Tag: evangelism

Jesus Appears As the Lamb of God

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(John 1:29-41)

We care quite a bit about our appearances in a number of different ways. Some care about how they look physically. They eat well and work out because body fitness and physique matter to them. Fashion and style matter more to others as far as appearance is concerned. They stay on top of who is wearing what and what’s in style and what’s not. But even those less concerned with how they look physically still care about how they appear to others. Social media also provides a platform that allows people to portray themselves as they want to appear to others. It doesn’t take very long to swipe through a person’s account to be able to determine how they want to appear – “car guy,” “dog lover,” or “sports nut” are just a few examples of appearances we see.

But we also know that how a person appears may not actually line up with who they are. Christians are not immune to this. In fact, it can be an extremely damaging thing to Christianity’s reputation. When Christians are more concerned with how they appear to others than who they actually are, there can even be eternal consequences. When the churchgoer mask or makeup comes off at home and who we are around other Christians ends up being a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde difference at home, that’s a significant spiritual matter. 

Yet if there is one individual for whom it is essential that reality matches appearance, it is the Savior. It is Jesus. It would not matter how Jesus would appear if he had not ended up being who he appeared to be. And that’s why this season of Epiphany is so important. At Christmas, the Savior appears, and during Epiphany, he is revealed to be the Savior that he appeared to be. The account recorded for us in John 1 reveals Jesus appearing as the Lamb of God.

John the Baptist pointed it out on back-to-back days: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v.29).  With this one sentence, John was making a monumental revelation about who Jesus was. To appreciate the significance of a lamb, consider every thought and feeling that immediately fills your mind whenever you see the image of a cross worn or displayed. There is so much meaning packed into just that one symbol that for us summarizes the basis of our relationship with God.

Now imagine the lamb carrying that same significance for Jewish people in John the Baptist’s day. Instead of a cross, people would have worn necklaces with lambs on them. A lamb would have been the picture on the T-shirt of believers. The lamb was the centerpiece of what we’d call their church services. The lamb represented sacrifice for sins that was absolutely essential for fallen man to have a relationship with a holy God. John, pointing to Jesus, revealed that he was that lamb, that sacrifice, that means to a relationship with God.

To make that matter even more certain, John emphasizes that he is “of God.” John hadn’t hatched some hair-brained idea to fleece his followers and deceive them into thinking Jesus was something that he wasn’t. This Lamb was “of God.” Jesus wasn’t some charismatic cult leader who paid John to promote him and start his own movement. This Lamb was “of God.” Sometimes believers describe an experience or event in their lives that was above and beyond chance or coincidence as being “a God thing.” They are demonstrating that things tend to carry more weight when God divinely intervenes. John was emphasizing the clout Jesus carried by describing him as the Lamb “of God.”

Finally, in John’s power-packed proclamation, he highlighted that this Lamb, Jesus, would do what no lamb before him ever could: take away the sin of the world. Of all the daily lambs sacrificed by the priests throughout Israel’s history, of all the lambs served up in the Passover meals of countless Jewish families for generations and generations, not a single one of them, nor the whole vast quantity of all of them taken together, could take away so much as the smallest sin. They could only symbolize. They could only foreshadow. They could only point ahead to the perfect Lamb who would be revealed. And on this day, with this simple statement, John declared the fulfillment of all of it. The Lamb appeared, the only Lamb who could take away the sin of the world – all sin of all people of all time. 

Notice what John did next. After making a profound theological statement, proclaiming the good news of the gospel for others to hear, he shared his own personal experience. He gave a testimony of why this all mattered so much to him. “Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One’” (v.32-34). 

John had just shared the most powerful message that any ear can ever hear – the good news of the gospel that Jesus, the Lamb of God, Jesus, the Savior, takes away the sin of the world. That message and that message alone is what brings life from death, light from darkness, faith from unbelief. We cannot in any way improve or upgrade that message!

But, we can personally validate its significance and impact in our own personal lives for others to see. In our skeptical, truth-seeking, fact-checking world today, your personal experience is starting to carry more clout.

We have been in the progress of moving beyond the foolishness of postmodernism’s “everyone’s truth is valid” as a license to provide permission for anyone to live and do as they see fit. We’re recognizing the collateral damage that has come with believing the lie that associated permissiveness with personal happiness. That deceptive connection between the two continues to become unstuck like a house held together with scotch tape. People pursuing “their own truth” continue to arrive at a dead end. The result is an increasing openness on the part of people to pay more attention to the truth of others. So when your truth, your testimony, matches and verifies the powerful message of the gospel, there is potential for great kingdom impact. Look at what happened after John shared his testimony!

“When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ)” (v.38, 40-41). Note the two things that happened: they followed Jesus and they invited others to do the same. John proclaimed the good news and shared his testimony and it resulted in people following Jesus. Then, those people who followed Jesus invited others to do the same. 

Do you see the kingdom building going on and how it was taking place? It happened exponentially, like compound interest. As some of John the Baptist’s listeners heard the good news, that good news took root and faith sprouted. Then, as that faith sprouted, it spread to others. Followers of Jesus were implementing a key quality of disciples of Jesus: disciples disciple. When we were called to faith in Jesus, we weren’t called to perform a solo act; sorry to say it, but he didn’t want just you. But not sorry to say it, because he doesn’t just want you, he wants others to join in the party!

We were called to be disciples who make disciples who make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. Get it? The process doesn’t end. God’s design for your discipleship was not that it would stop with you, but would continue through you. That is to say, if there there is no element in your life of discipling others, then you are missing out on a notable chunk of what your own discipleship truly involves. And that doesn’t just affect you; it affects others who are missing out on Jesus because you have too narrow a view of your own discipleship. Yours is a tunnel vision discipleship if you mistakenly think that your discipleship is only about you.

Does all of this terrify you? Does it make you feel inadequate? Does it make you feel guilty for making so much of your discipleship about yourself and not making disciples? Good, then you’re where you need to be, right back at square one, which is realizing how important the primary calling of a disciple is: to follow Jesus.

The whole process of discipleship and making disciples hinges on John’s seismic proclamation that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That includes your sin, your guilt, your inadequacies, your shortcomings – all of it. Jesus appeared as the Lamb of God to take all of that away and in its place provide you with everything you would need to point others to him in some way or another. But you will have neither the interest nor the ability to disciple others if you yourself aren’t closely following the Lamb of God as his dearly loved disciple.

Have you ever been on a group hike and found yourself somewhere in the middle of the pack? In that spot, two things are going on. One, you are making sure the hiker in front of you doesn’t get so far ahead of you that you can no longer see him. If he does, you might end up losing the trail. Not only that, though, you also risk leading astray those who are following behind you. See how it all starts with making sure you are closely following the person in front of you?

So it is with Jesus. The closer we are to him, the less risk that we will be lost, and the closer we are to him, the better position we are in to lead those following us. That is how discipleship works. 

That is how it has worked ever since that first day John pointed others to the Lamb of God. His disciples made other disciples who made other disciples all the way down the line like links in a continuous chain until you became a disciple. Now you get to continue that same process of discipling, and you get to do it the same way John did: let others know that the Lamb of God who has appeared is their Lamb of God who takes away their sin of the world. And he longs for them to follow him and make disciples, too.

The Found are Left; the Lost are Found

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(Luke 15:1-10)

They gathered around Jesus for two very different reasons. One group came to Jesus to hear him; the other came to hate on him. And when you consider which groups it is, it should be rather surprising. We would expect the “tax collectors and sinners” to be the ones hating and the “Pharisees and the teachers of the law” to be hearing. If Jesus’ message was all fire and brimstone and a call to shape up our lives, the first crowd would rightly resent Jesus and his message. After all, they weren’t naive to the fact that they were the black sheep of society. 

And the Pharisees, the ones who delight in doing right – and getting noticed for it – should have clamored to hear Jesus’ message if it was all fire and brimstone and a call to shape up our lives. That would have been right up their alley! It would have reinforced their self-righteousness and puffed up their pride.

But it’s exactly the opposite. Luke describes it for us. “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (v.1-2). The black sheep want to hear Jesus and the self-righteous religious want to hate on him! You know what that says about Jesus? His message stood out. There was something different about it. His message must have been radical if it appealed to those it should have turned off while turning off those to whom it should have appealed. And that is exactly what his message does today. Today’s teaching is a hard truth because it forces us to face that The Found are Left while The Lost are Found. 

If the typical Christian congregation did an assessment of which category of folks received more attention – the found or the lost – which group do you suppose would come out ahead? It’s no contest. It isn’t even close. But I don’t raise that point to shame or indicate that it’s wrong to give attention to each other or to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It isn’t! Not at all. In fact, it’s one of the “selling points” of trying to bring others into the family of Christianity – we care for and about each other. 

But there is a need for balance in the mission Jesus has given us. Because he hasn’t only called us to care for each other, the found. He has also called us to seek the lost. If, rather than trying to pit one against the other, we instead strive to see the importance of and need for each, then we are ready and willing for Jesus to draw our attention to finding the lost. What does Jesus wish to teach us about his feelings toward the lost? His mission is personal and persistent. 

The personal concern of Jesus in going after the lost is clear in each parable. After losing one sheep, the owner of the hundred sheep doesn’t conclude, “One sheep is no big deal – I’ve still got 99, after all.” The woman doesn’t blow off her one lost coin just because she still has the nine others.

God does not write off countless lost souls just because there are many who are saved. Neither does he attach different values to different people like we so often do, based on different criteria, deeming some more worthy of saving than others. Every soul matters to Jesus. Every soul. 

It’s like the little boy walking along the sandy beach after a storm. The beach was blanketed by starfish as far as the eye could see that had washed up after the storm. He knew that if they had any chance of surviving, they would somehow have to get back into the water, so the boy started picking the starfish up. One by one, he slung them back into the safety of the ocean. An onlooker commented that the boy’s efforts would hardly make a difference, as there were far too many starfish on the beach. After bending over to pick up one more and flinging it into the ocean, the boy responded, “It just made a difference for that one.”

So personally does Jesus care about every lost soul that he will go after each and every last one!

And he’ll do it with persistence. Jesus presumes the woman will look tirelessly for the lost coin. “Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” (v.8). Neither did the owners just take a quick peek here or there and then call it a day! The same phrase is used of both the lost sheep and the coin: the owner searches “until s/he finds it.” (v.4,8). There was no room for half-hearted effort in either case; the search would persist until the sheep and the coin was found. 

Now we can talk about Jesus’ mission being personal and persistent, but you know what that must mean, don’t you? Consider how Jesus carries out his mission of seeking the lost. He does it through you and me. He does it through believers – his church.

So Jesus doesn’t have one approach he takes on his mission while his church takes some different approach. If his mission is personal and persistent, then so is the church’s mission. So is ours. So is yours. And if your mission isn’t personal or persistent… whose mission in life are you really more interested in carrying out – Jesus’, or your own?

When Jesus’ mission is our mission, we also want to ask who are those represented by the lost sheep and the lost coin. Often this chapter of Luke 15 is limited to the areas of outreach and evangelism. While that is natural, we don’t want to limit it to that. The lost sheep and the lost coin, after all, were at one time numbered among the found. So there is also a call here to seek out those who once belonged to the found, but are either wandering toward lostness or lost already.

It’s a call to repentance. It’s a call to care about those who used to be actively among us. It’s a call to care about our friends, our spouses, our sons, and daughters, who at one time fed in the pasture of God’s Word and sacrament right alongside us, but who now are nowhere to be found. While those who have only known unbelief their whole lives are always on our radar, also on our radar should be those who previously were won to faith, but have since wandered. How do we do that?

The first step: identify them. Stop pretending they aren’t lost. Stop lying to yourself that, even though they haven’t been hearing the Good Shepherd’s voice, perhaps in years, they are still interested in following him. Stop pretending that having no involvement or engagement with their congregation and no spiritual shepherding from their elder or pastor is permissible. Also… stop pretending that they should know better and it is 100% their responsibility for being rescued again.  Instead, let’s acknowledge they’re lost and put together a search party. And let’s do it with the kind of personal and persistent passion Jesus emphasized in these parables.

Suppose a large building in your community became engulfed in flame. How would you feel about a group of firefighters who decided to ignore the alarm sounding and instead hung around the fire station snacking and glued to their screens rather than throwing on their gear and high-tailing it out of the station?

Would their actions make more sense though, if they explained to you that the building on fire was one that just earlier that week they had made a presentation on fire safety and prevention, so they weren’t worried about it? Of course not! You’d expect them to go rescue anyone in the burning building no matter how much fire safety and prevention training the occupants had had!

In the same way, who are we to sit back and leave the lost on their own because they went to our school, finished the membership class, or were previously active in the congregation? Absurd! Let’s get out there and rescue them, whether they’re merely backsliding into the darkness or were always lost in it – Jesus wants both kinds. Jesus wants them all.

And so do we. Because we rejoice daily that he has rescued us, too. We gather regularly to sing and speak words of rejoicing over knowing that he has found us and rescued us. We rejoice in the confidence of knowing that every confessed sin has already been canceled. We rejoice in knowing that every Christian soul who has departed the pasture of this world for the pasture of heaven is with Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We rejoice with the angels in heaven each and every time even just one soul is turned around in repentance and rescued for eternity. We celebrate… and then we round up the search party again and get back out to work.

Scattering & Gathering

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(Genesis 11:1-9)

Ever since man has worked the ground to grow food and live off the land, scattering and gathering have been a part of life. First, the seed for crops is sown – spread out and scattered. That scattered seed is then watered, either by means of rain from the sky or different types of irrigation that have been designed or developed over time. The crop is cared for and tended to, and finally, when the time is right, what is grown is harvested. The seed that was first scattered is then finally gathered at the harvest. 

Scattering and gathering is also a picture of what God has been doing with his people throughout history.

From the very beginning, God called his people to scatter. God’s instructions to the world’s first family was this: “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). Following the Flood, God called for his people to scatter again. “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth’” (Genesis 9:1). We might notice also that each time God called for man to scatter over all the earth and fill it, it had the promise of his blessing attached to it. It was therefore a good thing God was calling man to do. Scattering was sanctified!  

Whereas scattering took place from the beginning, gathering will take place on the last day. In reference to his return on the Last Day, Jesus explained, “And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens” (Mark 13:27). In the very first days, God called for man to spread out and scatter, but on the last day, those who are his will be gathered together. Paul, who teaches about what that Last Day will be like in 2 Thessalonians, introduces his teaching with the words, “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him,…” (2:1). At that point, there will be no more need to scatter, for after all things have been carried out as the Lord said they would be, all that will remain is for Jesus to return to gather his believers together to be with him in the new heaven and earth at his designated time. 

This morning, we see a smaller scale picture of the scattering & gathering in two major events that are sandwiched in the timeline of history. And we see it being carried out whether mankind initially desires to oblige or not. If God desires to scatter, and man rebels, God will make a way to ensure that his desire is carried out. Furthermore, where it would appear from a human perspective that there are far too many obstacles or hindrances in the way of the gathering of people of all tribes, nations, and languages all over the world, God will make a way, as he did on the Day of Pentecost. 

Some might write off the account of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 as a man-made story to explain the origin of multiple languages. If the Bible is viewed like any other normal book, this account might conveniently suit such an interpretation. But the Bible isn’t like any other book.

However, even if it did read like any other book, then what would the context tell us? So far in Genesis, we have had only narrative accounts, including historical events with historical people and places named. From where would we suddenly be justified in writing off this event as a made-up tale to explain the origin of languages? What this account shows instead is the sad reality that even after the Flood, mankind was still naturally egotistical and rebellious against God. He continued to disregard God’s clear command to scatter, the command given both at creation and repeated again after the Flood.

But why should God be so bothered by this tower building? Why did this matter? Wouldn’t it be a good thing for people to band together? Why would God be opposed to that? Was he just salty that they disregarded his command?

The answer, in part, is found in the purpose behind the plan to build: “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves” (v.4). “So that we may make a name for ourselves.” Where were their hearts? Where was their concern? What does it mean to desire to “make a name for oneself?”

It means to make it about me. That was their concern. It has been and continues to be one of the greatest fears we face: insignificance. Irrelevance. The result is insecurity. Why else was there such a concern about making a name for themselves?

Doesn’t this reflect something rather telling about human nature? We know something is off. We’re naturally like the individual in the relationship who cannot trust, who has a paranoid fear that the other is either ready to move on or is cheating or it’s only a matter of time before they will.

That insecurity comes from the fear of insignificance, and it’s normal for us because it’s justified. We are so well aware of our offenses against a holy God that we rightly sense insignificance. We might mask it behind bravado or brash confidence, but even that is to go out of our way to make sure others don’t sense our insecurity. We posture and puff ourselves up to hide any scent of insecurity that others may pick up. We are terrified of our worst fear being realized: that we don’t matter. 

And while we are so focused on our fear of not mattering, of not being significant, our attention is not on the compassionate God who loves with an everlasting love and longs for everyone to know that love. We’re so preoccupied with worry over being insignificant that we fail to turn our attention to the God who assures us that we aren’t! So we build, we achieve, we produce, we create, we… do whatever we can to make a name for ourselves, to be significant – the whole while overlooking the God who made us significant by redeeming us in the first place!

When we are so enamored with significance, we will resort to anything for attention. Even disobedience. Children disobey, yes, because they are sinners and disobedience comes naturally. But it is often more than that. As the competition for mom or dad’s attention intensifies (due to busy schedules and attachment to screens, for example), even the negative attention due to disobedience is still attention. And attention = significance in their minds. 

By default then, it isn’t about God, which the people at Babel make abundantly clear in seeking to avoid the very thing God commanded them to do! They stated, “otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (v.4). There it is, plain as day – direct defiance to what God commanded them to do, and so casually, at that, as if it made perfect sense for them to want to avoid being scattered, to avoid doing the very thing God commanded them to do.

How relatable! Christian congregations have always reflected this same challenge. When a mission congregation is established, it starts with not only a genuine desire but also a need to reach out, to scatter, to carry out the mission Jesus gave his Church at Ascension. If they don’t grow, they won’t be around very long!

But, as God blesses those efforts and the mission congregation grows, its focus slowly starts to shift to internal priorities. Property is purchased. Buildings are constructed. Various ministries are established to meet the members’ needs. And the spirit of scattering to reach the lost becomes overshadowed by the preference to gather with the saints. Ministry becomes about maintaining and sustaining what has been built; scattering becomes work for others to do. 

But the scattering and gathering are an ongoing cycle that will repeat until Jesus returns. It wasn’t only at Babel that the Lord scattered; he did the same thing after he gathered his Church at Pentecost! Those believers who had gathered from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2) would be scattered back to their respective homes. The good news – the same news that had converted 3,000 souls on Pentecost – would be scattered to the ends of the earth. 

That is the same cycle God calls us to today. Gather, as we do each week, so that the Spirit may continue in us the same work he poured out on his church on Pentecost – filling and fueling us with Word and Sacrament, to equip and stir us up to be scattered out again for his work each week.

It never stops and it will always be necessary. As long as we look to all of the wrong places for significance, it will leave a trail of sin, which calls for the ongoing pattern of confession and absolution. Again and again we turn away from God and to the world in so many little ways, looking for what only God can give. Instead of allowing us to stumble away in such selfish pursuits, he gathers us again and again to show us how much we matter to him by directing us to his cross.

And we are renewed. We are restored. We are refreshed to carry out the work of scattering once again to go gather in other souls to become saints as the Holy Spirit works the same work in their hearts. 

It isn’t just on Sundays that God comes down to his people personally in Word and Sacrament; he has come down to his people personally throughout history. He did that very thing at Babel, too: “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building” (Gen. 11:5). The Lord came down – don’t miss this! If God doesn’t come down to intervene, our situation is hopeless! God does this repeatedly in the OT, paying visits to mankind (pre-incarnate Christ), and thank goodness he does! (Gen. 18; Ex. 3:8 burning bush).

Yet the greatest “coming down” of the Lord was at the incarnation. When God-in-the-flesh was born into this world on Christmas, he did more than simply stop in for a visit; he lived and dwelled among those he came to save! What does that say about a personal God and how much he cares about his fallen creation?

This really gets at the other reason God was concerned about the building going on at Babel. In addition to the self-centered desire for significance, God’s name was at risk of being left on the back burner. God knows what happens when people make it a goal to make a name for themselves. When concern for our own name and reputation is what fills our hearts and drives us, then there is no more space in our hearts for the LORD. And that is the greatest tragedy imaginable. 

The reason God wanted them to scatter? So that his name would reach the ends of the earth! So that no one would fail to be able to hear of the salvation promised only through him. The importance of this cannot be understated. Just recently in Bible Information Class, the question came up, as it often does: What about those in such and such places/countries who never had the chance to hear about Jesus? Well, this very lesson underscores why it was so important for God’s people to scatter and take God’s name with them. Because when that doesn’t happen, false religions and all forms of idolatry will fill the vacuum left in man’s heart. 

So, for the sake of souls, God took matters into his own hands at Babel and forced his people to spread out. On Pentecost, God again took matters into his own hands and miraculously equipped the gospel to be scattered, removing any language barrier that might have hindered it. Still today God will take matters into his own hands to see that his Word is scattered. Where believers are reluctant to do so, he is not above taking matters into his own hands to see that this important work is carried out. After all, he desires that when he returns, it will be to gather a large harvest of souls for eternity. Let us then be a part of his scattering and gathering so that he returns on the Last Day to find the large harvest of souls for which he longs.

Messengers Uncovered

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(Luke 5:1-11)

The Super Bowl is next Sunday. To make it to that level, your team has to have a pretty solid quarterback. It would be pretty big news then, if one of the teams’ starting QBs was not going to be playing. It would be even bigger news if none of the backups were going to be replacing him because the coach made a last-minute decision to someone else in that position: the janitor. Not only would he not know how to pull off the plays; he likely wouldn’t even know how to put on the pads! It’s not just another football player in a different position, but someone totally lacking any of the skills necessary to even fake it. Let’s just say that running a sweep would take on a whole new meaning with a janitor taking the snaps!

Is it any less absurd that Jesus chose who he did to be his messengers? He didn’t hit up the religious experts. He didn’t tap the experienced public speakers. In fact, if you want to search for what was likely the bottom of the barrel when it came to necessary communication skills, you might just find fishermen about as low as you can go. They didn’t need people skills – they were out on boats half the time fetching fish, not striking up a conversation with locals. But fishermen were exactly the ones Jesus called to spread the word! Yet if you find that shocking, try this on for size: it’s not just fishermen he called his messengers; it’s also you and me.

There was definitely something different about the crowds this time around in our verses from Luke. Two weeks ago the crowds rejected the message (Lk. 4). Last week they wanted more of Jesus – not necessarily because of the message, but because of the miracles. Today we finally see it: the people are “crowding around him and listening to the word of God” (v.1). Let’s start there. People were listening to the word of God! Good things happen when we listen to the word of God. Actually, maybe that needs clarification, as have a tendency to interpret the word “good” according to our own definition of good. Maybe we should say it a little bit differently: “God” things happen when we listen to the word of God. Simon Peter would find that out. 

Simon was patient. Fishing was not easy work and he had just been up all night busting his tail for nothing. Now he’s cleaning everything up at the end of his shift, and along comes Jesus to tell him how to do his job. Peter must have been physically drained from a night of hard work. He undoubtedly was emotionally drained by the frustration of coming up empty-handed. That makes his response to Jesus all the more remarkable. “Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets’” (v.5). 

“Because you say so…” How different would our lives be if that was the only change we made? How blessed would we be if we let those words guide our lives more? Trust the Lord your God… give generously… love your enemies… forgive one another… pray for your president and leaders… stay married, etc., and all “because [Jesus] says so.” 

Of course we would let Jesus’ “because I said so” guide our lives; it’s just that we happen to know better than he does. Now that may come across as a little extreme for me to state it that way, but isn’t that really the simplest conclusion we can draw? When a parent tells a child to do this or that and the child doesn’t (isn’t the child’s least favorite explanation “because I said so”???), or when the superior directs an employee to take care of something and he doesn’t, what does that say if not, “I know better than you do, so I am not going to bother doing what you told me to do?” So when we ignore the many exhortations in Scripture to do this or that, what are we saying to God but that we know better than he does? 

When this is our natural rebellious attitude, should it surprise us that we excel at ignoring Jesus’ commands “just because he said so?” Today though, our verses key us in on one specific area that Jesus tells us so: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (v.10). We are pretty good at dismissing Jesus’ double directive there, aren’t we? Not only do we know better than he does, resulting in our contentment to leave the fishing up to other people, but we also fail to take to heart his initial words, “Don’t be afraid.” In fact, that is probably the most common excuse given for not fishing for men – we’re too afraid. While we use it to justify our aversion to evangelism, what we really end up doing when we extend such an excuse is incriminating ourselves! Not only are we ignoring the second part, but we’re also failing to live out the first! We let fear cripple us when Jesus says not to!

How quickly we forget what Jesus is able to do, as he had just demonstrated to Peter. “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (vv.4, 6). No fish all night, then one net cast and the boats almost sink because of such a large haul of fish! Look what Jesus is able to do!

Do you really doubt that he can haul in as big a catch of people if you get over yourself and your fear? Do you really doubt that the One who just humbled a bunch of experienced fisherman with as big a catch as they probably had ever had could also do the same through you?

Imagine that you were required to fill out an application to be one of God’s messengers. On that application, there were two sections, one for listing all of the qualifications that makes you ideal for serving as one of God’s messengers, and another section that listed shortcomings that would not provide evidence for why you would not make a good messenger. On which of those two sections do you think most of us would have more to write? Based on what I have heard most from others, not too many would be listing much of anything in the “qualification” section, but just about everyone would probably need more space for the “shortcomings” section. You’d include things like “I don’t know the Bible well enough,” “I’m not a strong enough Christian,” “I am not good with words,” “I don’t have any non-Christian friends,” “I’m too afraid,” etc. For those really willing to be honest, we might also include, “I am too busy” or “I just don’t care that much” to the list. Now those things may or may not be true, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter because any application you would fill out and turn in to Jesus, he would return it back to you stamped in large letters with the word, “QUALIFIED.” 

Why? Because the ability to be Jesus’ messengers is not based on your ability to be Jesus’ messengers; rather, it is based entirely on the fact that he is the One who sends you to be his messengers. And the One who sends you doubles as the One who saved you. Remember the whole cross thing, the very foundation of the message he is sending you to communicate? Don’t forget that that cross is just as much for you as it is for anyone else. Don’t forget that you need that cross just as much as anyone else. That cross was necessary to cancel out every instance in which your actions revealed your rebellious “I know best” directed at God. That cross was necessary to cancel out the prideful control you insist on having in your life instead of the humble submission God calls you to. That cross was necessary to qualify you to be God’s messenger. And it has, for at the cross God’s righteous justice and his undeserved mercy collide and we are the beneficiaries. Jesus paid the price of our rebellion and arrogance against God, and only because of that grace and forgiveness are we qualified to be his messengers.

If the Lord chose us to be his messengers on the basis of our qualifications, he’d have a total of zero messengers. Go back to Simon. Remember how much success he had fishing all night? Zero. So why would Jesus send a fisherman who caught zero fish for something as important as fishing for people. It wasn’t because of Simons’s success, but because of the Savior’s sending. Jesus qualified him. Jesus sent him. And follow Peter’s ministry in the book of Acts after Jesus’ resurrection – Jesus gave him success.

What stood out in Peter’s case was not his expertise, but his obedience. Wasn’t Jesus illustrating something extremely powerful – and confidence-boosting – in this account? He was foreshadowing that Peter’s success on the lake that day had absolutely nothing to do with his own ability or qualifications and everything to do with the simple fact that he did what Jesus told him to do. That is exactly how God grants success to his messengers – not because we are superb evangelists, but because we have a superb Savior who can bless our obedience a thousand times over and far more than we could ever expect or imagine! 

Don’t hold your breath waiting for either team next on Super Bowl Sunday to start a janitor as their quarterback. But as crazy as something like that sounds, God has actually determined to do something far crazier – he chose you and me to be his messengers!

Will you go? Will you go for no other reason than that the Lord says to each one of us, “because I said so?” Will you give him some effort to bless? Will you throw your nets out again and again, even after one unsuccessful try after another, just because he said so? Will you give him nothing but your faith-filled obedience? Will you be his messenger?

Apologize

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(1 Peter 3:13-16)

If this morning’s word is not familiar to you in the context of evangelism, then it might be necessary to clarify that we aren’t talking about saying we’re sorry for believing in Jesus. Though apologies in that sense may have their place if we need to come clean before somebody else we may have wronged, the word apologize this morning carries with it a different meaning than “I’m sorry.” Apologetics refers to the field of defending the Christian faith. One of our Confessions in the Book of Concord is called the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, which is not Lutherans saying we’re sorry for ever confessing our faith as expressed in the Augsburg Confession, but rather a defense of what that Confession states. So while we are never sorry for our Christian faith, there is great benefit in being able to defend it. 

One important caveat when it comes to apologizing, or defending, our Christian faith: strictly speaking, defending our faith is not evangelism. No single soul was ever ushered into heaven because of a convincing or compelling defense of the Christian faith. Only the gospel awakens faith in the human heart. So what role, what place does defending the Christian faith have? 

If you’ve ever gardened, you know there is value in tilling the soil. Doing so prepares the soil for the seeds that will be planted. It removes the stones or pebbles or debris in the dirt that might otherwise impede growth and never give the seed a chance to take root. Growing in our ability to defend the faith can serve the same purpose – it doesn’t convert souls, but it may help to jar loose some of the other debris in someone’s heart or mind that could decrease the likelihood of the gospel being clearly heard or understood.

Some of that opposition to Christianity is based on the perception that the Christian faith is unreasonable. Now on a side note, what a perfect time for Christianity – our world is completely unreasonable right now! We see a lack of reason all around us. So in a world in which so few people actually make any sense and seem to be acting unreasonably, then Christianity ought to fit right in – an unreasonable religion for an unreasonable world! 

While I say that tongue-in-cheek, the reality is that Christianity is actually quite reasonable. Jesus thought so, as Luke recorded in our First Reading from Acts. “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (1:3). Note that Luke referred to Jesus providing “convincing proofs.” That is, the evidence that Jesus displayed after his resurrection was apparently very reasonable. If something is truly unreasonable, then we would presume there would be no amount of evidence that would ever appeal to someone’s reason. Yet, people had seen enough from Jesus over the forty days after his resurrection to conclude that his rising from the dead was not so unreasonable after all. Their reason was in fact convinced by the proof.

So apologetics matter – appealing to people’s reason can make a difference. In one case it may serve merely to pique someone’s curiosity who is then open to hearing more of God’s Word, regardless of whether or not that results in saving faith. In another case appealing to one’s reason may serve as the very compelling and convincing element they needed to put them on the path to faith in Jesus. If we can then help people be open to the possibility that perhaps Christianity isn’t so unreasonable after all, we may have removed just enough obstacles in the way that previously kept that person from being open to the power of the Holy Spirit to work through the Word.

If the thought of being an apologist, of having to defend your faith, terrifies you, or if you don’t feel confident in that arena, you live at a good time. Because there is something else that others may be willing to listen to than the truth of the Bible, which doesn’t carry the same authority in many people’s minds today as in the past; they’re more than willing to listen to your truth. Much as we might cringe at such a statement, it might be an extraordinary time for us to take advantage of it. Here are two reasons why this is true.

One, our culture is anti-institution, so inviting someone to church may not be received as warmly as in the past. For some who seem disinterested or even turned off by Christianity, the real issue may not be Christianity itself, but the organized church they’ve come to associate with it. Some of those reasons are understandable; others perhaps not. When a pastor or religious leader associated with a certain church has fallen from grace, or when someone has been personally burned by a bad experience in a church in the past, we can understand why they may want nothing to do with the church as an institution. Those scenarios can be more challenging for us to help them navigate through. Then there are the general ones like “the church just wants your money” or “the church is full of hypocrites” that have always been around. Regardless, where people today may not trust the church as an institution, you are most likely the best thing we’ve got going. For that reason, we need to shift our perspective a bit to seeing ourselves – not necessarily our church – as an instrumental stepping stone to connecting others to Jesus. 

Two, if you’ve ever had doubts about your own faith, if you’ve ever had questions, guess what? That makes you 100% relatable. While many Christians wish they were as well-equipped as a pastor or a professor at a theological college or seminary, let me ask you something. Do you think the average unchurched person relates better to the theologically trained expert, or to you, someone much more like them who has real struggles and an imperfect faith that is a work in progress? The answer should be quite clear, shouldn’t it? So chances are, the individual who seeks out a pastor or trained spiritual leader is someone who may be curious or just be interested in seeking out an answer to a specific question. However, to whom do you think the person genuinely interested in Christianity and the possibility of pursuing the Christian faith is going to go? You. Someone just like them. Someone to whom they can relate. In this regard, that makes you uniquely equipped to defend your faith and expand on it for others. 

Now if you see the sense in these two reasons, perhaps your next question is why aren’t people coming to you with their questions? Why might others not approach us? One possible reason: they think Christians are unintelligent dim-wits. Is this justified? On the one hand – nope; we embrace the role of fools that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians. On the other hand, are we? When is the last time you read a book? When is the last time you educated yourself on how to talk to skeptics and defend your faith. Maybe they think we’re dim-wits because… we are? Simple evangelism doesn’t have to mean shallow evangelism. Have I been avoiding personal spiritual growth for too long? Then it’s time for us to make a change. 

The other reason people don’t ask us about the reason for the hope that we have? They don’t see hope in us. Why would they ask about what is absent in our lives? If they don’t see the hope in how you speak, live, and engage with others, don’t be surprised when no one asks you about it. If you put Debbie downer to shame with your constant gloom and doom, you might be waiting a while before anyone asks you for the reason for a hope they don’t see in you.

If it isn’t obvious to others, where do we find that hope? Don’t forget the name of this series: “simple evangelism.” At its center, the message of the gospel is profoundly simple, so much so that a child could explain it: we are sinners who have in Jesus the Savior from sin that we all need. That makes heaven ours. It really does not need to be any more complicated than that. 

Question: are you able to apply the hope of that gospel of forgiveness to yourself? Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Do you need to revisit that hope? Do you have it? Do you embrace it every day and live in it, breathe it? Does it smother you, cover you, envelope you… or do you allow your own guilt or the crud of this world to pin you down while hope seems out of reach, like an inflated balloon, drifting out of sight high up in the sky? 

Hope is here! Right now! We live under the shadow of the cross. We live in the reality of a vacant tomb. We live in the certainty of a hope-filled home in heaven. That is your lot in this life, your hope. And the reason behind that hope? Jesus. No more. No less. Jesus is your hope. So when your situation feels hopeless or your hope seems distant, chances are, so is Jesus. Keep him near and hope will also be close by. 

It would seem Peter knew that, as he encourages us, “in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (v.15a). Imagine your reaction if you showed up today and looked to the front of the church and saw the cross had been removed from behind me. In its place was a very nice tasteful painting. Or a floral arrangement. Or a decorative light. I think no matter how nice any of those things might look, you’d be quite shocked and probably downright disgusted to see something replace the cross. That’s what goes on in our hearts when Christ is not revered as Lord, when he is set aside or replaced by some other love in our lives. Let him alone rule. When he alone rules in your heart, so does hope. When that happens, look at what else happens. 

We’re eager to do good, and to do it with gentleness and respect (cf. 1 Peter 3:13-16). These things alone would do wonders for our witness, as they are such a rarity in our day and age. Doing good with gentleness and respect for others is radical; it’s other-worldly. It’s attractive. It’s craved. It’s appealing. And the icing on the cake? When you live this way, even when you suffer certain consequences because of it, that’s when the questions come. That’s when people want to know why you put up with it and what hope you cling to in order to get through it. It’s like the opportunity to shine the spotlight on Jesus is being served up to you on a silver platter! When those times come, listen. Witness. Always. Apologize. Keep it simple. Let Jesus do the work. 

Always

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(Psalm 34:1-18)

Why does she order the same entree every time at this restaurant? Why is that the same beverage I see in his hand every time I see him? Why does he always want the same type of cake for his birthday every year? The answer to all of these is the same: they’ve tasted something that’s good, they like it, and so they don’t waver from it. 

That also explains where David was coming from. Why would he write, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (v.1)? The answer is in the final verse: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (v.8). David had acquired a taste for the Lord. He knew from firsthand experience how good the Lord was, he liked it, and so he didn’t waver from him. He extolled him and praised him… always.

I will state it plainly: there will be no “always” to your witness without first acquiring a taste for the Lord, as David did. Until that happens, evangelism will be anything but simple. It will be infrequent – if it even takes place at all – and it will be perceived as something we are required to do rather than something that flows from our lips at all times, always. 

After all, it is possible to know a lot about the Bible without ever having tasted how good the Lord is. Many an academic, a scholar, and a skeptic know the Bible quite well – without ever having tasted how good the Lord is. Sadly, the same can be said of many Christians. We can know the Bible quite well – without really tasting how good the Lord is. 

The story has been told some time ago a dinner social gathering brought a number of people together. Among them were an actor and a pastor. The host invited the actor to recite the well-known psalm 23. He agreed. As was expected, he read it beautifully, with clear articulation and at the perfect pace, raising and lowering his tone to properly reflect all the meaningful words and phrases. When he finished, many felt it may have been the finest reading of the psalm they had ever heard. 

After the actor had finished, the pastor was also invited to read the psalm. At first, he declined, knowing himself well enough to realize that his recitation of the psalm would not be on nearly the same level as the actor’s. Somewhat reluctantly, however, he did finally agree to read through it, on the condition that he was permitted to provide some commentary on the beloved psalm. After he had finished, the guests agreed that they had been treated to quite a gift to be able not only to hear the psalm, but to hear it explained in such a profound way. Later, as the guests discussed the unique characteristics that the actor and the pastor each brought to the psalm, they finally agreed on this noticeable distinction: the actor showed how well he knew the psalm; the pastor how well he knew the Shepherd.

That’s the secret to simple evangelism: knowing the Good Shepherd well, knowing Jesus. What does that look like? It looks a lot like what David describes in Psalm 34 for us this morning. “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (v.1). David writes that he will extol the Lord “at all times” and his praise for the Lord would “always” be on his lips. Those phrases indicate a full-time thing. Exalting the Lord was not a part-time job for David. It wasn’t a hobby he putzed with on the weekends. It was an all-the-time thing. It was always.

And the introductory description at the beginning of the psalm provides the backdrop for us to believe that was true for David – all times, good and bad. At the time described, David was not at a high point in his life. He was not only on the run from Saul, who was trying to hunt him down and kill him, but he was also seeking refuge in enemy territory – the territory of the Philistines. Remember them – the ones David had embarrassed when he, the little shepherd boy, took down their mighty towering giant, Goliath? Not only was David willing to hide out in enemy territory, but he had to play the part of a man who had lost his marbles, an insane man drooling on himself and marking up doors and gates. Yet even during this time – not his finest moment by a long shot! – David penned the words of this psalm that expressed the ongoing confidence he had in the Lord.

Christian friends, as you picture a person who fits the descriptions given in this psalm, do you imagine that many in the world might just be attracted to that type? What’s more, if the world notices this consistent upbeat optimism at all times – in both good and bad – isn’t it even more likely to make an impression on others? It is surely one thing for a person to have a cheerful disposition when everything is going his way, but others really take note when that cheerful disposition is still there even when the wheels have come off and everything in life is falling apart. That’s why it always matters that we’re always radiating God’s radical grace! Doing so in the tough times is when it comes across as something real to others.

And we all appreciate when others are real with us. Unless you are someone who appreciates the craft of sales, most of us don’t really like being marketed to and can tell when someone is pitching something or trying to sell us some good or service. In sales and network marketing, the distinction is made between selling and sharing. We can tell the difference, can’t we? We’re pretty good at being able to tell when someone just sees potential dollar signs when they look at us and when someone shares something that they not only feel passionately about but also genuinely feel could benefit us. There’s a big difference between the two approaches.

The same is true of simple evangelism. If you’re trying to “pitch” Jesus, others will see right through you. So how do you avoid coming across as “salesy” when it comes to evangelism? It has to be genuine, and it’s genuine for them when it’s genuine for you. And it’s genuine for you when the words before us from Psalm 34 are not just nice-sounding platitudes, but personal experience. So are they descriptive of your personal experience? Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good (v.8)?

If you have to think about the answer to that question, that’s probably not a great sign. If you answer yes right away, but can’t describe or explain what it means that you’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good, that’s probably not a great sign, either. When getting up for church on Sunday morning is routinely a drag rather than a delight, not a good sign. When Bible reading and devotions are deferred daily in favor of every other important task and then subsequently forgotten, not a good sign. When I am disinterested in Bible study opportunities that are offered, not a good sign. 

Because think of it, when you experience something good, no one has to coax you to experience it again. You don’t find a great show to stream and then watch just one episode. You don’t find a good place to eat and then never dine there again. You don’t drink a great cup of coffee one time. You don’t find a great outfit and wear it just once. When you experience something good, you want to return to it again and again. If that isn’t the case when it comes to your relationship with God, one has to ask if you’ve really tasted and seen how good he is, if you’ve really acquired a taste for the Lord.

David shared a number of different ways we taste and see how good the Lord is. There are many! The Lord provides the afflicted with reason to rejoice (v.2). Exalting his name provides a reason to gather together with others (v.3). The Lord delivers from fears (v.4). The ones looking to the Lord are radiant because he has removed their shame (v.5). He saves those who are down and out (v.6). He protects those who are his and delivers them (v.7). Any who take refuge in him are blessed – they need only try him out and they’ll find it to be the case (v.8)! See all the reasons David had to always praise the Lord? See all the reasons you have to always praise the Lord?

If simple evangelism is to be an “always” thing, then my time with Jesus will first be an “always” thing. When that isn’t the case, we are more likely to view evangelism as a program or an event rather than a lifestyle if we don’t regularly taste and see how good the Lord is. But the more of Jesus we have in our own lives, the more we want more Jesus in the lives of others.

So do you get it yet? The key to being an exceptional evangelist is not making sure you’re thinking about evangelism all the time, that every time you leave the house or every time you’re engaging online your thoughts are 100% focused on telling others about Jesus. No, the key to being an exceptional evangelist is making sure that you yourself are always filled up with Jesus and his forgiveness, always tasting and seeing how good the Lord is. When that happens, we acquire a taste for the Lord, and the first verse of this psalm will be descriptive of each of us as well: “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (v.1). When that happens, evangelism will naturally follow. It’s that simple. Always. 

Witness

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(Acts 1:1-8)

You’ve been accused of a serious crime. You didn’t do it, but while you know that, your situation doesn’t look good right now. The opposing counsel has put together a pretty compelling case against you that, as it stands, could easily be enough to compel the jury to find you guilty. Yet as dire as your situation may appear to look at the moment, you are not worried because you know there is still another witness to be called on to testify. The weighty testimony of this witness alone will be more than enough to prove your innocence. You are understandably shocked and terrified then, when this witness is called on to provide testimony and while on the stand, under oath… remains completely silent. The witness refuses to provide the information necessary to prove your innocence. Without the testimony of that key witness, the jury unsurprisingly reaches its verdict: you are found guilty.

The slight difference between that hypothetical scenario for you and the very real reality of a guilty verdict for many unbelievers right at this moment is that the unbelievers don’t know that you are the witness able to provide the key testimony that could set them free. Your testimony is enough to secure the “not guilty” verdict in their trial before God the Father. Their sin is piled up against them, ready to condemn them to hell. All that needs to happen is for them to hear and believe your testimony that they’ve already been freed because Jesus has paid for their sin. But when the witness – you, me, all of us – remains silent, then the only testimony, the good news of the gospel that can so easily acquit them, is not heard or believed, and a soul is lost for eternity. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not naively presume that it makes little difference whether or not we tell others what Jesus has done for them. It makes all the difference. In fact, it is the only difference that matters eternally. The stakes are much too high for us to carry on our busy lives going this way and that, occupied with this rather trivial concern and that unimportant matter that takes up far too much of our time and energy. Souls die while we concern ourselves with worthless debates online, never-ending streaming of one show after another, and hour upon hour of gaming. We entertain ourselves to death while remaining blissfully ignorant of the eternal death facing so many of the very people in our lives – people we see every single day. 

We heard last week how important it is for us to listen to them. Today we add another word that is essential to their eternity: witness. We stressed the importance of listening for a purpose: it allows us to be able to determine the kind of response our neighbor needs. Listening provides the context we need to know how to witness. But finally, if we say nothing, if there is no testimony about the good news of life and forgiveness through Jesus, then all the listening in the world won’t have mattered. So we witness. 

Let’s take a moment to simplify what it means to witness. After hearing from several dozen witnesses in a recent courtroom trial, I got a refresher on what a witness is: someone who speaks about what they know from personal experience, someone who simply speaks about what they’ve seen or heard. And, while it’s true that a couple of the witnesses were experts in their respective fields, the majority were not. The majority were average, ordinary people like you and me who were in a certain location at a certain time. All they did was testify about their experience. The attorneys did not ask the witnesses to report on every detail of their lives, nor did they ask about other unrelated events, but only what was pertinent to the trial. That’s what you are called to do as a witness.

Dear friends, Jesus doesn’t just call you a witness by name; it is also what he calls you to do. What he said to the disciples before his ascension applies every bit as much to you: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts. 1:8). Jesus did not single out “some of you” to be witnesses or leave it as a possibility by saying you “might” be a witness. Five unmistakable words: you. will. be. my. witnesses.

Unless you won’t. If Jesus calls you his witness and commissions you to be his witness, but witnessing has never been a part of your Christian life, are you still at a point in your life of faith where you’re comfortable disregarding Jesus? I don’t imagine any parents would be too thrilled to have children defy them and fail to do the chores they’ve been told to do. There aren’t many employers who would continue to employ workers who refused to do what their job required. Yet, when Jesus says to us, “you will be my witnesses,” are we OK with saying, “Nah, I won’t be doing that” with our actions? If you are OK with continuing on that path, I would just point out that you’re long past due for a serious spiritual health check-up.

But if you’re ready to ditch the defiant attitude when it comes to witnessing, if you’re ready to work toward change – which for some of us might actually be the first time in our entire Christian lives that we’re getting serious about this – and that’s OK, then let’s address what the underlying problem is. Let’s rule out right away the excuses that we’ve sold ourselves on for years and years, because excuses don’t expose the real problem; like a bandaid, they merely cover it up. Let’s peel away the bandaid and see what’s really going in our hearts or minds that is preventing our witness.

What’s really going on? Do not care that Jesus has purchased you for a purpose? If heaven was his only purpose, you’d already be there. But you’re not. You’re still here… to take others there with you. Or maybe you don’t believe there’s an actual hell where people really go. Or maybe the gospel you’re supposed to be sharing is still only information for you and not real transformation yet. It’s something you know, but little more to you than that. Or maybe you’re just more important to you than Jesus is, which is what we’re really saying when we entertain excuses that are more worried about what others will think of us than whether or not they even get a chance to think about Jesus. Here is a truth about evangelism: when it’s about me, it won’t be about Jesus. Stop making it about you so that it can be about Jesus. Of all these, which one(s) do you need to break down for you to become the witness Jesus calls you to be? 

Let’s revisit Acts. It’s too easy for us to skim past the first several verses from chapter 1 – to treat the details of what Luke records about the Savior as merely being the substance of the content we are called on to testify as witnesses. But don’t rush past those words as mere details to be shared with others; those words are the reality of your standing before God right at this very moment. His “suffering” and the “many convincing proofs that he was alive” are the stuff not just of your neighbor’s salvation, but of yours! Those words are for you, and they are life! They are and they must always be not just information that we pass along to others, but also salvation that we process for ourselves. Jesus suffered and rose again to forgive weak-kneed witnesses like us. He is not only interested in us insofar as we are effective witnesses or not; he is interested in our own forgiveness and salvation first and foremost. He came to bear the guilt of our sin of indifference toward evangelism. He longs to empower us as his witnesses not with threat or fear or coercion, but with the peace of forgiveness that wells up into passion for the lost. He knows that grace makes the best witnesses, and so he suffered, died, and rose again so that we could see what grace looks like. And then he sends us to go to others with that same grace.

So we take the time to listen to others to inform our witness. What types of things are we listening for? What might we expect to hear that can guide us in our witness? Listen for pain points, which are struggles or hardships that are bringing about some level of hardship or suffering in a person’s life. Listen for times of transition, which are seasons of change in life. And even if everything is going well in a person’s life, they may feel a sense of gratitude, but aren’t really sure who to thank or where to direct it. These are open doors to witness how Jesus is a part of the solution to whatever they are dealing with. There are two great ways to carry out this witness.

First: the “Feel, Felt, Found” approach. As you listen and then restate (remember the “R” from listening with your EAR last Sunday), chances are, you have had some similar experiences. Affirm that you understand how they feel, then share a time or an experience in which you felt the same way. Then, as you relate to them they are reassured that they aren’t the only ones to go through what they’re dealing with, then bring in Jesus as you point to what you found in him when you went through a similar experience. “I know how you feel. I’ve felt that way, too. What I’ve found is…” 

The second approach to witnessing is to relate the situation to a Bible narrative. Simply put, tell a story. Admittedly, this approach does require more familiarity with the Bible, as it keys off of Biblical narratives that relate to a person’s situation or skepticism. As you listen to your neighbor’s story, consider a relatable Bible account that could be shared that would bring Jesus into the picture. When a person is expressing discouragement over being disappointed or let down by friends, can you think of any times in which Jesus was disappointed or let down by his disciples? His story relates! A loved one or dear friend passes away and you’re listening to how saddened this person is by it – Jesus’ story relates! He broke down and cried at the grave of his friend Lazarus, making him all the more determined to carry out his work so that death wouldn’t have the last word. When you’re listening to someone lament over uncertainty about the future, the disciples in the upper room after Jesus’ crucifixion could relate – Jesus addressed their uncertainty with peace and promises for their futures! Listen to their story and tie it to His story and let the Holy Spirit make the connections through similar stories. 

Note the word choices Luke uses in the verses from Acts – they have to do with Jesus making himself visibly known – giving people something to witness! (v.3 – “presented himself” “appeared” v.4 – “eating with them”). If the necessary qualification for someone to serve as a witness is simply that they have seen or heard something, then Jesus made sure to provide ample opportunity for others to witness by appearing to all kinds of people after his death. So when we look at the biblical witnesses, we’re not getting a second-hand story or an “I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend,” but we’re getting first-hand accounts – eyewitnesses. Jesus didn’t just appear to them to fortify their faith, but also to qualify them to serve as witnesses. They saw him, heard him, touched him, ate with him, which then qualified them to tell others about their experience. 

Also, note that Luke is modeling exactly how witnessing works as he writes Acts – he was on the receiving end of what witnesses told him about Jesus, and in his Gospel and here in Acts, Luke is then passing along exactly what the witnesses told him they saw and heard. So Luke shows us what happens when God’s people witness: the good news continues to get passed on. Why is Luke passing it on? So that his audience would do the same.

“You will be my witnesses” to the ends of the earth. That’s us. That’s now. You are the next link in the chain. Since the time of Jesus, witness after witness has testified about the news of forgiveness and salvation and their experience with it. When you witness, you continue to extend that chain that connects others to Jesus. You extend the reach of the gospel and give life and freedom. Witness. 

Listen

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(James 1:16-20)

You would likely find plenty of hits from an internet search that would provide list upon list of traits and skills that successful people have in common. One of those skills right near the top would have to be the ability to listen. Without listening, we’re limited. It’s really that simple. We’re limited by what we can learn. We’re limited by how much we might grow. We’re limited by how we might best help and serve others. A know-it-all fails to listen to others, so he can’t learn anything more. An egotistical person cares about himself, so he doesn’t listen for what needs others might have. Without listening, we’re limited. 

The world has plenty of talkers, but not many listeners, so it’s easy to stand out. And, those talkers want to be heard. We learn that at a pretty young age, as demonstrated in this video. You might have already seen this viral video some time ago. It strikes a balance between being quite humorous while also providing a striking reality check. This little child demonstrates the popular view of our society today: “I have something important to say, and you need to listen to it.” “What I have to say is more important than what you have to say, so listen to me and then we can get along.”

Now we could get miffed by that. We could get irritated – just like everyone else does. Recall how painful it was to watch the debates between two presidential candidates who could not stand there and listen without trying to talk over the other. They weren’t interested in listening, but in talking. We have more than enough outlets today for people to talk, but who is listening?

That’s where we come in. There is a reason this series is entitled Simple Evangelism. Because being an exceptional evangelist is much simpler than we have framed it in our minds, and it starts with listening. Do you want to be an exceptional evangelist? Start by becoming an exceptional listener. 

I know what you’re thinking to yourself: “But listening is really hard and I don’t know if I can do it.” I understand, and that’s why right this very moment, I’m going to share with you a training exercise that will help you vastly improve your listening skills. It involves two steps, and they’re a little bit complicated, so try to stay with me. Are you with me? OK, here’s the first step: you all have one of these (mouth), right? Now I want you to try to press your lips together so that this stays closed. It doesn’t have to be hard; you can press them together gently and that will do the trick. See – you did it! That’s the first step. The second uses an entirely different part of your body. For the second step, we’re going to use our ears. Now you don’t physically need to do anything, but you do have to pay attention to the sounds that these (ears) pick up. When someone is speaking words to you, these will allow you to hear those words and when this (mouth) isn’t moving, it allows your brain to process the words that these (ears) hear. That’s it! Work on perfecting those two easy steps, and you’re on your way to becoming an exceptional listener and exceptional evangelist. It’s so simple, isn’t it?

Now you’re ready for some additional practical tips on listening. You just have to use your EAR (Engage, Ask, Restate). 

Did you catch how the conversation in today’s Gospel (John 4:1-26) began? Jesus initiated it. He engaged with the woman at the well with a simple request: “Will you give me a drink?” (Jn. 4:7). Quick question for you: did Jesus really need that woman to get him a drink of water? Do you know Jesus – God in the flesh! – well enough to know that he just maybe could have managed to somehow quench his thirst on his own? Jesus did not care about the water; he cared about the woman and her soul. So he engaged her to start a conversation, listen to her, and then provide her what she needed more than anything else: him. 

As much as everyone wants to be heard, socially, in-person, fewer and fewer people are comfortable starting a conversation with others. Our screens have become our security blankets to avoid interaction with real people (if we’re even brave enough to leave the safety and security of our own homes). But don’t be fooled – those same people still want to be heard. So we need to engage.

One of the top reasons Christians provide for not being better evangelists is that they don’t know anyone or have friends with those outside the church. Well… what’s going to change that? Are you waiting for others to come and befriend you – the same ones hiding behind their screens or hunkering down in their homes avoiding people? Not likely. We need to engage. We need to strike up conversations. Comment on what someone is wearing or how cute their kid is or give them a compliment – do whatever it takes to engage others. That’s how we get the ball rolling.

How do you keep it rolling? Ask questions. Once you have begun speaking with someone, keep it alive with questions. Focus on being interested, not interesting. You want to learn more about the other person and you do that by asking good questions that keep the conversation going. Then, when they respond to your questions, remember those two key steps we talked about when it comes to being a good listener: close these (lips) and open these (ears). This is the part where you listen to what the other person says after you ask a question. If we are not intentional about doing this, we’ll honestly miss what they said because we’re busy thinking of what to ask next! But if you’re actually listening, the other person will provide more than enough information for you to pose another question. 

That’s where the “R” from EAR comes in: restate. Speak back to her what you just heard her say. I’m not saying you awkwardly repeat it verbatim, like a child annoyingly copycatting her sibling. No, you simply restate in your own words what you heard the other person say. Doing so demonstrates to the other person that you’re listening, it helps you to retain it, and it buys you some time to come up with a follow-up question. Use your EAR to listen – Engage, Ask, and Restate – and suddenly you will be connecting with others regularly.    

You’ve got all the practical tips you need, right? Honestly, have you learned anything new from reading this? Aside from a neat acronym, you already knew everything you’ve read. But you already know lots, don’t you? You know you should save money and you know how to. You know you should eat right and you know how to. You know you should exercise and you know how to. You know plenty. But what does it take to give our “know” some “get up and go”? How do we put our knowledge into practice? We know how to listen, but what’s it going to take to get us to do it, to practice it?

Here’s how: you listen. That’s right – if you want to become a better listener to others with the goal of becoming an exceptional evangelist, you need to become a better listener – to the Lord. The more you listen to him, the more he’ll work a change in your heart to long to listen to others. Were you listening to what James reminded you about the Lord? “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created” (v.17-18). You listening? “Every good and perfect gift” is from him. You listening? He “chose” you. You listening? He gave you “birth through the word of truth.” You listening? Do you know what that means? 

James – the guy who spends most of his letter focusing on how we’re supposed to live as Christians and emphasizing the importance of good works – that James, is assuring you that all that you have and everything that you are is because God already chose you. He picked you. He selected you to be his, to be saved, to be forgiven, to be lavished by his grace. No conditions. Nothing is needed from you to make it certain. No contract to agree to. Nothing from you; everything from him because he chose you. 

Does that not stir your soul? Are you indifferent to that? Then perhaps that’s the real reason behind your struggle to apply the very next words of James: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (v.19-20). Are you always the one talking? Do you always have something to say, some opinion to express, something you insist on being right about? Do you get angry when it appears that others aren’t listening to you? Does it frustrate you that they don’t share your same passion or opinion over this matter or that? Welcome to everyone else in the world!

And when we act like everyone else, frankly, we deserve what everyone else in the world without Jesus has coming: an eternity without him. Being cut off from him. Letting our anger swell into sin not only fails to display the righteousness Christ has credited to us by faith; but it also potentially robs the now-turned-off individual on the receiving end of our anger of the righteousness Jesus longs to grant to them by faith, too. So we harm ourselves and we hurt others when our listening is replaced by raging anger. We put ourselves and others at great spiritual risk by doing so. 

But listen again to what James says: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth” (v.18). Birth – not death. Birth means life. It means being alive. It means existing. It is a thing to be celebrated. And that birth came through the Word. The Word gives life. The Word sustains our souls, just as surely as your next meal sustains your body. The Word by which we were birthed into faith is the same Word that sustains that faith and the same Word that fans that faith into a flame that burns passionately for lost souls. Faith, fueled by the Word of forgiveness for our missed opportunities – whether by lack of listening, angry outbursts, or sealed lips – faith frees us to focus on the souls of others because faith knows our own souls are secure in Christ through the Word of truth. 

So listen – both to the Lord and to your neighbor. Listen to the Lord declare to you again and how deeply he loves you. Then, listen to your neighbor. Just listen. Take that first step and open the door so that after listening, you know what your neighbor needs to hear. I want us to get really good at listening, so that we really start to see how simple evangelism is, and so that Christ’s Kingdom grows because of it, as others are brought in to listen to the life-giving words of their Savior – the same Savior we love to listen to. 

Bounce Back to Witness

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(John 1:43-51)

A part of embracing our identity is telling others who we are and what we’ve seen. We become increasingly secure in that identity through our time in the Word and as we recall our baptism. Bounce back to those frequently and you will become much more clear and confident in who you are, and OK when life isn’t. But, like at the end of an infomercial, “wait, there’s more!” While the Word and your baptism clearly and repeatedly remind you you are a child of God, we reflect that and reinforce it when we verbalize it to others.

What difference might it make if we shifted the way we think about evangelism and the role of a witness from something we do to something we are? The Word and our baptism provide us with a rock-solid identity that isn’t based on performance or approval ratings. Because of everything that Jesus has done for me, my identity has changed. I am a child of God, bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus. And a part of that identity means that I am also a witness. Another way of saying it is that I am a disciple. Another way of saying it is I am a disciple who makes disciples. That is when it starts to click, when witnessing isn’t merely something some Christians do and others don’t, but is rather who we are. When it becomes as natural as breathing air. When it becomes second nature that we don’t overthink it or talk ourselves out of it, but becomes as routine and habitual as brushing our teeth. Of course it’s far more effective than just keeping cavities at bay; it’s effective at keeping souls from being lost. 

Notice how it happened as John recorded it. Philip followed Jesus. Rejoicing in who he was, he invited others to follow who he had found. And his invitation couldn’t have been simpler: “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (v.46). Not complicated at all. Philip was just sharing what he had discovered, something that we typically do without even giving it even a second thought. He found the Savior and he told Nathanael about it. This is simple. It’s easy. But what happened next was terrifying. Absolutely mortifying. It must have been Philip’s worst nightmare come true. Nathanael pushed back.

Ugh. How deflating! How debilitating! Nathanael didn’t simply respond the way we wish everyone would, with a “That’s great – tell me more! I am so interested in what you’re telling me! Is there a service or a class I could join you at?” No, instead he responded in a way that resonates very strongly with us: Nathanael threw up the smokescreen. “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (v.46). Nathanael honed in on one little detail of Philip’s good news and missed the forest for the trees. He blew right past Philip’s elation at having discovered the Messiah and sought to detour their dialogue by focusing on Nazareth.

Anyone who has ever witnessed to others has had a relatable experience in one way or another. The testimony of who Jesus is and what a difference he makes or the invitation worship or some other function is met with an attempted detour. “Organized religion isn’t for me.” “The church has done a lot of damage throughout history.” “You really believe in a book that was written by a bunch of old men thousands of years ago?” What then happens we can feel compelled to take that detour and end up in a discussion that is a far cry from both where we started and where we wanted to go. We address one of many symptoms of the problem and not the problem itself. We chase down the rabbit hole and then walk away frustrated because we didn’t successfully or adequately address the detour raised by the other person. It can take the wind right out of our sails. It can be deflating. But, and while I don’t mean to downplay or dismiss our need to and the benefit of getting better at being able to discuss those detours, there is a better way; a way that each and every one of us can carry out. 

Philip’s response demonstrated that way, and it couldn’t have been simpler: “Come and see” (v.46), he said. Not complicated at all. Consider how powerful that invitation is, and why it is so effective. While we may occasionally express our satisfaction with a service or a product for somewhat trivial reasons, the most compelling reason we’ll ever become vocal about something is because we had a positive personal experience with it. Inviting someone to come and see is essentially saying, “Don’t take my word for it – see for yourself.” It is an invitation to test-drive what we’re talking about, an invitation to experience a risk-free trial. That’s why free trials are so popular today! This approach provides another benefit. In addition to taking the burden off of us in having to convince someone else, the best reason for taking this approach is that it lets Jesus do the work. 

Too often we place the responsibility of building Christ’s Kingdom on our own shoulders. Not only is that an uphill battle, it’s impossible. You don’t build Christ’s Kingdom; he does. Remember that Jesus is the one who did the work in you and me. Jesus is the one who continues to do the work in you and me. Let him do the work in others.

Otherwise, our zeal and passion for evangelism or witnessing will wane. Furthermore, it betrays how inherently self-centered we really are. While we naturally avoid witnessing rather easily because we say we’re afraid of doing it, if we dig a little more what we’ll really find is pretty convicting: we’re afraid of failing because we’re overly focused on ourselves. When we make evangelism about ourselves we truly reveal how much we really care about ourselves, not others. We can call it insecurity. We can cower in fear. But those things only come because we’re caring more about ourselves than either that other person or Jesus himself. Stop thinking so selfishly. Stop making evangelism about you and start focusing on the other person and start focusing on Jesus. Let Jesus do the work. 

When I selfishly let my own ego or my own fear quiet my witness and keep my mouth closed, I can downplay it or excuse it or blow it off because it’s such a common struggle, but I finally have to call it what it is: sin. And, while our tendency to rate or rank sin from bad to worse might not see this sin as nearly as bad as others, think of it this way – not only is it a sin against God, but it’s potentially the most harmful thing we can do to our neighbor at the same time by staying silent about their salvation! So who will rescue me from my own fear and ego in failing to witness?

Jesus already has. Bounce back to the Word, where we’re reminded of what Jesus has done for us: “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11). Look at that! Even though we’re quiet and we clam up around others instead of making some bold confession of our faith in Jesus, or even inviting others to come and see more, Jesus does not disown us or dismiss us. He made us holy by forgiving our sin and replacing it with his righteousness, and because he did, he still calls us family. He still considers us brothers and sisters. Who doesn’t want a family member like that? So let’s tell others about him. Good things happen when we do, and when we let Jesus do the work.

See how things played out when Philip let Jesus do the work? Good things happened. It strikes me that after Philip’s invitation to Nathanael to come and see, the rest of the account is all about Jesus doing the work. And what happened when he did? “Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel” (v.49). Jesus didn’t get sidetracked by Nathanael’s Nazareth detour, but directed the conversation back on Nathanael. Then, he pointed Nathanael to himself as the Messiah. See what happened when Philip made witnessing not about himself, but about the two others involved in the equation – Nathanael and Jesus? Good things happened! Let Jesus do the work!

I think we forget how easy it is to let Jesus do the work. Do you realize how many different ways you can essentially invite someone to “Come and See” today? Sunday morning worship. Bible class after worship that is specifically for discovering and exploring Jesus more. Share a YouTube video. Every Sunday morning I share this message on Facebook and Instagram. You can listen to the sermon as a podcast. You can read it on this blog. And every one of those is shareable! You can either share them on your own page or send them to someone else. It has never been easier to invite others to come and see! It has never been easier to let Jesus do the work!

And… there have never been so many people needing the work that Jesus does. If we are seriously concerned about where our nation is today, and where it is heading, can we really keep pretending that politicians are going to save us? that the media will come to the rescue? that even a vaccine itself will magically free everyone from fear and replace it with hope and optimism? If so, we’re asking the impossible. None of those efforts will change hearts for the better. But you know who will? Jesus. When you firmly believe that is when you invite others to come and see it, too. And that’s when Jesus gets to work. 

Revealed to Be Made Known (Sermon)

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Though some may frown on the practice of re-gifting, there is an appropriate place for it. When it comes to God’s gift of grace, each of us can say along with Paul, “God has given it to me, for you.” Grace in Christ Jesus is for everyone, and it was revealed to us in part so that we can then make it known to others. So then, grace is meant to be re-gifted. 

Listen to the sermon audio here.

“Revealed to Be Made Known” (Ephesians 3:2-12 sermon), was preached at Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) on Sunday, January 5, 2020.