“FLASHING YOUR SOUL” Tom Richards February 24, 2002

“HEY GEORGE, ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB???”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, TOM!? THAT’S JUST PRETTY GROSS!”

“WELL, GEORGE, YOU KNOW THAT YOU’RE SAVED BY GRACE, DON’T YOU?”

“GRACE??   I DON’T EVEN KNOW ANYONE NAMED GRACE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?”

“WELL, GEORGE, COME ON DOWN TO MY CHURCH AND REPENT AND YOU’LL KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” 

There are several ways to invite someone to your church. But I don’t think you need to scare the hell out of them.  There is a group of us in the church taking a 6-week course on “Faith Sharing”. I think we would all agree that we don’t want to go about it this way. There is another group about to embark upon another episode in the “Igniting Ministries” campaign.  Remember last year when the church started some television and newspaper advertisements in an attempt to spread the word to the unchurched in our communities? We conducted a class on “how to welcome” newcomers. Some of you came. Well, this time, the Igniting Ministries team will be focusing on how to actively invite people to come and hear the “Good News”.  

Well, when I was asked to lead the service today, I wondered (for about a minute) on what the sermon should be about.  Pretty much a “no-brainer” don’t cha know.  But I’m afraid you’re not going to like it. Sharing our faith and inviting people to church is very hard to do for some of us.   It is just something that United Methodists, historically, have been reluctant to really get into.  It is scary!    

For some it may be like going out into the middle of the street with just a bathrobe covering your nakedness, then baring your body to flash everyone that goes by. Baring your soul to share your faith and invite someone to enjoy God’s mercy might be almost as scary.  But there is a difference.  The unchurched (and even some of the churched) NEED to see your soul, they don’t NEED to see your body.  They need to see how Christ, in your life, has made an impact.

There is another difference.  Jesus has asked us to bare our souls and, as stated in the Great Commission and our own church’s mission statement, “go forth and make disciples”. 

Now, how many of us take that seriously?  Many say, “Oh, that is the job of the pastor. I don’t have to do that.”  WRONG!  (I told you, you weren’t going to like this.)  It is the responsibility of every believer to spread the “Good News”.  But you will have help. In the book of Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, we are told: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

So what is this “Good News”, anyway?  And how should we spread it?  

The good news is summed up in the familiar verse of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”  That is the “Good News” for eternity, but what about right now?  Is there any “Good News” that will help us during our earthly road towards eternity?  What can we share with people that will convince them of the need for faith in God, right now?

We can just look at the world around us today to see the answer to that question.  As the song says, “What the world needs now is love, sweet, love.”  We all know the phrases: “God is Love.”  “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” When will we take them seriously? And beyond just the “Hello, how ya doin’” stage?  Take it to the inviting stage, the faith sharing stage?

God gave us His Son to show us how to treat our fellow humans and He got our full attention on the cross and from the grave and beyond.  Now, as that attention sometimes waivers, we have his Holy Spirit to remind us of His love.   That Spirit is within us always.  That Spirit is what makes us feel His presence.  It speaks to us quietly, mostly. Telling us what we SHOULD do.

Should we share our faith? Or should we keep it to ourselves and just live and let live? Gabriel Marcel says: “I am obliged to bear witness because I hold a particle of light, and to keep it to myself would be equivalent to extinguishing it.”

So, how do we share our faith to accomplish what Jesus really intends? Is it enough just to act like a good person and to hope that other people will notice and try to be good people too?   Well, that’s nice, but I don’t think it is what Jesus intended.

In order to make disciples for Jesus, we must ensure that people know from whence this “goodness” originates. It is up to us to tell them. It is not up to us to CONVERT them though. Rodney Wilmoth says it well when he states: “Remember that the object of faith sharing is not to win an argument but to win a person”.

A man named William Temple once said: “The Church is the only institution in the world that exists for the sake of non-members.”  It is up to you and me to invite others into an atmosphere where they can see for themselves.  Once they have been invited into the presence of the Lord, Our God, it is up to the Holy Spirit to work His miracles upon their heart.

Yeah, I know, this is all really easy for me to say, and you’re saying, “but opening up that bathrobe to my soul is tough and it makes sweat pop out all over when I think about it. So what are some practical methods for getting over this fear?” There is a different answer for each of us.  Every one of us is at a different stage on our faith journey. Some are more comfortable than others with our faith and sharing it.  Some are just beginning on that road and just discovering what it means to be a Christian themselves. Some aren’t even sure of what they believe and couldn’t imagine sharing anything with others.

The real, honest answer to the question of “how do I get over the fear of sharing and inviting” is:  You probably won’t.  But God needs you to do it anyway. Like they say at Nike: “Just do it”. Get a good grasp on what you really believe and how it has affected your life and be prepared to share it. There is no wrong way.  God will take whatever you do and use it for the benefit of the Kingdom.

We are surrounded with people who are not aware of the love and the comfort that God, in Jesus Christ, holds for them. They may wallow in their sorrows and frustrations for decades, not knowing that there is hope readily available. You can see it in their faces as they walk the aisle of the grocery store or down the hall at your office. There is no light in their eyes. Take the time to really look at people and you can see it. They may not know it, but they may be just waiting for someone to tell them what the Christian faith is all about. It is up to us, as Christians, to let the light of Jesus shine through us to show the way.

You don’t need to go door-to-door sharing it. There are lots of opportunities around. Just be alert.   When you see or hear of a friend, relative, associate, or neighbor that is having a problem; be there to help. If it is appropriate, share your experiences and offer the comfort that Jesus offers you.  Let them know that God is there for them. But be careful. John Wesley was reported to have said, “Do not explain your God to me; tell me how you experience God in your life.”

Don’t assume that your listener is as familiar with the “church language” as you are.   Don’t assault them with terms like I used at the beginning of this sermon.  They may not know that Jesus was God’s sacrificial lamb. And the only “Grace” that they are aware of may live down the street.  Keep it simple, keep it quiet, keep it gentle, keep it sincere.     Invite them to join us in worship.  Then leave it with God and His Holy Spirit to take it from there.  

Education and experience will help in making sharing and inviting easier. An Igniting Ministry Campaign mini-course on Inviting will be offered next week in the adult Sunday school class at 9:30.   It will be short and sweet, just to get you started on your road to making disciples for Jesus.  We will also be including some installments from that mini-course in the church bulletins in the coming weeks.  Also, the “Faith-Sharing” six week course will be offered again in the future, so watch for that announcement and sign-up for it. Watch for any opportunity to learn more about your faith and the love of God.

There is no telling what may happen when we actively share our faith.  Rodney Wilmoth, in his book, “How United Methodists Share Their Faith” states: “When we respond to what God is calling us to do by sharing our faith, a powerful transformation may take place. … Philip climbed into the eunuch’s chariot and talked to him about Jesus, which led the eunuch to make a commitment that not only transformed his life but the life of an entire nation.”

In the Gospel of John chapter 21, the risen Christ asks Peter 3 times, “Do you love me?” Peter responds in the affirmative all three times. Jesus tells Peter: “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, and “Feed my Sheep”. What is Jesus telling Peter? I think he is saying, “I know you denied me three times before the cock crowed and you are forgiven. Now is your chance to prove your love for me and the world I love. Go out and take care of my flock. Lead them to the truth, lead them to me.”   

William Barclay’s commentary on the Gospel of John says of this episode with Peter:

“It was not for nothing that John recorded this incident. He recorded it to show Peter as the great shepherd of Christ’s people. It may be, indeed it was inevitable, that people would draw comparisons in the early Church. Some would say that John was the great one, for his flights of thought went higher than those of any other man. Some would say that Paul was the great one, for he fared to the ends of the earth for Christ. But this chapter says that Peter, too, had his place. He might not write and think like John; he might not voyage and adventure like Paul; but he had the great honour, and the lovely task, of being the shepherd of the sheep of Christ. And here is where we can follow in the steps of Peter. We may not be able to think like John; we may not be able to go out to the ends of the earth like Paul; but each of us can guard someone else from going astray, and each of us can feed the lambs of Christ with the food of the word of God.” 

I read true story about a man whose job was to interview high-powered executives for lucrative positions in various companies.  His favorite thing to do during the interview was to get the executive comfortable with small talk about sports or whatever.  Prop his feet up and really act easy-going.  Then all of a sudden he would pose the question:  “What is your purpose in life?”. He said that most of these potential executives would be taken aback and they would fumble around for an answer that might please him. But he, himself, was taken aback by the response of one man. When asked, “What is your purpose in life?”, this man responded without blinking an eye.  He said, “To go to heaven and take as many people as I can with me.”   

Heaven is said to be a place of perfection. A place where all who enter will be one with God and will be at peace at last. Are we certain of that? Will we be at peace if we get to heaven and realize that we did not do all that we could to bring others with us?

Will we be able to say, “If we never meet again this side of heaven, I will meet you on that beautiful shore.”? 

AMEN