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The Message for Jan 21, 2018
Mark 1:14-20
Connecting
Rob Miller, Pastor
Last week we began a 5-week worship series we are calling (picture) “Following Jesus One Step At A Time.” Every journey involves taking steps – especially the journey of faith.
Wherever you are on your journey of faith right now – is not where you used to be and it certainly isn’t where you are going to be… Living the faith is a journey – a process of becoming…
In this series we are consideringfive steps in our journey of faith. They include…
Inviting
Connecting
Growing
Sending
Transforming
Last week we talked about the inviting step. We learned that…
- 80% of first time church goers do so because someone personally invited them.
- All people need to feel loved and wanted.
I suggested that you probably know someone who could use God’s love in their life right now – someone who isn’t here – someone who doesn’t go to church – someone you could invite to come with you next week.
I asked you toconsider -- Who might you invite to come to worship with you next week?
Hopefully you did that. Oh if we were known in the area as an inviting church… we would be inviting someone to come with us every week. I know that is hard for many of us to do. We’ve never done it before... Many of us may not know how to invite.
Any yet, inviting is the first step in one’s faith journey as we learn from Jesus.
The second step is Connecting. We invite people to come and connect with God’s grace in this place.
Consider this… Jesus started a movement so that people –of every time and every place –could connect with God, by hearing the good news– the good newsof God’s grace made available through God’s Son, Jesus. Hechanges lives for good.
The good news is this- God loves us and Jesus connects us to God’s grace.
Listen to our assigned gospel reading for today – it involves inviting and connecting…
Read Text Mark 1:14-20
Jesus continues to invite us– inviting us to take the next step in our faith journey as we connect with God and each other within the community of faith. The church exists to continue the movement that Jesus started - to invite people and connect people to God’s grace (Jesus called it the kingdom of God). The kingdom of God is all about grace...
His name is Randy. Randy – like many people today – did not attend church. He said that he didn’t need the church. Like many people who don’t come to church – Randy would often usevarious reasons not to come when invited. He was fond of using these 6 reasons…
- Most churches are filled with hypocrites.
- All churches want is your money.
- Lots of people who go to church live worse lives than I do.
- Most churches feel they are the only church that is right.
- Most churches say they care but they never show it.
- The church has never done anything for me.
Here is Randy’s story…[1]
If you’re like most people I know, you probably agree with most of the reasons that I gave for not needing church. In fact, you probably have a few more reasons that could be added to the list.
For years every time someone approached me about going to church my response was basically the same. I would blast them with my six reasons and then this “church person” would leave me alone. I found out that most “church people” had no good reply to my reasons of why I did not need church.
There was this one “church person” named Michelle. Let me tell you about her. I had known Michelle for four years and during that time she had always been faithfully attending church every Sunday. From time to time she would ask me to come and visit her church or to come and attend some special event or meeting that her church was sponsoring. I usually responded by telling her that I was busy or that I had forgotten. But she had to ask me one more time.
I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Michelle wasn’t what I considered to be your usual “church person.” She was cheerful, outgoing, and everybody seemed to enjoy being with her. But she just had to ask me one more time if I would like to visit her church.
I decided now was the time to blast her with my six reasons – why I didn’t need church and then just like all the other “church people” she would leave me alone.
Much to my surprise, for every reason I gave her for not needing church, she agreed with me! As I went down through my list she was agreeing with me that each reason was a good reason for not needing church.
I began to feel a little guilty. Personally, I didn’t need church but I never tried to talk someone who was going to church to quit going.
I had given her the first five reasons already so I thought, “Why not give her my last reason?” The church has never done anything for me.
Again, Michelle agreed with me. Then she simply asked, “What about Jesus?”
No one had ever said that to me before. They would talk about their church or about all the programs that they offered.
“What about Jesus?” I asked.
Here is her reply. “Randy, every reason that you gave for not needing church is true. It is sad but often true. There are many people who attend church who act and talk one way on Sunday but live quite different lives the rest of the week.
It is also true that many churches seem to always be asking for money. This often happens because the majority of church people do not put God first in their lives and so they don’t support God’s work in the church with 10% as the guide for their giving.
It is also true that there are some churches who feel that only they are right. While some people stress the differences, most churches agree on about 98% of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. The Christian church as a whole has agreed upon the important of serving - even though some churches don’t do that very well.
I am sure that it is also true that no local church has ever done anything for you, Randy. But I want you to know, Jesus has!
You see the true Church, according to God’s Word, is not a building, an organization, or even a denomination. The true Church is made up of people who have admitted that they are sinners and they understand Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of their lives. These people are not perfect and they still make mistakes but…
After this, all my reasons, all my excuses were no longer that important. This time I wasn’t turning away from a church. I had just been introduced to Jesus.
Deep in my heart I knew that only Jesus could fill that void that was in my life.
What about you? After you list all your reasons for not going to church, then consider this, “What about Jesus?”
Oddly enough -- Randy - who at one time wanted nothing to do with the church – didn’t think he needed the church - is now the pastor of a church in Charlotte, Michigan.
God works in mysterious ways…
I thought of ending this message right here. But there is more we need to consider when it comes to connecting. With God there is always more to consider…
The church exists to connect people to God and God’s grace, which is made available through Christ Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. That’s what the kingdom of God is all about…
We invite people to connect with God here in a public setting - with other people – in our church gatherings. We do that through worship and small groups and ministry teams.
- I look forward to the day when everyone who claims to be a member in this church is here in worship regularly every week.
- I look forward to the day when a majority of people involved in this church are also participating in a lay-led small group.
- I look forward to the day when we have a majority of people serving on a ministry team in and through this congregation according to our gifts and passions.
We invite people to connect with God in those public gatherings. AND we invited people to connect with God in private.
Jesus modeled this for us. He was often spending time alone with God. Jesus lived his faith in public and in private. We are invited to do likewise –we are invited to connect with God in public andin private.
Bill Hyles calls this private time,“Coffee with God.” He does a much better job explaining it than I could. So I invite you to listen how Bill puts it in this video… Check it out…
Video:
What a great question – Where is your chair?
I invite you to connect with Godin private this week. Take your Bible, find a chair, and spend time connecting with God. If you need a Bible let me know, we will get you one…
Consider reading through the Book of James this week. It’s only five chapters long. Read one chapter each day… reflect on it… listen for inspiration from God and what God is saying to you personally through that chapter. Take notice how your day is differentwhen you do connect with God.
I would love to hear about you God’s time story. I would love for others to hear about it. So come next week… and plan to share your story. If you are in a small group, plan to share your story with your small group this week.
I leave you with this final thought. Time spent with God in public or in private is time well spent. That’s because God works in mysterious ways. Amen
Next week our topic will be the third step in our faith journey - Growing
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