Well, that was uncomfortable. Thankfully it was a parody…wasn’t it? It was a caricature…uncomfortable exaggeration of Christian evangelism.
I certainly hope there aren't many people out there who would be so ugly in sharing their faith with other human beings. But strip away the exaggeration and there is some truth in it: We, who follow Jesus, believe that we have a responsibility to invite, encourage and even persuade others to follow Christ along with us.
We, by nature, are a missionary people.
And that is not well received in some parts of our world…
Proselytizing is…” an imposition, an annoyance, an insensitivity, a provocation, or worse, a form of oppression.” Warren Bloomfeld, Professor, Iowa State University
· In one-in-three countries worldwide (34%) limits or have bans on proselytizing
· Our Defense Department has banned proselytizing considering it a Uniform Code of Military Justice offense.
· Clearly in an increasingly post-modern world certainty and perceived rigidity in religion and faith is much less acceptable.
So…why do we still do it? Why do we witness? Why do we “Share our faith”? Why do we insist that people should convert?
Why are we a missionary people? Why don’t we just leave people alone?
That’s the question I want to explore with you today by looking at some of the very first missionaries in Christian history.
Acts 13:1
1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
· Saul or Paul was the infamous religious terrorist who himself had been converted (might want to watch last week’s message).
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:1-3
o Not sure how but they had a sense by God that they were being “set apart”…appointed…serious form of drawing straws.
o Much of the rest of Acts are about Paul and friends’ 3 missionary journeys
o they travelled all over Asia Minor – Turkey, Greece, eventually Italy
o they travelled by sea and by land to walk from one place to the next
What did they do on these tours? Let's look at just one of their stops, in Iconium…(Acts 14:1)
1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the good news. Acts 14:1-7
So, What did they do?
Ø in every city they began in synagogues – Christianity was initially born out of Judaism although it quickly expanded
o eventually they included private encounters with individuals, small gatherings in homes, public preaching in town squares, and open debates with local philosophers
o they would stay in a town for a short as a few days to as long as a few years.
Ø A good portion of their efforts were in preaching:
o Vs. 1 “they spoke effectively ” Vs 3 “spoke boldly” Vs 7 “preached the good news
What did they preach? What was the essence of their message?
o A good short summary…Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 28:31
o the KoG – the reign of God…the new society and government of God which Jesus ushered into the world - a rule or kingdom that would address the 6 broken places of the world (Separation, Isolation, Injustice, Hatred, Pain, Decay)
o Jesus – the risen King of that Kingdom…the Messiah…son of God…savior of humanity
o Note: this message was highly subversive.
o It confronted the existing Kingdom of the Rome (Roman Empire)
§ good news had been the motto of the Empire
o It confronted the existing Lord - Caesar
Ø they performed miracles Vs. 3
o healings and demonic deliverance
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Acts 19:11-12
All no doubt to authenticate their message.
Ø And of course - they made converts Vs 1 – “a great number believed”
o Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, philosophers, rulers, men and women
o and those converts were formed into churches in every town
And as a result of all this spiritual energy and upheaval…
Ø they were attacked and persecuted
o they also stirred up intense hatred and persecution from Jewish leaders, Greek philosophers, Roman government officials, and business owners who all thought that Paul and his friends were undermining their lives
§ they were arrested numerous times
§ they were beaten
§ they were stoned
§ they survived riots on several occasions
§ many places there were death threats and declarations (today Fatwa)
All of this happened over and over again in dozens of small towns and metropolitan areas of the ancient world. And it continues on to today: the people of God, followers of Jesus, enter a community to influence the people of that are to enter into the reign of God and surrender their lives to Jesus.
And, by the way, we are about to do that again, repeat this 2000 year old pattern, in just a few weeks as we open our Campus in Fishers.
So we come to the important question…Why? Why go through the bother? Why risk their lives?
o and why disrupt these communities?
o why cause division in families and synagogues?
o why not leave people alone?
4 Compelling reasons why we are a missionary people:
1. Something had happened to them that they just had to share.
We all know someone who is so worked up because of something they believe that has changed their lives… new fad, new book, new diet, new get rich scheme.
Those people insist we should try it too. It worked for me – it’ll work for you!
This was true of Paul but it wasn't trite it wasn't a fad – something had radically reoriented them. Here’s how he described it later in his correspondence:
The law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death! Romans 8:2
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things! Philippians 3:8
God set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come! 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
· do you believe those things about yourself? How come you keep it to yourself? Are we not haunted by the thought that someday someone might ask us why we never shared that stuff with them?
4 Compelling reasons why we are a missionary people:
2. They believed an event occurred that had changed human history.
Of course that was the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33
They believed that the resurrection confirmed the truth about the Kingdom of God and the truth about Jesus as Messiah and King.
In one of the most complete recorded messages Paul preached: Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:30)
30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. 32 "We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus….38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Acts 13:30-39
4 Compelling reasons why we are a missionary people:
3. They believed they were under orders.
Remember what we read earlier…they believed the Holy Spirit “set apart” or appointed some to go.
But clearly they all had the words of Jesus ringing in their ears as well:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20
You go and proclaim the kingdom of God! Luke 9:60
You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
…and being good students of their history and the scriptures they were well versed in God’s desires for his people from way back in the beginning…
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:1-3
…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3
And they knew this…
I will also make you a light for the nations, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 49:6
God is a missionary God…we are a missionary people… we are a sent community – under orders!
4 Compelling reasons why we are a missionary people:
4. They were deeply moved by the need of human beings.
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:9-10
This wording doesn’t convey the emotion behind this request…
· the verb tenses and meanings were intense – this man repeatedly and insistently begged for someone to come along side of them to help.
Like today things were severely broken: injustice, pain, hatred, decay, isolation and of course separation from God.
· this is a region of the world highly controlled by a central state: Rome and intensely influenced by religious and philosophical world of the Greeks.
· highly stratified society - A tiny fraction of the population owned a vast proportion of the land and resources, and the mass of men and women had to make do with moderate means or to scrape by on very little.
· Large portion were slaves. Morality was debauched.
Whoever it was in this vision was desperate for different good news. And Paul delivered it.
Of course this got me thinking the past few weeks. Today what’s dominating the news in the shooting down of the Malaysia Air flight and the Israeli Vs. Hamas war.
But a few weeks ago I was mulling over two other contemporary issues: Violence (Officer Renn’s killing and the shootings in Chicago) and the crisis on the border with Central American children.
· I read two reports one on each crisis from people “on the ground” so to speak in Chicago and in Guatemala.
o they both reflected on the current discussion of solutions: beefed up security, more police, gun control, immigration laws, political reform. I’m sure they are all important…
o but, what this Chicago and Guatemalan leaders suggested was that people need is hope.
§ what families in Central America need is hope to help them through lives of poverty and violence
§ what urban young people need is hope that there is another life possible outside of crime and violence.
As I read those articles I saw a Macedonian man , and a Macedonian child begging us to come and help. They need the Kingdom of God and they need Jesus. And we know both of them.
And so we must go.
Jesus sent the church to be the hope of the world.
And we will fail if we refuse to go.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:13-15