BD What Compells you.

What Compels you?

Hello, my name is Chris Christensen. I had the opportunity to share this message with my sending church and I think that it has a lot to benefit our team here as well.

I want to talk to you tonight about a concept and a verse that helped to steer the direction of me and my families lives. 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 saying “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 a very compelling experience from my childhood. 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 compelledme to do it.

I want to read a passage for you that helped to shape 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 we are missionaries, this sermon is not about giving toward missions (although that is very important).

I will be focusing on two verses, but I also wanted to give a fair mention about the context of the verse. 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 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. 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 wants us to understand these truths.

The verses I really want to draw attention to are verses 16 and 17. Paul (or at the time, Saul) was originally known as an enemy of Christians and of the new church. But then God dramatically changes his life’s purpose on the road to Damascus as he sees and hears the resurrected Christ from Heaven which causes 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. A commission is a special task. You can commission someone to create a work of art or design a building. My family was commissioned by our sending church to be sent as missionaries. We received a special task to do. Regardless of our commission by a church, every follower of Jesus is a part of the great commission which Jesus gave to all believers. Matt. 28:18-20

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.”

This is a familiar passage and one that likely motivated you to be here in this room tonight. Even passages that may be familiar need to be presented before us again to reorient our focus on what is truly important in our lives. All of us who belong to the body of Christ are called and commissioned to have a part in sharing the gospel, making disciples, teaching, and reaching the nations. Not all roles in this process look alike, we work and contribute toward the great commission in different ways, 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. On this campus we do that through medical ministries, translating God’s word, directing evangelistic programs, and relational ministries. We each hold great responsibilities as we seek to point this community to Jesus as its only hope. We have an adversary and enemy who does not want to see that happen… Satan wants to place obstacles in our way of us accomplishing this task and we must understand this if we are going to walk confidently without stumbling. The schemes and lies of Satan are endless, but I want to highlight two of these obstacles. First, I want you to understand that you are blessed/favored. Not just because of where you were born or your education, but you are favored because God has supplied you with all that you need to live and to honor Him. You may be thinking that you only have a ministry salary, you have little savings, and you are beyond anxious with how busy your life is now to even think about being a key 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. Yesterday I was seeing a patient with Jonathan Tidwell and he closed their time with a very nice prayer. I could be envious of his Bangla ability and his intentionality and for my lack. That is what Satan wants. He wants to cause division and envy. But instead, I should rejoice in the success of my brother in the Lord and know that God has also equipped me and He has 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. Here in Bangladesh, many manmade idols exist and it is easy to see idol worship. In the west, and quickly throughout the rest of the world 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 Bangladesh 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 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.

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? It took a calling upon your life to get you here to Bangladesh. God’s presence and calling keeps you here. But, what is it that aside from your general calling that compels you? During the course of your life and work here, maybe God wants to be involved in a translation of the Bible that has never been done. Maybe you feel compelled to reach the majority population here that up until now has not been done. Is your commission to point people hopeless and despairing because of their disease or injury to Jesus as the only one who will bring true healing. Is your dream to see our established churches and church members thriving and sharing their faith boldly with their neighbors? We have a tremendous legacy of dedicated and loving missionaries who have gone before us and we have the privilege to build upon the foundation they have laid.

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. This is not our boast but all to the praise and glory of God. Salvation is part of God’s plan for your life. 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. Our desire to serve God and to love others is a part of the plan and handiwork of God. It is our joy and pleasure to serve God as 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. Do you know that regardless of who you are and 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? 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 for you to do from the beginning of time that you are compelled to do or you will find yourself saying woe to me if I don’t finish it. 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 community and to bring more glory to the strong name of the Lord! -Let’s pray!