The Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 9:9-13,35-8/10:1-10, 16-20, 26-7
“A SHOW & TELL KINGDOM”
Look! It's show and tell day! When I was a kid, I loved show and tell day!
For Show and Tell, I brought a space alien I captured in my back yard. For the last two days I've been keeping it in this special zarnium-coated bag, and feeding it pure amonia!
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for....! (puppet emerges from bag) AAARGH!!
...For some reason my teacher says mom and dad both have to sign my report cards this year.
In the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus was all about, every day was a potential show and tell day. Matthew tells us that “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and illness.”
(Matthew 9:35)
These miraculous healings were signs of the kingdom of heaven coming near – show and tell!
Along the way, he invited and trained others to do the same, urging them to follow his lead!
“Follow me,” (Matthew 9:9), he said, and as they did he filled them with his Spirit and his love for others. They became a people with a profound sense of purpose and direction, even calling them-selves, “The Way.” (Acts 9:2) They imitated him and practiced what he preached, “Go and announce 'the Kingdom of Heaven is near', healing them, liberating them from the enemy - giving to others as freely as you have received! What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear.” (Matthew 10:7-8, 27)
As they did so, the kingdom broke loose and they changed the world. And yet in spite of this, Gallup Polls reveals that 95% of church going Christians today have never shared their faith. Why is that? Three reasons come to mind: 1.) We're too preoccupied or busy. 2.) We don't feel competent. “That's not my spiritual gift.” 3.) We're afraid to. Fear of failure or rejection freezes us up.
Consider Calvin's approach to show and tell. What did you bring for show and tell, Susie?
Susie: I brought a letter I wrote to our congressman. What did you bring?
Calvin: A bag of dead bugs I collected from our window sills. (Susie runs back to her seat...)
Best of all, this way mom didn't have to pack me a lunch!
Some times our approach needs a little fine tuning. We're not the only ones with fears and inhi-bitions! Jesus anticipated our inhibitions and provided training and countless opportunities to apply it, not only for the twelve, but for us as well. “Jesus sent the twelve disciples out with these instructions: 'Don't go to the Gentiles or the Samaratins, but only the people of Israel – God's lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near!'” (Matthew 10:5-7) (All 12 were sent...!)
Jesus provides six pointers in his training of the 12: # 1: Connect on common ground. In Matthew 10 Jesus tells his disciples to focus initially on the lost House of Israel. That's not because he doesn't care about the Samaratins or us Gentiles..., but because that's who the disciples are themselves.
Matthew invited his colleagues...; Andrew invited his brother...; Phillip invited his friend...; the Samaratin woman invited her neighbors. Jesus sent them first to those whom they share a common history, or common ground. The approach depends on who it is we're witnessing to or inviting. To fishermen Jesus spoke of fishing for people, to those in the country he spoke of planting seed and producing fruit, to those who're thirsty he offered living water. Following his lead, Paul wrote:
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“When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, in order to win the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some”.
(1 Corinthians 9:22)
# 1: Connect on common ground. In reaching out listen for what you have in common.
# 2: Trust God's provision. Jesus tells the 12 to leave behind all their posessions – including money, change of clothes, even their smart phone. This gave them freedom from their stuff. More importantly, it taught them to completely trust in the Lord to provide for their needs and direction.
We too need to learn to trust in his nudges and promise to provide what we need, learning to be good listeners of the Holy Spirit's whispers, as well as of those we seek to witness to. It's an adventure!
It reminds me of Bilbo's adventure in The Hobbit... Gandalf, the group's guide, has a map that will get them to the Lonely Mountain, but once there they have no way of getting inside. The vital clue is written on the map in ink that only appears by special moonlight. The way in was always there but it took a sublime light to illuminate it. So it is, with following the Spirit. God has provided us with the map..., but the only way we can get inside a person's heart...is thru divine insight or illumination.
Yesterday Amy Dulin shared how Ann Louise was so led. Amy and George were homeless and we're just starting to worship here when Amy prayed for some new shoes as hers were falling apart. The next Sunlday Ann Louise came up to her and told that she'd been praying and that God had told her that Amy needed shoes. She handed Amy an envelope with money to buy the best shoes possible!
It was Jesus' show and tell kingdom in action! The Spirit wants to lead all of us in this way!
Jesus sends us to those whose hearts he's been working on. Only he knows what's going on inside of them, what they need. His Spirit is the key, so ask him to nudge and guide you in what to do, what to say say and when to say it. “God will give you the right words at the right time, for it is not you who will be speaking – it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
# 1 Find common ground; # 2: Trust God's provision. (Matthew 10:19-20)
# 3: Acknowledge your own weaknesses. This is vital when seeking to share your faith with others. Too often we seek to correct or win an argument but I don't know of anyone who came to faith because they lost a spiritual argument. A little humility goes a long way...!
When criticized for eating with Matthew and his cheating circle of friends, Jesus reminds those in question: “Healthy people don't need a doctor – sick people do...! I have not come to call those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13)
Nothing is more off-putting to someone struggling then to be approached by someone who comes off like they have everything figured out. It's not coincidence that those who are best equipped to help someone struggling with addiction are those who are former addicts themselves. A.A and other support groups are based on this premise. It's long been part of our training for Alpha helpers to remind them that as we start a course it's better to share their struggles then their successes. We are best able to help when we admit our own failures and weaknesses. Jesus sends us out to impact the world not because we've got it all figured out, but because we know we don't.
# 4: Keep it short. An entire chapter is devoted to Jesus' training his disciples and yet in all he shares he gives but one line to say: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 10:7) I was hoping for a handbook with a few more quotable quotes but Jesus urges us to keep it short and sweet...
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It's like the story I heard of Vince Lombardi, whose half time talks to his team were famous for their depth of insight and power to motivate. One of the years the Packers made it to the Superbowl reporters followed the team in to capture Lombardi's half-time talk. As the team huddled around, and the reporters leaned in, Lombardi cleared his throat and said: “Go get 'em!” (Vince Lombardi)
Keep it short and sweet. Too often the inclination of those eager to bring someone to faith, myself included, is the tendency to talk too much. Most folks today, especially in this post-modern generation, don't like being told what to believe. They want to discover it... Initially, most folks want to be heard. One Alpha guest told us that it was the first time he felt like anyone had ever really taken the time to listen to him... We earn the right to share our story only by investing in theirs.
“The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” Jesus told them to say. God is on the move! Something extraordinary is going down revealing God's sovereignty and presence in the day to day lives of those who seek him and love him, and Jesus sends us out to share how we've experienced this ourselves...!
Start by finding common ground – some common struggle. Second, share how you sensed God moving, healing or blessing you...and third tell of the impact that God moment has had on your life.
And pray...for an “an opportunity to tell others about (Jesus) ”, (Matthew 10:18), acting on the nudges of the Holy Spirit:“It won't be you doing the talking – it will be the Spirit speaking thru you.” (Matthew 10:20)
#5: Expect resistance from the enemy. “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves,” (Matthew 10:16), Jesus said. The image of savage canines brings to mind images of intense persecution that Jesus' followers would meet...and still are. Some are so hostile to the Gospel that they attack those who articulate it – attacks that in our community tend to be more verbal than physical but still freeze us up in fear. Jesus warns us to expect resistance so we'll be ready and prayerful.
Our courage comes from Christ himself and His Spirit indwelling his followers around us. That is why Jesus urged us to pray for more partners in this exciting undertaking: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers in the field.”
(Matthew 9:37-38)
We need not fear the resistance of the enemy for the Christ in us is an unstoppable force! As it turns out, the enemy has far more to fear from us! Christ has granted us authority over the darkness.
# 6: Attend to the needs of those around you. When Jesus sent out the twelve, “He gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.” (Matthew 10:1)
Jesus noted that it's not enough to tell people that God is good and then do nothing to alleviate their hardship or suffering. It's like the Peanuts strip where Snoopy stands shivering in the snow...:
Charlie Brown says to Linus, 'Snoopy looks kind of cold doesn't he?', to which Linus responds, 'I'll say he does. Maybe we'd better go over and comfort him... Be of good cheer, Snoopy.'
'Yes, be of good cheer' Charlie says and the two walk away as Snoopy continues to shiver.
Right. Thanks so much.
If we want to make an impact for Christ then we must respond to our neighbors' needs and as we do so, look for the chance to witness to the person and mission of Jesus Christ!
If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, that he is your hope and salvation, then His Spirit has clearly taken up residence in your heart. It's by that same Spirit that Jesus himself cast out demons, healed the blind and the lame, and raised the dead to new life. That same Spirit abides in you. We're called to bring healing and deliverance to those engulfed in a world of hurt empowered by His Spirit!
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(Robby Dawkins shares how he brought some of his fellow adventurers to the U of W in Seattle when they came approached a couple at a bus stop and asked if there was anything they could pray for The man standing next to them reacted in anger telling them how selfrighteous Christians were, and that if they're god was anything like them then he was a power-hungry angry God, and not loving at all
Robby realized trying to convince him otherwise would be futile and said that he understood why he might feel that way but that all the wanted to do was bless and encourage him, and so the young man sighed and told them they could do so, but only if they made it quick. As Robby prayed, the young atheist muttered, 'Uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah, yeah, with a hurry up and get it over with, this doesn't touch me at all kind of attitude', when he slowly stopped and became quiet.
Robby prayed anew: “'Father, lavish your love on him. Show him how real you are and how much you love him. Give him unquestionable proof of your great love for him.' The atheist looked at Robby and then dropped his head on his chest and burst into tears. A small crowd of twenty people had gathered around while this was going on. As the young man wept, others began lifting up their hands, and saying, “I'm next!” After ministering to others, Robby asked him: 'Are you okay? Do you know that God loves you? That he's real?” All the guy could do was nod yes amidst tears of joy.'”
(from Robby Dawkins' Do What Jesus Did)
Christ has sent us out to embody the love of God - to bring healing where there is hurt, hope where there is despair, to replace brokenness with wholeness. The early church prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and as a result they caught on fire with the love of Christ thru the Spirit's power and lives were forever changed. “After they prayed, the building where they were meeting shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they proclaimed God's message with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)
How I long to see God rattle our rafters and fill us with His Spirit and with boldness!
In the words of William Carey: “Surely it is worthwhile to lay ourselves out with all our might in promoting the cause and the kingdom of Christ. The promise is this: God is about to restore the church and His work will be extraordinary and wonderful – there is to be an enlargement in God's people. So we're to expect great things from God and attempt great things for God!” (William Carey)