Mountainview International Church

I came across this quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French writer and aviator:

“If you want to build a ship,
Don’t drum up people together to
Collect wood and don't assign them
Tasks and work, but rather teach them to
Long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Last week we began a series that looks at the early church in the book of Acts and asks this question: What does it look like for us to follow Jesus 24/7? We started with a message on the centrality of Christ & worship. From its very inception, only 50 days after the death of Christ, the early church was proclaiming to the world that Jesus is God and is worthy of all our worship and devotion.

Coming back to the quote we began with! Building our faith, following Christ 24/7, has much to do with us longing for the endless immensity of Christ and less to do with me sharing the latest technique on the market to help us grow in our faith.

Paul writes to the Ephesians:

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3: 17-18)

My prayer for Mountainview mirrors Paul’s. I pray that we may long for and discover the endless immensity of Christ’s love for us.

Our Christmas involved a change of plans (planes)! We were supposed to fly to the UK. Our flight was delayed 5 hours because of the snow. We waited until 11:30 PM for the plane to arrive. We eventually boarded the flight at midnight. The kids began to nod off. Then it was announced the crew were in overtime and they promptly cancelled the flight. We headed back to the terminal. Joined the long queues of people trying to rebook their flights! Was told that flights were booked up till after Christmas! We had to change our plans. We went home and booked with another airline in order to make it to England for Christmas.

This series involved a change of plans too! The Graf’s were supposed to have come from Portugal and share on generosity and hospitality. Today’s message on Justice & Mission was planned for the end of the series. Go out of the series with a bang! Last week they let me know they could not come (Hopefully they can make it on the 7th FEB).

Change is a real pain – but it also provides opportunities to learn. A cancelled flight provided me with an opportunity to broaden my Spanish vocabulary (especially in the all important area of palabras rotas). Changing this series helped me see something new about mission.

Last week we recommended we read the Gospels. So I started reading Mathew this week. I got to the Sermon on the Mount, read chapter 6, Right there at the beginning of the Lords Prayer it hit me. There is a natural progression from worship to mission.

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mathew 6: 9-10)

After worshipping Jesus as Lord and God, we then focus outwards and pray and work towards Christ’s Lordship in our world. Mission is not at the opposite end of the sandwich from Christ (with every other facet of the Christian life in between) it flows from our worship of Christ. Worship and mission are sown together at the hip!

Before we look at our topic Justice & Mission [name] is going to read the Acts passage for us in a different version than last week.

Acts 2:42-47 (Contemporary English Version)

42They spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread and prayed together. 43Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked. 44All the Lord's followers often met together, and they shared everything they had. 45They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it. 46Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, 47while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved.

Francis of Assisi said:

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. ~ Francis of Assisi: 1181-1226

This morning we’re going to look at how we share Jesus with the world through word and deed, under the themes of Justice and Mission.

Justice:

I think justice is a loving commitment to Christ’s Lordship to join him in making our world just-like-it-is in heaven; to see earth become like heaven. I hope Laina Graf can make it over from Portugal, to speak to us, because she uses food and hospitality to help people see and taste food, just-like-it-is in heaven.

One of the books I enjoyed reading last year was, The Church of Irresistible Influence by Robert Lewis. Using a bridge metaphor Lewis reminds the reader that our task as the church is to build bridges into a world that is highly sceptical of the reality of the Jesus. Too often, he feels, the church has tended to stand at the edge of a deep gorge and shout out, “come on over – Jesus is great”. But the world has grown tired of our words. They want to see some proof of the reality Jesus in the way we live. We need to build bridges over this deep divide and bring Jesus into the heart of our wider community.

Something that jumps out from our passage is that the early church was living proof of the reality of Jesus. Sociologists have noted the extraordinary expansion of Christianity in the first and second centuries. A marginalized, persecuted and often uneducated group of people not only survived, they thrived! It’s estimated that the early church sustained an astounding 40% growth rate, per decade.

Rodney Stark in his book, The Rise of Christianity concludes that a key reason for their growth was:

Their willingness to sacrifice themselves out of love for each other and for their world. This sacrifice released an explosion of light and heat the world had never known. ~ Rodney Stark

My Mum spent her last 10 days of life at the Sue Ryder Hospice in Nettlebed, near Reading. The Hospice occupies a large estate that used to belong to Ian Fleming (the creator of James Bond, no less). She had a spacious room with a big bay window overlooking beech woodlands. My father was offered a comfortable guest room. The staff did an amazing job of managing her illness so that she enjoyed the highest quality of life until her end. They spent those 10 days holding hands, praying and admiring the view.

The Hospice movement was pioneered in the 1950’s by Dame Cicely Saunders. Dame Cicely, as she is affectionately called, became a Christ follower in 1945. She prayed she would know how best to serve God in the world. Her answer came soon after! In 1948 she met a Polish Jew called David Tasma who had escaped the Warsaw ghetto and was dying in a London hospital. She visited him almost daily and they spoke often about his immanent death. She realised that dying people have physical, spiritual, psychological, and social pain that must be treated. Dame Cicely discovered her mission; to ease all kinds of end-of-life pain. In a 2002 interview for The Daily Telegraph of London, she said, “I didn't set out to change the world; I set out to do something about pain."

At the age of 33 she enrolled in medical school. Spurred on by her faith in Christ she developed a passionate vision for homes where people could die with dignity. In 1967, St. Christopher’s Hospice in London opened and the modern hospice movement began and the new field of palliative care began; providing compassionate care for the dying.

In the UK there are over 200 hospices that help more than 15,000 people to die with dignity each year. There are currently 3,200 hospices serving 900,000 patients in the US alone and 8,000 hospices in 100 countries around the world.

Dame Cicely had a huge impact on our world. Yet, her philosophy was simple. As she said to patients, “You matter because you are you, and you matter to the last moment of your life.” Dame Cicely

[If you want more details speak to Lise Visser, she helped to found a hospice in Holland]

Dame Cicely was a Christ follower; who prayed, “Your Kingdom come your will be done, in me and through me”

Will we pray this daring prayer? Your kingdom come your will be done, in me and through me! Use me Lord Christ in some way to bring heaven to earth! To make my world just-like it-is in heaven. Show me how I can best serve you in this world!

Mission:

I hope we’ve begun to glimpse that in the early church outreach was not a programme, but a fruit! They were living proof of the reality of Jesus and the Lord added to their number, daily, those who were being saved.

The bible calls us firstly to preach the Gospel by action, but is also call us, when necessary, use words.

A month ago I mentioned I’d enjoyed reading J.I. Packer’s book on, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. (A gift from Gustavo!) Packer reminds us that in the Bible there is an antimony (2 opposite ideas that are equally true) between God’s sovereign Lordship in evangelism (it’s Christ who opens our minds to understand the Gospel) and our responsibility to share the Good News with the world. He challenges us to be filled with the love of God as we faithfully, patiently and clearly, proclaim the Gospel message. Packer has a lot to say about prayer. If Christ is sovereign then probably the most important missional activity we engage in, is prayer. Our ending thoughts on mission, this morning, will focus on prayer:

Packer calls us to:

To pray that we may so overflow in love for God that we will overflow in love for our fellow men, and so find it an easy and natural and joyful thing to share with them the good news of Christ ~ J I Packer

Here are 4 important facets of missional prayer!

1. Prayer for Christ’s sovereign work

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. Acts 16:13-14

Packer writes:

There are two sides to the evangelistic commission. It is a commission not only to preach but also to pray; not only to talk to men about God, but also to talk to God about men…We are to preach, because without the knowledge of the gospel no man can be saved. We are to pray, because only the sovereign Holy Spirit in us and in men’s hearts can makes our preaching effective to men’s salvation, and God will not send his Spirit where there is no prayer ~ J I Packer

I don’t know whether you saw the Spanish news, but Zapatero will attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. The breakfast has been taking place on the first Thursday in February since 1953. Zapatero will be in Washington on February 3 and 4, to meet with President, Barack Obama and Obama has invited him to attend the National Prayer Breakfast!

Let’s be praying for Christ to open his eyes and the eyes of Spain to respond to the Gospel message.

2. Prayer for Christ’s deliverance

Paul informs us:

4The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News—the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like God (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The bible is very candid. There is a strong and powerful enemy that opposes the work of God in the world. The Lord’s Prayer not only calls us to pray for protection from temptation, but that God would deliver us and our world from evil. Our enemy has blinded the eyes of many in Madrid. When the disciples had a problem casting out a demon Jesus reminded them that often we can only push out our enemy through prayer and fasting.

[Idea of prayer for Spain! Chose a night of the week and rotate it round 4 different locations in the Madrid area. So at least 1x/month it’s near you!]

3. Prayer for the courage to speak boldly

In Acts 4 the church gets hassled for speaking about Jesus. They’re told to stop, or there will be trouble. So they gather everyone and pray for boldness. They cry out to God:

27Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. (Acts 4: 27-29)

The Spirit shakes the building and the church proclaims the Gospel with boldness. I don’t know about you but its fear that more than anything else that keeps me from speaking more frequently about Jesus.

4. Prayer for clarity and grace when speaking

15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3: 15)

We need to be ready to share the Gospel message in a clear and compelling when called upon to do so.

Last summer we had a vacation at the beach. Unchurched friends of ours from Madrid were staying at the same campsite. As we hung out on the beach we met a Spanish family from Madrid (Torrelodones in fact). One night we had a BBQ together. I’d quietly been hiding my profession under a bushel. Our friend had a little much to drink and told the Spanish family. “I’m an atheist and Richard is a pastor, but we’re good friends because he has never tired to ram his message down my throat.” Through his inebriated vote of confidence he let the Spanish family know I was his true friend and gracious and respectful towards him. Do you know what happened? For the next 2 hours they asked question after question about our faith. When people know that you love and respect them they will start to ask you to tell them about the hope that you have.

Application:

My application is simple ask God to put 3-5 unchurched friends on your heart and start praying for them daily and loving them unconditionally. I say 3-5 friends because I’m terrible at making a list of 50 people that I’d love to come to faith. A long list means lots of praying…takes lots of time…I give up after a few days. We cannot love many people deeply. So just 3-5 friends or families max! Pray for them desperately, love them dearly and when the time comes speak to them clearly about the Good News of Christ. And leave the rest of the work to Christ!

Conclusion:

Paul Cezanne was born in the Provence region of Southern France. His father, a wealthy banker, wanted his son to also become a banker. However, Cezanne went to be an artist in Paris despite his father’s disapproval.

When he got to Paris, his paintings were so rough that no art schools would admit him as a student. Initially his paintings were done in dark colours, but Pissaro, a fellow painter, encouraged him to paint out in the sunlight. Cezanne’s paintings came alive with bright colours.

Cezanne is famous for his paintings of fruit. He wanted to parade before the colder, wetter, greyer Paris images of the rich and juicy fruit that grew in his Mediterranean home to the South. He once declared “I want to astonish Paris with an apple,”

Even today his paintings of fruit continue to influence modern art.

Imagine our life is like Cézanne’s. God wants us to come into the light of Christ. To repent of our sins and receive his forgiveness! For our life to start coming alive with the bright colors of heaven! God us wants to “paint” kingdom fruit. To astonish Madrid! To astonish the world, as they see the fruit of heaven displayed in our lives.

To show our world the reality of Christ…and when called upon to use words!

Let us pray!