God of Love, take hold of us in this hour of worship and do not let us go until we have been blessed by a vision of love, infinitely generous, gentle and forgiving, simple and wholesome, mysterious and profound; in which all are accepted and no one is rejected; a love that never ends! Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning again, everybody. We’re glad you’re here. If this is your first time with us, we want you to know that, here at Broadway, we’re spending 40 days doing two things. 

 

Number One: We are praying together. Over 450 people in our community of faith (that we’ve been able to identify so far) have committed themselves to praying every day for 40 days. It is an effort to intentionally bring ourselves closer to God and to ask, believing we will receive a vision of what God wants this church to do next. The possibilities, as you can imagine, are limitless. So we are praying together. 

 

Number Two: We are also linking these 40 days to try to deepen a sense of community in our church family. The reason we are doing that is fairly simple, because the Bible says we are better together than we are by ourselves. The reason we are better together is because it seems that God, in God’s mysterious way, has wired us that way – has made us that way. You and I have been wired, made, uniquely shaped for relationships, for working and playing and living in community. That is how the Bible says we fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

 

Now, one of the reasons you and I have been given the gifts of life, according to Scripture – not the only one, but one of them – is that you and I have been made for a mission. God wants you to share God’s love with your friends, with your families, with your neighbors, with your acquaintances, with the people you work with, with the people at your school, with the folks you interact with. God wants you to share with people who don’t know and who have not yet experienced the love of God. 

 

There are a gazillion reasons out there for why that is, but those reasons ultimately don’t matter. What matters, and this is what I want us to get focused on, is that God wants everybody in God’s family. God has never created a person that God does not love. God has never created a person without a purpose. And our job – our reason for being a community of faith – is to share that good news. If we are not doing that, we have really no reason to exist as a church, as a community of faith. 

 

Paul says, in his letter to the Christians at Philippi, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership; your partnership with the gospel, your partnership in sharing the love of God for all people, revealed in Christ Jesus.” 

 

The key word today: Partnership. Today we are going to look at seven ways to partner with each other through the power of our small groups and share that good news of God’s love with all people. So let’s jump in.

 

Last week we said that if you’re not in a small group, you need to get into one. I really want to encourage you to do that. All you have to do is speak to one of our leaders, anybody. We can arrange that for you. If you want to know why we believe that and why we encourage that so much, you can get last week’s message on a CD. 

 

Last week we talked about why. Last week we talked about doing something that was incredibly counter-cultural. Today we want to talk about how. How do we start? How do we reach out to anyone that we want to know about the love, the grace, and the goodness of God? Is there anybody in your life that you would like for him or her to know the love, and the grace, and the goodness of God? 

 

Number One: Pray together. The first thing you do is enter into a partnership together in your small group. You ask them to pray for your friends, your family, your coworkers, your neighbors, your complete strangers. Pray for people who are still considering the claims of Christ and have not yet stepped over that line – who haven’t yet, as Paul Tillich, the great theologian, said, “accepted their acceptance.” There are lots of reasons why they haven’t. That’s not important. The fact is, we need to. 

 

Now, as everyone knows, you can’t force anybody to love anybody. You can’t force anybody to love God. That’s been a mistake in history, but that’s another story. But, guess what? We can pray for them. And prayer cannot only change things. This is the news: Prayer can do what God can do. Did you know that? Prayer can do what God can do. 

 

Prayer can melt a hard heart. Prayer can warm up a cold heart. Prayer can activate and arouse an apathetic heart. Prayer can heal a broken heart. Prayer can change a stubborn heart. 

 

It’s scary when you start making a list. Prayer can do what God can do. For those of us in mainline churches, it’s time for us to learn that, if we don’t already know it. 

 

You see… People can reject arguments. People can refuse to listen to logic. People can turn their back on your invitations, but they are powerless against your prayers. Did you know that? The reason is prayer goes straight to the heart of the person who you’re praying for. 

 

More importantly, this is the key. This is the reason I think most of us don’t pray very much. If you’re going to do this, you have to remember that prayer probably is going to change you. Oh, my goodness! That’s another thing. Prayer changes the pray-er, you see, as well as the pray-ee. 

 

So, write this down: “Prayer makes me aware.” 

 

I think one of the reasons we resist praying is that when we start praying, we start seeing things we didn’t see before. We start thinking about things we haven’t been thinking about for a while. We start seeing needs that we didn’t see before. We start getting concerned about things we have avoided being concerned about. Something happens in your heart when you pray. 

 

So, in your small groups, wherever and however they might meet, I would ask you and encourage you to make a group prayer list and do it together. Make a list of not just the people you normally pray for, such as those who are sick and hurting and bereaved. That sort of praying is wonderful. But let’s take another step. I am also asking you to make a list of people you know who have not yet received, accepted, and welcomed the love, the grace, and the goodness of God into their own lives. I ask you to pray for them by name. I think that’s where you start.

 

Number Two: Appeal to common interests. Folks, before you can share good news with anybody, you have to make a connection with them. You have to have a relationship with them. You have to find what you have in common with other folks. What are your common interests, common needs, common hurts, common concerns? 

 

Do you have kids? Are you a student? Do you like sports? Are you a cancer survivor? Are you an empty nester? Do you like to go fishing? (Well, we have a small group right there very quickly.) 

 

The point: If your group is going to reach out, whatever that group is… It might be a music group. It might be a Habitat Build group. It might be an Angel Food group, a youth group, a Sunday night at the movies group, a dinner group. It doesn’t really matter. Discover common interests and invite people who have those same interests. And, can I say this in church? You bet I can. Try just to have a good time. That’s really a cool thing. Get together and enjoy each other’s company. Build a relationship. 

 

Number Three: Reach out in love. The reason is because you must have the right motives in order to connect with other people, folks. Our motive in the Christian community has been, is today, and will always be the same. Our motive is love. That is our motive. Bottom line: if it’s not, we have a problem. Our motive is love. Do you know that old principle – that old saying that’s been around forever? “People outside the community of faith don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.” Have you ever heard that before? 

 

“People outside the community of faith do not care what you know, until they know that you care.” So, everything we do, absolutely everything, everything has to be out of this spirit of love. 

 

As First John 4 says, “God, who is the Creator, Sustainer, Judge and Redeemer of all that is, that God is love.”   

 

So in your prayers, literally, I would ask you to ask God to give you a deeper love for other people. You don’t have to judge anyone else. You don’t have to correct anybody else. You don’t have to fix anybody else. You don’t have to straighten him or her out. You don’t have to heal him or her. 

 

As our new Stephen Ministers are going to find out really soon, Christ is the healer, and we are the caregivers. OK? The phrase is this: “Christ cures, and we care.” That’s what we do. We care. Reach out to other people simply in love.

 

Number Four: Tell your story. First Peter 2 says, “You are a chosen people, a people who belong to God, God’s instrument to do God’s work, and to declare, to speak out for God, and to tell others of the night-and-day difference God has made in your own life.” 

 

Folks, that is the most effective way to let others know of the great things that God can and wants to do in people’s lives. Tell the story. Simply tell the story of what God has done and is doing in your life. That’s going to be sort of new for some of us. There is no book, there is no sermon, there is no CD, there is no course, and there is nothing that is more effective in making a difference in somebody else’s life than your own story. 

 

Guess what? You are the expert in your story. Nobody knows your story better than you. You’re the expert. People want to hear your story. Now note this. People do not want to hear your s-t-o-o-o-r-y. Do you know what I’m talking about? They do not want to hear somebody talk for 15 minutes, and they’re only up to the fifth grade. OK? 

 

People want to hear the short story. They do no want to hear the novel. They are not interested in the trilogy. They want to hear the short story. How do you get it short? It’s very simple. Write it down. Because when you write it, you can consolidate it, and then share what you’ve written with somebody that you’re close to. Hopefully, that is your own small group. 

 

I understand. I know this is brand new for some. But I know that you have a story. I know you have a spiritual story. 

 

When was the last time you wrote down your spiritual journey? I would encourage you to take the time to do that. We can do that. We can learn it, and then we can practice it. The only reason I’m asking you to do that is that nothing – absolutely nothing – is more powerful and effective than sharing what we feel we have to share with others. And besides, you know, friends don’t keep good news from other friends. We have to learn how to tell our story.

 

Number Five: Nurture friendships. Folks, one of the most powerful ways you can help others experience the love, the grace, and the goodness of God is building friendships, building a connection, building a bridge between your life and their life, so that the love of God, in Christ Jesus, can walk across it. 

 

Isn’t that a beautiful image? Just picture that in your mind for a moment. I wish I had the time to tell you about some of the bridges that have been built to me, and that I’ve had a chance to build with others. I wish I could spend some time telling you about some of the parties we’ve had, but I’ll save that. 

 

Just consider this fact. According to a Gallup poll, 34-million Americans say they do not go to church. But get this. They would, if somebody would ask them. That’s right. Now, you’ve heard that before. Thirty-four-million people say they would if, somebody asked them. Bring a friend to church, to your group. Plan a party, have a good time, build some relationships. If you do, the love of God, in Christ Jesus, will walk across that bridge. It’ll take care of itself. I want to encourage you to take that step.

 

Number Six: This is a big one. Expect God to act. Another way to help your friends, your family, and others you don’t know very well to come to some sense of the love, and the goodness, and the grace of God is to expect God to act. Now, you may already know this, but God works in people’s hearts when you expect God to do so. Did you know that? 

 

I have to tell you. I have learned that almost every single one of us in this gathering here today, including me, either have a parent, a child, a spouse, a coworker, a relative, or a good close friend that, quite frankly, you have been thinking about and praying for, in hopes that some day they might come to know the love, and the grace, and the goodness of God revealed in Christ. Whatever kind of language you want to use with that, you’ve had a desire that they could experience something of that. 

 

For some of us, those prayers have been going on for years, and yet we don’t see any evidence. We don’t see that they are any closer today to that goal and objective than they have ever been. We don’t sense they are any more open. We don’t sense they believe. We don’t sense they have any feel for the love and the grace of God. And for some, it’s been a year, maybe two years, ten years, or 30 years. You’ve been praying, but you’re not seeing any difference. 

 

I have a wonderful friend, who I have known for years. He dropped out of church, and said he wasn’t coming back. He gave me this explanation. I want to share it with you today. “I just don’t believe. And being in church is starting to get to me. Because the longer I attend, the worse I feel about what I consider to be a lie. I don’t believe in God. I don’t believe in the Bible, and I don’t believe in Jesus.  I’m not afraid of dying. I’ve no concerns or dreams about an afterlife. I want to live my life right now, love others, do good works, and be a pretty good person. I truly care about others. I enjoy helping. I am not an evil person. I am just not a Christian. And I can no longer let others try to pull me along a path that I think and believe is not correct.”

 

Now, has anybody else heard this besides me? Folks, I want to ask you to do this. Don’t give up. Don’t give up on that person. Don’t give up on anybody. The reason I ask you not to give up is because God is God, and you are not. God is God, and God is not done yet. I don’t know how this works. I really don’t. All I know is that our job is to simply pray, in faith, and expect God to act.  And that’s a problem for us mainline folks, because we’ve been taught, and we’ve been trained very carefully to believe that we expect we have to fix everything, we have to do all the work, we have to accomplish whatever needs to be accomplished in this world. It’s time for us mainline folks to start expecting God to do some things as well. Interesting. 

 

Now, like I said, I don’t know how that works. All I know is there is a story in the Bible that illustrates this. You’ve heard it. Or maybe this is the first time you’ve ever heard it. Do you remember that story, in the New Testament, where four guys have a dear friend who is sick and needs to be healed? Do you remember what they did? Those four guys believed Jesus could heal their friend. So what they did is they put their friend, according to that story, onto a stretcher, and they literally took him to Jesus.   When Jesus saw their faith, he healed their friend. Is that right? Notice Jesus healed the guy, but not on the basis of his faith. He didn’t have any faith at that point. Jesus healed this person on the basis of his friends’ faith. Sometimes, folks, sometimes you have to believe, in faith, for other people. Then you have to expect God to act. 

 

Now, here’s a little secret. You don’t have to have a lot of faith. You just need a little faith. You just need a little faith, because if you have a little faith in a great big God, you’re going to get big results. It’s not the size of your faith that really matters. What really matters is your little faith in the size of your God. My experience is that for most of us, particularly in mainline churches, our God is way, way, way too small. Expect God to act.

 

Number Seven: Represent Christ with your life. A newcomer came to this church a couple of weeks ago. The other day, she told me something about one of our people who works in our Mission and Outreach Ministry that she had encountered. She said, “Dave is one of the most Christ-like persons I have ever met.” 

 

Folks, people are not going to see the love, and the grace, and the goodness of God if they are not able to see it in you. I believe God puts specific people right into your life, and God asks you to represent God to them. 

 

The most dangerous prayer that you and I can pray in the next 40 days is a two-word prayer. The two-word prayer I would ask you to use, almost as a mantra, is “Use me.” Nothing else. “Use Me.” I dare you to pray that prayer for 40 days. Two words, every time you come into that prayer time. “Use Me.” 

 

Let me tell you something. With 450 to 500 people in this church praying that simple prayer, watch out. Watch out when the people of this church start praying that prayer. There is absolutely no telling what the Spirit of the Living God might give the partnership of this community of faith a heart to do next. I ask you to pray that prayer. 

 

And we all say together… “Amen.”

 

 

 

Oh, Lord, how can I help people see your face? Who do you want me to pray for? Show me today; lead me to the ones you can reach through me. Please show us how our church can serve you, how we can better organize ourselves to help you. Let us be a part of what you want to do next. Amen.