Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Sermon Synopsis for November 2, 2008

“Sharing Christ” Luke 6:26-36

I’m Steve Crane and I approve of this message.

THE MENNONITE MAFIA
I heard about a country store owned by Mennonites. One day a man went in and noticed that the price of homemade bread had gone up a few cents.

He joked to the owner, “I suppose you want to put a few more pennies in your pocket.”

The owner replied, “No, it’s going in the pockets of the Mennonite Mafia.”

I don’t get it. They don’t teach you about the Mennonite Mafia in Mennonite Theology courses.

I did find this ….

The top ten things that happen when you double-cross the Mennonite Mafia:
10. They spread nasty rumors about you like:"He doesn't give 10% of his income in the offering."
9. They hold your head under water. (usually by pouring)
8. They give you the "Kiss of Death". (right after washing your feet)
7. They tie you in a chair (loosely of course) and force you to listen to a choir sing 666 over and over and over......
6. They take you for a short walk on a long pier.
5. They break your (Vienna) fingers.
4. They give you a pair of cement boots and then throw them in the river.(without you in them)
3. They wait till you walk out your front door then do a drive-by shunning.
2. They send a hit man to your house. (usually the Overseer)
1. They break your legs. (of your chair)

NEED ORIENTED EVANGELISM
Characteristic of a Healthy Church #7: a healthy church has need-oriented evangelism.

What does the Mennonite Mafia tell us about need-oriented evangelism?

The “Mennonite Mafia” tells us that Mennonites are not only in a position of needing to love enemies; we also need to be loved by those who see us as enemies.

We are tempted to see ourselves as the “good guys” protecting ourselves against the bad guys out there in the world. The country store owner tells us that some see us as people who take money from their pockets to line our own.

The “Mennonite Mafia” teaches us that we can be cruel to others in a “nice” and “polite” way.
We can get back at others … in a civil, courteous, and respectful way – that makes us feel good, because we have gotten retribution.

Is there a stereotype of the Mennonite Mafia that may have some truth?

Remember - I’m just a Mennonite by adoption.

WHAT DOES JESUS SAY: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU
If they take your coat – give them your shirt
If they make you carry their things a mile – walk the other mile,

BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU
Jesus insists on verbal affirmation. “Bless those who curse you.

”Let’s be honest. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good insult.

John Jacob Astor’s wife once said to Winston Churchill, "Winston, if you were my husband I should flavor your coffee with poison." Churchill replied, "Madam, if I were your husband, I should drink it."

Congressman John Randolph and Henry Clay met on a sidewalk in Washington. Clay said, "I, sir, do not step aside for a scoundrel." To which Randolph replied, "On the other hand, I always do." And stepped aside.

An envious author congratulated another author on a book she had recently written. "I enjoyed it," she said, "who wrote it for you?" The author answered, "Well, I did and I’m so glad you liked it. Who read it to you?"

Do you ever think of a good “zinger” after the fact? Do you lie in bed at night thinking of things you could have said? Jesus words may be for you.

You see that’s the kind of response we usually love to give when someone insults us, but it isn’t how Jesus responded to his enemies.

Peter says, "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate." 1 Peter 2:23

Instead of verbal retaliation, Jesus commands us to engage verbal affirmation.

He uses the word “bless."
Can that mean “complement”? It’s not quite enough to respond to an insult with, "Hey, nice tie." That might sound like a smart-alek comeback; it doesn’t get close to the significance of the word "bless.”

When you bless someone you communicate to them that you recognize their value as a human made in the image of God.

It’s tough to respond to an enemy with verbal affirmation. It requires me to do the hard work of looking for something good in a person: there is enormous power and dignity in replying to an insult with a blessing.

We’re not dragged down to our enemy’s level. We take the emotional heat out of the moment and create an atmosphere where tempers can cool. And we emulate Jesus who prayed for the forgiveness of his enemies even as they danced around his cross cheering his death.

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO MISTREAT YOU
Pray for your enemies. There is no more powerful response to an enemy and his insult than to say, "I am praying for you.”

What you are really saying is, “You know I could take this matter into my own hands and respond to you in all the ways humans commonly respond. … But I choose, instead, to place it in the hands of God.” And because he is the impartial judge of all who live and breathe, He will do what is right.

Now that’s not a threat. But it is a frightening thing to think that your enemy is talking to God about you.

REACHING OTHERS
If we want to be successful at reaching others, we need to learn what others want from us, rather than insisting that they can join us only if they become what we are.

Our problem with loving our enemies, perhaps has less to do with people in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Saudi Arabia … and more to do with our neighbors.

Jesus tells us to break through the vicious cycle of revenge and retribution. We love others, not because they love us. We love others, because God loves us.

Need-oriented evangelism doesn’t take what we value and insist that someone else value it if they want to be part of us. Rather, it asks who they are, what they value, what they need. It checks them against God’s value system and invites them to join us in advancing God’s Kingdom.

MISSIONARY DECISIONS
When a missionary comes to a culture – each practice needs to be evaluated.
Is this a practice that is against God?
Is this a practice that is for God?
Is this a practice that is neutral, neither for or against God?

Less than a century ago, in Bolivia, missionaries hauled pianos over difficult mountain passes … because that was an appropriate instrument of praise for God. They had the people get rid of their Charangos and Zamponias and learn proper “Christian” music. The hymnal accompanied the Bible. North American and European hymns and music were taught as “God’s Music”

It’s no wonder that many missionaries were despised by the locals – they brought it on themselves.

If God can convert and baptize a Bolivian from his pagan ways, God can convert a charango and guitar and music as well.

Once the Bolivian Christians were encouraged to write praise music in their own rhythms and with their own instruments … the churches flourished, and many came to Christ.

Years ago, I never thought I would hear Christian Rap Music. Yo!

EVANGELISM AND LIFE STYLE
Natural Church Development tells us that evangelism will grow out of the “lifestyle of the church” rather than being a program or an add-on. Evangelism is not an event as much as it is a way of life.

Not everyone has the “spiritual gift” of evangelism. But everyone has the responsibility of living a life that is evangelistic. That’s a life that reaches out to others and cares about others and their needs.

How many friends do you have that aren’t Christian? The longer we’re Christians, the fewer non-Christian friends we have. That’s not the way Jesus worked.

Mennonite theology often has to do with having “little contact with the world,” or “separation from the world,” so that we will not be contaminated.

Apostle John, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

THE RESULTS FOR US
v. 35 – your reward will be great / you will be children of the Most High

1 John 3:1 – Behold what love the father has for us, that we should be called children of God

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
What is the greatest love you have?
Jesus told his disciples – greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another. (John 15:13)

Shortly after Jesus said this, he stretched out his arms and said “I love you this much” – and they nailed him to the cross.

John 3:16 – God loves “the world”
God gave Jesus (his only son)
“that none should perish”
“that all should have eternal life”

The greatest way to love our enemies is to lead them to Jesus – to show them Jesus.

EVANGELISM STARTS WITH COMPASSION
I asked the children what a bully was. They know all about bullies.
I asked them how we should treat bullies.
There was a variety of responses from hitting them to ignoring them to being nice to them.
I asked them how Jesus would treat bullies.
They agreed he would be nice to them …
… carry their backpack longer then they made them …
… give them their shirt if they took their coat …
--- treat them as you would have them treat you …
The golden rule.

We can’t evangelize people we are antagonistic towards.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:21-22 “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free form accusation – “

If God can love people – love them to death – his own – we should be able to treat others decently.
Maybe God wants us to “share Christ” with them.