12.27.2015 The 2016 Challenge - How Did Jesus interact?

12-27-2015 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

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What would the people I work with say about how I represent Jesus? As Jesus took up residence among us, we need to move into our neighborhoods with purpose. To engage, purposefully, on mission for God in our circumstances today – the best we can.
We are to do this with grace and truth – understanding – sympathy, humility – fellow strugglers –
Here is my first project for 2016: and I encourage you to do this – the gospels tell us what it means to engage the world with grace and truth – because that is what Jesus did.
Sometime in 2016 – go through the gospels and look at how Jesus interacted with people. Look for all the times – as you are doing this – ask, how does He do it? How do I do it? Is it similar? Look at those times He offers grace and mercy – what types of people does He offer grace and mercy to? How do I speak grace and mercy? When is He direct and when is He most critical? Who are those He is most critical of? When I need to be critical, whom do I do it with? Whom does He accept? Whom does He forgive? I think this will change your life and relationships.
Look at these passages with fresh unbiased eyes. We have certain understandings built up about what the Bible says. We don’t mean to do this – but when we read the Bible, we read what we want it to say. We think – I know this means this, so we plug that meaning into it.
Forget all that! What does it say? What does it really say? How should I respond to it?
We have to learn to challenge our current understanding with the truth of scripture. If you are afraid to challenge your current convictions, they are not convictions – they are assumptions! If a conviction is a conviction – it can be challenged all of the time.
In John 1:14 – Full of grace and truth.
Truth – we think of telling the truth and speaking truth to someone. The primary word is faithfulness. Grace and faithfulness. And what it tells us – when we enter into the world, we need to enter it living faithful lives. Our lives need to be faithful to the gospel – and our mission and evangelistic effectiveness is tied to who we are and how we live and not just what we say. We must live out what we say. Authentic. Non-hypocritical. It is easier said than done.
1 Peter 2:11-12
Do we believe that our behavior will cause people to come to faith in Jesus Christ? Do you believe it? Or will it keep people from coming to faith in Christ?
Our behavior is so critical in our communication of the message – it must back it up constantly.
I think we have spent too much time trying to make nonChristians look like Christians. That is an impossible task. A non-Christian cannot live like a Christian. It is impossible. We must live in such a way that people want to become Christian. How is my life doing? How am I treating people? What kind of an employee am I? Would I work the job like Jesus? If Jesus were working my job, what kind of impact would He have?
That is what He wants us to do.
A couple prerequisites: In order to enter the world on mission – we must recognize and engage in the world God has given us to engage in. It is not the world of 40 years ago. It has changed dramatically – but it is the world we live in. If you live in a community – it is the community you live in.
Our church has a very specific location – a local predicament you might say. We might want to be in a different world, but we are not! Whatever job you are in – that is your job and you need to learn to be His ambassador there.
Second – there are many evil and destructive forces in our culture and it is important for us to know and understand the source of those. There are symptoms. Core issues that are spiritual and much deeper than the things you see on the news. We tend to focus on the surface rather than going deeper into what is causing and creating what is going on. Paul said very clearly – it is a spiritual battle against the powers of the spiritual world. We spend our time in the physical world and need to learn to biblically engage the spiritual world.
We should be leading the engagement into the realm of the spiritual, but we are avoiding it.
Third – the best way to challenge destructive forces, Alan Hirsch says – is to live contrary to them. We must become the change we want to see happen/.
Simple example – if at your place of employment – there is a culture of gossip and backstabbing – we have all experienced that at some point in our lives – here is what we need to do – we need to become the change we want to see. How? Speak well of others behind their backs. Become a person who refuses to engage in gossip or listen to it. Someone who graciously (and that is important) removes yourself from the gossip circle – and learn to speak truth to individuals about the issue as God gives opportunity.
Gossip comes from insecurity and fear – a need to feel better about themselves. There are ways we can get in there – if we are in a circumstance like that – to communicate with individuals who trust us that they don’t need to be a part of that. My wife has told me about her workplace – she will tell people – you don’t need to be insecure – you are better than that. This is totally different than saying – I don’t need to listen to you! You can help people become the person they want to become – when they know we have their best interest in mind – as gracious people who really care about them – it opens doors to speak into their lives. We need to be seen and known as that kind of people.
A complex example:
There are destructive forces in our political systems. What is the core of that? Power, control, celebrity, consumerism – these evil forces have a death grip on people. It is a love of money – those are the things controlling our political system. Those are the ‘spiritual forces’ – added to the superiority – I’m better than you – complexes – the core goes much deeper than the police are better than others.
Mark 10:42-45
Those in authority were using their authority for their own gain – and now He tells how to challenge it
Become the change you wish to see.
Don’t engage in the power battles and the power struggle – but give power by being a servant and that will change things. We are living in the time of debates – I’ve watched a little of one. If a candidate entered with this attitude, do you know what would happen? He would lose. But if he enters the political system with the attitude of serving the people – it would dramatically change the country more than anything else. Not policies – but people who can possess the character of Jesus.
Here is another example:
Luke 14:20
A core issue was elitism/nationalism/exclusivism – either you were an honored person or not. We are watching Poldark – a BBC series about the class system of the 1700s. Jesus had this in his situation – the person who invites HONORED guests to the wedding – and they couldn’t come – so he sends out to the weak and poor
Luke 14:21
Engage with the ‘nots’ –
We need to learn how to be content with our ‘now’ ‘minority’ status. Let’s get excited about it. The best place for a Christian to be is in the minority. Like a mustard seed – the smallest of all seeds – but that smallest seed explodes with growth.
He talked about yeast – this little bit that influences – great influence even though it is small. As minorities – if you are a bible-believing Christian who believes who Jesus was – you are in the minority – but it is a place of great power – hidden like yeast in a loaf or a mustard seed planted in a garden – we can influence the entire thing as small as we may be.
We need to focus our efforts for the greatest impact.
Jesus was God and only grabbed 12 men and spent most of his time in the outback – the small towns no one cared about.
Only at the end was He in the ‘big city’ – He understood that in smallness… We live in a big country where everything is extra-large. But power comes in the spiritual realm in the very small
Someone said: I do not do big things, but small things with big love. Mother Theresa
Hebrews 4:15
As we engage in 2016, understand that Jesus understood what we are going through – and we need to do the same for others. Engage people with an ear to listen. Our tendency is to tell them what to do. Our power to teach and instruct and communicate and help comes when we demonstrate that we understand – when we are empathetic.
If you are in a marriage, you know – in any marriage, there is a problem with understanding. Wherever two people abide, misunderstanding is in their midst! We know the importance of wanting that other person to understand us – not just giving right answers – but help and correction.
It is critical that we hear and understand feelings, emotions, concerns, fears -