Better late than never....Sorry!
Maybe we've got a more difficult 'mission field' than we've really talked about before..
The question "Why is it hard to believe that we have received exactly the same message and Spirit as the disciples?" is all too easy to answer. Yet we all long to see God move in power.
We thought about how comfortable people are where we live and the difficulty of sharing a gospel that can actually make life harder.
Probably none of us have ever prayed "Lord send more gospel workers here in the UK". As we talked about this there was a definite realisation of God wanting us to work together as a group.
I hope that we have been able to "inspire others with the message of Jesus" this week. It's been great for me to be reminded to put Jesus at the front of everything and to remember what he has done for me.
Just wanted to say about today's study (22 March)that it is so dependent upon our circumstances (at the time) as to whether we think God has given up on us (or is still there for us). Challenging stuff me thinks
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to consider that we have access to the same spirit and message as the disciples is because we are not doing what they did. I am reading through 2nd Corinthians at the moment and the challenge posed by Paul's life is very daunting. He speaks of honesty and directness in his relaying of the message, a message that could well leave us quite ostracised from our society if we spoke it with that spirit.
ReplyDeleteThe barrier I (we?) most often face seems to be one of comfort. A lot of church life seems simple because it fits with our lifestyle, aspirations and cultural norms. We pray for boldness or wisdom to witness and preach to others at work in order to overcome the issue that we might look stupid, be left feeling awkward, or say something wrong. But the if the message and spirit we have has still so much work to do in our lives then what are we wanting to say to others?
To have an honest conversation about God's abundant love with someone in your work place, what are you willing to risk? If you have the same spirit and message that the disciples had then there is not just the risk that it might go wrong and be a bit uncomfortable. It might go right and be very, very uncomfortable! You face the very real prospect of being reduced to tears and you and all your colleagues being overcome by the magnitude of God's grace whilst there are customers waiting, whilst there is 'work' to be done. You might be disciplined by you boss, how would you explain your actions? When would you stop? At what point would you need to stop sharing this message with those that have not yet heard? You might get fired – is that an obvious barrier?
Our comfortable lives leave a safe space for your faith in amongst all the other things you need to do with your life. I find myself asking, how much of this do I believe just because it fits my life culturally and how much do I really believe even if it turns out that I may have to sacrifice all my comforts to follow it. What is my relationship with God worth?
What if you find your job, your favourite TV show, or maybe something bigger like your place in a capitalist economy does not fit with the love you want to convey to your neighbours. Those are some barriers too.
I need to think seriously, if I believe what I say I believe – the same message and spirit of the disciples – then I need to look at my whole life and what I would sacrifice.
Only when I get to the point where my honest (proper honesty, not just what I want to think about myself) answer is 'everything' would I not find it so hard to believe I have received the same spirit as the disciples. I don't doubt for one moment that it is available, its just do I have the guts to receive it?
I would encourage others to stay inspired by the Gospel by saying 'if we are men that believe this then we need to be strong enough to die to ourselves and let our weakness and vulnerability, our honesty, be the witness to those we meet whatever the cost' – I am not there yet, but this looks like the way.
Anyone got any better ideas?