Introduction
Three weeks ago, we began exploring a new paradigm for sharing faith. We asked the question, what if it was as simple as taking a “walk across the room?”
We were reminded that the single greatest gift we can offer the people around us, is an introduction to their creator and lover of their souls. We explored what it means to “live in 3D.” Develop friendships. Discover people’s stories and discerning appropriate next steps. These three things are what we think about, pray about, and act on when we’re in the Zone of the Unknown. It’s about taking things slowly, giving the other person space to open up and letting the Holy Spirit lead.
Then, last week, we looked at the power of story. How critical it is that we learn to tell God’s story and our own faith stories simply and non-threateningly.
I would guess that for some of us this series has been a wake-up call. Jane Harmer sent me in her 150 word faith story this week and said (and I quote with her permission) “This has been such a good exercise to do; it's moved me from being something of an avoider… to a more confident evangelist ready to share the life saving and heart transforming power of Jesus.” I expect others of us have been similarly impacted. But today I want to address the question, “How do we maintain the momentum?” How do we keep the fire burning so that instead of it being a one-off, this four-week series can serve as a catalyst for long-term change?
Let me try to answer that by taking you on a short fantasy holiday. Anyone in need of a break around here?
Imagine you are transported to the Bahamas. You find yourself all decked out in your snorkelling mask and fins and your swimsuit - which fits perfectly, ladies … this is an imaginary holiday remember!
Once in the water, you relax on your back, floating on the beautiful deep, blue ocean. The sun is high; the sky is cloudless, it’s 25 degrees.
There you are just taking in the serene, lapping of the waves … the bright rays of sunshine bouncing off the ocean’s surface … a bliss that you’ve never known before.
Is there anything wrong with this picture…?
Of course not! You have landed a free trip to a holiday paradise; it’s a beautiful day and you’re unwinding under the warm sun. Sounds good!
But what if I were to tell you that just under your back you were missing out on an unbelievable underwater universe, teeming with vibrant life? You finally put your mask and breathing tube on, roll onto your belly and dip your face into the water. Ahhh … can you feel that?
Where did all these fish come from? Wow! They are this close! Right before your eyes is a huge school of neon blue and yellow angelfish. There are starfish, reef sharks (they’re harmless) and green morays. The bright gold reef below you looks like it’s waving as its fingers reach up from the ocean floor.
The ocean floor! You can see all the way down! Has the water been this clear all this time?
This is life … from a different perspective … discovering that there’s much more than what appears on the surface. This is what I’d like to call “Grander Vision Living.”
I’d like to take a look at Luke chapter 5 perhaps from a point of view you haven’t considered before. I’d like to offer two observations … and an challenge.
We had the story read to us just now: the miraculous catch of fish. Can you just imagine how elated Peter, James, and John that morning? They’d never seen a haul like it! They’d never before had to call in reinforcements to gather in a catch - ever. The nets were tearing. The boat was sinking; it was so full of fish.
There’s nothing wrong with catching fish. But consider what Jesus said.
“Peter. James. John. So far, you have spent all your days as career fishermen. But what I’m inviting you to do - starting today - is to become fishers of men and women. Instead of investing your precious time and energy in catching six-inch fish, let’s go after the six-footers! I’m asking you to give up everything you have and everything you are for the sake of people’s souls. Come with me, and you’ll see what real living is all about!”
Here’s what I think is one of the most crucial aspects of Jesus’ teaching: the idea of small fish versus big fish.
Think about this with me. From the moment he arrived on the scene … all the way up until today, Jesus has been asking not only fishermen …
but businessmen
and bus drivers
and artists
and stay-at-home mums
and hairdressers
and health professionals
and kitchen chefs
and retail managers
and teachers… and all the rest - this one question: Are you going to invest your one and only life into pursuing small fish, or will you throw your net out in anticipation of catching the people-sized ones?
Have you settled for the lesser vision or are you going for the grander one? Here’s the first observation I want to make.
Observation 1) The Priority Is People
Jesus wanted these three career fishermen - as well as the fine people of All Saints’ Church - to understand that this life is all about people.
In Grander Vision Living, above everything else that calls for our attention, the number one priority is always people.
We take walks across rooms for people. Our goal is to care more about other people than about ourselves even if they look different to us, talk differently, act differently and so on.
You can either spend your life catching little fish or, by the grace of God, you can become fishers of men and women.
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others in such a way that they may see your good works and then glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Let your light shine in such a way … Let me stop there. “In such a way” implies that there must be more than one way, doesn’t it?
I think what Jesus is saying is that we can choose whether our “light” will impact people or not.
• Our light will either shine on others and point them toward God, or
• We’ll keep it to ourselves, and in essence, as far as we are concerned, deny others the chance of knowing God.
“Make sure your light shines in such a way,” I think Jesus is saying, “so that people can come to know my Father because of how you treat them, how you prioritize them.”
“You can spend all your life catching those scaly, slithery sub aqua creatures and take them to market for a sale. It’s a perfectly acceptable occupation. But you could become fishers of men and women … concerning yourself not with cod and herring but with eternal destinies!”
Letting your light shine is not rocket science; it’s simply doing small things for the watching, waiting world around you.
Let me read a brief quote from Just Walk Across the Room that sums up this idea well.
“You don’t have to be any more talented, any richer, any slimmer, any smarter, any more or less of anything to partner with God. All you have to be is willing to be used by him in everyday ways.”
And when we all let our light shine in a way that lets the people around us know they matter, then the kingdom grows!
But that’s not all. Why is Jesus so concerned that we should get this the Grander Vision thing? Not only because this is how the kingdom grows, but also because this is how our souls become satisfied.
Jesus knows that if you and I build a lifestyle around accepting people, getting to know people, caring for people, serving people, listening to people, befriending people, exposing people to spiritual things … prioritizing people, we would never crave our old ways again.
Here’s how Bill Hybels explains how he’s come to think about this “people priority” in his own life. Let’s watch this brief video segment together.
Video Clip ...
“Never just means ‘no’ for now.” Isn’t that a good perspective to have when sharing your faith? It’s the second vital part of Grander Vision Living.
Observation 2) The Focus Is On Potential
Observation number two is that the focus is always on potential. It didn’t seem to matter to Jesus that his soon-to-be disciples’ first response to his commands was less than promising. Jesus asked them to put out their nets to catch some fish.
“But we’ve been fishing all night! And we’ve caught … nothing!” (By the way, how useless were these guys? Not once in the whole Bible do we ever hear of them catching one fish without Jesus doing a miracle).
But I think their insinuation was, “Who do you think you are? We’re the experts! We were the ones slogging it out all night at sea, while you were in bed counting sheep! And now you want us to take a lesson from you about fishing?”
These men were hardly challenging for the Obedient Disciple of the Year award. They weren’t the most promising candidates for the one and only Messiah’s inner circle. But Jesus saw what these guys could be like once they got hold of the Grander Vision.
This same ability to see beyond someone’s “no” or “never” and dream of them coming to Christ one day is what the video clip was alluding to just now.
To look past self-centeredness … and see the potential for serving
To look past rebelliousness … and see the potential for righteousness
To look past a quick temper … and see the potential for peacemaking
Aren’t you glad Jesus did this with you? I am.
We looked at our before-and-afters last week … I wonder, what was your “before” like? What was it that Christ looked beyond in your world to accept you and enfold you in grace?
Before I was a Christian, for example, I was pretty self-absorbed and self-seeking. God has removed the apathy and indifference I once felt toward other people, especially those of a different background to my own.
And this is just one example. I could give you dozens … all from my own personal life.
I hope we all approach people with the same eye for potential that we are so grateful God had for us.
Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. Luke 5.27 says that Jesus went out one day, saw a tax collector sitting at his booth - someone obviously outside the family of faith - and said, “Follow me.” Why would a successful businessman ditch his career and tramp around with a itinerant rabbi?
Well, Matthew soon discovered that choosing the Grander Vision over lesser visions leads to wealth that the world only dreams of.
“Follow me!” And in a flash, that crooked tax collector left everything - including his open cash register - to go after Christ.
What did following Jesus mean to Matthew? Walking away from his comfortable routine … and his financial security. But what else did it mean? It meant that Matthew would be prizing - and prioritizing - the people he once swindled.
I promised you a challenge in addition to my two observations today. And here it is: start small!
The Challenge: Start Small … But Start!
When Matthew was newly converted he had a deep desire to expose his friends and family to the grace that he’d found in Jesus Christ.
He hadn’t had time for any official Evangelism for Beginners Course. But all of his old mates were sitting there in their tax-booths - where he had worked … just days ago.
Their lives would be so blessed by knowing Christ, but how do you go about it practically? There he stood in his new Circle of Comfort with Jesus and the other 11. And then, he decided what to do. You won’t believe what he decided to do!
Keep in mind that Matthew was a brand-new Christian. And remember that “giving” isn’t exactly a taxman’s natural impulse. He may not have had the whole Christian thing sorted yet. But Matthew was good at one thing: throwing parties!
Matthew hatched a plan to throw a party: a party where he could stick the old rat pack from the tax office in a room with his new Christian friends and just see if some of the good stuff might rub off on those who had yet to experience grace.
“What if a few of my new friends actually take a walk across my living room and stretch out a hand to my old colleagues?” thought Matthew. What if seeds are planted in minds and hearts? Wow! What if some actually come to faith as a result of one, simple party? That would be amazing!
As I read this fascinating story in Luke 5, here is what occurs to me: Matthew could have got so enamoured with how much of his own life was changing for the better that he just left everyone else behind. He could have ditched his old friends and clung to his new ones. Remember that place we visited four weeks ago, the “Circle of Comfort?”
But Matthew chose differently, didn’t he? He chose to see the potential in his tax-collecting friends … the same way Jesus had spotted potential in him. I mean, really, who would have given Matthew half a chance of ever coming to faith in Christ? Probably made the front page of the Capernaum Chronicle.
You might sum it up this way: Matthew knew that Jesus had chosen him for a purpose … a purpose that included more than his own salvation. A purpose that included being salt and light in his world. A purpose that centred around having a Grander Vision … by making people his priority and their potential his focus because people were the only thing he’d be taking with him to heaven one day. The same is true for us.
Can I share one story from Just Walk Across the Room that was especially impactful to me as I peeked ahead at this week’s reading?
Bill describes a time when he was sitting in a meeting and all of a sudden the speaker unfurled a roll of stickers in his hand.
“There is something we must all understand,” the speaker said as he walked along the front of the platform. Periodically, he would stop and put a red sticker on a tiny replica of a house, and a red sticker on a Hot Wheels car, and a red sticker on a dollhouse-sized desk that represented career pursuits.
“You may not be able to tell from where you’re sitting, but each red sticker has a single word on it,” he said. “The word is ‘temporary.’ And these things I’m putting them on are all temporary. They will fade away, turning cartwheels like leaves in the wind when this world ends.
“If you are living for these things, then you are living a life of temporary pleasure, temporary satisfaction, and temporary fulfilment.”
The speaker continued walking around the room, the audience now completely silent as he labelled everything in sight with red stickers. Bill watched the man’s hands declare the fate of the very best this world has to offer as those stickers made their way to the goods in front of everyone.
Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary.
“There is only one thing in this room that is not temporary,” the speaker continued. “There is only one thing that you can take with you into the next world.”
He called someone up to join him on the stage, and he placed a blue sticker on her lapel. “When you get to the end of your life and take in your last breath,” he said, “what do you want your life to have been about?”
And in that moment, Bill says, his heart stilled as one thought stemmed all others in his mind.
It really is all about people, he thought.
He continued on in his thoughts: No earthly commodity is going to make it from this world into the next. Not land, not homes, not bank accounts, not titles, not achievements. Only souls.
Jesus taught that every human being will be resurrected to spend an eternity in community with God in heaven or in isolation from God in hell. And because Jesus understood these eternal realities, he focused his attention on the only thing that will extend into the next reality: people.
Ending
Will you opt into Grander Vision Living, or have you settled for your lesser visions?
The way I understand things, Jesus came to bring abundance … salvation … transformation … to anyone who will accept his way of living. He came to bring not tranquillity, but utter upheaval to the world!
And this, friends, is why we take walks across rooms … in order to share this beautiful upheaval with people who don’t yet have the hope or assurance of heaven.
What a magnificent gift we have to give a waiting world! The gift of a relationship with the One who is like no other. The One who saw faithful disciples in the smelly clothes of a band of fishermen. The One who saw a passionate follower in the booth of a wretched tax gatherer.
Here’s my challenge to you: throw a party!
What might happen if, as a congregation, each one of us threw a “Matthew party” before the summer holidays? Just put a few of your Christian friends in a space with some of your unconvinced friends … and trust God with the results.
Let me give you a few tips.
First, keep it simple. Your “Matthew party” does not have to be elaborate or expensive.
Next, do what makes sense for you. A barbecue, a bloke’s beer and curry night, or a fancy dress or a dinner party… think about what works best in your environment.
Finally, get the ratio right! Be sure there are fewer Christians at your “Matthew party” than nonbelievers … otherwise, your unbelieving friends will feel ganged up on and no one likes to feel like that.
Get into people’s lives, and trust the Holy Spirit to navigate. Once you start living the Grander Vision I don’t think you will never go back to little fish and small visions again.
Let’s stand to pray…
Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 13th February 2011
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