Steve Gentry
[0:00] All right, go ahead and have a seat. [0:02] Welcome to Village Church. [0:03] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, I’m one of the pastors here at Village [0:06] Church, and as always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:10] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Colossians chapter 4. [0:14] We’re going to be starting in verse 2 this morning.
[0:17] We’re in week 3 of our series going through our core values as a church, and what these [0:23] represent are not just the things that we kind of say, hey, you know, that’s a good [0:27] thing to focus on, but rather this is what defines us as a church. [0:31] These are our distinctives. [0:33] This is the path through which we will call you to as a church, and it’s kind of like [0:39] how we’ve marked the point A to point B of Christianity.
[0:43] And in these values, which are redemption, mission, community, and multiplication, these [0:49] serve as a way in which for you to kind of measure where you are in your life in Christ. [0:56] Kind of take a temperature as to whether or not you have spiritual health going on [1:01] or whether or not changes need to be made in certain areas that we’re telling you are [1:07] the Biblical keys to how you are going to grow in your faith in Jesus. [1:13] And so if you’re in this room, I want you to understand I am necessarily telling you
[1:18] that there are changes that are always going to be made in your life when you look at each [1:23] of these areas. [1:24] The reason that I know that is because you’re all breathing, you’re all alive. [1:29] None of you are glorified standing before Jesus right now in heaven, having gone through [1:34] death, which is the final stage of sanctification. [1:37] None of you are perfect.
[1:38] All of you have places in your life where growth is needed in following Jesus, where [1:44] change is needed in following Jesus. [1:46] And what we’re saying in our core values, the way that we’ve chosen to kind of look [1:52] at this is that there are changes that need to be made in these specific areas. [1:58] And that’s kind of where the rubber meets the road this week. [2:02] We’re kind of in week two of mission.
[2:05] We’ve chosen to take two weeks to walk through mission. [2:07] So last week served as kind of the 15,000 foot view of what it means to make disciples [2:14] that Jesus upon his resurrection, when he was ascending up in heaven, looked to his [2:18] people and said, now that you’ve trusted in me, now that I’ve risen from the dead, [2:22] I have all authority. [2:24] I’m going to be with you throughout the rest of your life.
[2:27] All the days of your life need to be spent making disciples. [2:31] And so when we kind of have that kind of vision casting, when we kind of talk about that, [2:36] we all applaud. [2:37] We’re like, absolutely, because you can’t disagree with Jesus. [2:40] If you’re in the church and you’re disagreeing with Jesus, that means something’s going on. [2:45] Okay?
[2:45] And so we’re all nodding, but sometimes we don’t take that next step and say, okay, [2:50] where does rubber though meet the road of that? [2:53] Where does pen meet paper on me making disciples? [2:57] What specifically should you be doing? [3:00] How should you be living? [3:02] What are the changes that need to be made in your life so that you personally can live
[3:10] the mission of Jesus, so that you personally can make disciples of Jesus? [3:16] Because it’s easy to agree to something in theory. [3:19] It’s easy to embrace an idea and say, that’s a wonderful thing. [3:24] But too often it’s kind of like, that’s a wonderful thing. [3:26] Someone should do something about that. [3:29] And so what I’m going to tell you today is that you need to do something about that.
[3:33] The mission of Jesus is something that you personally need to engage in and, yes, is [3:40] going to require changes in your daily rhythm, in your daily practices. [3:49] I want to look at three things today that are going to need to kind of take a gesture. [3:54] We’re going to start with mindset, then I’m going to try to convince you that you need [3:57] to live differently than you’re living right now, and then on the end we’re going to talk [4:00] about some new practices that you need to put into place to kind of ensure and begin
[4:05] to kind of wade into the waters of the mission of Jesus. [4:10] But what I want you to understand is that your faith and your obedience to Jesus, they [4:17] need to grow. [4:19] They need to stretch. [4:20] I love bungee cords. [4:21] I love living in 2016.
[4:23] My power went out yesterday and it was really hot, and so I started thinking, man, they [4:28] must have been really warm in the 1800s because they didn’t have heat pumps in central air, [4:33] and then followed some praise to Jesus that I didn’t live back then. [4:37] But I love some of the technological advancements. [4:40] We don’t just have rope anymore where you’ve got to be a Boy Scout and know like 17 different [4:44] stupid knots, but now I can just be lazy and go by this type of rope that actually is somehow
[4:52] rubbery and it stretches from two feet to about 80 feet, and it’s got like hooks on [4:57] the end of it. [4:58] And so for somebody like me that’s like, I don’t care to learn any of these things. [5:02] It’s like, ah, technology. [5:04] I love it. [5:05] It’s wonderful.
[5:06] And I’m also the kind of person that’s like, how far can we stretch this? [5:09] And then it breaks and I get hurt and I cry for a while, but that’s okay. [5:13] But so these bungee cords, they stretch and they grow and they’re very useless. [5:20] Sitting in the back of my truck in the little container that I bought them in, if I just [5:25] look at them and I say, man, awesome. [5:27] Those things can stretch.
[5:30] And I’ve got a big load of something in the back of my truck and it needs to be held [5:34] down. [5:34] I’m looking at those bungee cords and like, I love the idea of bungee cords. [5:37] It’s fantastic. [5:38] No, they’re completely useless until I stretch them over the stuff that I’m carrying and [5:42] actually put them to use.
[5:44] Well, so is the idea of the mission.
[5:48] Jesus isn’t looking for our applause. [5:50] I mean, he’s got a great system. [5:51] Life on life, make disciples, the faith that’s growing in me happens in someone else. [5:56] It’s not useful for you until you’re living it. [5:59] Until you’re actually engaging in the mission of Jesus. [6:02] And so what has to happen now is that I have to do something for you that you don’t always
[6:09] like. [6:09] And that is tell you that you need to change. [6:13] Nobody likes change. [6:14] I’ve been in church ministry for quite a while and there’s one kind of absolute that I’ve [6:20] noticed in all normal people is that you love the idea of other people changing, but [6:24] you don’t love the idea of you changing.
[6:27] Is that as long as we’re talking about the changes that other people have to make in [6:31] their lives, you’re like, yeah, they are sinners. [6:34] Awfulness going on in their lives. [6:36] I hope they change. [6:37] But then when we come around to you and we’re like identifying places, well, here’s where [6:40] you could be more faithful.
[6:41] Here’s where you need to be obedient. [6:42] Here’s where your faith needs to stretch. [6:44] Here’s where you need to grow. [6:45] And so you’re like, dude, I am who I am. [6:47] Leave me alone.
[6:50] And so we treat some aspects of who we are, even if it’s our personality, emotions, as [6:55] if they’re concrete, unchangeable. [6:58] And what I think is actually going on in those places where we kind of plant our feet and [7:03] we’re like, I am who I am and God just is doing with me what he’s going to do and I [7:07] can’t change. [7:08] As I want to tell you that that’s specifically where God wants you to change.
[7:13] Those are the key areas that God is calling you to actually change and grow and point [7:21] out specifics and say, oh, here is something that I’m doing it this way and I could make [7:25] more disciples if I did it this way. [7:27] Oh, I should probably identify that and actually change in that. [7:30] That’s what repentance is. [7:32] I think sometimes it’s just a buzzword or keyword in Christianity that we throw up in
[7:36] church and we’re like repentance, repentance, but we don’t know what it means. [7:38] That’s what it means. [7:38] It’s that simple. [7:40] But it’s very uncomfortable and it’s very hard because it means ending one habit and [7:47] beginning a new one. [7:48] And it takes a while to do that.
[7:51] It’s what the apostle Paul is actually talking about in a section of scripture that you [7:55] may be familiar with if you’re a student of the scriptures, but if you’re not like in-depth [7:59] Bible study all the time, you probably never even kind of focused on Colossians 4, 2 through [8:04] 6. [8:04] But he’s going to engage us on two different types of mission. [8:08] One that we’re very familiar with, that the minority of people are gifted to do, and
[8:13] one that the majority of you are going to be gifted at, but nobody ever talks about. [8:17] So look at Colossians chapter 4. [8:19] Here’s what the apostle Paul says starting in verse 2. [8:22] He says, Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. [8:28] At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare [8:35] the mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear,
[8:41] which is how I ought to speak. [8:43] Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. [8:48] Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought [8:55] to answer each person. [8:58] Pray with me. [9:00] Father, you have blessed us in Christ with every blessing in the heavenly places.
[9:08] And Lord, my prayer is that you in this moment would grow our faith in that, grow our trust [9:14] in that. [9:16] Help us to follow you more faithfully. [9:19] Help us to affectionately obey you in every area, even those that are inconvenient. [9:25] And Lord, help us to worship you with everything that we’ve got. [9:32] Be merciful to me, a sinner.
[9:33] In the name of Jesus, I pray. [9:35] Amen. [9:37] First off, I want to talk to you about the reality that the mission of Jesus requires [9:41] a new mindset. [9:43] The mission of Jesus requires a new mindset. [9:46] As the apostle Paul is speaking to the church at Colossae, he’s kind of starting to wrap
[9:50] things up here in chapter 4. [9:52] He’s moving towards the end. [9:53] He’s unpacked everything about Jesus, how great he is, how powerful he is, the life [9:58] that he’s calling them into, what they need to do. [10:01] And here at the end, he kind of begins his farewell address in his letter, and he’s [10:06] speaking to the church at Colossae about what missional living is going to look like for
[10:11] him and then what it’s going to look like for them as people who are not in the same [10:17] type of ministry that he’s in. [10:19] And so he begins by engaging their mindset. [10:23] He says, pray that you would endure, pray that you would be watchful with thanksgiving [10:30] and the life that you’re living, and then also pray for me as I do ministry and pray [10:35] that my ministry may flourish, and then he begins to talk about their lifestyle.
[10:39] But he begins with that great vision of what we were talking about last week, how Jesus [10:45] has saved us, how Jesus has redeemed us, called us into this mission to make disciples, [10:50] and Paul is engaging at the foundational level how that’s going to begin in their lives, [10:56] that God is actually calling them to have a different focus, to have a different mindset [11:01] in everything that they do as people. [11:04] He’s talking about their motivations.
[11:07] That prayer, and this is the same apostle Paul who said to pray without ceasing. [11:12] He’s like, well, how do you do that? [11:13] Well, he’s talking about what your focus is. [11:15] He’s talking about what goes on in your thoughts. [11:17] He’s talking about what the actual desires of your heart are, what you are affectionate [11:23] about in the every day of your life, and he’s saying that is the focus that the mission
[11:28] of Jesus needs, and when you are praying, when you are before the Lord, that is the [11:35] outlet of everything that’s going to happen in your life missionally, and then that’s [11:39] the outlet in which you pray for others, lifting them up, and he’s saying that you [11:44] need to depend in your life on a move of God. [11:49] He’s saying that needs to be the frame of reference for all of your life. [11:55] He’s saying you could want to make disciples.
[11:58] You could show up to every discipleship thing in the world. [12:01] You could make it your effort to live your life in such a way where you tell people the [12:08] gospel, where in your workplace you’re engaged in everyone’s life, and you’re like, I want [12:13] to be, so I’m going to push the envelope, where making disciples is a concern. [12:17] I’m going to seek to reach people for Jesus in every way that I can, and without the move [12:23] of God, that’s all going to be fruitless, and you’re going to get exhausted.
[12:27] It’s going to wear you out. [12:29] And so Paul says, where does your mindset need to be? [12:32] Where does your focus need to be? [12:33] Well, it begins by having a focus and a mindset that God needs to do a work in you and then [12:39] through you. [12:41] And so your mind needs to be stayed on the things of God, and he begins by our motivation.
[12:49] That a life that is dependent on God to move through prayer and the power of his Spirit [12:56] at work in you and through you is where the focus of your life needs to be, and this is [13:02] all about mindset. [13:04] This is about thinking through your life towards God in relation to his mission. [13:10] And Paul here connects the prayers of affection to the mission of others on your mind and [13:16] the transitions into how it relates to your everyday life.
[13:21] So the question that emerges from that is, how much do you think through how God is working [13:28] in your life and how God could work through your life? [13:32] What is your mind focused on? [13:35] Because what you think about the most is what has captivated your affections.
[13:44] What you long for in your life is revealed in what you think about the most. [13:48] What you think about the most is your heaven. [13:53] It’s what your life’s goal is. [13:54] It’s what your focus is. [13:56] It is what your longings are captivated by. [13:59] So what are you affectionately desiring every day in your life, and does it have anything
[14:06] to do with Jesus? [14:07] Does it have anything to do with his mission? [14:10] Because your thought life is what moves you. [14:14] Do you think through the questions of how will the mission of Jesus play through in [14:18] my life? [14:20] You are not going to just drift into a life of mission.
[14:25] It’s not just going to happen by accident. [14:27] You’re not going to grow in Jesus by accident either. [14:29] Nobody ever woke up one morning and they’re like, you know, I don’t know how this happened, [14:32] but man, I am so faithful to Jesus in my life. [14:35] It just it just popped in just there. [14:38] No, it takes intention.
[14:40] It takes effort. [14:41] It takes it takes work on your part. [14:44] You drift towards complacency. [14:46] You drift towards apathy. [14:48] You drift towards boredom and discontentment. [14:52] Those are the things that you drift towards.
[14:55] And then you try to seek, well, what is my problem? [14:57] Well, the problem is you. [14:59] Not someone around you. [15:01] It’s you.
[15:05] You’re going to drift towards holiness. [15:06] You’re going to intentionally move in that direction. [15:09] You’re not going to drift and then one day wake up and be like, how did I get so obedient? [15:13] No, you’re going to be able to see the mile markers along the way of your growth and [15:17] obedience to God. [15:19] Right thinking necessarily does lead to consistently right living.
[15:26] But understand that right practices can also change the way that you think. [15:32] Jesus, in one of my favorite passages of his where he kind of combines a statement [15:38] with a command, he says in Matthew six, he says, where your treasure is there, [15:42] your heart will be also. [15:43] Jesus specifically is talking about where your money is. [15:47] And what we do in our lives, though, is we can apply this to a whole host of things
[15:52] is that we sit around and they say, well, I when my heart is into it, that’s when I [15:58] will put intentionality behind it. [15:59] That’s where I’m going to start to put some effort into it. [16:02] But since I’m not feeling it, I’m not going to do it. [16:06] How’s that working out for you?
[16:09] The practices that you focus on with the most consistency are what’s going to engage [16:16] your affections most prominently. [16:20] And so for you to begin to live the mission, it’s not about sitting around saying, well, [16:25] Lord, when you want me to live your mission, I guess you’ll reveal it to me because I’ll [16:28] actually want to do it. [16:29] No, you put the practices that God has put into place because he said to do it.
[16:35] And in faith, you believe that that’s where your affections are going to go.
[16:40] And so in that sense, right living can create right thinking. [16:46] And you will begin to move with God.
[16:51] In Ephesians five, Paul exhorts the Christians in Ephesus to live as those who are wise. [16:57] Note what he says in Ephesians five. [16:59] After unpacking for four chapters, the greatness of the gospel, God’s power in the gospel, [17:05] his vision for the church, apostle Paul steps back and he just gets practical and he basically [17:09] says, now that you know the truth, live as though you know the truth. [17:16] He says, look carefully how you walk.
[17:18] Pay attention to the actions that your life is producing. [17:21] Pay attention to the things that you are doing. [17:23] Don’t walk as unwise, walk as wise. [17:25] Now, how could you do that? [17:27] Because now that you believe the gospel, you have wisdom and don’t live as though [17:34] you don’t know the truth.
[17:36] This is two very simple things. [17:39] He says, make the best use of time because your days are evil. [17:42] In other words, look at how you spend your time. [17:47] I think sometimes we look at the scriptures and we’re like, what is his meaning there? [17:51] What’s the mystical reality? [17:53] How can I make that spiritual?
[17:53] He’s literally saying, don’t waste your time. [17:58] That’s as Jesus up as it needs to get. [18:02] He’s saying, if you know the gospel, live as though you know the gospel and then use [18:07] your time as though you know the gospel. [18:09] For too many of us, we treat the gospel of Jesus as a mystical spirituality that doesn’t [18:15] impact practical living and then say, why isn’t God living his mission through me?
[18:21] It’s because you’re not focused on how you’re using your time. [18:25] That is spiritual activity there. [18:27] To actually sit down and say, how do I live in light of the gospel and then how should [18:34] I live in light of the gospel?
[18:37] The apostle says that requires mindset. [18:39] It requires focus. [18:41] It requires prayer. [18:43] A missional mindset requires that you think through how you live in light of the gospel. [18:49] Are you thinking through how you’re living your life? [18:54] May ask yourself some questions, you know, with our age group here, you have to begin
[18:59] to say, how will this decision or that decision either expand my influence for the gospel [19:05] or limit my influence for the gospel? [19:09] How will this decision give me more or less time to focus on growing in my discipleship [19:15] and making other disciples? [19:17] How will buying a house in this area or that area impact my ability to make disciples? [19:24] How will this debt that I’m about to accrue give me margin for using my money to further
[19:29] the mission or limit my generosity? [19:34] How will this commitment that I’m about to make limit or expand my commitment to the [19:40] local church, limit or expand my ability to have time to make disciples?
[19:47] Are you thinking through how the decisions that you make impact the gospel growing in [19:58] you and then the gospel going through you to make other disciples? [20:03] See, it starts with your mindset. [20:05] But the number two, the mission of Jesus requires that you live differently.
[20:09] Doesn’t just stay in here, it actually impacts what you do. [20:14] Paul focuses on two different types of evangelism in this text. [20:19] He first focuses on his ministry, which is what I’m going to refer to as apostolic [20:24] ministry. Right now, a debt of gratitude to two pastors. [20:28] I want to give credit on a plagiarize. [20:31] Michael Frost and Jeff Vanderstelt have have impacted me greatly in thinking through
[20:35] these subjects for myself and how I engage other disciples. [20:39] And when you look in this text, you see two different things. [20:42] Paul had a specific type of ministry. [20:45] Paul’s ministry was I’m going to leave everything that I own behind me and I’m going [20:50] to go to new areas. [20:52] I’m going to be a pioneer.
[20:53] I’m going to kick doors down. [20:55] Then when people try to close those doors, I put my foot in the door, put my face in [20:59] and be like, I’m telling you about Jesus, whether you want me to or not.
[21:04] Paul could get in front of great crowds and he was eloquent in his speech. [21:10] He can talk to anyone about any subject because his mind was so sharp about the [21:16] gospel and he could get great crowds to the gospel. [21:20] Paul had a gift from the Holy Spirit and a platform from which he could start new [21:26] movements to engage people who didn’t believe, but also strengthen other people to [21:32] believe. It was much like the difference between an air war and a ground war.
[21:35] Paul was about the air war and I would say about 10 percent of believers have this [21:41] gift. Where it’s just like you naturally can get any conversation to Jesus. [21:47] You started out by talking about Chevy Camaros and all of a sudden it’s about how [21:51] they relate to Jesus Christ. [21:52] And some of you are like, I don’t know how to do that.
[21:56] And so what happens is you focus on this gifting that Paul had and you get really [22:01] discouraged because not the thought of standing in front of a few hundred and [22:05] speaking, but the thought of even engaging the guy in the cubicle next to yours makes [22:10] you run to the bathroom with a nervous stomach. [22:13] And you’re like, well, I guess God can’t use me. [22:16] I can barely put two words together, so I can’t do anything for the Lord.
[22:20] I don’t know how people remember all these Bible verses. [22:24] So I’ll just, you know, I’ll tithe and show up to church, but I guess I’m relegated to [22:27] the B team or something. [22:28] Or some of you are like the the C team, D team. [22:31] You’re like, I can’t do anything.
[22:35] Here’s the reality.
[22:37] You probably just don’t have that gifting.
[22:40] Most people don’t. [22:43] Remember, Paul was one person speaking to an entire church at Colossae, and he just [22:47] said that about himself. [22:49] Look at what he said about them. [22:50] So he tells them to pray for him, that God would use that gifting, that God would give [22:54] him a stage to be bold, speaking with clarity, speaking to new crowds.
[23:00] Then he looks to them and he says, walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best [23:04] use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt so that you [23:10] may know how you ought to answer each person.
[23:15] I have never taken a real survey on this, but I think that’s 90 percent of Christians. [23:21] Is that that’s your gifting.
[23:25] Some of you look and you think to yourself, I could never get up on that stage and I [23:30] could never preach the gospel in that way. [23:32] I could never use words. [23:33] I’m terrible with grammar. [23:34] And so it’s not about being good at grammar. [23:36] It’s just, you know what?
[23:37] I have an ability to speak in front of people. [23:39] I’m more comfortable in front of this than I would be one on one with you. [23:41] And some of you are like, yeah, I’ve experienced that.
[23:48] You know, this past weekend, you know, I was at a church planning gathering, trying [23:53] to facilitate how to engage the air war all across the state of Virginia.
[23:59] God has just put me in a platform, given me an office, given me a rare, weird gifting [24:06] where you just feel natural doing these things. [24:09] You just feel natural speaking. [24:11] I can get up in front of people and it’s like, look, the next 30 minutes are going to [24:14] make them angry, but I’m going to say it anyway, because I don’t really care. [24:18] That’s unusual.
[24:19] I’m weird. [24:21] All right. You’re not weird. [24:22] I am. And so when you get discouraged because you’re like, I don’t even know how to do [24:29] that, don’t get discouraged. [24:32] Don’t get discouraged. [24:35] Realize that God has gifted you in a different way.
[24:40] And it is the way that I believe will change the world. [24:45] Because it will have an entire army of people, and he has simply called me to equip that. [24:51] And so we’ve got the apostolic gift. [24:53] And then I want to talk about for the rest of our time, the lay believers gift of reaching [24:58] people for Christ in entire neighborhoods at a time, entire communities at a time. [25:03] And ultimately, what I believe is going to impact the entire world with the gospel of
[25:06] Jesus Christ is that you aren’t meant to kick doors down and like wrestle people with the [25:14] gospel, because I know how some of you work. [25:17] You’re like, you know what? [25:18] My neighbor, Randy, I need to tell him about Jesus. [25:21] If he turns his lawnmower off in between my front door and my car, I will go preach. [25:31] Then you get in your car and you’re like, thank God he didn’t turn his lawnmower off
[25:36] because I wouldn’t have known what to say anyway.
[25:41] When you need to realize that what’s happening in you is you’re trying to have a gift that [25:47] isn’t yours to begin with. [25:48] The gift that you have is going to work its way, not by going to them and just saying, [25:55] hey, bro, let’s sit down and tell you about Jesus. [25:57] And he’s like, no, and he’s like, oh, no, I’m doing it.
[26:02] Your ministry is going to be about answering questions.
[26:06] That means people are going to ask you questions. [26:09] Note what he says at the very end. [26:10] He says that your species be gracious, seasonal assault so that you may know how you ought [26:15] to answer each person. [26:17] Now, the apostle Peter also writes in First Peter 315, he says that you need to be able [26:22] to make a defense for the hope that is within you.
[26:24] And that’s also a way of answering people. [26:26] So I don’t know about you, but any time you look at an answer, that kind of means that [26:30] there was a question that came about. [26:33] And so the apostle Paul is talking about here to the church at Colossae is that you need [26:38] to live the type of life that is questionable to people who don’t believe the gospel. [26:45] And so that is your calling.
[26:47] That is where God is wooing you to. [26:50] Those are the changes that the Father is saying you need to make in your life so that your [26:56] neighbors, your co-workers, those family and friends that you want to talk about the gospel, [27:01] but you don’t know how to talk about the gospel, there’s a foundation that is going to be [27:05] built with them where you are living in such a unique way. [27:10] You are living with peculiarities that they don’t understand.
[27:15] There are changes taking place in your life that they don’t have in their own. [27:19] And there’s going to come a day where they can’t take it anymore. [27:22] And they’re like, why are you living in these specific ways? [27:26] I don’t live that way.
[27:30] And that’s the exact change that needs to take place in your life for the mission of [27:34] Jesus to be engaged. [27:35] It’s not about being more eloquent. [27:37] It’s not about having a stage to speak from. [27:39] It’s not about having a greater ability for speaking. [27:42] It is about living for Jesus in such a way that people want to know why you’re living
[27:47] for Jesus. So they ask. [27:50] But the problem with that is, is that for most of you, no one’s asking.
[27:55] And so what does that mean? [27:58] You see, the emphasis is that Christians need to learn to live a questionable life. [28:04] Is that you’re engaging in things and you’re doing things so that people ask [28:09] questions. The reason no one’s asking questions is because your life probably [28:14] looks a lot like theirs. [28:17] You do the same things.
[28:19] You focus on the same things. [28:21] You live out the same things. [28:23] Your activities are exactly the same and you just go to church. [28:26] But hey, we’re living in a culture now where church doesn’t have the great rap that [28:30] it used to have. [28:31] And so they don’t want to come here.
[28:33] And so if that’s the only difference, they’re like, well, they go to church. [28:37] Yippee.
[28:39] And so some of us were like, if only someone would ask me, what are they supposed [28:44] to ask you? Hey, I noticed that you do the same stuff I do. [28:51] Why is that?
[28:54] It evokes no curiosity.
[28:57] They don’t they don’t they don’t care. [28:58] You mow their grass. [28:59] You excuse me, you mow your grass. [29:01] They mow their grass. [29:02] You leave for work at the same time, get home at the same time. [29:04] They leave for work at the same time, get home at the same time.
[29:07] You had meatloaf last night. [29:08] They may have had meatloaf last night. [29:10] All right. [29:10] So far, we’re just the same guy. [29:13] Welcome to suburbia.
[29:17] But the gospel is supposed to be this force of redemption that comes into my life [29:21] and provokes repentance of sin, affection for Jesus to grow in such a way that it [29:27] creates new activity, such new activity, that the grace that’s taking place in my [29:33] life, the hope that is taking place in my life is so magnificent to people around me. [29:38] They’re wondering, why do you have what I don’t have? [29:42] Look what Jesus said in Matthew 5.
[29:44] This is not new stuff. [29:45] This is what Jesus was talking about. [29:47] Matthew 5, he says, you are the light of the world. [29:52] You are a city set on a hill which cannot be hidden.
[29:57] People don’t put lights under lamps, but they put it on a stand. [30:02] It gives light to all in the house in the same way. [30:05] Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory [30:09] to God in heaven.
[30:13] Note what’s taking place there. [30:14] You’ve ever been in a really dark room and someone lit a match. [30:18] What did you do? [30:20] I’m guessing you either looked at the match or were terrified that the room was going [30:23] to burn down. [30:24] It was one of those two realities.
[30:26] But when you are in darkness and suddenly there’s a light somewhere, you gravitate [30:31] towards that light. [30:33] You look at that light. [30:34] Light is very peculiar in dark places and it evokes, hey, where’s that light coming [30:43] from? Let’s find that source. [30:45] That is what Jesus is talking about.
[30:47] He’s saying that once faith in him happens in your life, once you are redeemed from [30:52] God, you begin to become a light in a very dark place. [30:58] You are different than those who do not have the gospel.
[31:04] You’ve been changed by faith in the gospel of Jesus. [31:08] And so the question must become, where is the evidence of that change that the [31:12] nonbeliever would notice? [31:13] How are you different from a nonbeliever? [31:16] And then when we’re thinking about specifically reaching other people, we must ask [31:22] ourselves, what forms of godly life would be so intriguing in our culture that it
[31:28] would evoke questions?
[31:33] That’s strategic living. [31:36] That’s walking as wise rather than unwise. [31:40] Most people aren’t being questioned about their faith. [31:44] And that is the biggest hole in the mission of Jesus. [31:48] It is not reserved for bold moments of proclamation. [31:53] Instead, there should be a lifestyle in place that leads people around you to notice
[31:58] the peculiarities in you that aren’t true about them. [32:04] As the gospel must engage everything about us.
[32:12] And as it’s doing that, people will be reached, people will question. [32:18] So ask yourself what lifestyle differences are going on in your life that set you apart [32:22] from the people that you want to share the gospel with?
[32:27] Is there any reason that they would ask you why you think or do differently than they [32:31] do that would have the gospel as an explanation? [32:35] And see, we shy away from this because it’s going to mean that you have to change. [32:39] It’s going to mean that you have to live differently. [32:41] If you’re living and some of you are thinking and you see it’s right now, you’re like, [32:44] this is huge.
[32:46] No one’s asking me. [32:47] So if no one’s asking me, that that means that I am very similar to everyone around [32:51] me. And if I’m very similar to everyone around me, that means at some fundamental [32:55] levels, I need to make some changes. [32:56] You know, like pump the brakes, kid.
[33:00] I don’t want to make changes. [33:02] I’m comfortable in my life.
[33:05] And here’s the step of redemption and transformation that needs to take place in you, [33:09] that it’s not about you anymore and it’s not about what you’re comfortable with. [33:12] This is about what God has called you to.
[33:16] And if you are supposed to be a light in a very dark place, then you are not to wear [33:20] camouflage of darkness.
[33:24] Don’t put your light under a bushel. [33:27] You put it on a lamp.
[33:30] See, some of us, we want to be so normal that we change the world. [33:35] Yeah, that’s not the way it works. [33:36] I told you this morning, the mission of Jesus requires new practices. [33:44] The mission of Jesus requires new practices. [33:48] How are families, co-workers and neighbors engaged by the differences that Jesus makes [33:53] in our lives that he isn’t making in their lives?
[33:56] So understand, here’s what I want you to know. [33:58] Fundamentally, the mission of Jesus for it to become a reality in your life, you’ve [34:03] got to develop new rhythms. [34:05] This is about scripture. [34:07] This is about prayer. [34:09] This is about activity in the local church.
[34:12] It is fundamentally about getting those things inside of you, getting those mindsets, [34:18] transforming you. [34:20] But then it must also grow out of that and have an intentional focus of getting it into [34:27] other people’s lives. [34:29] How do you do that? [34:31] Because some of you are like, look, I am reading the Bible like there’s no tomorrow.
[34:35] All right. [34:36] Daily plan, once a year. [34:38] Boom. [34:38] Got it. [34:39] I am praying down fire like Elijah from heaven. [34:44] I’m on my face every morning, noon and night, praying.
[34:48] No fire. [34:50] Last night, we had our family worship time in the front yard. [34:55] We set up speakers. [34:56] I had Chris Tomlin come in. [34:58] He played for me. [34:59] It was expensive, but I had it and my neighbors closed their windows.
[35:04] Again, welcome to suburbia. [35:06] It’s like nothing is happening. [35:08] What am I doing wrong?
[35:12] Well, if you really did do family worship time in front yard, that’s weird. [35:16] So just just saying that that this isn’t about like, you know, having being weird as your [35:21] spiritual gift, that isn’t a spiritual gift. [35:24] But you are going to be a little weird for Jesus. [35:27] The reality is, is that in doing all of those things, you need to also strategize, how [35:35] can I bring other people into my life?
[35:39] Because specifically in our culture, that is difficult. [35:43] It’s very difficult. [35:45] And so Michael Frost, in his great book, Surprise the World, he gives us just a few [35:50] steps to put into place in our lives so that the changes that the gospel is making [35:55] through us, through word, through obedience, through experience and through the corporate [36:02] body are going into the lives of other people.
[36:06] And they’re very simple steps. [36:07] I’m going to save you some time. [36:08] I’m just going to tell you what the book’s all about so that you don’t have to read it. [36:11] But if you want to, you should. [36:13] These are simple practices that engage the people around you with the life that Jesus [36:17] has given you.
[36:19] And if you’re like that person that takes notes, this is part that you should probably [36:22] take notes on. [36:23] These are simple practices where rubber meets road on mission. [36:28] And I’m going to blow you away with how unradical they are.
[36:32] First, bless three people every week. [36:35] Bless three people every week. [36:36] And you’re like, what the heck does that mean? [36:39] It’s really simple. [36:41] These are words of affirmation. [36:43] These are gifts.
[36:45] And these are acts of kindness and practical ways. [36:48] This is about intentionally seeking to be obviously kind to other people.
[36:56] This is compliments when people need compliments. [37:00] This is just simple gifts to people.
[37:05] One of them should be a member of the church. [37:08] You say why? [37:09] Says do good to all people, especially those of the household of faith. [37:13] So if we’re inviting people into something, it should be something worth having. [37:17] And so if we can be kind to each other, we should. [37:19] But one of them should be someone completely disconnected from the church that you want
[37:25] to share the gospel with, that you want to bring in so they see what God’s doing in [37:29] the life of your church and in your spiritual life. [37:33] This is as simple as walking down the street, your neighbor put up some new landscaping [37:38] and you go out of your way to say, hey, man, I love what you’re doing with your yard. [37:42] Hey, I love your hair. [37:45] Hey, have you lost weight?
[37:46] Now, be careful with that one.
[37:52] But this is just simple, kind words of affirmation and being intentional to do it. [37:56] Hard for me. [37:57] I’ve got the spiritual gift of criticism. [37:59] But the reality is, is that you need to learn to be kind and affirming to people. [38:05] And when you’re doing that, specifically if you’re like me, they’ll be like, why are [38:08] you being so nice to me?
[38:09] Steve, you’re not a nice guy. [38:10] I know. [38:12] Jesus. [38:12]
[38:14] Gift cards. [38:16] Just something simple. [38:17] Five dollars to Starbucks. [38:18] If you want to affirm me. [38:20] There you go. [38:21] But the reality is, is that these simple gifts to people show generosity and evoke
[38:27] questions of why you’re generous. [38:30] Someone inside the church, someone outside of the church, someone either inside or [38:33] outside of the church for the third person. [38:35] Simple ways. [38:36] Bless three people every single week. [38:40] And if you’re thinking, man, that’s great.
[38:43] One reason that people might not be asking about your faith is because you’re not very [38:47] nice and no one sees you doing anything kind. [38:50] You know, well, I don’t want all the attention to be on me. [38:52] Get over it. [38:54] Number two, eat with three people every week. [38:58] And if you have three kids, that doesn’t count, guys.
[39:02] All right.
[39:05] Here’s the reality. [39:06] You are eating. [39:08] Why not do it with someone? [39:09] There are 21 meals that most of us eat every week. [39:13] If we eat three meals a day, we’re eating 21 meals a week. [39:16] If you’re like me, it’s somewhere near twenty seven or twenty eight.
[39:20] But why not share a meal with someone? [39:23] And when I’m talking about a meal, because here’s what we normally do, we’re like, you [39:26] know, we should invite someone from church over. [39:28] And one of the spouses is like, OK, I guess that means an eight course meal. [39:32] I need to go to Whole Foods, grass fed beef. [39:35] It’s got to be perfect.
[39:36] The house has to be perfect. [39:38] All right. [39:38] Right there, you’ve already lost the battle because you’re like, you’re so tired after [39:42] the first one, the next one doesn’t come for eight more months.
[39:47] This could just be coffee. [39:49] This could just be, hey, meet me up at Dunkin Donuts or Sugar Shack, depending on how [39:52] cool you think you are.
[39:55] Let’s just get a donut. [39:57] Let’s just spend, you know, a half hour on my lunch break. [40:00] You’re taking a lunch break. [40:01] Why not invite some co-workers and just share a meal with them? [40:06] When you begin to share meals with people, you invite them into your life. [40:12] And if you work at a place where there’s nothing to eat, go to the vending machine, get two
[40:15] Snickers and share one with somebody. [40:17] Don’t overthink this.
[40:20] But just share three meals with people, member of the church, someone not connected to the [40:25] church in any way. [40:26] And then the third one can be a member of the church or someone not connected to the [40:28] church in any way. [40:30] So bless people. [40:31] Eat three meals with people every single week.
[40:34] Could be family meals, could just be coffee in the morning at Starbucks. [40:38] Third, seek to listen to the Holy Spirit. [40:42] You know, like, well, that one doesn’t sound right. [40:44] Well, if you are blessing people, seeking to bless people, eating with people, seeking [40:48] to eat with people, you’re going to need to hear from the Holy Spirit in order to engage [40:52] them with the gospel.
[40:54] See, the reality is that most of us want to hear from the Holy Spirit in our lives and [41:00] we want his promptings. [41:02] We hear people like, well, the Holy Spirit prompted me and you’re like, was it a voice [41:07] from the clouds? [41:08] Like, what does that mean? [41:09] And you’re like, I want that.
[41:11] But I’ve never had it. [41:13] And one of the reasons you may have never had it is because you’ve never needed it. [41:18] See, if you’re not engaging people with the intentional agenda of the gospel of Jesus [41:25] Christ, then you don’t require the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your life. [41:31] But seek to listen to the Spirit. [41:34] When you’re doing these things, you need to understand this is not about being totally
[41:37] separated from the world, nor is this about being totally syncretized with the world. [41:42] This is about living in the tension of engaging people around you who don’t have Jesus or [41:49] need discipleship with Jesus inside of the church and realizing I need the Holy Spirit [41:54] to speak through me so that I don’t get tempted into sin with unbelievers and so that I don’t [42:00] get tempted into legalism with believers. [42:02] You need to live that tension.
[42:05] That’s a good tension. [42:07] Some of you are so far in legalism, you’re like, well, I don’t even know if I’m allowed [42:11] to wear a non-cut and blends.
[42:15] And some of you are so syncretized that you’re like, I don’t think everything’s literal [42:19] in the Bible.
[42:22] Reject both of those nonsenses. [42:24] Live in the tension of being in the world and not of the world. [42:28] Someone really wise once said that his name was Jesus. [42:33] But you need to develop the rhythm of listening to the Holy Spirit.
[42:41] When I am engaging my neighbors in prayer or I’m engaging them with some kind of life [42:46] issue they’re going through, let me tell you, there’s a dialogue going on in here, and [42:50] it usually sounds like, oh, please, God, give me something worth saying.
[42:56] I need the Holy Spirit to prompt me. [42:59] I need him to work through me. [43:01] That’s of grace. [43:02] That’s a gift that God has given us freely. [43:05] But next, don’t just seek to listen to the Holy Spirit, build a foundation for him to [43:10] work from. You need to learn Jesus.
[43:14] So next was just learn Jesus. [43:16] You need to unlearn old habits and learn new habits. [43:18] How do you do that? [43:19] Well, first, you need to spend more time learning the person and life of Jesus. [43:23] This is not about the stats about Jesus. [43:27] All right. So most of us know enough about Jesus to fill the back of a baseball card.
[43:31] All right. Died on the cross, rose from the dead, born in Bethlehem, did pretty good in [43:35] between those. And you’re like, I know Jesus. [43:39] That’s not what I’m talking about. [43:40] All right. I don’t just know the stats about my wife. [43:43] I know my wife. [43:45] So they’re like, Steve, tell me about your wife.
[43:47] Born in Santa Fe, born in January. [43:51] Pretty good, huh? [43:52] Are you impressed so far? [43:55] So the world’s probably not that impressed with how much you know about Jesus. [43:58] If you’re like December 25th, all about him. [44:00] Boom. Drop the mic.
[44:03] You need to go past the stats and facts and know the person. [44:07] How do you do this? You need to spend time engaging the four gospel accounts in the [44:11] Bible to know how he lived, how he taught, how he spoke to people. [44:19] You need to be a student of the person of Jesus Christ. [44:25] And when you learn Jesus, guess what you’ll start doing? [44:29] You’ll start engaging people the ways Jesus engaged people, because now you’ve
[44:35] developed affection for him. [44:37] Now you don’t just know about Jesus. [44:39] Now you know Jesus. [44:42] And so part of your weekly routine needs to be learning Jesus as if you are the [44:50] biggest fan that he ever had. [44:54] Some of you right now can tell me everything I ever wanted to know about Michael Phelps.
[44:59] And my response is going to be, that’s weird that you know so much about a swimmer.
[45:08] But then I say Jesus and you’re like. [45:13] God, man. [45:15] Virgin born.
[45:18] Cross died.
[45:20] Tomb rose.
[45:23] Everybody bow your heads and close your eyes. [45:24] It’s like, no, I’m not really enthralled by your knowledge here, theologian.
[45:31] No, Jesus. [45:33] And the next one is live sent. [45:36] Live sent. [45:38] What does that mean? [45:39] You need to keep track of how you’ve noticed that you’ve been sent on the mission of God. [45:45] You need to somehow in your life begin to keep a record of how God has used you in
[45:51] people’s lives. [45:52] Notice how you are growing and hearing from God. [45:56] It is not that the mission of Jesus is complicated. [46:00] It is that we have overcomplicated it because we don’t want to change.
[46:06] And you need to begin to live as one who has been sent collecting stories from the [46:13] road.
[46:16] Couple of years back, God worked in this amazing way in my life and to somebody else’s [46:20] life. You need to remember those things. [46:21] You need to record those. [46:22] And one of my favorite things in the world to do is get together with people that I’ve [46:26] been friends with for over a decade and just tell stories. [46:29] So my favorite things in the world.
[46:34] Our life in Christ needs to be very similar to that. [46:37] One of our favorite things in the world to do is to sit back and talk to other people [46:42] of how God has worked in our lives.
[46:47] Some of you don’t have those stories and you don’t believe that you’ll ever have those [46:50] stories. And my message to you is that if you engage your mindset, if you engage to [46:56] live differently, if you engage these simple practices of intentionally seeking to be [47:03] rooted in a place for the good of that place, for the purpose of the gospel, you will [47:10] begin to have those stories because you will live as a sent person on the mission of [47:19] Jesus.
[47:20] Too often we spend our lives focused on things that deter us from mission and then [47:27] wonder why we can’t see God moving. [47:31] Friend, God is moving, but maybe not through you.
[47:36] Understand, God is not beholden to move where you want him to move. [47:42] You need to submit to where God is moving you. [47:45] He’s been very clear. [47:47] He has not left it as mysteriously as you want to pretend he has left it. [47:52] You need to set out intentional practices of mission and then see how God will change [47:59] your life.
[48:02] If you do these things, here’s one thing I know will happen. [48:06] You will be more of a disciple and you will make disciples. [48:11] This is what builds the community of Jesus. [48:14] That’s what we’re going to talk about next week. [48:17] The death and resurrection of Jesus is about getting him into your life and then [48:24] moving through your life.
[48:27] That is the work of the gospel. [48:30] As the band comes up.
[48:35] I believe because God promises the gospel of Jesus Christ is ultimately going to [48:41] change the world. [48:42] I believe he’s going to use every believer to change the world in ways that you’re [48:49] gifted to change the world. [48:51] Some of you could be more bold than you are. [48:54] You have that gifting.
[48:55] You are outgoing. [48:56] You are eloquent. [48:57] I mean, you could just preach the pants off the Bible.
[49:02] Many of you, though, get discouraged by that. [49:05] And my plea for you today is stop being discouraged. [49:09] God has called you to a very important mission where you are with what you have [49:15] and with who you need to reach.
[49:20] Use God’s gifting. [49:23] Be wise. [49:26] Have your speech seasoned with grace. [49:30] Have an answer to each person that wants to know why you live the way that you live [49:37] and may the answer be because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. [49:43] Make no mistake, friends, that requires you probably to live far differently with
[49:50] new practices than you have right now.
[49:55] What is something that you can do this week that would evoke questions from those [50:03] around you that could lead to the gospel?
[50:07] If you’re in here and you’re a follower of Jesus, every week we respond to the [50:13] preached word through communion.
[50:16] The bread on the plate represents the broken body. [50:20] The cup represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ, his body broken and his blood shed [50:25] for the forgiveness of sins. [50:28] If you believe that, then eating and drinking represents that you believe that Jesus is [50:34] in your life. [50:37] And this morning, if you believe that, in just a minute I want you to come forward
[50:42] and go to the back, eat and drink, proclaim to everyone around you that Jesus is in you. [50:49] But understand that if Jesus is in you, that he wants to work in you and he wants to speak [50:54] through you and he wants to live in the culture through you for the sake of others. [51:01] So when we leave this place today, understand you’re leaving to go on the mission of Jesus.
[51:10] When you’re ready, come.