Week 6 Lent Series ‘What On Earth Am I Here For’ book by Ric Warren ‘Evangelism’ ‘Called to be Sent’ Peace and Reconciliation through Jesus the Messiah.
Story from I G’s Peace Blog “A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem Bureau took an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looked out she saw an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So, the journalist went down and introduced herself to him. She asked, “You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that and what are you praying for?” The old man replied, “I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home have a cup of tea and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth.”
The journalist was amazed, “How does it make you feel coming here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?” she asked, the old man looked at her sadly, “Like I’m talking to a wall.’”
Luke 10: 1-24 This story reminds me of in our reading of the spiritual blindness that Jesus encountered among his own people, they failed to recognise the kingdom message, and the signs that followed.
The Messiah’s Secret enables us to understand why the Jewish people didn’t recognise him as their Messiah during Jesus’ ministry, even his parables they didn’t understand. God had hidden these things because the Messiah had to die on a cross where he bore the sins of the whole world. God his Father raised him from the dead and Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus united heaven and the earth in order that those who believe in him Jew and Gentile would be reconciled to God, being at peace with God now and for eternity. The Jewish people today most are not aware of this and many feel under condemnation through the accusations of Christians over their ancestors actions 2,000 years ago.
Christ Building His Church, the Temple of his Body.
Jesus’ body the ‘new temple’ made up of living stones, the family of God. God’s purpose and calling on our lives not only to pray for peace but to be sent out with the message of peace and reconciliation with God with each other and bring the peace of God into people’s lives.
This is what Ric Warren called the PEACE Plan.
He states that he PEACE Plan is not for superstars. It’s not for saints and nuns and priests, missionaries. It’s for ordinary people like you and me.
God’s plan of evangelism started when Jesus sent his disciples out: to build his church. First of all he had prepared them: he gave them a message “The kingdom of God has come near to you’ and he equipped them with his authority to heal the sick and many became his followers.
Ric Warren gives us the example of NASA’s Mission to send a man to the moon
On the outline sheet: Mercury. Having a goal, a purpose. In 1963 J. F. Kennedy had a goal to send a man to the moon and back. God’s goal for our lives to be at peace through being reconciled to God and then to go and make disciples, so that they too are at peace with God. In order to do this he has a purpose for each one of us and Jesus empowers us with the Holy Spirit to fulfil our purpose in ministry, and our commission to go to the whole world.
Gemini – The scientists and Astronauts began to develop those skills to go to the moon. All God’s people are prepared and equipped with the reality of the message, because the cross is our experience. put simply, John 3: 16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
The disciples went out on foot locally, with their message.
So we start evangelising with the circles of our family, through the extended family, friends, at work, people who we meet socially or linked with. I remember witnessing my healing to my family, I invited them to come along to the Bible study I attended, and as a result my mother and my sister later came to know Jesus in a personal way. There are other ways is to find something we have in common with a friend and invite them along: it could be to watch the FA Cup on your TV or to a bar-be-que. Invite people to come to a special service or an evangelistic event at church. Like ‘Renew’ or ‘Men’s Breakfast’ or ‘Big Film Night.’
Apollo – Going to the moon! In 1969 July 20th Men walked on the moon and then returned to back to earth. Mission completed
What God has planned for us will happen Isaiah 14:24, 26. , “It will all happen as I have planned it will come about according to my purposes… “I have a plan for the whole earth…” Christ’s church will be completed when the last stone is in place, when the final Christian comes to faith and then Jesus calls out his church.
On the sheet: 1. Pray. We pray that people will say ‘yes’ to God.
Matthew 9: 37, 38 reveals that Jesus prayed for more labourers as well as his disciples to take out his message. His prayer was answered when he sent out the 70. RSV Bible (72 in the NIV Bible)
Luke 9: 57-62 “As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (RSV Bible)
It’s interesting to note that these three disciples are included here in Luke’s gospel just before the 70 are sent out in the next chapter. The first disciple ‘I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus’ replied, in verse 58 “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head” indicating that he had been refused a bed for the night at the Samaritan village because they saw him as their enemy, the Jews and Samaritans had fallen out, Jesus’ ministry to them was to bring peace and reconciliation, but they turned him away. In Luke 10 he gave warning of the judgement to come, over the cities and towns, where they had rejected the message of peace and reconciliation with God and each other. The second and third disciple put their own needs first, they had to consider their families needs, so maybe Jesus was frustrated at their lack of priority in putting their own needs before God’s business. He made it clear when he said, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” You can feel the urgency in those words, so we mustn’t miss the opportunity say ‘yes’ to God and go to where he would send us.
2. Give, to help others go.
Ric Warren writes “Maybe you’re at home with young little ones, preschoolers and you couldn’t go somewhere in the world. Or maybe you’re an elderly person and you are a little more creaky in your old age, a hitch in your get-along, but you can help, I can pray and I can give”.
He goes on to say, “The Bible says when you support other people to go on humanitarian missions and peace missions and relief missions and sharing the good news missions you actually participate in their reward.”
In our reading when the disciples returned Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit. How pleased Jesus was to hear about their success in response to his commissioning them. They had engaged with people with the good news, they had healed the sick showing God’s love and compassion and many became his followers.
- Step out. I can step out in faith.
What have you done in your life that’s going to last? What do you want to do in your life that’s going to last?
The speaker at the Ladies Fellowship David Hollows spoke on this subject he brought with him things that he had treasured over the years; thank you letters, objects that he had been given in appreciation of something he had done for someone, holiday souvineers from Israel and other places and then he went on to say, the things that really matter is our treasure in heaven: acts of kindness, tears of joy and sympathy, service for your church and community, gifts of love and compassion. But above all what really matters is – eternal life.
- Go where I can now.
Over the years St Mary’s has sent people out with the good news: More recently Andrew and Luke took the good news of peace and reconciliation when they ministered to the people in Haimi Uganda.
And for the last seven years my website the Messiah’s Secret Revealed.has been reaching across the world with the good news peace and reconciliation between Jew and Gentiles. Especially to those like the man at the wall, praying to a stone of the temple, when he could be praying to the living stone Jesus and going out with the message of peace and reconciliation to the world.
Ann & Ste’s ‘Reach Puppets’ visited Albania ministering to the youth there with their group of teenage Puppeteers.
Having stepped out in faith and experienced the Lord working to fulfil his purpose. The next time there is an expectation and an excitement of what the Lord calls upon us to do for his glory.
The last verse on your outline is 2 Timothy 4:5. 2 Timothy 4:5 says this, “Work at bringing others to Christ.” Why? Because they’ll experience his love, his forgiveness, his peace, his purpose, they’ll experience their past forgiven, a purpose for living. All of these things God offer to them.
Memory verse. . 2 Timothy 4:5 “Work at bringing others to Christ.” 2 Timothy 4:5.