| Open My Eyes and My Heart |
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I. Feeling Guilt I received an email a few months ago that made my day. Actually, it made my whole fall. It was from a guy named Dave Katz, a friend of mine back in high school. In fact, I met Dave in 9th grade, just after he had moved into our area. His parents had recently divorced and he was in need of a friend. So I became his friend. I have this distinct memory during freshman year of being deeply burdened for Dave’s soul. I remember going to his house one day, sitting in his bedroom, and talking for hours—trying to convince him of the truth of Christianity— Trying to open his eyes to the truth that God loved him And that Jesus was his Messiah. Oh, did I tell you that Dave was Jewish? Well, he was. Though the family was not devout, the one thing that he, as a young Jewish boy, Could not do was believe in Jesus as the Messiah. So Dave never responded to the gospel. Though we weren’t that close, Dave and I remained friends thru High School. If fact, on Senior Day—that the day when all the Senior were excused from class On that day Dave and I dressed up as Groucho and Harpo Marx— He was Groucho and I was Harpo—and we barged into one high school class after another performing our little skits… But after high school Dave went his way and I went mine— and I never heard from him again. Until last fall, when I receive the email—and he told me his story. During college Dave had gone off the deep end. He became deeply unhappy and engaged in all kinds of destructive behaviors. But then he met someone who began to share Jesus Christ with him—again. And he remembered me, he wrote, and everything I had said to him. This time, Dave responded to the gospel. He opened his heart to Jesus and received him as His Messiah; and his life was changed. In that email he said: Phil, if you had not shared the Gospel with me in 1972, I don’t know whether I would be a Christian today. Thanks. Now, itt doesn’t get much better than that. But lately I’ve been thinking—about the difference between then and now. You see, back then—when I was in high school, I shared the gospel often and with many people. I was surrounded by friends who didn’t believe and I shared my faith. Many responded—Tom and Dennis, Ron and Diana; Shiela and John and Doug. There were others, like Dave, who heard and responded later. That was back then. But what about now? Well, now I am a pastor. I still share the gospel—all the time. But now it is up here, on a platform. To people in a congregation, Most of whom are already believers. Sometimes I have the privilege of introducing an unbeliever to Jesus— Someone who has come into this building seeking answers to life’s questions. I consider it a great privilege to be able to preach the gospel as a pastor. But here is the sad truth. My life has become so caught up in the church— So filled with Christians and their needs— That I have very few relationships with people who not know Jesus. So I have very few opportunities to bring unbelievers into a life-changing encounter with the savior of our souls. This past month—mission’s month—I have been feeling rather bad about that. Guilty even. Then I got the results back from our Reveal Survey. You know the survey we took to better understand who we are and what we need as a church—and I felt even more guilty. Guess what the greatest weakness of our church is? You guessed it. Sharing the gospel with our friends and neighbors. Let me show you a chart, It show the percentage of our people who do certain things. 75% of us read the Bible several times a week. 74% pray in the morning or evening several times a week. Over 50% of us participate in a Fellowship Group or Small Group. 48% tithe. 40% serve the needy. But only 23% of us have 6 conversations a year with unbelievers about spiritual things—that’s one conversation every other month. We’ve been Christians for years, 53% of us more than 25 years. What that means is that as a people we tend to be like me. Much better at reading the Bible and praying and helping each other grow Than sharing the gospel with people who do not know Jesus— Unless maybe it is our children. But Jesus said, You shall be my witnesses. Jesus said, We are the light of the world. Jesus said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me; Go, therefore, and make disciples of all people, Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit— In other words, bring them into the faith— And then teach them to do everything that I commanded you. II. So I turned to the Lord…and He turned me Around So about a week ago I was spending time alone with God. I was saying, Lord, I feel guilty. I am not being the leader I should be. I am not setting a good example of developing relationships with unbelievers and Personally sharing my faith. That morning the Lord led to two passages of Scripture—and through those passages he turned my heart around. He has freed me from the burden of guilt & showed me a better way of looking at These things. I am hoping that what God showed me will help you as much as it is helping me—and therefore it well help us become more like Jesus. John chapter Four. For many of us this is a familiar passage of Scripture. It is the story of Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. And it is a perfect picture of Jesus doing what he command us to do— Inviting lost people into a personal, life-transforming relationship w/ himself. If you want to see a master in action, this is the place to go. If you want to learn how to fish for human souls just watch what Jesus does with this woman. Watch out he starts a conversation— and then how he drops the bait and lures this woman in the direction of spiritual things. Taking her from a conversation about water—I’m thirsty, would you give me something to dring— into a discussion about the deepest desires of the human soul—a thirst for water than never ends. And the way Jesus sets the hook is sheer genius. Without condemning this woman at the well—this woman who has been married and divorced 5 times and is now living with a man who is not her husband—Jesus brings her to a clear sense of her own sin— And he offers himself as the answer. When you go home to today you will have to read through this story— Because I am not going to talk about all that today. Because it wasn’t what Jesus said to the woman at the well that spoke to me in my time with him. No, it was what he said to his disciples when they came back from town. He had spoken to the woman of a water that quenches the deepest human thirst. Now he speaks to his men about a food that satisfies more than the freshest bread. I have food that you know nothing about, he says to his men in verse 32. My food is to do the will of him who sent me. Which is what Jesus has just been doing: Bringing a woman thirsting for love and life to Himself. But Jesus is just getting started with his men. Continuing the analogy of food, he says, Do not say, “Four months more and then the harvest” They are wondering, “What is he talking about?” I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest. I imagine Jesus gesturing in the direction of the wheat and barley fields. When they looked in that direction, what do you think they saw? They saw the people—people from the village coming toward them— Being led by the notorious woman at the well. Even now, Jesus continues, the reaper draws his wages. Even now he harvests the crop for eternal Life, so that the sower and reaper may be glad together. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor. As I was reading these words from Jesus to his disciples, another passage of came to my mind. Matthew chapter 9. When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” What I want to share with you in the time that remains is what I learned as I listen to Jesus. I want to share a few simple ideas that God impressed upon my heart as I was feeling guilty about not being the personal evangelist that I should be. The first idea was this: The work of salvation is God’s work, not mine. Pray to the Lord of the Harvest, Jesus says. Which mean, The Harvest belongs to the Lord. Ultimately, it is his business. It is God who sends sowers to sow the seed of His truth into people’s hearts. It is God who raises up reapers to gather the fruit. And even more importantly, it is God—and God alone— Who makes the crop grow. Now I know this is a very basic truth; but it can be transforming. It is not your job, it is not my job, to save anyone. It is not our job to talk them into faith. And that is a really good thing—because we can’t do it. As Jesus once said, No one can come to me unless the Father draws him. No one can believe and receive the good news of the gospel, no one can be set free from the power of sin and death, unless God opens his or her eyes. So the first great truth that leapt out at me from this passage is that The work of salvation is the work of God, from first to last. The second is this: God is doing the work. The harvest is plentiful, Jesus said. Look at the fields, He demanded, they are ripe for harvest. So, not only must God do the work of sowing seeds and drawing souls, But God is doing the work of sowing seeds and drawing souls. The Spirit of God is in the world drawing people to the Father thru the Son. The hard work, the impossible work, is already being done. Our job, our work, is to open our eyes. That was simple idea number three. We are to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into his harvest. Then, we are to open our eyes and see where God is at work— And join Him in the work that He is already doing. Yes, we are to go and reap. Right after Jesus said to his men, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few; Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the field. The very next thing Jesus did, in Matthew chapter ten, is send his disciples into the field. And that’s the way it works. When you pray for the harvest and when you open your eyes— you see people in need, harassed and helpless, like sheep wo/ a shepherd. And you find yourself moved by the Good Shepherd of God’s sheep to go and help them. You find that God often makes you the answer to your prayers. But it all begins—and here is my main message—it begins with God; and it begins, on our part, with prayer. The first step is God opening our eyes and moving us with the compassion of Jesus. Until that happens, it all feels rather wrong. It feels like people motivated by guilt, trying to do something they cannot do. By the way, one last truth from John chapter four. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvest for eternal life, So that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. In John chapter four, the sower was Jesus, and the reapers were his disciples. But the outcome was joy for both. Jesus was inviting his men to share in the joy of harvesting souls for eternity— The joy of bringing lost sons of Adam and daughters of Eve into a relationship with the living God. That’s what sharing our faith is supposed to feel like. The angels in heaven leap for joy when a person on earth meets Jesus. So can we. So can we. Let me tell you, the surge of joy in my soul when Dave Katz told me he had become a child of God was priceless. I understood what Jesus said to his men when he said, I don’t want anything to eat; I am as full right now as I could possibly be. III. A Couple Stories I want that joy. I want it for me; I want it for you; I want it for the Dave Katz’s of this world. The message of John chapter four and Matthew chapter nine is this. It is not about guilt. It’s not about feeling bad and trying harder. It’s about joining God in the work that God loves to do and has already begun. It’s about reaping a harvest that others have sown—Other people, yes; but also God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Our job, first and foremost, is to pray. Then to open our eyes and to see the world with the eyes of Jesus. Then ask God to give us the water of life for the thirsty souls God is drawing to himself. My wife was sharing with me a story from a book she is reading. It is the story of a woman who was sitting in an airport one day. Another woman came and sat down beside her—and let out a deep sigh. So Becky, that’s the woman’s name, looked up from her work and gave the woman her attention. She opened her eyes. The woman began to share her story. Her father has just died, and she was catching a plane to the funeral. She was tired, exhausted actually, and anxious. After listening, Becky simply said to the woman. Do you believe in God? The woman said, Yes, I do. Becky didn’t try to probe into her understanding of God or find out if she had made a clear, evangelical commitment to Jesus. She just said, Well then, can I pray for you? She prayed for peace, for comfort, for God’s presence in the name of Jesus. About half way through the flight the woman came up to Becky and said, I can’t thank you enough for praying for me. Your right, I am not alone. God is here. I feel so much better. Now, this is not a finished story. But it doesn’t have to be. Becky sowed a seed. Becky opened her eyes and saw God at work—and she joined God in his work. Perhaps someday you or I will reap the harvest, if it has not already been reaped. The harvest of a soul prepared for eternal life. And there will be joy all around—joy on earth below and joy in heaven above. My friends, if God is at work and the harvest is plentiful—as Jesus says—then these stories can be plentiful as well. They can be as plentiful as my trip to get the window shade fixed in our house. A couple of weeks ago, it broke—and I took it to the place we take broken window shades in Harrisburg. And I met Edward. Edward and I struck up a conversation—a conversation about church, then about His childhood, and about life and death. Then this week, I went back—because another shade broke. I almost felt like God broke the shade. Edward and I talked for an hour; and I don’t think God is done. My perspective is changing. Instead of beating myself up for not sharing the gospel often enough, I am beginning to pray more regularly. Lord, the harvest is plentiful. Open my eyes—let me see the harvest. Lord, send your workers—sowers and reapers—into the harvest. Please use me. I want to join in your joy. IV. Little white Card Tony Hunt asked me a question at our last staff meeting. He said, how are we going to follow up on the messages this month? Obviously one way is to keep encouraging each other to consider joining or creating a Ten Together group. Another is to keep starting Alpha courses, and inviting each other to bring friends—or even attend ourselves to see if it is something which we feel comfortable bringing our neighbors and friends to. But I have one simple thing I would like to ask you to do. Take the 3x5 out of the What’s Happening you received when you came in. I would like to ask you to take it home with you. Begin to pray…to ask God to open your eyes to the harvest field around you. Ask him to show you who you might befriend, who you might talk to about your relationship with Jesus. As God brings a person to mind, write his or her name down—and pray for them. Pray that God would send sowers to sow the seed; pray that God would send reapers to reap the harvest. And pray that God would use you. I believe God will answer our prayers. By the way, if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus that you can share— If you have not been changed by the gospel and you don’t know how to share that— That would be something to begin to pray about, too. Maybe even ask someone to help you with. |
| Last Updated on Saturday, 12 February 2011 11:46 |
