Contagious Christianity

through a lot of scripture but I think that you'll understand why when we get to the end of this message and yeah, I thought it was kind of ironic when I was thinking about what to share and what to do. And the funny thing was that I Was preparing this message for last week. I actually thought you know I should switch up my order because this message will go a lot better with communion than the other message that I had planned that week. But God decided to send some snow and some ice and change the schedule for me. So that worked out well. You know when we think about contagious the word contagious usual lights to something we say about someone who we know is sick or ill in some way and struggling with some type of disease or sickness. You don't know if someone is considered to be contagious we do our best to stay away from him and certainly this year in our world contagious has come to mean something entirely new to all of us has as we dealt with a global pandemic. We have had to think about that a whole lot more than ever, you know during Biblical times. There were a lot of communicable diseases that went around but the most feared by far was leprosy Yeah, it seems the new form of leprosy this last year has been covid-19 has in it. It's the thing everyone fears getting as we went through this. And we've never talked so much about in thought so much about how disease spreads have we thinking about it the other day and I thought who would have ever thought. That when we were buying Christmas gifts or birthday gifts for loved ones that we would ever think of buying someone PPE personal protection equipment. But how many people may have bought someone or received a mask for Christmas? There's probably a lot of people who did this year and I'm like that is just crazy to think of how that's changed. Or when you get dressed in the morning, do you have to think does this Matt mask match what I'm wearing? I personally don't spend too much time thinking about that. But I know that there are probably people who do all things that we never would have thought of before. I mean, I remember when I used to see videos of people in China and other countries walking around in public with mask and I would think that's just ridiculous. Why would you do that? But Here we are now living it every day it's become a normal part of life The dictionary defines the word contagious in reference to disease. It says spread from one person or organism to another by direct or indirect contact. You know it says it is a contagious infection. Or of an emotion or feeling or attitude. It says likely to spread to an affect others. Her enthusiasm was contagious. You know, like I said in 2020, we've become all too familiar with the first part of that definition talking about the spread of an infectious disease. But here as we talked about it today, I want to talk about the second part of that definition. Talking about an emotion a feeling or an attitude and how those things can be equally contagious.

Me if you ever spend some time thinking about how those things can be contagious. That's not usually something we like to sit and think about is it how something is contagious and like I said in 2020 in relation to covid-19. We've thought way too much about that of how things are contagious how things spread.

but you know, we have to think about that and understand the reality of that second part of that definition, you know things like fear and worry and doubt can also be very contagious just infectious diseases, you know, there's other things that can be contagious, you know, if we continue to give into a send pattern in our life that can become contagious to As others see us falter and walk that life. They can be led down that same path. It can also be contagious. I mean wouldn't it be nice if by simply wearing a mask? It would protect you from those things. But it'd be great if wearing a mask protected you from someone else's bad attitude or if wearing a mask protected you from you know their fear and they're worried and their doubt if wouldn't it be awesome if we could tell people that had a bad attitude or a lot of Doubt or fear. Hey, you need to go quarantine.

I thought about that a lot this week that be great. If that was something we could do. but people can be contagious in a good sense to that's what we need to remember. That's what we're called to as a church, you know positive things like laughter Joy good morals good manners kindness friendliness a smile. Those things can be just as contagious as all the bad things we forget about that. And you know those things if we really do our job as a church can be far more contagious than anything the world has seen before they can be far more contagious than covid-19 is been. And praise God wearing a mask doesn't stop those things from spreading. Maybe the smile part cuz it's a lot harder to see that you know, some people have eyes that you can tell they're smiling when they have a mask on other people don't. But it can't stop. It from spreading. So what does all that have to do with the ministry of Jesus? Well, I don't think I'd have to work very hard to convince you that Jesus was a contagious person. He infected those around him with what he had. They couldn't be around him without being infected with what he had. I think about the scope of his ministry, you know, if you look at it back there on that world map. You know, yeah, we read that his ministry spread from Syria to the decapolis to Jerusalem Judea and you know far beyond the Jordan River, but if you look on the world map the scope of that it is a relatively small geographical area that he did all of his ministry in during his lifetime. But yet think about how it has spread across the entire globe. and all without any form of social media You know, we just don't think that's even possible in our day and age, but it happened. And you know Bible times the Pharisees had a very large following among the people until Jesus came around began to affect the number of people who were willing to follow them and a big part of that is why the Pharisees didn't like him. It's why they ultimately chose to get him crucified because differently than what they'd seen before.

So why were people so attracted to Jesus? What was the difference between the Pharisees and Jesus that was so contagious to people around them? We know the Pharisees way of running things was they held This heavyweight of legalism over the heads of everybody that followed them. They gave them the impossible list of rules to follow this impossible list of things that they had to be doing in order to meet their standards. If they wanted to be a part of the following and worshipping their God. Yo, Jesus set of them in Matthew chapter 23 verse 4. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. You know, you don't have to read much about the Pharisees to realize that love and compassion. Didn't have much to do with what they were doing in Ministry. It was all about the rules all about this religious legalism and I think part of what made Jesus so contagious was love and compassion was far more inviting to them. Ben just strict legalism and that's why we seem altitudes begin to follow Jesus because Jesus had something else that no one else had. Matthew chapter 7 verse 29 says because he taught as one who had Authority. And not as their teachers of the law or Matthew 8:1 it goes on to say when he came down from the mountain side large crowds followed him. They wanted more of what he was teaching. They would follow him to continue to get more of what he had.

And I think a lot of it is because what Jesus was teaching them allow them to make that choice themselves freely and it was so inviting that they freely accepted. It wasn't forced on them like the legalistic system of the Pharisees. It was a free gift that God was offering them. And that is what caused his Fame and his Renown as a teacher to spread like wildfire was because of what he had to offer. That's why Jesus was so contagious to all of those who were following after him. Yo, Jesus didn't talk about what God could do. He also demonstrated it. It wasn't just a lot of talk cuz so often the Pharisees talked about all these rules, but they didn't necessarily follow them themselves. But Jesus was different he talked about what God could do and he demonstrated it. And when people saw him actually live out the faith he was offering to them. That's what infected them. That's what began to change their life as they saw this let Faith lived out. In John chapter 8 verse 36 it says so if the son sets you free. You will be free indeed.

You know that word and deed there is a very important word. If you look at what the word and deed means that you know, it means it's for real. There's no pretending there's no strings attached to this Freedom that he's giving you there is no doubt about it that what Jesus has can truly set you free from whatever it is.

In order to be set free from everything in the Pharisees system, you know, you had to do all these certain steps and carry it out. But what the people experienced was they may feel like they've been set free from whatever that sin was, but now they were trapped underneath the legalistic system of the Pharisees.

So for them, it was be trapped under this or trapped under this. In which is appealing about that if that's your two choices, and that's why it wasn't very infectious what the Pharisees were trying to offer. No base pay the people felt like they had to choose between the lesser of two evils. But what Jesus offered was something different? Let me see a lot of examples of that through scripture.

You know we read about the man who was possessed by all the demons in Luke chapter 8 verses 38 and 39. It says the man from whom the demons had gone out beg to go with him. But Jesus sent him away saying return home and tell how much God has done for you. So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him? You know this I read that scripture and I think about it. How often do we do that as believers? When God's done something great for us when he's done something huge in our life all too often. We keep it to ourselves. We don't say anything about it. We don't share it with anyone.

But we need to be sharing it. We need to let people know what God has done for us what he's done in our life how he's changed us. How is impacted us and maybe even with a little humility to admit what he's delivered us from

Or Mark chapter 1 verses 44 and 45 we read about a leper, you know after Jesus it healed him. He said see that you don't tell this to anyone but go show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded. For your cleansing as a testimony to them. Instead he went out and began to talk freely Spreading the News as a result. Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places yet. The people still came to him from everywhere. I think this is one of the first examples we have of someone using reverse psychology on somebody. Jesus knew what he was going to do, but he told him. Don't tell anyone about it. Just do what you need to do at the temple get that done and go home. But what the guy do instead he went and told everybody. About what Jesus has done.

You know what made me think of is I hurt read that scripture. You know when we were doing a recovery Ministry in Wyoming. One of the guys who ended up kind of stepping into a leadership role in that Ministry. Well, you know, he had been a pretty frequent flyer in the court system in that Community for a lot of reasons.

Well one time after he went in after he been coming to our celebrate recovery for quite a while. He went in had a another court appearance as he was wrapping up some of his things. But the judge noticed something was entirely different about this guy. What was going on? So after they were done with court, he actually asked the guy to come see him in his Chambers. You know this man shared of you know what Jesus had done for him. Will the next week the judge decided that he was going to come see what we were doing at the church? so he came and sat through the recovery meeting which made all those people a little nervous because most of them had been in front of him and his courtroom, but when he got ready to leave he came and talked to me and he said I'm not a believer. But if what you're doing here can make that change in that guy who I've seen so many times for so many different reasons in my courtroom. He's like do you care if I start telling people this is where they have to come when they come through my courtroom. Make sure he's like, okay, you can start signing their paperwork now. And we had a judge in town who was telling people that they had to go to a Christian recovery program. A judge who wasn't a Christian who wasn't a Believer, but he saw the change in that one guy. And think how that impacted others. The lot of what we're eating here in a lot of these scriptures that we're looking at today. Think about the woman at the well. John Chapter 4 verses 28 through 30 says then leaving her water jar. The woman went back to town and said to the people come see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ they came out of town and made their way toward him? If you think about it the first part of that scripture she forgot why she came there. She left her water jar there. That's her whole reason for coming to the well was to fill this water truck but Jesus so surprised her with what he could tell her with the gift that he offered her that she totally forgot what she was there for and she just had to go tell other people and then as you continue on that scripture later in John Chapter 4 verses 39 and 40, it says many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony. He told me everything I ever did. So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to save to stay with them and he stayed two days. Did you catch that first part of that? You know that fake believed in him because of the woman's testimony. What would have happened in that Community if she'd stayed silent?

You know if Jesus would have came to the well shared what he shared with her. But if she would have decided you know what I'm just going to keep this to myself. I'm not going to put this on anybody else and you know, so often that's basically what we're told by our society that will you know, that's just between you and God, you know, you don't need to bother anyone else with it. If she had done that the rest of her community wouldn't have heard about Jesus and they wouldn't have been saved. But because she shared they were she chose to become contagious. Or Peter in Acts chapter 5 verses 14 through 16. It says nevertheless more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number as a result brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's Shadow might fall on some of them he passed. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem bringing their sick fight evil spirits and all of them were healed.

They believe so much and what they saw happening in Peter's life that they thought they could be healed simply because his shadow touch them.

I don't know, but you have to be living a pretty contagious life for people to be thinking that way. For them to think if you merely walk by I'm going to be infected with what you have. That was what they were wanting. That's what they were Desiring when they would bring others to him to be healed. Or a little farther on an axe we read about Philip Acts chapter 8 verses 5 through 8. It says Philip went down to a city in Sumerian proclaimed the Christ there. The crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs. He did. They all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks evil spirits came out of many and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that City. I bet that Joy was pretty contagious as people saw what was happening as he continued to Proclaim Jesus as more and more people listen to what he had to say and they believed that Joy became contagious. What about Paul in Acts chapter 19 11 through 12. It says God did extraordinary Miracles through Paul so that even handkerchief aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. now if that's not a great example of contagious, I don't know what is but we don't usually like to think about the idea of touching someone else's Hankey. But what if you knew it could heal you?

What if you knew that it could drive out evil spirits? You know, what if you knew that it could change your life in a radical way.

You know, usually that's the reason we avoid other people's hankey's right cuz we're afraid if we touch that we're definitely going to get sick.

But let me tell you. I mean I see the little kids on my bus put their fingers in and out of each other's mouth everyday and they never spread anything. So it's perfectly fine.

No, we know that stuff like that doesn't but the thing is he know that's when we're talking about something that we don't want to infect other people with. But the gospel has to be something that we want to infect other people with that's our whole reason behind everything that were trying to do.

You know, why wouldn't we want to try to infect more people with the freedom the Forgiveness the hope, you know the eternal life that can only be found in Christ.

That's something we should want to see everyone infected with. You know, that's part of the whole reason. I wanted to put that world map back there on the wall. It's because I wanted to be a thing that every time we walk in and out of this Sanctuary that we see that whole thing and realize that you know, we're not just called to witness to this little area. We're not just called to witness within these four walls. Everything we see on that globe. Is part of our mission? God wants every single human being to be infected with his love and with the gospel and we need to remember that. Cuz you know God's desire for the church today is God wants his church to be a contagious Church. Ephesians chapter 3 verses 9 and 10 says and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery. which for ages past was kept hidden in God who created all things his intent was that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly realms He wants us to be telling everyone about this truth. It's part of our mission is to church our job isn't to infect everyone that we can. The exact opposite of everything we've been thinking for all of 2020 cuz that's really what we need to be doing. In order for this to happen. Our lives have to be thoroughly infected ourselves. We can't spread something that we don't have.

Ephesians chapter 3 verses 16 through 19 says I pray that out of his glorious riches. He may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints to grasp out wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

In order to be contagious in the way that God wants us to be contagious. We have to love the world the way that God does. That's often where we get hung up. We don't see them the same and you know, we need to be Desiring to look at people and to love people the way that God does cuz otherwise, what's the point? What are we trying to share with them? You're the b contagious we must do more than simply talk about these things. We can't just talk about forgiveness. We can't just talk about love and compassion and grace and mercy and all these things. We have to be living it out. Cuz if you'll notice through so many of these examples and especially the examples that we saw and scripture of the Apostles and how they were infectious. It was because of what people were seeing them do. It was because of the life that they saw them live that their faith became contagious it became something other people wanted because of what they saw and their life. It's the same for all of us if we want others to desire what we have in our relationship with God. They have to see us living that out. They have to see it in very real and tangible ways. You know, we have to demonstrate that what we believe is real. In the way people are going to know that it's real is when they see it in our day-to-day life.

So my challenge to you at the end of this is are you a Contagious Christian? Are we a contagious Church? How does the power of Christ in your life infect others? That's really what we want. That's really what we're seeking after is we want to pass this to as many people as we can. You know, I thought about that when?

Bryce was able to take those flyers for our after-school thing to the school and you know passed out 450 of those flyers.

Our Hope is to infect 450 kids that sounds bad enough that quote was taken out of context. I'd getting a whole lot of trouble in the media but our hope is that what we have we can share with others. We want kids to be hearing that and even if we can't even if it starts small our hope is that he'll continue to spread that it will continue to grow and that as kids see what other kids are getting what they're receiving what they're being infected with that it will continue to spread to others. Why were investing so heavily in that on Wednesday nights? That's why I've invested so heavily in are you? Because that's the future and we want to do what we can to equip them to infect others. Please bear with me in prayer. Heavenly Father we thank you so much for the many blessings that you've given us Lord for. What you've infected each of our lives with. And Lord, I pray that as we go through our lives that you will help us to see ways. That we can infect other people with your love or help us to see ways that we can infect them with your truth Lord ways that we can help them to understand what the difference is that they see in US.

But Lord nor for that to happen each and every one of us has to already be infected with your love.

And Lord I pray today that as we get ready to take communion. Lord if there is any thing standing between us In an intimate relationship with you Lord. I pray that you will help us just to leave it at the foot of the cross today. Lord help us to just lay those things down and allow you to take those things from us. And Lord, I pray that as you take those things from us that you will just fill us with more of your love.

And Lord, I pray that as we continue to be filled up with more and more of your truth in your love each and every day that you will help us to get to a point that it just spills over out of our Lives to infect everyone around us.

And Lord we pray this in your most. Holy name. amen

Was we get ready to take communion today in the Cove Edina Realty now are using the little prepackaged communion things and they're some upstairs on both sides. If you didn't pick one up if you came in there some at the back of the sanctuary if you don't have one raised their hand and we can get one to you wherever you are.

Gage has some back. There's anyone else need any.

I think we're looking pretty good. So I can already hear people crinkling. You guys are getting used to the new system, aren't you here, you know? Hopefully the day when we can return to communion as we're used to is not far off, right? amen, add that but you know as I Was preparing for communion I thought

the reason this message fits so well with the idea of communion is

You know the way we are washed clean is by the blood of Jesus.

If we haven't been washed clean by the blood of Jesus then we really don't have the faith that we say we have we really are still living in our old sinful life until we turn all that stuff over and allow God to wash us clean.

We really don't have that faith that we say we have.

So as we think about the blood of Christ we can think about it and kind of an entirely different way.

This is hand sanitizer that makes you infectious. As you are washed clean by the blood of Christ. You're not made germ-free your maid infectious. So the exact opposite of what we think of what we know but isn't that how the gospel is so often?

so as we take communion today, I want you to think of it that way think as I take communion as I take the bread and as I think about the fact that you know Christ allowed his body to be broken on the cross for me. He suffered and endured that so that I could become infectious soon as he died on the cross and his blood was shed for each of us. He did that because he wanted to infect us with what was in him. Which was the righteousness and Holiness that only God contains and it's by that blood that we are washed clean.

But we are given that amazing gift not so that we can keep it for ourselves and hide it. We're meant to infect others with it. So as we were washed clean. We are made infectious.

1st Corinthians chapter 11 verses 23 through 26 says the Lord Jesus on the night. He was betrayed took the bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me?

So kill it back and take out your little wafer of. pre-packaged bread

and as you take that body know that the body of Christ is broken for you.

Continuing on in 1st Corinthians. It says in the same way after supper. He took the cup saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. Drink and know that you've been washed clean by the blood of Christ.

Then the last part of that passage says for whenever you eat this bread and drink this club you proclaim the Lord's death. until he comes

the reason we want to Proclaim his death, you know, sounds like a morbid thought but it's not we're supposed to Proclaim that our savior died so that we all could live our Saviour died so that we could be infectious. And it's my prayer that as we go out into the world this next week as we see people with their masks as we use hand sanitizer and insane amount of times each day that we're reminded. That we need to be infecting people with the love of Jesus. If you come up and closes.