Good Morning Friends,
The combined mystery of Jesus being fully God and fully Man is perhaps the greatest mystery in the Bible. Conveying to others the ability of Christ to help us, to run to our cries for help, when we and others are in distress is the task of every Christian. And whether the distress is formed from the sufferings, or the temptations in life makes little difference, for Christ understands the human condition and the need to share the Word incarnate in his/His very being as a means of defeating the demons of life. You see there was a time in the history of the world when the Word of God was a very rare thing and not so easily available as it is today. One would think that the Word of God would never be out of season, however history indicates that it too has an ebb and flow. So too I think there is a season of miracles associated with the cultural expression of our worship. We see the reality of both conditions in today’s lectionary text.And it makes me wonder about how receptive we are to God in our lives after the intensity of the holidays and how much we are paying attention to our situations when we share the Gospel. So, I pose this question Do We Believe That God Is Speaking Through Us When We Share The Gospel?
Scripture: Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
Hebrews 2:14-18 (NRSV)
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Mark 1:29-39 (NRSV)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
Matthew 13:1-9 (NRSV)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
Matthew 28: 16-20 (NRSV)
Message: So much of the hope of scripture is in the good news despite the not yet reality of the Kingdom. So, we ask God to speak into our lives with understanding that surpasses our understanding. And hopefully we are listening even though it is uncomfortable. And as I think about this, I conclude, and perhaps you will as well, that we must trust that the Lord will heal us and others as we share the good news to overcome the evil of the world. But this we need to know; God will be silent to those who do not want to listen. So, we are to anticipate God’s presence in scripture and in our interactions but realize that all will not want to hear. And for Christians the relevant thing for us to remember is how Jesus deals with this challenge. Today’s Gospel passage gives us an intimate look at the daily life of Jesus as he interacts with those who have yet to hear. In the reading, it becomes clear that we have physical as well as spiritual needs just as we have physical and spiritual ways of communicating. We see this in the ministry of Jesus and how he showed great love, grace, and compassion to shine a light on the message and cast out the darkness in people’s hearts. You see, Jesus always responded in power and grace and continues to meet our needs according to His gracious provision when we step out to serve those being tested. This supernatural connection is what we are to be hoping for in our hearts…an impression on the clay of our being that molds our thoughts. So, look for glimpses of grace and you might just hear the Lord in your heart. Recognize the timing, the troubles, the touch of life’s experiences and listen. Understand the momentum of the situations we face and the reality that there are people who have yet to hear the Gospel. Friends, there is a challenge to sharing the Gospel for those who are not listening for the Lord. That is why we like Jesus must be compassionate and gracious to all people realizing that people have needs that only Jesus can meet.
And So, while it is not our responsibility to convert unbelievers, it is our responsibility to speak the good news of salvation through the Spirit of Jesus Christ. While evangelism is typically viewed as mostly a human endeavor, the Holy Spirit actually plays a bigger role in evangelism than we do. The Holy Spirit is the net responsible for softening hearts and causing growth. The Holy Spirit is responsible for giving us the words to share, but we are responsible for knowing God’s Word so we might be used by God as fishers of men when the time comes. We are to be like an instrument in God’s hands as a net of love for those who are lost.
Pray the Holy Spirit gives us the boldness to be used by God. Pray we have visions of God. Pray we listen for God. Pray we not be so concerned about God hearing us as us hearing from God. Pray that even though we do not hear God’s voice or feel the divine touch, we still believe that the Lord can still speak to us and heal us. Pray we put ourselves in the hands of God. Pray God give us the strength and wisdom to serve. Pray we have faith in the Word of God even when it is so rare as to be thought a fantasy by those around us. Pray that we genuinely feel hope. Pray we realize that God speaks to the ones who are listening. Pray that we show great love, grace and compassion as we share the good news. Pray God open all our hearts, minds and ears and hands to the work of the Kingdom to come. Pray we patiently keep listening even when doing so seems to have gone out of season. Pray that the movement of the Spirit reveals to us what areas of our lives need correction and what opportunities we are to follow. Pray we choose to love for the sake of the Great Commission being the salt and light we were made to be.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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