Tag: Evangelism

BUILDING BRIDGES IN JESUS’ NAME

In the Beatitudes of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:1-12, our Lord Jesus very plainly states that his believers and followers will be persecuted because of our faith in him.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

Matthew 5:11

And after Jesus states this, he goes on in Matthew 5 to specify the particular aspects of following him that will get us into trouble within our world. He specifies things like being salt and light, which means being active witnesses to his gospel within our world. And he highlights that his followers will be observant of the Ten Commandments, listing the following: that his followers will value human life within a world that devalues it, that we will honor and uphold the covenant of marriage within an adulterous world, that we will be keepers of our word within a deceitful world, and he adds that we will be merciful within an unforgiving world, that we will love all people as children of our Heavenly Father, and that we will prayerfully seek to build bridges even with our enemies.

Many despised Jesus for his ethics of inclusivity and bridge-building. He was absolutely despised for his insistence that all people are to be treated as children of God and they must be regarded equally as such: Hebrew and Pagan, Jew and Roman, male and female, countryman and foreigner, so on and so forth. However, when building bridges between very different people according to his grace and truth, Jesus essentially warns us in Matthew 5:11 that IF YOU BUILD BRIDGES THEN YOU WILL OFTEN BE MISUNDERSTOOD FROM BOTH SIDES.

When we follow Jesus by building bridges between different people, especially people of different points of view, the simple truth is that we should expect to be persecuted, reviled, and have all kinds of evil uttered against us. And this is especially true when we follow Jesus by building bridges of understanding, coexistence and cooperation in all areas of human life (ethnicity, religion, politics, sexuality, culture, etc.). So, we ought to be prepared for this rejection and condemnation.

In particular, within today’s religiously diverse society, how are we as Christians to be reconcilers and bridge builders? How are we to be true to our own spiritual inheritance while we seek greater understanding with other religious groups? How are we to understand our own religious faith and spirituality in relation to non-Christian groups? Is there a positive and constructive perspective on this issue that glorifies God and benefits everyone?

For me, “non-Christian” does not mean “un-Christian” or “anti-Christian.” And for me, God is like a great body of water connecting all the various ports and harbors that occupy God’s shoreline. These various harbors are the various religions, and the various piers (on which we dock our individual boats) are the various traditions within each religion. Consequently, there’s a Judeo-Christian harbor that Jews and Christians share (although we have different piers in this shared harbor). There’s also a Muslim harbor, a Hindu harbor, a Buddhist harbor, a Sikh harbor, and so on. So, in this metaphor we are all connected by the Great Water (God), but we each occupy a unique and special place on it.

Therefore, we can explore God’s diverse Oneness from our own safe harbor (“Judeo-Christian Harbor”) and from our own particular dock in this harbor (“Christianity Pier”). So, as with all the various peoples of faith, we can sail out on the great water of God to explore, discover and grow in understanding and wisdom. We can visit other harbors, and we can fish the Great Water (as fishers of people for Christ), but we come home to our own safe harbor when we are tired from our journeys and are in need of our spiritual home port.

Our Christianity Pier and Judeo-Christian Harbor are our secure jumping-off point into the Great Ocean of God. The doctrines of our Christian Faith are wonderfully and gloriously true — especially the tri-unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus the Son of God. So yes, God is truly revealed in these wonderful doctrines of Christianity, but God is also much more than is revealed in these doctrines.

Therefore, we travel out to sea for religious exploration and discovery, and for fishing for people out at sea, but NOT for religious conquest of other ports. For me, I enjoy going out into the beautiful Ocean of God and exploring, and I seek to fish for people in Jesus’ name, but I don’t raid the other harbors and ports like some kind of spiritual pirate. Simply put, we witness to Christ Jesus best in this bridge-building way, and it will bring upon us misunderstanding, condemnation, and even persecution, but Jesus gives to his persecuted believers the following promise:

“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:12

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

MISSIONARIES FOR CHRIST

In select theaters on March 17-18, 2020, Fathom Events is bringing to the big screen a new inspirational movie about the life and ministry of Saint Patrick, entitled “I Am Patrick.” It is a feature-length docudrama that peels back centuries of legend and myth to tell the story of the historical St. Patrick. Through re-enactments, expert interviews, and Patrick’s own writings, we can experience his remarkable journey of faith and transformation. It also stars John Rhys-Davies (best known for his role as Gimli in The Lord of the Rings saga) who plays St. Patrick in his elder years.  For us in our area, this movie will show on these two days at 6:30pm at AMC Burbank 16.

During the Season of Lent, the Christian Church has an annual observance on March 17th in commemoration of this great Fifth Century missionary bishop to Ireland. He was born at the end of the Fourth Century to a Roman family on the Isle of Great Britain. Patrick was raised in the Christian Faith, but at the age of sixteen he was abducted by Pagan Irish pirates who were raiding communities in and around Great Britain. Patrick was then enslaved by them, and during his captivity, he prayed often and his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ grew stronger. Patrick also learned the Irish Celtic language and customs. In addition, he learned about Druidism, which was the Pagan religion of the Celtic peoples of Western Europe. In fact, his slave master was a Druid high priest. After six years of captivity, he received guidance from an angel of God to flee his cruel master, and he escaped back to Britain.

As a result of this experience, Patrick’s heart was set toward serving God, so he went to France for his seminary education. After seminary, he served in pastoral ministry for approximately seventeen years until he was commissioned as a missionary bishop to Ireland. Patrick arrived in Ireland around 433 AD, and he shared the good news of Jesus Christ with the native people of Ireland for decades to follow. Because of his evangelistic ministry, Patrick is largely responsible for the establishment of Christianity in Ireland. Besides his famous use of the three-leafed shamrock to symbolize the Holy Trinity of God, he is also credited with driving the Druid priesthood (a.k.a. the “serpents”) from Ireland.

It is appropriate during Lent that we commemorate Saint Patrick, because he is a model of faithful and dedicated evangelism within a cultural context that’s largely unfriendly to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest?’ I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already ripe for harvest.”

John 4: 34-35

Yes, according to Jesus, the fields of evangelism are already ripe for the harvest. However, these fields of evangelism in our society today often do not feel very ripe for harvesting. This is because we live in a time where many people who were raised in the Christian Faith are not living according to their baptismal covenant with God: “to live among God’s faithful people, to regularly hear the Word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ Jesus through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.” And many of these are neglecting to nurture their children into the faith, hope and love of the Lord Jesus. Furthermore, as it was at the time of Saint Patrick in Ireland, our work of Christian evangelism is increasingly to those who at first find the gospel to be completely foreign to them.

Thanks be to God for the example of Saint Patrick, whose devotion and dedication to God gives us inspiration to do the work of evangelism within our daily lives. May we continue to share the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with others, even though it might not initially be received too well, or even if our evangelical outreach in the name of Christ is completely rejected.

Let us remember Jesus’ words of promise, saying, “See how the fields are already ripe for harvest.” And, when sharing the good news and joy of our Lord with others, let us continually pray for direction with the words of the great missionary bishop, Saint Patrick, who wrote: “May the strength of God pilot me, the power of God uphold me, the wisdom of God guide me.”

Good Lent & Blessed Saint Patrick’s Day! Pastor Tim

BREAD FOR BEGGARS

As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to share our faith in Jesus with all people. In fact, our Lord and Savior Jesus said the following: “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And, of course, there is Christ’s famous Great Commission statement:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Matthew 28: 18-19a

However, this Great Commission can sound to us like such a colossal and monumental thing. It can sound too grandiose for an individual Christian or a neighborhood Christian congregation to accomplish. But we also know that “for God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

So, what can we do with all these teachings and commandments from our Lord about “fishing” and discipling and evangelizing in his name?

Well, it has been said that Christian evangelism is one beggar telling another where they have found bread. And if we think of it like this, then the call to evangelize doesn’t seem so daunting. All of us, like all of humanity, are spiritual beggars that are in need of the spiritual bread that God so graciously has made available to us in Christ. Simply put, we are beggars who have found The Living Bread of Heaven (John 6:47-51) who wish to share with others (as best we can) where they can get this bread for themselves.

Beggars telling other beggars where we have found bread — this really is the heart of Christian evangelism and it is something we can all do, both individually and congregationally. You can give gifts to people that reflect Christian faith and spirituality. You can regularly “Check In” and “Share” and “Like” on our church Facebook page for your individual social media contacts to see. You can invite your friends, neighbors, family members and coworkers to worship services and congregational events. If you have children who have not followed through with their vows at their own child’s baptism to bring them to the services of God’s house, then you can evangelize your grandchildren by inviting and bringing them to worship, Sunday school and other activities.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, there are a variety of important things we must engage in. For instance, charitable service is very important. However, while we continue to do charitable service (both domestically and globally), we must also remember to do evangelism by sharing with our fellow sinners and spiritual beggars where to find The Bread of Life, who is Christ the Lord. Essentially, it is inviting people to the renewing and sustaining life, light and love of Jesus through his Holy Word and Blessed Sacrament within the fellowship of his Community of Disciples.

Happy New Year to All and Share the Good News! 

Pastor Tim