Standing in the Gap

Morning Check in: How’s everyone doing? Are you well rested?? Slept well?

Hello!!! What a pleasure to be here with you this morning! I’m thankful for the invitation to speak with you today.

I want to share a few things about myself with you: (since we don’t know each other very well)

[SLIDE1] I’m a wife – there is my husband, Barry.

· I’m a Mom. I have 4 daughters ranging in age from 14-32. One of my daughters is married to Ryan – a fantastic son-in-law.

· I am a grandma [SLIDE2] – to Colton, 2 years in April and his born last month sister – Cheyenne. And then Sienna – who is about 5 ½ months old

And left to my own devices….“I’m a sinner”. Plain and simple. There’s no getting around it. Without Christ, the natural me is selfish, greedy, materialistic, self-centered.

I’m so very thankful for the Lord and what he has done in my life! What he still does. I don’t have to stay ‘the old me’. He offers me something soooo much better. He offers me a relationship with Him. It’s the most precious gift anyone can be offered. A relationship with Jesus is a game changer. Choosing to follow Christ has been the best decision of my life. If you haven’t made that decision yet, I soooo want to encourage you to do so. Walking thru life with Christ is AMAZING!

About 4 years ago, the Lord imprinted a picture on my mind. When I was praying what to share with you this weekend, the Lord brought it to my mind again. The primary verse for this morning’s message is from Ezekiel. I’m going to do my best to share a picture with you of what the Lord has asked me to speak almost everywhere I have ever spoken! For some reason, each time a new group offers me some time in the pulpit – this is the message the Lord asks me to bring. I believe it is a very relevant, timely and important message for God’s people to hear right now.

(Draw a church.) What do you think this is? This church right here represents the Body of Christ. This isn’t specifically YOUR church, but rather the whole group of us followers of Christ Jesus. If you have wholeheartedly decided to follow Jesus, then you are here. This group church represents God’s people today. And really…..I’m thinking of the perfect, holy, body of Christ at its finest. I’m thinking of the church as the way God intended it. United with our Lord, and united with one another. Within the church group is a place where the Lord equips us – to serve the Lord within the church, and to prepare to go outside the church to serve the Lord. He wants us to go do amazing things – for the glory of God. He wants to use us to expand the kingdom of God. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing. Are they perfect? No! The church isn’t perfect, but we allow ourselves to be subjected to the Lord’s beautification process.

(Draw a cross.) What makes these people special – is they are living under the direction and authority and protection of Jesus Christ. We KNOW:

· He saved us.

· He offers us a beautiful relationship with Him.

· We KNOW He has made some really powerful changes in our hearts and in our lives.

· Who we were without him, and who we are when we are trusting and relying on Him – is vastly different.

· We know how far Jesus has carried us.

We also know we’re not perfect. We are works in progress. We can recognize He still has some work to do.

Who, here, considers themselves part of the Body of Christ – part of the group that is considered ‘the people of God’?

? For those of you here who consider yourself the ‘body of Christ’, do you feel like the Lord’s work is TOTALLY done in you? (no!)

Or….do you feel like there are still some things you MAY have to learn from the Lord? (yes) I know I do!

Pastor Chad has been speaking on identity. And many of us find our true identity RIGHT HERE! Even though we aren’t perfect. We belong to a God who is!

(Draw a mess.) Do any of you remember the character Pig Pen from the Charlie Brown series [Slide3 Pig Pen]? Do you remember the dirt outline that kind of follows Pig Pen around? Wherever Pig Pen goes, the cloud goes with him. That is what I’m attempting to draw here. This dust cloud represents people living without Christ.

In this realm, anything goes. If there is no belief in, or concern about, the standard of God…then….any behavior….any thoughts….any actions….are okay. And it’s a place where I have lived most of my lifetime.

In this world, a lot of stuff can take place. I’m NOT saying there aren’t some really nice people here. It’s not about naughty or nice. But rather… the dirt outline represents the fact that life here tends to get messy. (label it messy) My life here was really messy. No boundaries often lead to messy relationships, messy marriages, messy divorce, families in crisis, individuals in distress. If you are living in this world, I’m not here to make judgement on you. I’m just really sharing some of my story. And trying to paint a big picture situation as God imprinted it in my mind. When I was living here….without ANY care for God, or any attention to Him – my life was suuuuuper messy. If you think about the 10 Commandments, for example, lets just say I bumped against nearly all of them. As far as I know, I haven’t killed anyone. But otherwise……I was living a ‘just do it’ lifestyle!!! And, let me tell you, I created PLENTY of mess in my own life!

On the right here, we have the body of Christ. Regular ol’ people who have made a wholehearted decision to follow Christ. They are making a commitment to wholeheartedly live out their faith – in a big, ALL IN for the Lord kind of way. They trust and follow the lord with their whole heart, mind, body – with everything in them. This represents those who are sold out for Christ. They love him with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength. The love of the Holy Spirit within them bubbles out onto those around them, and those they come into contact with. They are living to please the ONE. Their eyes and hearts and minds are SET on Jesus. These people are living for the Lord!!!

On the left represents people living for ‘self’. Like I said, I’ve lived here most of my life. No judgement. When I lived in this camp, I didn’t care about God. I didn’t give him a lot of thought. I sort of believed that maybe a God existed. I knew some things about God from my catholic upbringing, but he was just kind-of like a distant, scary Santa Claus figure to me. I was afraid of him. (IF he really existed!) I thought he was maybe watching me, knowing if I was naughty or nice, and ready to bust me. And basically, I was naughty so He was scary and intimidating. Plus, He was far out there. I didn’t think he cared about me individually, or personally, and I surely didn’t care much about him. At least, I didn’t give him much thought.

And here’s the thing about living in this world….. When we aren’t living with Christ, there’s always going to be something missing. Ya see, we were created for relationship with him. (Hands clasped.) If you trace the story of God back to the Garden of Eden, you see Adam and Eve in perfect, harmonious relationship with God. That’s how we were created to be. And ever since Adam and Eve were dismissed from the garden, there has been a gaping hole in our hearts. A separation. Something missing. A hunger that we can’t satisfy. We humans are hungry for a sweet and fulfilling relationship with our Lord. But we don’t KNOW it, necessarily. And frankly, we do LOADS of things to try to fill that hole. We try lots of different things. (Draw these things as I speak.)

Sex. If I could just have that, I’d be happy. I’d be satisfied. Culture supports sex in a big way. Go ahead. Just do it. It feels good. It’s natural. So we keep seeking out different relationships only to find, the hole still there.

Alcohol. I wanna take of the edge. There’s something missing, I don’t know what. I’ll just numb this ache, and maybe it will go away.

Drugs. I wanna feel different….free from the pain… I want joy, so I’m gonna try this…..

Or sometimes, we try/participate in drugs or alcohol because we want the approval of people offering it to us. And guess what? That approval is never going to fill the hole!

$$. Money and everything it can buy. If I could just get that ________ (you fill in the blank….car, house, new furniture, clothes, vacation, status symbol, video game…), THEN I’d be happy. But money and stuff don’t fill the hole.

Draw a star. Fame or power. If I could just be someone who is popular – who others recognize as important. If I could be ‘the star of the show’ in my world – whether that’s in the business world, at school, our place in our families, sports accomplishments, being the bad girl, getting likes on social media…whatever. Standing out in SOME WAY (where I am noticed or applauded), that might just be the way to fill the hole, the emptiness. I may try on several identities to see if any of them fits and fulfills.

Draw a question mark. Maybe it’s entertainment? I don’t know what your method of filling the hole is or was….but there are LOADS of distractions, things to try when we’re honestly (and perhaps, unknowingly) - just hungering for the Lord.

Meanwhile…this whole time…..the Lord is drawing us.

John 6:44 NASB95

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

This and other scripture leads us to believe that He draws each of us toward HIm. His grace is calling to us…..” Come be with me!”, he says. There’s a gentle pull. His soft, whispering voice nudges us to Him. He wants each of us to be reconciled to Him! Come be with me, and you will find REST. Come be with me, and you will find RELATIONSHIP. Come be with me, and you will find fulfillment and reassurance that you are good enough and loved enough!!! You ARE important. You ARE significant.

If I’m honest, as I look back, I can see The Lord’s hand all over my life….drawing me to come closer to Him. And I can see me turning down his invitation. But finally….God got my attention. There was a time in my adult life – when I fell out of a raft into the Matanuska River in Alaska, and I thought I was going to die. Guess WHAT I found myself doing? Praying! When I thought it was my TIME of death – I had that ‘life pass before my eyes’ (like a film strip zooming by), and I was saying the Lord’s prayer. (There was also some cussing involved, but I sought the Lord in that moment.)

The Lord calls people to Him. He called ME to Him - and FINALLY I allowed myself to be drawn to Him. (Draw a person walking out of the messy.) I took a step out of my messiness. I’m going to call this area between the messiness and the following of Christ “The Gap”. (A big open space between living in my mess and living in a satisfied relationship with Christ.) There’s an invisible gap here. I stood in The Gap for quite a while. Many people that are considering Christ stand right here. It’s a troubling time. It’s confusing. People standing in The Gap:

· May not have RIGHT information about who God is. They don’t really understand what exactly is waiting for them: the joy, the freedom, the relationship!!)

· They MAY start going to church.

· They may not go to church. They may see themselves as ‘not good enough’ to attend church because they think you have to be “good” in order to go to church. (I know a gal that wanted God, but didn’t feel good enough to step inside a church, so she would go and sit outside on the church steps during the service time.)

· A person standing in The Gap MAY still be going through the motions of his/her messy life. Still partying. Still partaking in the temptations of this world. Still trying to fill the hole through several different empty solutions.

The Gap is a confusing place. And the church – the sold out believers, the body of Christ – can minister to and support the people standing in The Gap.

Ezekiel 22:30 NIV

“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

And it goes on to explain that there was no one willing and able to stand in the gap.

This story in Ezekiel in its context (represents a troubling time when God’s people weren’t following Him. If you read the OT, you see a disturbing pattern unfold with God’s people. Here is how the pattern goes: 1) God rescues people – so the people praise him and worship him, 2) They commit to follow him forever, and then 3) time passes, and 4) the people forget what God has done. They start living for themselves, doing crazy things. God warns them. They ignore God. Then, 5) God’s judgement comes upon them. Some terrible consequence happens and they cry out to God. 6) God rescues them again & they praise God!!! And the pattern continues over and over again for generations. (The Cycle of Apostacy)

In Ezekiel 22, Ezekiel the prophet passes along a message from God. A warning to God’s people - that God’s judgement is about to fall on them. They are living FAR from the standard the Lord has set for them. If you follow this story, you’ll know that the Babylonians came and took God’s people captive. They destroyed Jerusalem, and moved most of God’s people to Babylon. But before God took action, he was lamenting because He looked for someone to ‘stand in the Gap’, to fill the gaping hole between his people and Him, but he couldn’t find anyone to do the job.

These words were spoken roughly 600 years before Christ came to earth. And fortunately, Jesus himself came to bridge The Gap between lost souls and a righteous God. Jesus makes a way for us to get to God. He says,

John 14:6 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus came to fill The Gap between God and his people. And shortly after his physical presence left the earth, He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us.

So…Jesus HIMSELF came to bridge The Gap between lost people and a Holy God. And Jesus gives us (in the church) some commands for filling The Gap today. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to

Matthew 28:19 NIV

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,

Jesus has given us (the church) the responsibility, the teachings, and the tools to get equipped to walk with people in The Gap. It’s a SWEET system the Lord set up to help us! He sent the Spirit of the Lord to live within us! If you look at this picture the Lord imprinted into my head, we could call this ‘discipleship’. As God’s NT people, we are followers of Jesus, who are to make followers of Jesus, who make followers of Jesus…. We are told to be disciples who make disciples. This picture is a diagram of discipleship. The Lord wants to use His people to help walk with people who He is calling to Him.

This morning….I want to talk to you about [SLIDE8] what it’s like to be a person LIVING in The Gap. God calls us to Him. We step out. In curiosity? Maybe in faith? Maybe out of unfulfilled need? Maybe out of sheer desperation because we’re tired and everything else we’ve tried didn’t work. Even though we don’t completely grasp what faith means, people step out of their mess, and towards God.

As I stepped out (draw me stepping out), I had no idea what I was doing. But…the Lord drew me to Him. And I went to church. And I gotta admit, the church I went to at first….wasn’t helpful. God wasn’t there. But…eventually I kind-a stumbled into the Nazarene church. The first Nazarene church I ever went to was when we were visiting relatives in Minnesota. God was there! He hit me over the head as I walked in the door. That greeter lady shook my hand and my eyes immediately welled up with tears. (She was one of THESE _ church_people.)

I want to share with you some of what is going on in the heart of Gap Dwellers. (I am speaking this from personal experience.) It’s scary. It’s confusing. You don’t know who to believe. You don’t know whom you can trust.

There is a pull from the different directions – opposing forces. You’ve seen magnets before? It’s like you are a magnet – and the force of some more powerful magnets are pulling you to them. The Lord is drawing you…and you take few steps in this direction. And at the same time, the things of this world are familiar and comfortable, and it would be super easy to go in that direction. And, I don’t like to give him too much credit, but we have to acknowledge his presence some times….Satan is there ALSO trying to lure us back.

The person standing in The Gap (and I’m speaking from experience here), the person in The Gap is messy. They often have battle wounds; many of the wounds are open and raw. They’ve been disappointed and hurt by people. They have sometimes BEEN the one who has disappointed and hurt people. They are hurting. They may be angry. They have regrets. And….they don’t seem to quite fit in anywhere.

They kind-a want God. Maybe. And they might start attending church. Maybe squeak in the back door – sliding into the back row where they don’t have to talk to anyone. But at this point, God’s people are kind-of overwhelming. There’s some that seem really nice and friendly, but I am just SURE that they won’t really like me once they know what I’ve done. And I’m not really sure I can trust them anyways. And probably not in YOUR church, but in other places, there are a couple people - that just aren’t all that nice.

Maybe as I’m standing in The Gap, I have a conversion experience. (Draw a person standing closer to the church). Maybe I pray that special prayer. The one the church people are super excited about. Maybe I’m counted as ‘in’ from the church peoples’ perspective. Maybe I’m ‘saved’. But deep down, I’m not sure I really believe it. I know the church people TELL me I’m saved. They tell me I am fresh and clean. It’s like I get a big life do-over. But deep down, I don’t FEEL cleansed. Deep down, I still have regrets. I have blown it with people. I have lived a poor example in my life. I’m suffering the consequences of messy living. But… I may have a little light of joy bubbling in my heart, but it’s a little like a little itty bitty candle flame. It’s lit, but a good wind could snuff it out pretty easily. (birthday candle)

The pastor teaches me I need to read the bible. So I buy a bible. And I start on page one and start reading. None of this makes ANY sense. There’s a bunch of old stories. Ancient history that I don’t get. (I’m no history buff.) I decide to skip Leviticus and Numbers because…whew….all those names and family histories are super boring to me. But….I just keep reading. And I keep going to church. And the Lord has opportunities to grow in my heart. 😊

Living in The Gap is a time when old friends are wondering why I don’t want to go out drinking with them. Family members think I’m kind of weird ‘cuz I keep talking about God. I’m questioning whether I have any friends. I know what’s behind me. I could always go back there. I could scrap this bible. I could scrap these church people that don’t really know the REAL me and probably would kick me out if they only knew the truth.

This is a tough time for the seeker or the new believer that is standing in The Gap. It’s a critical time. Will they continue to walk towards the Lord, or will they just disappear from church attendance and we’ll never see them again? If you’ve been around the church a while, you know what I mean. You see these people come to church for a while. They may even talk to you and let you begin to build a relationship. They MAY even get saved. But then, they just disappear. You don’t see them in church anymore. They don’t return your phone calls. You send a note, but you aren’t sure whether they got it. Its like they just fell off the planet!

THIS is where the Lord calls in His people. He calls us to ‘stand in the Gap’ with others. (Draw a picture of someone coming out of the church) And this is where the body of Christ gets REAL beautiful. My husband and I were blessed with some truly loving people who came alongside us in our spiritual journey. I think this is a big reason why our new faith ‘stuck’. Our pastor and his family invited us into their small group right away. A very nice, authentic older woman invited me to bible study with other women. And those women were sooooo patient with me. They didn’t laugh at me. I didn’t feel judged by them. They didn’t leave me out of their conversations. They explained things so kindly to me. They were sold out for Christ – fully

committed!

When I think of Ms. Mary Buettner….That woman loved on me! A quirky little church in Alaska loved my family and I right into their community. They invited us into their lives. They had TIME for us. They answered questions. They were patient. [ ]

I’m not gonna tell you we didn’t have a few hiccups along the way. There was a guy in our small group that often made some real judgey proclamations. One time he went off on a tirade about women with hyphenated last names. Sinners!!! My complete last name is Ancich-Stratton. Another time he went off about people who read Harry Potter books. My last name is hyphenated AND I read all the Harry Potter books. Sometimes really good people (even Jesus-loving people) find (what feels like) kinda stupid things to get judgmental about. I don’t mean to insult you if you don’t agree with Harry Potter books at all. (I understand the issue NOW!!) It’s just that a person standing in The Gap has NOOOOO IDEA what’s wrong with reading Harry Potter books. They are way more interesting than Leviticus!! 😊

A couple years in to my walk with the Lord, a well-intentioned lady told me I really needed an Accountability Partner. And…..SHE was willing to be mine. So we met one day over a cup of coffee. I shared some of my history. I may have even cussed a few times. She avoided me after that for several months. And here’s the deal….I didn’t even tell her about any of the BAD stuff. I felt hurt and rejected and I felt judged. I’ve now known this woman for around 15 years and we worked all that out; I love and appreciate her. Her intentions were pure. She just….probably wasn’t ready to minister to people like me. I suspect she has grown since then in many ways - just like I have. Thank God for his grace!!!! Thank goodness he doesn’t leave us in our mess. But the point of this story, is sometimes we really desire to ‘Stand In the Gap’ with people, but we just aren’t properly equipped.

I want to give you some things to ponder.

First of all, I want you to identify where you are in this scenario. Be honest with yourself. Be honest with the Lord. Focus on YOURSELF with this (rather than what someone else really needs to hear). I am NOT going to call on anyone. I am NOT going to call you out!!!

? Which place on this diagram do you most identify?

Are you living in the mess? Have you tentatively tipped one toe out, but aren’t quite sure you WANT to proceed? If you are here this morning, but have never made a choice to follow Jesus Christ…..please let me (or Pastor Chad, or a prayer team?) pray with you. Please…if you think the Lord is beckoning to you, DON’T leave without talking to one of us today!!! Following Jesus is a BLAST!!!! We don’t have to be good to come to Him. We come to Him, and He makes us GOOD!!!

Are you living in The Gap – knowing deep down that the Lord has more for you, but you are kind of scared? Or awkwardly not knowing how to proceed? Or maybe you consider yourself ‘saved’, but you don’t quite believe it? Maybe you’ve gone through the motions to LOOK like a person of God, but you question if you are really saved? Please know – its okay not to have all the answers!! Keep: reading the Word of God. Keep coming to church. Stay in relationship with your God friends. Have you never made a full commitment to be ‘all in’ for the Lord? But….you know its time? Again…..let one of us pray with you today. Make today be the day…..I’m going to FOLLOW JESUS. I’m going to get my questions ANSWERED!

Are you a member of the Body of Christ?Sold out for Christ? Are you REALLY sold out for Christ??? Are you in a sweet relationship with the Lord, allowing the Holy Spirit to run your life? Do you care about your neighbor who may be living in the mess? Do you care about your neighbor who is lost in the gap somewhere???

I remember having this really interesting, eye-opening conversation with one of my co-worker pastors one time. He shared with me that he and his wife were listening to a recorded book during a road trip. The book was Radical by David Platt. Have any of you read it??? I loved this book. Fair warning: it may wreck you, or any modern day easy American Christianity we may be settling with. My pastor friend – who I had always looked up to and respected – admitted this BIG truth to me. He said that he and his wife listened to that book together on a road trip. And he was questioning if he was really even a Christian or not.

He realized that he wasn’t living at ALL by faith. He wasn’t doing what Jesus said to do. He was placing more faith and trust in his human thinking than in what he now understands about the Lord. That guys was a PASTOR – a leader in the church!!!

Man….if ANY of us look at this diagram and realize– that we aren’t quite where we always THOUGHT they were spiritually…..let’s acknowledge it now!!!

Be honest. Come to the Lord and be:

· Vulnerable

· Authentic/honest

· Humble

Ask yourself: Where am I REALLY? Am I sold out and living for Christ Jesus? Am I filled up with, and fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit? (Really?) Do I live by faith, not by what I see? Is there fruit in my life – where I care about my neighbor, my family, my friends, my co-worker? Am I equipped and ready and willing to minister to people that are walking in the gap? Am I honoring the Lord - to stand in the gap - to lovingly walk alongside people who are scared, confused, hurt, or questioning if this God-thing is for them???

Are you IN the Gap right now? Do you know deep down that the Lord has much more for you, but you are kinda scared? Does church or church people feel awkward? If the Lord has called you closer to Him - do you know what your next step is? Do you really BELIEVE you are saved? Do you FEEL forgiven? Really?

Maybe the Lord has forgiven you, but you haven’t forgiven yourself. (It’s time.) If there was one sweet gift I could give you – it is the reassurance that you are loved, forgiven, chosen for greater things – that you can become a child of God! That you are welcomed in to the Body of Christ – even if some of the people aren’t particularly welcoming – and even if you see us as being less than perfect. Because we sure aren’t!

Once you identify where YOU are in this process, I want to challenge you to take the next step. If you know you are living in the Mess and want to get out, or if you are standing in the Gap, look around this group and find someone you think you might be able to trust. Find a good, strong believer here, and connect with them. Be willing to initiate a conversation. Be willing to follow through on a coffee date or a budding friendship. Be willing to be authentic, vulnerable and humble with one-another.

The goal for all of us is to take the next step in our walk. How can you take a step closer to Jesus today? How can you take a step closer to being in UNITY with Christ, EQUIPPED and ready to be UNLEASHED into your community?

If you ARE the sold-out believer - I want to encourage you. Put on the full armor of God. Be fully committed to Christ, humbled by Him, and encapsulated in the Power of the Holy Spirit (draw a heart around a person walking out of the church). Step out and stand in The Gap with someone who desperately needs you this week. Look around you and see if there is SOMEone who needs YOU to walk in the gap with them!!! Ask the Lord if there is ANYone that He would like you to pray for, and come stand in the gap with! If the Holy Spirit brings someone to mind – reach out to them!

Let’s pray:

· For courage to take the next step (Messy->Gap; Gap->All-in; From within the church -> enveloped by the HS to walk with someone in the Gap)

· For guidance from the Holy Spirit; Help us to hear your voice!

· For clarity on where we are in the diagram, and where the Lord would like us to go

· My prayer, Lord, is that when you call out…and ask someone to stand before you in the gap, that a multitude of voices will respond to You saying, “Yes, Lord, I’ll go. Pick me!”

· Thank-you, Lord, for the precious body of Christ.

· Thank-you, Lord, for drawing each of us closer to You.

· Help Sunnyside Naz to live out their mission: To HELP people reach their full potential in Christ: physically, spiritually, emotionally.