To the Ends of the Earth

The book of Acts is nestled in the Bible just after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. After Jesus died and was resurrected, he appeared to his disciples and followers for 40 days. In the book of Acts, he instructs them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit to come. He said that the Holy Spirit would give them power to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. I'm sure they wondered what he meant. By the way, Judea was the larger region surrounding the city of Jerusalem, and Samaria was the area just north of Judea.

Illogical Instructions


His instructions probably shook them up a bit. The apostles were from Galilee. (Acts 2:7) In the Galilean culture of that time, everything revolved around local community/village life. Villages were "inward focused" and its residents looked out for one another.  In addition, God had told the Jews that they were his chosen people. They were proud of that fact and felt tremendous animosity toward those on the “outside.”  Samaritans (a mixed race with one Jewish parent/one non-Jewish parent) and Gentiles (no Jewish lineage) were all outsiders. Gentiles were the people living at “the ends of the earth” beyond Judea and Samaria. Do you think it might have been difficult for them to do what he was asking - to go to those people they felt such animosity toward?

A New Way of Thinking

Some believe Jesus’ primary intent was to instruct his followers to minister and preach first in their hometown – then go out from there. But was there more to it than that? As he spoke his last words before his ascension, was he trying to break their inward-focused mindset? Was he trying to get them to see God’s heart? Was his intention to stretch their thinking and help them see what he had been revealing along the way – that the gospel was meant for the outsiders too? 

                                                           

The Early Church is Born


In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came from heaven and filled the apostles permanently. Through the power of the Holy Spirit they began speaking in foreign languages so that many could understand their words. About 3,000 people put their faith in Christ that day, and the church was born. Those who followed the way of Christ shared their possessions with one another. They were devoted to learning, loving, worshipping, praying, and evangelizing together. Individual churches supported and encouraged other churches. They were one in heart and mind. 


The Early Church - An Example For Today


This unity is something I don’t see much of today. Denominations divide us. Church walls divide us. People become angry when members leave one church to go to another – even when it’s for constructive reasons. Many churches in America today have adopted a “we” versus “them” mentality. It seems that a huge number of churches view each other as competition – and it’s killing us. We’ve forgotten that we’re on the same team. If we were to remember the one who links us, and love one another like the early church did, we just might see God “add to our number daily those who are being saved” - like he did back then. Unfortunately, too many people have been damaged by the church and have run for the hills.

The Gospel Spreads

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, a man of faith named Stephen, was stoned to death after speaking to the religious elite – the Sanhedrin. On that same day, great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem. The believers fled town to avoid being imprisoned or murdered. And guess what? They fled to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. As they uprooted their lives and made their way to safer places, do you think the words of Jesus ran through their minds? Instead of questioning their faith as they endured persecution, I wonder if his words brought them comfort because things were unfolding just as he said they would. Is it possible that his words in Acts 1:8 weren't so much a command as they were a statement or prophecy of what was to come?

“. . . and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.” Acts 1:8

As they established new lives in these areas, they took their faith with them - and shared it.

Paul - Preacher to the Gentiles

What about those at “the ends of the earth?” Well – along came Saul. Among the Jewish religious leaders, he was royalty. He had the right lineage, understood the scriptures . . . and viciously persecuted Gentiles and Christians. One day as he was traveling to Damascus to persecute Jews who had escaped to that area, he encountered Jesus and everything flipped. Instead of being a persecutor, God made him a preacher to the Gentiles. What a turnaround! His name was changed to Paul.

Paul's Journeys

Here’s a quick rundown of the places Paul traveled and the letters he wrote during that time. These letters are now “books” in the Bible.

1st Missionary Journey:

After Paul’s first missionary journey to Galatia, he returned to Antioch and wrote Galatians. He had heard that false teachers had come into the new church and were teaching a false gospel. He wrote to the Galatians defending the truth of the gospel and encouraging his readers to live the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit.


2nd Missionary Journey:

On his second missionary journey, Paul traveled to Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth. While in Corinth , he wrote 1^st and 2^nd Thessalonians to encourage, commend, answer questions, and call his readers to hope and greater excellence in Christian living.


3rd Missionary Journey:

On his third missionary journey, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus to address factions in the church, immorality in their midst, unjustified lawsuits, and questions. He wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia to commend believers who had changed their ways, to encourage them to give funds to help believers in Jerusalem, and to defend his authority.  Paul had a strong desire to preach Christ in Rome. He traveled back to Corinth and wrote Romans – the most theological of all his letters that included a thorough explanation of Christian doctrine and its application to everyday life.


4th Missionary Journey:

Paul’s fourth missionary journey took him to Rome as a prisoner. He wrote Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians.

After his release from prison, he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus.

During his final imprisonment in Rome, he wrote 2 Timothy - his last letter before being executed for his faith.

When I look at the books of Act, I see strong faith, earnest prayer, great courage, tenacity, unity, and tremendous perseverance. Christians in the book of Acts were committed believers who boldly proclaimed Christ and loved one another well. Love that!! Want to be like that! I am so thankful for their example and for their faithfulness so that the message of the gospel could come to us today. Now it's our turn to be his witnesses even to the remotest parts of the earth, and we know Jesus will be with us as his Holy Spirit empowers us to do so. 


Blessings,


Lisa~

Sharing Jesus

Who is Jesus? Religions outside of Christianity say Jesus was a prophet, an enlightened teacher, or a spirit child created by the Father and “mother” in heaven. Some believe he was a man who displayed the Christ idea but was not God, did not suffer, and could not suffer for the sins of mankind. Others believe he was symbolic of “all the gods to which you pray,” was not crucified, didn’t really die, and did not rise from the dead.

There is clearly some confusion about Jesus. So who is Jesus? Truly, this is the most important question anyone can ever ask or answer for himself or herself; therefore, it is critically important for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ to share the truth about who Jesus is and what he's done for mankind.

There are many ways to share the gospel message. Here are a few.

The Romans Road http://gotquestions.org/Romans-road-salvation.html#

The Four Spiritual Laws http://campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

The Bridge Illustration http://navigators.org/us/resources/illustrations/items/The%20Bridge%20to%20Life#
Evangelism Explosion   http://evangelismexplosion.org/resources/answers-to-tough-questions/

Social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, blogs, etc.)

Through our lifestyle (living in such a way that others see Christ's influence in our lives)

In our relationships 

Sharing personal testimony

Street evangelism

Servanthood (acts of service/love that minister to the whole person)

Street evangelism is the most troublesome for me because it doesn’t allow others to see how we live our lives under the leadership and influence of Jesus Christ.  It’s often a forced conversation. In Matthew 28, Jesus clearly instructs us to make disciples of all nations. With street evangelism there is typically no follow-up, continued relationship, or discipleship.

In a recent study conducted by the Barna Group, there were absolutely no favorable comments about street witnessing among all the people they interviewed. Barna found that street witnessing actually creates barriers – mental and emotional obstacles – to Jesus. (Kinnaman, Dave and Lyons, Gabe, “Unchristian”, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Books, 2007, p. 70) Barna concludes that the most effective evangelism efforts are relationship based.

Servanthood evangelism is most natural for me because I have experienced God’s compassion. It is a beautiful reflection of the solidarity God has demonstrated as he came to walk alongside us in our troubles, our pain, and the ugliness of our sin through the life of his son, Jesus Christ. In compassion, he chose to suffer with us. This reveals the sincerity of his love. Romans 2:4 accurately teaches that God’s kindness leads us to repentance. As we enter into difficult situations and serve others, our actions prove the sincerity of our love as well. “People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.”

In my lifetime, I have shared my faith through teaching, preaching, serving, and sharing my testimony in the local church, at Christian women’s events, during mission trips to other countries, in para-church ministries, through my blog, and in the way I live my daily life. Yes – it can be scary to share your faith and I don’t do it perfectly. I have definitely experienced anxiety in some of these situations, I certainly don’t have all the answers, and I’m still a complicated mess as a human being. BUT - I am extraordinarily grateful for all that Jesus Christ has done for me. My life has been pockmarked with some really ugly mistakes and bad choices. Through his death on the cross Jesus took the punishment for all of my sins. He did for me what I could not do for myself. He made me clean and made it possible for God to forgive me for all I’ve done wrong so that I can be at peace with myself and experience life with Him forever. He has also healed my heart from some very deep pain. I absolutely love sharing the greatness of who he is with other people.

Christ gave us two commands that impact evangelism:

1) The great commission: Go, share the greatest news the world has ever known, and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20)

2) The great commandment: Love God and your fellow man. (Matthew 22:37-40)

It’s so important for us to carefully steward the image of God and to be accurate reflections of his heart. My personal belief is that we are called to become the embodiment of the gospel message through our whole lives as we follow both of these commands and abide in Christ. Through our actions we bring the concepts of forgiveness, reconciliation, and love to life. (See 2 Corinthians 3:3)

Remember:

It’s God’s will for us to share what we know. (Matthew 28:19-20)

We don’t have to do it eloquently. (1 Corinthians 1:17)

We are not to hinder the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:12)

God opens the door for us. (2 Corinthians 2:11-13)

We are to be known by our love. (John 13:34-35, 1 John 3:17-18, Ephesians 4:15)

We sow the seeds, but God is the Lord of the harvest and brings growth. (1 Corinthians 3:4-7, Matthew 9:37-38)

Jesus is with us as we share His message. (Matthew 28:20)

There is no other name by which to be saved. (Acts 4:12, John 14:6)

If you have never known the joy of a relationship with Jesus Christ and would like to learn more, see my page - "Knowing Jesus".

Love you all! Thanks for sitting a while with me here at The Warming House.

Lisa~

What's Your Motivation?

On the Wooded Path - Impacting the World with Compassion

Walking onto a car lot – or even into a furniture store - is difficult for me. You know the feeling. When the salesperson approaches with a gleaming smile and extreme friendliness (too much friendliness) it's uncomfortable. Is their friendliness sincere? Are they in that friendly exchange with an ulterior motive? He’s looking for the sale – right? Can I trust his words? In this situation, I generally put up my guard.

Put yourself in the place of a non-Christian who is approached by a Christian wanting to “share the good news”. Do they view Christians the same way I view the salesperson? The truth is that many of them they do. They see our friendliness as fake. They put up their guard because they believe we have an ulterior motive. We’re looking for the sale – right? In a study by the Barna Group, “Young outsiders (those looking at the Christian faith from the outside) generally do not get the impression that Christians have good intentions when it comes to trying to ‘convert” them. Most reject the idea that Christians show true interest in them as individuals.” “Only one-third of young outsiders believe that Christians genuinely care about them.” “Rather than being genuinely interested in people for their friendship, we often seem like spiritual headhunters.” (Unchristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons; copyright 2007)

Here's a great example: I recently attended a training for an upcoming event at a local church. The trainer concluded with, "The whole purpose is for you to get people to receive Jesus Christ." 

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Basically, if you have the best sales pitch, most eloquent speech, and can deliver a moving message, your words are empty if you do not present them from a place of love. If you know the Bible backwards and forwards, understand its truths, and can share those “features” with great skill, it is just annoying noise without love. If you feed the homeless, help the poor and sacrifice all for the kingdom of God, it is meaningless action if it is not done with compassion and love.

Love is patient. (1 Corinthians 13)

Love is kind. (1 Corinthians 13)

Love does not seek its own way. (1 Corinthians 13)

Love must be sincere. (Romans 12:9)

Christ’s love is sincere. When he physically walked the earth in ministry, he saw into the depths of a person's soul. He listened to people's stories. He ministered to their needs. He invested himself relationally in the lives of individuals. No conditions.  He proved the sincerity of his love when he gave his life to save you and me. Love for the Father and love for his creation drove everything he did - and drives everything he does in hearts today. Jesus taught that the most important commandments are about love. Love is meant to be the indentifying mark of his followers (John 13:34-35).

So here’s a question for you. As you approach people to present your sales pitch and win another soul to Jesus Christ, are you driven by love for God and love for people (Matthew 22:37-40) or are you driven by a love for the “sale”? Are you loving people for Christ or are you looking for a way to build your Christian resume? Will your witness repel people from Christ or give them a desire to move into His arms? How do you respond when someone rejects what you're offering? These are tough questions to ask, but they are very important ones. Consider how the world’s view of Christ and Christianity might change if we could be a clear reflection of his heart as we learn to purely love.

Warming the World Together,

Lisa~