bigidearesources.combigidearesources.com/.../2018/01/Radical...BETTER.docx  · Web viewappointed the twelve, but the word in the original language is actually much stronger than

Radical Life Week 4 – Radical Contributing

Series Big Idea: Jesus came to usher in a radical upside-down way of living.

Message Big Idea: Jesus ushered in a radical way of living where we’re invited to partner with him in his mission.

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 3:13-15, John 14:12, John 17:3-4, Luke 19:10

NOTE: Includes text for a post-message 3C Christ-Follower Commitment Moment._______________________

Introduction: “Stranger Things” The show “Stranger Things” has become a cultural phenomenon. It’s Netflix’s biggest hit to date and its first season won numerous awards.

If you’re not familiar, the whole concept around “Stranger Things” is there is this upside-down world that confronts everything people thought they knew about reality. When a young boy disappears into this upside-down world, his loved ones must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back. That’s all I’m going to tell you. No spoilers.

The show has captured a wide audience. How many of you have watched it? Apparently many of us are intrigued by this notion of an upside-down world.

Well, Jesus, too, came to usher in an upside-down world. Yet, his upside-down world isn’t a world of creepy, sci-fi TV; but a world with a radical, new way of living.

“Greater Things” The Jesus we find in the Gospels lived a radical life. There was nothing ordinary about him. As he walked about this earth, people marveled at his teaching, they flocked to him for his healing; they stood amazed by his miracles.

And then he said this stunning thing to his followers:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” –John 14:12

Wait a minute…”greater things?” “Greater things” than Jesus? What on earth is he talking about?

So much of life feels filled with “lesser things,” doesn’t it?

Grocery shopping. Laundry. 6-hour Netflix marathons.

It’s hard for me to imagine Jesus holding my life up next to his and saying, “Oh yeah, you’re doing greater things than I did!” Maybe “stranger things,” but not “greater things,” right?

Yet Jesus meant what he said.

1

Today as we conclude our series “Radical Life,” we want you to understand there is nothing ordinary about your life. Your life is full of extraordinary purpose.

That’s what the third ‘C’ in our 3Cs is all about…CONTRIBUTE. Contribute is all about our relationship with the world. God has a purpose for us in this world. He has “greater things” for us to do. He intends to use you and me to turn the world upside down. But how?

Jesus Made Disciples To understand, let’s turn our attention to Jesus. Jesus came into our world on a mission. From the beginning of time, God’s dream was that every human being would walk in an intimate relationship with him. But we quickly lost our way. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, sin corrupted God’s dream. The relationship between God and people was broken.

But even as we turned our backs on him, God was already at work restoring his dream. The story of the Bible is the story of a loving God making a way for us to find our way back to him. And the story reaches its climax when God himself, in the person of Jesus, breaks into time and space to come after us.

Referring to himself as “the Son of Man,” Jesus declares his mission:

“…the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” –Luke 19:10

He came to make a way for all of us to find our way back to God.

Imagine with me for a moment, what it might have been like if Jesus had come in our time, in our culture. How do you think he would have gone about carrying out his mission?

Would he craft a compelling vision statement and plan innovative strategies? Would he organize conventions and create foundations? Would he rent out stadiums and buy up prime advertising space?

I really believe if Jesus came today, he would do exactly what he did 2000 years ago… Jesus Made Disciples.

When Jesus came to catalyze the greatest movement in history, he wandered through the villages on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and invited a few people to join him. Mark describes it this way:

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” –Mark 3:13-15

We know these twelve as the twelve disciples – Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew…and all those other guys. A disciple was a person who became an apprentice to a rabbi. This person would essentially leave everything else in their life to follow the rabbi, learning from him and imitating his ways. Jesus called these men to follow him so they could learn from him and live out God’s purpose for their lives.

In most English translations of the Bible, it says Jesus (highlight) appointed the twelve, but the word in the original language is actually much stronger than “appointed.” It could be read, “Jesus made the twelve,” placing the emphasis on Jesus’ initiative.i The difference might not seem all that significant, but think about it: to appoint is to select from an existing lot and raise to a new status, but to make means to

2

bring into existence. Jesus called these men not because they were superstars who could do a lot for him, but because the focus of his life was on making disciples.

In fact, I find this interesting. In John 17 as Jesus is winding down his time on earth and preparing to go to the cross, he prays to his Father and this is what he says:

“Now this is eternal life: that they (referring to the twelve disciples) know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. And then Jesus says: I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” –John 17:3-4

“…finishing the work you gave me to do.” Interesting. Remember, Jesus hasn’t yet gone to the cross so he’s not talking about the work of salvation that still lies before him. What made him feel like his work was “finished”? He knew the people he had called to be his disciples were ready.

Author David Platt adds:

"What is shocking is that when Jesus summarizes his work on earth, he doesn’t start reliving all the great sermons he preached and all the people who came to listen to him. He doesn’t talk about the amazing miracles he performed—giving sight to the blind, enabling the lame to walk, and feeding thousands of people with minimal food. He doesn’t even mention bringing the dead back to life. Instead he talks repeatedly about the small group of men God had given him out of the world. They were the work God had given to him. They were, quite literally, his life." –David Platt, Radical

Jesus made disciples.

We Make Disciples (3C Christ-followers) And here is the amazing part… When Jesus’ work on earth was done, as he prepared to return to his Father, he turned to his disciples and said:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and Do what? What does it say? make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” –Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus passed his authority on to his disciples and delegated his mission to them. He called his followers, to do exactly what he had done on earth…to make disciples. To invest their lives in other people so that more people will find their way back to God.

And you know what? That’s what these original disciples did. The disciples made disciples who made disciples who made disciples…

And now, here we are, you and me, disciples of Jesus. And what do we do? We Make Disciples.

Here is the radical truth… Jesus delegated his mission to us! He has commissioned us to make disciples. He calls us to do exactly what he did…to invest our lives in other people. And he promises that he will be with us, equipping and empowering us through his Spirit living within us to carry his mission forward.

Around here we like to call disciples (3C Slide with the relationships) 3C Christ-followers. People who are committed to following Jesus by continually growing in their relationship with God, the church, and the

3

world. 3C Christ-followers are committed to carrying out Jesus’ mission so that more and more people find their way back to God.

B.L.E.S.S.And one way that we, as Christ-followers, are equipped to carry out the Jesus mission is through our B.L.E.S.S. practices. These are very practical and easy to remember. All that you have to do is use the word B.L.E.S.S. as an acrostic. Let’s walk through these together to get a better picture of what it looks like to start making disciples like Jesus called us to do. Let’s start with the…

B – Begin with PrayerThis is the perfect place to start because it immediately takes the process out of our hands and places it into God’s hands. When was the last time that you prayed for someone who was far from God? Honestly, that question really convicted me over the past several years. I found that I wasn't often around people who weren’t already Christ-followers.

So I began to pray, and God began to put specific people in my life that I could pray for. The first time I (Aaron) saw this happen was with a friend named Tom. Tom was far from God, and I didn't really know how to introduce him to God, but I knew to pray! So that’s where I started.

Beginning with prayer means we don’t just think about people who are far from God, we think about them with God. We bring them before him in prayer everyday.

We can pray when we wake up - asking God to give us opportunities to bless the people we come across that day.

We can pray on our way to work, or as we drive the kids to school, or as we make our way to the gym for our morning work out…if that’s something we do!

We can pray in the late afternoon or evening as we wind down or while we wash the dishes or just when we are taking a walk.

Prayer is such a vital part of blessing the people around us. It’s something any one of us can do at any time. “B” is for “Begin with Prayer.” Next we have…

L – ListenIf we are going to help people find their way back to God, we’ve got to listen to them. Sadly, Christians have become known for talking much more than listening. Listen to your neighbors, to your co-workers, to the people at your gym… One of the best ways we can really bless other people is to be really good at listening.

I decided early on that I wasn't going to tell Tom that I worked at a church or even that I was a follower of Jesus. I just wanted to listen to his story and his experiences. It wasn't until much farther down the road that I discovered how valuable of a step this really was.

For some of us, we simply need to quiet ourselves and just listen to those around us. Not offer advice or opinions or even talk about our experiences. Just listen. The “L” in B.L.E.S.S. is for “Listen.” And the E…

E – EatMost of us eat 21 meals every week. And since we’re already eating 21 times every week, we can be on mission without adding anything to our busy schedules. We can be on mission simply by including others in doing what we are already doing.

4

In fact, Jesus regularly took time within the disciple-making process to eat with his friends. It was in those moments that Jesus had meaningful and impactful conversations.

Our Lincoln Park/Old Town location has, perhaps, done this better than anyone. I follow their Community Pastor, Eric Metcalf, on social media and it seems they are always sharing meals.

(Pictures) Throughout the summer, the Metcalf's and others host neighborhood BBQs to build relationships with those who are possibly far from God. During holidays, many of Lincoln Park's attenders leave the city. However, there are handfuls that don't leave and some attenders will hold dinners for those left in the city.

There may be nothing we can do to move a relationship from acquaintance to friendship faster than sharing a meal. “E” is for “Eat.” Eating is a missional practice everyone can get behind!

S – ServeWe begin with prayer…we listen…we eat. And gradually we will discover how we can best serve the person or place God is calling us to.

Too often we are too quick to serve. We just want to do something so we jump right in, but we might not really meet the needs of the people or the place that we’re wanting to bless. That’s why these practices are in the order we have them. The listening comes before the serving to ensure that we’re meeting real needs.

This is the step where I really began to see God use me in Tom’s life. When tragedy struck in his life, I was one of the first people he called, and I had the opportunity to come alongside him in a time of need. It was in this moment that Tom said something that I’ll never forget, he said: “Aaron, I don't know what it is that you have in your life, but I want it!” The first “S” in B.L.E.S.S. is “Serve.” The second S is…

S – Share your storyThis final practice is usually the last one we get to live out. At some point in time, we will have the opportunity to tell our STORY. Someone may ask, “Why do you do what you do?” Or they might say, “You’re a little different…” ...and mean it in a good way! And then you can tell them the story of how you found your way back to God.

And that’s exactly what happened for me with Tom. It wasn't until I walked through all the other practices that Tom was even open to hearing my story. But that’s when I had the chance to tell him about the difference that Jesus has made in my life. And now Tom has found his way back to God, was baptized, and has been actively pursuing God in his life!

These B.L.E.S.S. practices are simple, but it’s actually the person living a radical life who is practicing these on a daily basis. It’s one thing to know the practices; it’s a radical life that lives them out.

So I want to challenge us all to something today... Would you commit to living out these B.L.E.S.S. practices with three people you know or are connected to? All I’m asking is that you begin having a conversation with God about 3 people and how he might use you to help them find their way back to God.

A Vision of “Greater Things”5

It sounds simple enough, but listen to how radical this could be. Let’s say for a moment that there are 10,000 people who attend COMMUNITY on a regular basis. That’s a probably an accurate number.

If each of us would bless 3 people this year and if just 1 of those 3 found their way back to God and became a 3C Christ-follower, we will have reached 20,000 people at this point next year. That’s the number of people that can fill up the United Center.

And if we do that again the following year there would be 40,000…enough to fill Wrigley Field.

After 3 years we would number 80,000. That means we’d have to leave 20,000 of you at home when we all went to a Bears game.

After 5 years we could buy out every ticket for Lollapalooza as we’d number 320,000.

In year 7 we could make up the entire 1.3 million people who attend The Taste of Chicago.

And within a decade we will have reached the entire population of the Chicago area. Imagine a Chicago where we had to send people to other cities because there’s no one left to bless here?

These are the “greater things” that Jesus was talking about! When he commissioned us to make disciples, this is the kind of impact he knows we could have! He wants to turn the world upside down through his followers!

But it starts with each one of us deciding to live radically. Each one of us deciding… I am going to follow Jesus. I am going to live as a 3C Christ-follower who makes other 3C Christ-followers. I am going to live the radical life.

Our lives are full of extraordinary purpose. That’s what the third ‘C’, Contribute, in our 3Cs is all about. Jesus wants to use you and me to turn the world upside down.

6

Will we follow him?

Let’s pray.

Follow the message with a special or worship song. The response moment is meant to be a stand-alone moment with Communion.

3C Christ-Follower CommitmentJesus came to usher in a radical, upside-down way of living. All throughout this series we’ve been challenging one another to ask ourselves: Am I following the real Jesus? The Jesus who calls me to be his disciple, a growing 3C Christ-follower.

As we conclude the series today, we want to give you an opportunity to commit to living a radical 3C Christ-following life.

(Celebrate) It’s a life of Radical Celebration where we enjoy God and look to grow daily in our relationship with him. There is always a next step for us to take in coming to know him better and surrendering more and more of our lives to him. Will you commit to following the real Jesus into radical celebration?

(Connect) It’s a life of Radical Connecting where everyone belongs. Where we give ourselves to relationships here in the church, investing in one another, encouraging one another, supporting one another. It’s living as the family Jesus intends for us to be. Will you commit to following the real Jesus into radical connecting?

(Contribute) It’s a life of Radical Contributing where daily we bless those God has put in our lives. It’s about giving our lives to the Jesus mission as we love the world. Will you commit to following the real Jesus into radical contributing?

All throughout this series we’ve been challenging one another to be intentional about taking next steps as a 3C Christ-follower by using this online tool, our 3C Spiritual Growth Plan. And, I’d encourage you, as we move forward into this year to continue to use this tool to set next steps to grow as a 3C Christ-follower. But today, we want to give everyone the opportunity to experience something tangible, right here, right now.

In just a moment, we’re going to receive Communion together by coming forward to these tables. But today, on this table, you’ll also find these wristbands. They say “Celebrate – Connect - Contribute” on them. Today, we invite you to commit yourself to the radical life. Whether this is a reaffirmation or a commitment you’re making for the first time, we invite you to commit to following Jesus as a 3C Christ-follower. This is a commitment to a life of continual growth not just in one ‘C,’ not just in two ‘C’s, but to grow as a 3C Christ-follower.

We invite you to commit to living as a 3C Christ-follower, and then wear this wristband as a reminder of that commitment.

Lead into Communion.

7

Communion IdeaDuring one of the final moments of his life, we see Jesus eating with his disciples. It is in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus takes the cup and says, “Listen, I’m not going to be here forever. This cup is going to be the symbol that you remember me by. It’ll help you remember my blood that I will pour out, for you.”

And then Jesus took the bread that was there and said, “This bread can serve as a reminder of how my body will be beaten and broken on the cross. Take these symbols and remember.”

As his disciples, let’s take communion together.

8

i James Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark in The Pillar New Testament Commentary, ed. D.A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 273.