What Compells You?

What Compels you?

Hello, my name is Chris Christensen. I have been a member here at HBC since I was a teenager and we are your sent missionaries to South Asia.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to share this message with you this morning. As I was thinking and praying over what might be an appropriate message to share with you on this special morning, I decided that I wanted to share some of the story of what brought my family to the mission field and a verse that encouraged us along that path. To get our minds in the right place for this challenge, I first want to ask you a question. What compels you?

Our world is full of compelling things. Things that force us to act or demand our attention. We are compelled to eat and drink. We are compelled to follow the rules of a board game. We are compelled to obey the laws of our land. We are compelled to answer the pleadings of our children of “mommy, mommy, daddy, daddy”. You may feel compelled to check your smartphone every 5 min. Like it or not, our lives are full of things that compel us to action.

I remember an experience from my childhood which was quite compelling. When I was about 12, I would need to babysit my youngest brother Daniel. That was not the compelling part… Often times, Daniel wanted to watch a VHS tape of the big purple dinosaur Barney and friends. For a 12-year-old, it was a trying experience, but… the love of my younger brother compelled me to do it.

Let me share with you the passage of scripture which was so influential in the direction of my life. You could say that it was compelling.

As I was reading through this passage, I received great help from several good commentaries.

1 Corinthians 9:13–18 (NASB95)

13 Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar?

14 So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one.

16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

18 What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Now don’t worry, even though I am a missionary, this sermon is not about giving toward missions (although that is very important).

I will be focusing on verses 16 and 17, but I also wanted to give a fair mention about the context of the verses. The major point of what Paul is saying here in the context is that although it is right that a preacher or missionary should be supported for the work that they do in the service of the Lord and of the church, Paul is proud that he can preach the gospel free of cost so he cannot be accused of false motives and also, because he can do nothing else, he has been charged by God to preach. He would never want anyone to accuse him of selling the gospel or preaching only for profit. He says that he would rather “die” than be accused of selling the gospel. There are certainly some who preach the gospel in order to line their own pockets, but generally, the feeling of every preacher and missionary is much more in line with Paul that we would rather die than to be accused of buying believers and preaching to benefit ourselves. We would never want anyone to believe that our motivation for sharing the gospel is merely to receive earthly wealth. Everyone who shares the gospel ought to do so out of love for their neighbor and obedience to God’s word.

Paul (or at the time, Saul) was originally known as an enemy of Christians and the new Christian church. But then God dramatically changes his life’s purpose on the road to Damascus. Paul sees and hears the resurrected Christ from Heaven causing Paul to temporarily loose his sight and challenging him to change his life. Paul was indeed changed and took on his new commission to preach the gospel. What is a commission? A commission is a duty, a charge, or task. You can commission someone to create a work of art or design a building. My family was commissioned by Hilltown Baptist church to be sent as missionaries. We received a special task to do. You may not be commissioned by a church, but you are no less a part of the great commission that Jesus gave to all believers. We heard a lot about the great commission last week while we rejoiced over the many people who stood up to be baptized.

Matt. 28:18-20 is where we find the great commission.

18 And Jesus came and said to them (the disciples), “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

All of us who belong to the body of Christ are called and have been commissioned to have a part in sharing the gospel, making disciples, teaching, and reaching the nations. Not all roles in this process look alike, but we are all a part of pointing lost and dying people to Jesus as the only one who can save them from their sin and give them hope.

We all have a commission to bring the gospel and the truth of God’s word to those within our circles of influence but there are obstacles in our way. Satan wants to stop you from accomplishing your task and we must understand this if we are going to walk confidently without stumbling to accomplish the commission the Lord has given us. I want to highlight a few of these obstacles. First, I want you to understand that you are blessed/favored. Not just because you are an American, but you are favored because God has supplied you with all that you need to live for and to honor Him. You may be thinking that you are barely making ends meet, your business is failing, you are beyond anxious with how busy your life is now to even think about being part of something as big as the great commission. Refuse to believe the lie that you are not good enough, talented enough, have enough resources, etc. God is the giver of all good gifts (Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17). This relates to the spiritual gifts which the Lord has equipped every believer with God has also gifted you with your mind, your resources, your position, and your influence. Satan wants you to believe that you have nothing and that you are nothing. That is a lie. God created you and has supplied you perfectly with everything you need to love God, love your neighbor, and to bring honor to the name of Jesus. Understand that all you have is abundant for all of your needs and sufficient to bring glory to God through your life. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourselves to others. Envy is a dangerous trap that destroys you and seeks to destroy the one whom you envy. Rejoice instead in the success of your brother or sister in the Lord and know that God has also equipped you with what you need to serve God and bring Him honor.

Next, much of what we invest our time and money into are idols. Just like the Israelites, we are an idolatrous people. We. worship idols of wealth, leisure time, relationships, status, and pride. I have sought after these idols, and I know that I am not alone in the room. Some of these things are not sinful in and of themselves, but the stain of sin takes what is good and twists it into an idol that seeks the take the place of God in our hearts. (Ezek 14:6,7. 6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the Lord will answer him myself). This passage has a specific meaning for the people of Ezekiel’s day, but it also speaks to our idolatrous hearts. Following idols leads to destruction. In our country of service, where many manmade idols exist, it is easy to see idol worship. Here in the west, our idols can be more discreet but more dangerous and addictive like materialism, sloth, envy, and pride. Until we take down the idols and high places in our hearts and replace them with the true worship of God, we will not be sensitive to the awesome plans God has for our lives.

Now that we have looked at some key obstacles to navigate, let’s get back to our key verses and more of the story of how God led my family. Heather and I both felt since we were young that God wanted us to serve Him in full time Christian service work. After a long time of thought, prayer, and seeking the Lord and the advice of people we trusted, Heather and I were appointed as missionaries with ABWE in 2009. However, we were not able to leave for the field and commissioned by HBC until 2014. It took a very long time and lots of difficulty to get us to that point. You may wonder what kept us going all of those years and what gave us hope that serving in South Asia was still the direction which the Lord was leading our family? It was first of all the peace and direction of God and the encouragement of God’s people that helped us to persevere all those years and even now. One of the verses that really spoke to my heart during those years of waiting was what we just read from 1 Cor. 9:16. Paul says, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

Paul could do nothing else, no other way to turn. God had miraculously called him into His service to preach the gospel. It was Paul’s commission, his duty, and his joy to give testimony of how Jesus changed his life and how only by grace, through faith, that sinners who are dead in their sin can be made alive in Christ. For Paul, to do anything else but being able to preach the gospel would bring “woe” or sorrow upon him. Woe is not a word we use much in our everyday language. Maybe you think of someone sitting in the hot sun putting their hand to their forehead and saying “woe is me! The day is so hot”. A better illustration of true woe is the prophet Jerimiah looking over the ruined city of Jerusalem clothes torn and ashes on his head weeping in anguish over the destruction. Or a mother in Kiev holding her wounded child among the ruins of her bombed out home. That is woe… helpless, wanting, despairing. That is how we should feel if anything keeps us from fulfilling the calling which the Lord has placed upon our lives. The commission which the Lord has laid upon us is our duty but also our joy and privilege.

As I was reflecting on these verses during our time of waiting to get to the field and asking God if we should do something different, I felt myself saying and firmly believing that I feel just like Paul, “woe is me if I do not follow God in this calling to serve the Him in missionary ministry”. There is nothing else I can do. There is no other way to turn. I was compelled to continue. As I shared these sentiments with Heather my wife, we still had the peace in our hearts that we were going the right direction. We persevered together. God still gives us peace and help as we serve Him with the commission that He has given us. Let me ask you… what has God given you as a commission to do that if you were told that you could no longer do it you would be in woe. What is the irresistible calling of God upon your life? Maybe you have never thought about your life in that way before that you have a commission and a calling from God. Now is a good time to start thinking about your life differently. Maybe you have been wanting to share your faith with your neighbors for a long time and now you have reached the place that you say, “woe is me if I do not tell them the source of my hope.” Maybe you have been wanting to reach out to your Muslim coworker or your Muslim neighbor. Well… there is no better time than tomorrow. You heard me right, not today but tomorrow is the most important holiday of the year for Muslims as they finish their month-long Ramadan fast and celebrate Eid. At a minimum, send them a text message and wish them happy a Eid! I would not be surprised if you get invited over for dinner. People from Muslim nations are some of the most hospitable in the world. Go on over. Tell them about what you just celebrated a few weeks ago at Resurrection Sunday regarding our risen savior Jesus. Many people from the Middle East and Asia are much more open about talking about their religion than most Americans are.

Maybe you are a student considering your future carear path or maybe you have had a fruitful career and are looking at what comes next and now perhaps you feel that God is leading you like He did with Paul into full time ministry as a pastor or as a missionary. It is never too early or too late to follow after the call God has placed upon your life. I have met pastors who it was a second job after working as a teacher or in business. Many of the missionaries I work with are not church planters or pastors, but they feel just as strongly called by God to reach people cross culturally with the Gospel of Jesus using their medical, or construction, or teaching skills. Pastors and missionaries are not super Christians. We also sin and struggle but through the equipping of God in our lives we are blessed to be a part of a commission pointing people to the creator and savior. Consider the call to full time Christian service for your own life. All of this to say, I believe that God has a purpose for you which He has placed in your heart. He has given each of you a desire like Paul that you just have to do, you are compelled so much that if it were taken away from you, you would be woeful and incomplete. God explains his sovereign purpose for each of His children in Eph. 2:8-10.

Eph. 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

First we see God’s purpose for you in how He made the path of salvation by grace through faith. If you are wondering what the will of God may be for your life, I can confidently say that the first step is to become a child of God on His terms. Receiving forgiveness of our sin debt is not our boast but all to the praise and glory of God. There is nothing that we can do or that we can add that will make us more holy in the sight of God. Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin is enough as we stand before the throne of God. Next, God made us all truly amazing. We are a creation of God! We are "fearfully and wonderfully made"! This is something that only God can do. Verse 10 speaks of handiwork or workmanship as the salvation for all mankind which we have received by grace through faith. Not only did He create our bodies, but God in His goodness made a plan of salvation which we have the privilege to be a part of. Since being saved is part of the work of God Himself, as a result, we are able to do good works which God has set before us to do to His praise and to His glory. Our good works do not make us any more holy, but our good works are a result of God working out His plans through His beloved children. It is our joy and pleasure to serve God and we build up His church and reach our community with the hope of the gospel. God made us to love our neighbor and to serve Him.

Before we close in prayer, let me ask you a few questions again. First of all, Do you know that regardless of where you are in life, as a child of God, you are part of the great commission to point a lost and dying world to Jesus as the Savior and to disciple them to become more fully committed followers of Christ? Next, What lies of the enemy do you need to deny and what obstacles do you need to remove from your path by the power of the shed blood of Jesus so that you can fully engage in the commission which the Lord has equipped you to do. Finally, what compels you? Are you devoting yourself to the right kind of mission or are you simply running the hamster wheel to get through the day? What is the mission which God has placed in your heart and prepared you to do that you are compelled to do or you will find yourself saying woe to me if I don’t finish it.

Paul gives a good illustration about the Christian life at the end of our passage in 1 Cor. 9. Verses 24-27 give a good conclusion to what we have been talking about this morning:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

We all have a race to run. Let’s accept Paul’s encouragement and run with purpose and not aimlessly. Take the charge that the Lord has given you and run the race of your Christian life in such a way that we receive the prize of hearing our Heavenly Father say, “well done”.

The Christian life is one of victory, and I challenge you to fully devote yourself with the breath, strength, and abilities the Lord has given you to see true hope being given to our neighbor and to bring more glory to the strong name of the Lord!

-Let’s pray.