Go In The Spirit

Gareth Bruce and I shared this message, taking turns to speak to each point. My points were...

1.      There are 2 parts to Go

a.      Go = any intentional engagement we have with not-yet-Christians = going beyond our own walls

b.      There are two parts to that:

                                                    i.          Compassion/serving

                                                   ii.          Sharing the gospel

                                                  iii.          i.e.

1.      pre-evangelism – preparing the soil

a.      We do quite a lot in that area, including the work that SHFT does.

2.      evangelism – sowing the seed plus, hopefully, reaping a harvest

3.      that is:

a.      first demonstrate the Kingdom of God

b.      then invite people into the Kingdom of God

c.      We see that in Jesus’ ministry

                                                    i.          Huge compassion – meeting needs, healing, deliverance, befriending

                                                   ii.          Led to “Who is this man?” – implicit question: What is my response to this person?

1.      Sometimes Jesus explicitly called people to follow Him

d.      Do we serve with no agenda or is it simply a means to an end – preparing the way to share the gospel?

                                                    i.          Neither

1.      We do have an agenda. We do want people to know Jesus.

2.      But we serve simply because people have needs and we care about people. We serve even when there is no faith response.

e.      Compassion = the greatest apologetic (evidence for the reality of Christianity.)

                                                    i.          When people see our love they might be more open to listening to our words.

                                                   ii.          John 13:34-35 - ‘A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’

                                                  iii.          When Jesus sent the disciples out in Luke 10 it was to:

1.      Heal the sick, raise the dead etc

2.      Then talk about the Kingdom having come close

f.       But our ultimate desire is to share the gospel in the hope that people come to know Jesus.

2.      Gareth – The desire for the harvest

3.      Going is our mission

a.      When Jesus called the fishermen, He said “I will make you fishers of people”

                                                    i.          The point was that they would have a mission.

                                                   ii.          It wasn’t just nice fellowship with Jesus. They were being prepared for mission.

b.      Mark 3:14-15 - He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.

                                                    i.          Jesus’ goal was to send them out

                                                   ii.          Note the two aspects:

1.      To preach

2.      To drive our demons – compassion, care

c.      At the end of their time with Jesus, there is a very strong emphasis on “Go”

                                                    i.          Go and make disciples.

d.      The root meaning of the word “mission” is being sent.

e.      Going – engaging with non-Christians – is central to what it means to be a church.

                                                    i.          Emil Brunner: A church exists by mission just as a fire exists by burning

1.      If there is no burning, there is no fire. Burning is essential for fire

2.      If there is no mission, it is not a church.

a.      It is something else – a club?

                                                   ii.          Lots of churches have fellowship and learning and small groups – maybe even the first half of going (the compassion) but no sharing of the good news of Jesus. Evangelism has been lost from many churches. Gospel mission has been lost.

1.      If Brunner is right, they are perhaps, at best, service clubs but not churches.

2.      Compassion and serving are part of our going but all of the versions of the Great Commission focus on the gospel, making disciples

4.      Gareth – People’s salvation depends on our going

5.      May our going be Christ-like

a.      The prospect of engaging with not-yet-Christians can be daunting – even frightening.

b.      We have probably seen ways of doing it that make us feel uncomfortable.

                                                    i.          Maybe we don’t feel comfortable shouting from a soapbox in the Octagon.

c.      What about doing it the way Jesus did it?

                                                    i.          Would we feel more comfortable with that?

                                                   ii.          Might that be even more powerful/effective?

d.      What was Jesus’ way?

                                                    i.          We could benefit from a fuller study of how Jesus evangelised. But some initial thoughts:

1.      I’ve already mentioned starting with compassion/serving – really caring for people

a.      Not feeling we have to blurt out the gospel straightaway.

b.      Start with a real interest in the person.

2.      Listening, asking questions and answering questions.

a.      Woman at the well (Jn 4)

                                                                                                                i. Jesus initially asked her for help – for a drink.

                                                                                                               ii. Long conversation

1.      She asked why he would ask a Samaritan woman for a drink.

2.      She asked how he was going to get water and if He thought He was greater than Jacob.

3.      She asked for the life-giving, eternally satisfying water He spoke of.

4.      He told her about her private life – her 5 husbands and her current de facto relationship.

5.      She saw He was a prophet and asked about the right place to worship

6.      Etc.

7.      Only at the end did Jesus say that He was the Messiah.

b.      Nicodemus (Jn 3)

3.      Sometimes it was more direct and challenging.

a.      But that wasn’t His normal approach. It was the exception.

b.      But sometimes people needed to be challenged

4.      Jesus was Holy Spirit-empowered

a.      Emphasised in each version of the Great Commission

                                                                                                                i. Acts 1:8 – You will receive power when the Holy Spirit come son you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

                                                                                                               ii. Matt 28:20 – and surely I will be with you always to the very end of the age.

                                                                                                              iii. Mark 16:17 – And these signs will accompany those who believe… miraculous works of the Holy Spirit.

b.      The whole point is that we can be empowered by God – it is not just up to us to get it right

                                                   ii.          Summary:

1.      Start with love.

2.      Listen

3.      Sometime sit is right to challenge

4.      Be led and empowered by Holy Spirit.

e.      You might have seen in the notices that I’m keen to be part of an evangelism think-tank to ask questions like this:

                                                    i.          How did Jesus evangelise?

                                                   ii.          What should evangelism look like in our context?

                                                  iii.          If these question interest you, please let me know.

6.      Gareth – Our message: What to say.

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