God. Tell someone and have them hold you accountable to your commitment. Maybe you want to get on your knees and confess and repent of your excuses in refusing to share the Gospel. The steps are open for you to come and pray at if you would like.

If you’re here this morning and you believe that God would have you be a part of this family here at Eastern Hills so that you can join in with what He is doing in this body as a member of the church, come and tell one of us that. Trevor and Camille will be here with me to receive you and pray with you.

This morning, I have shared with you as clearly as I know how the message of the Gospel of Christ: that He came and died in our place to take the punishment for our sins so that we can be made right with God, and that when we surrender our lives to Him in faith, we are saved and given the gift of eternal life. Surrender your life to Jesus and be saved. If that’s you this morning, we would love to rejoice with you in that and pray with you. Come and talk with one of us.

Call down the band.

Pray.

Invite to the Parlor. Remind of the prayer walk for VBS.

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