The first night we were blessed with a transator and I shared a sermon on Matthew 21:28-32 and I will share it here because I am a realisit and know that not everyone reading this will run out and grab your Bible to check out this reference:
There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
I was preaching this sermon to believers. I think most of what believers are called to do can be summed up in what Jesus called the greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). I know that most of my life as a Christian I would hear that and think “Ok, God, got that down, I love you,” but then my actions wouldn’t reflect that love at all. I know I mentioned in a previous blog that I realized that love was a verb, but I’m starting to see that it may even be a mindset. It is the process of constantly putting God and others ahead of myself which often can and does portray itself in different ways. I feel convicted in my heart to a similar ministry to that of Chip Ingram, whose motto is “Helping Christians live like Christians.”
I believe that the church is and should be comprised of messy people with messy lives who are constantly seeking to be more and more like Jesus Christ. I would challenge you reading this, that if you claim to be a Christian and no one could tell that you are a Christian by how you live your life – if it isn’t any different than our unChristian counterparts except for maybe a visit to church on big holidays, and if you’re feeling extra-holy a trip to church when it wasn’t a holiday – then maybe you’re not heeding your call.
When we happened to be at this finca for these past four days I read one of the many books that are being passed around the squad called Irrisistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I have many different new and budding ideas in my mind from that book and I would like to share them with you. One, was the idea for that sermon. However, I have several loved ones that have been placed strongly on my heart for the whole time I have been on the Race that claim to be Christians but don’t seem to be living like Christians and I am praying they would realize that the Holy Spirit is pursuing them and longing for a close intimate relationship with them and did not just send Christ for their eternal salvation, and then they’re free to live their lives here on earth apart from that eternal decision.
Another way I have been impacted by Shane’s book, which refers more to the part where I talk about the church being comprised of messy people with messy lives, is where I had a revelation about my life. As I have been sharing my testimony more and more I am realizing that I feel like I was really “saved” when I was in junior high school at New Life Academy. However, there were eight years after I left New Life where I do not feel like I was living as a Christian or heeding God’s call. Now that I am sharing my testimony all the time I have been starting to wonder whether or not I was truly saved. After reading Shane’s book, I am starting to realize that I was saved when I was in junior high and that my sins: past, present, and future (that’s really wild if you actually think about it) have been forgiven by the blood of Christ. However, I was not leading a life that was allowing God to give me the blessings He desired for my life. I was not living in a way that was any different from my nonChristian friends and because of that I had no fruit in my life (Matthew 7:15-23). My life looks different now that I am engaging in a real relationship with my Lord and Savior and that is not because I want to earn my salvation – because I know I cannot – but it is because my heart has been changed and I don’t want to pursue the things of this world that lead to death when Jesus is freely offering life and peace.
I like Francis Chan’s challenge in his book Crazy Love to not just assume that you’re a sheep. This is referring to the parable in Matthew 25:31-33 telling us that the Son of Man will come in his glory, the nations will be gathered, and he will separate the sheep from the goats (the saved from the sinners). I know I read this for many years and assumed I was in the clear, I was a sheep, I was good to go, I said the prayer that made me a Christian and my sins are forgiven so now there is nothing more required of me. The closer and closer I grow to Christ and the more I read about Him and how radical He was in the gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible) the more convicted I am that I am a sinner saved by grace and that at times I will mess up and represent the humble Savior of this world in a way that would make me cringe if the roles were reversed. But again, that leads back to grace, we have already been forgiven. Once I repent (and repenting is an action of actively taking steps to change your ways and not just saying “I’m sorry” to God) I have the freedom to continue living as God’s redeemed child.
