How do we change the world
We are here to change the world!
Have you ever put a lot of time into planning something only to have your plans changed for at the last minute? Maybe you’ve put months into planning a trip somewhere, taken off time from work, rearranged schedules and when you finally get going…things get messed up. There’s a problem with the plane, the hotel loses your reservation, or suddenly all the local are running for cover because a hurricane is coming. Or maybe the kids get sick or work calls with an emergency…you know what I mean. Something beyond your control throws all your plans out the window. It leaves you standing there in a daze, going “Now what am I going to do?”
This is, I think, how Jesus’ followers-his disciples-felt around the time of his death and resurrection. Jesus is the messiah, the chosen one, the savior! To the Jews that meant someone who was going to come and restore Israel to its former glory. Everything Jesus told his followers was interpreted through that lens. I’m sure there were things he said that caused them to go, “Huh…how does that fit with His overthrowing Rome (Find an example) But then he had such displays of God’s power, I’m sure doubt was erased.
But then he started talking about going away….and he was arrested and put to death. Imagine how they must have felt… In a daze, wondering what was going on. This was the guy…everything he said and did convinced them of it…how could he be gone?
Then he came back to life! Talk about convincing evidence! Not even death can hold him back!
In fact, let’s see if we can get a feel for that moment from a modern day retelling of that resurrection…take a look at this. (Matrix clip…Neo defeats death).
That leaves you thinking, “Alright! This is definitely the guy! Can there be ANY doubt? Now let’s get down to business.” Jesus’ followers may even have thought, “Ok…let’s just march right into Rome and take ‘em out. C’mon Jesus let’s go.” This was it. The moment prophets had foretold and Israel had been waiting centuries for.
You can sense the anticipation in the beginning of the book of Acts. Jesus came back and spent 40 days with his disciples-his closest companions and followers-telling them about the kingdom of God. Then in Acts 1:6, one of them asks the question I’m sure all of them were thinking: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Is it time…now…do we get to go overthrow Rome now? Do we get to help you take ‘em out? Will we finally be free from their oppression, be restored to glory and be God’s kingdom here on earth? I’m sure life was hard under Roman rule, the Jews ARE God’s chosen people, and it was obvious to them that Jesus was the one who could do it!
But look at how Jesus responded…
Acts 1:7-9 “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But YOU will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and YOU will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Basically…nope, this is not the time, only God the Father knows, BUT now YOU are going to receive the Holy Spirit who will act in power through YOU and YOU will be my witnesses…you’ll spread the news of who I am and what I’ve done. Then he left them standing there…again in a daze wondering what to do now.
Wait a minute, he’s leaving us? What did he say? WE would be his witnesses? Us? Now what are we going to do?
After Jesus left, the book of Acts tells us they all went back to Jerusalem, gathered in a upstairs room and prayed constantly…I’m sure there was a wondering about what to do next.
What if Willie and I gone?
The reality is that Jesus didn’t just take off without giving them anything. He told them what he wanted them to do. He said, be my witnesses.
Take a look at Matthew 28:19..this is what is known as Jesus’ “Great Commision”-his last instructions for his followers from then until the time He returns:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
He told them…GO throughout the world making disciples (or followers of Jesus)-baptizing and teaching them. And part of that training was to train those new disciples to continue to do the same thing…continue making disciples who make disciples who make disciples…and on and on….
But notice also at the end there…Jesus promises that he will always be with them. He also told them not to do anything until the Holy Spirit was sent to be with them. We read earlier where he told them they’d receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them. So they weren’t completely on their own.
But there must have been some doubt there-these guys are normal humans like you and I. There must have been questions about how in the world they were going to take Jesus’ story to the ends of the earth. In Jerusalem alone, they had to deal with the religious leaders who wanted Jesus dead in the first place…how were they going to feel about people proclaiming that Jesus was still alive and most certainly WAS the son of God? Then they had to get through to the rest of the Israelites and out into the areas where people had no idea who this “One true God was”…they worshipped all kinds of created gods…the sun and moon…demonic forces…jealous and angry god to whom people sacrificed their own children. How were they going to be Jesus’ witnesses to folks like that?
We ask ourselves the same kinds of questions today-how are we supposed to be Jesus’ witnesses to the culture we live in?
We are faced with a culture that’s seen a large number of religious leaders fall under moral disgrace…sexual misconduct, financial misconduct. This kind of stuff hurts the credibility of every other church out here.
…a culture that sees “church” as boring and irrelevant,
…a culture that attempts to fill its spiritual needs with all sorts of activity & general busyness. The gods of today are money, possessions, movies, television & computers.
Despite any doubts they may have had, though, those early followers of Christ did it! Armed with the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s word & their experiences with Jesus…this handful of young men and their families literally CHANGED THE WORLD.
The story of Jesus spread like wildfire out of Jerusalem and into the ancient world. People abandoned their old ways and gave their lives to God. This new religion became such a powerful force in peoples’ lives that the Roman Empire saw it as a threat and tried to stamp it out!
How do we change our world?
Now today, it seems as though Christianity is actually losing ground in America. Churches are growing old and closing-a natural thing to do, but they are not being replaced with as many new churches. Since 1991, the number of unchurched adults in America has doubled! Something has happened along the way where Christianity has lost something…and it is often a watered down, weak and impotent version of what you see in the bible. I don’t want to dwell on that or try to analyze what’s happened. There’s really only one thing that matters…
How do we do the same thing today that Jesus’ original followers did?? How do we succeed in changing the world we live in? And that is what we are called to do as Christians when you get right down to it…to change the world we live in, by helping people get to a point where they let God change their lives.
Need to be equipped to do it…that’s my job
Break here? Inquisitive song/video? How do we change the world? What do we do now?
To change our world, I think we start where the first disciples probably started. They knew Jesus told them to go make disciples, baptize them and teach them. They probably asked, “So how do we do that?... Well, we spent three years watching Jesus do it…he did it with us…and He IS the Son of God after all, so we should probably do what he did…”
It’s become popular to ask WWJD, right? So that’s the question for us today? WWJD to make disciples? We’ll talk about baptism in a couple of weeks, but today I want to look at what Jesus did to make and teach his disciples.
As you read through the histories of Jesus-Matthew, Mark, Luke & John-you can see that there were two main groups of people he talked to. There were “the masses”-large groups of people that he preached to. Then there were the disciples…those who had dedicated their lives to Him. He had different approaches to teaching those groups. There’s a great summary of his approach in the book of Matthew
Matthew 13:10-13. Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people-he told them a story of a farmer sowing seed and how they grew in different conditions. He ends the story with “He who has ears, let him hear.” Just after speaking to this crowd, one of his followers asked Jesus why he uses parables(stories) to teach. He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak in parables: ‘Though seeing they do not see, though hearing they do not hear or understand.’”
Jesus knew that when he spoke to a crowd of people, many would walk away and forget the point he was making. Whatever the reasons…distracted, not ready to hear what he said, they saw but did not really see, they heard but did not really hear. So he told stories..parables..to connect the spiritual truths with things people would see in their everyday lives so that when they saw those things, they might remember what he said.
The same is true today. You speak to a crowd of people and most will forget what they hear within a day or two. How often do you really remember everything a teacher tells you in class…you don’t, that’s why you have to study. We know that’s true with these Sunday gatherings. We come here to celebrate and worship God, and when we speak, we try to use elements from every day life, or we use video or other things to connect to God’s words, so that when we see or experience those things in daily life, they might remind us of what we heard.
Jesus did some additional things with his disciples. These were the people who had dedicated their lives to him. They wanted to be a part of what He was doing. These are the folks who changed the world. Jesus spent every day with them…living life and taking every opportunity to help them grow spiritually; and to equip them to do the work they would be called to do after he left. When that time came, he knew that they had the dedication, knowledge, experience and spiritual maturity to take his message to the world. The only other thing they needed was the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to make and teach disciples.
These are the principles we want to use at True North. This is really what Willie and I signed up for when we chose to be in ministry full-time. It’s not really about sharing knowledge or showcasing musical talent. It’s about equipping people like you who want to be a part of what God is doing in this world. That’s the most important part of our jobs.
Consider what would happen here if something happened and Willie and I could no longer be here. What would you do? Would that be the end of True North? My goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen, but that you’d know you have what it takes to carry on and make this church thrive. So take advantage of the time we have now to be equipped as the minister God wants you to be.
Not to say we have all the answers or that we will ALWAYS be available…we are human, too. But we and the other leaders(founders) of this church dedicated to doing all we can to equip you to grow in your faith and ministry.
I’d encourage you to start by using every moment you can to grow in your relationship with God. There are all kinds of little things you can do.
-Get a pocket bible. Never know when you’ll have a moment to read & pray. Never know when someone will have a question, and all you need is a bible on hand.
-Put God’s word on display around you…reminders throughout your house, in your locker, your car…anything to remind you of important things you have learned.
-“Throne” story.
Go beyond just that, though. If you wants to really grow and learn, you need to life out your life & faith with others also dedicated to God…just as Jesus did with his disciples.
This is exactly why we have our mid-week small groups and the youth group and we encourage everyone to be a part of one. If those times aren’t working for you, let us know you really want to grow in your faith and we’ll see what we can work out. All kinds of creative ways to get together with others growing in their faith.
Those small groups are really just the beginning, though. That where we begin to develop real relationships with one another-that when the real growth starts. There are some things you really only really learn by experiencing life and having others around you to encourage you and connect those things to God. You need to be close enough to some other people that you all know that you can call on one another at any time to ask tough questions, or for help and encouragement.
This is what Jesus did with his disciples. They knew one another and were there for one another day and day out; and they used their time to grow in their faith. This is how Jesus created a core group of world changer.
That is exactly what we want to do here with True North. It’s all about relationship. Our devotion to a relationship with God and with one another will transform normal folks like you and I into world changers.
George Barna had this to say about all those unchurched people in America: “They are wholly disinterested in church life - often passionately so. Stirring worship music won’t attract them because worship isn’t even on their radar screen. More comfortable pews cannot compete with the easy chair or the bed that already serve the unchurched person well. Church events cannot effectively compete with what the world has to offer. The only thing the Church can provide that no one else has is a life-changing, practical encounter - and on-going relationship - with the living God and with people transformed by similar encounters.”
The only thing I’d add to that is that the people who are going to best develop those life-changing relationships are those who are themselves in relationship with others who’s lives have been changed by Christ.
Consider the impact you can have on the world….consider how many lives you can effect. You have all that you need…God’s word is readily available; if you acknowledge Jesus as your Savior and have given him you life, you have the Holy Spirit with you…all you need to do is dedicated yourself to God, to growing in your faith and knowledge of him, and to living out that faith in relationship with the other God has brought around you in your church family. And you will soon discover that you are now part of God’s plans to change this world!
Let’s pray now and then go out from here today….but continue on in daily relationship with one another.