One Fish Two Fish Why Do I Do This?
Sycamore Creek Church
April 28/29, 2013
Matthew 14:17-25
Tom Arthur
Peace Friends!
What comes to mind when you hear the word “Evangelism.” For many of you evangelism probably brings up a lot of negative associations. It does for me too. There are certain “tribes” of Christianity that I occasionally run into that make me feel like I’m taking a test. If I don’t get the test right, that probably means I’m not a Christian and need to be converted to their tribe.
I also think Sarah’s experience with a Mormon who came to our door one day. We had a sign on the door about morning and evening prayer times, and Sarah saw the Mormon evangelist look at the sign, start to walk away, and then come back to the door and knock. Sarah went to the door and the Mormon evangelist said, “Do you know why God sent a flood on the earth?” Sarah responded, “I’m a student at Duke Divinity School and married to someone who is studying to be a pastor. Are you sure you want to get into this conversation?” He said sheepishly, “No.” And then he gave her his pamphlet and left!
I recently asked my friends on Facebook this question: What negative associations come to mind when you hear the word evangelism? What bad experiences have you had with evangelism? Either sharing your faith or someone trying to evangelize you? Here are some of the answers I got [the full answers are at the bottom]:
Two guys showed up to my dorm room unannounced and started grilling me with difficult theological questions that I had no clue how to navigate.
A single narrow minded focus on ‘Christianity’ and if you do not agree completely with their beliefs you are the enemy…
A focus on altar calls and “getting saved.”
I was always afraid of having to “do evangelism.”
I also have been in situations where I’ve somewhat hidden my faith because friends/acquaintances may feel that bringing up my faith in any way is an attempt to either make them feel inferior or change them in some way.
Young men in suits knocking on my door and trying to tell me (while kids cry, dinner burns and I try to escape) why their version of Christianity is the “right” one.
Evangelists just are too pushy and long-winded. They make me feel uncomfortable.
Caring more about my soul than my health and welfare.
The people who come to my door and preach without asking if I already am a Christian, or do ask but still preach anyway.
Walking down a crowded street a guy with a bull horn waited until I was right in front of him before he lit it up yelling about hell. He’s lucky I didn’t send him there.
Earlier in life it made me think of Tammy and Jim Bakker.
Whew! That’s quite a load of negative associations with evangelism and sharing your faith. I want you to know that we do it differently here at Sycamore Creek Church. We’re a church that is curious, creative, and compassionate. And we are told quite often that people find this a place that isn’t pushy and is very welcoming, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey and what questions you’ve got. I’d like to introduce you to someone who has been recently coming to SCC and is finding this a good place to seek answers to her spiritual questions. Meet Marian Wilson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zpVU23XL-A&feature=youtu.be
Marian may be physically blind, but the eyes of her heart are seeking God and finding SCC a good place to do that. And she even plays the keyboard for us! And if you were here a couple of weeks ago when she first joined the band, you know that Marian is a real gift to us, even as she’s still seeking answers to her God questions. That’s the spirit of evangelism that we have here at SCC.
Today we begin a new series called One Fish Two Fish How Do I Do This? It’s a series about sharing the faith. Today I’m going to answer the question: Why do I do this? Why share the faith?
There are three basic motivations that Christians have for sharing the faith, and you can find all of them in the story where Jesus calls his followers to leave their fishing nets and fish for people. Let’s explore each of these three motivations for sharing the faith.
Concern for Eternity
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Matthew 4:17
For many, the weight of eternity is a significant motivator for sharing the faith. They look around at the people they come in contact with and see that they’re heading away from God for eternity. They desire for all to repent, which originally was a traveling term that simply meant “to turn around”, and head toward God for eternity.
One key tool Christians have used over the last fifty years to make this point is often times called the bridge diagram. There is actually a free app you can download to your phone that walks you and someone else through this bridge diagram. Here’s a video about that tool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tNvEBnUj15k#at=67
http://www.howtoshareyourfaith.com/images/BridgeDiagram-8.jpg
The basic storyline of this diagram goes something like this:
- God created us to be in relationship, but we rebelled and sin entered the world causing a big gap to form between us and God. The result of this gap of sin is death.
- We sense this distance between God and us, and we try to do good works to cross over this gap. None of our good works is good enough to get us across the chasm.
- God saw the predicament we were in and sent his son, Jesus, to bridge that gap. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he conquered sin and death and created a bridge between us and God.
- To cross over this bridge and be in relationship with God we ask Jesus to be our forgiver (Savior) and leader (Lord). Where do you find yourself in this diagram?
There are some key motivators for those who feel the weight of eternity. At its worst, the weight of eternity can lead to a motivation of fear, especially a fear of hell, and a desire to make sure one has the right “fire insurance” to not end up there. When those who are motivated by eternity act out of fear, it is often clear to everyone else around them. Fear as a religious motivator can be powerful, but also very dangerous and off-putting.
At its best the weight of eternity motivates because we recognize that we’re all mortal. We all will die. What’s the number one cause of death? Birth! If you were born, you will die. Our culture does a lot to tell us we’re immortal, and sometimes we need a reminder that we don’t live forever. While concern for eternity has and continues to be a big motivator for many Christian to share the faith, for me personally, this is not a big motivator. I am much more motivated by the next two.
Obedience to the Truth
A second motivator for many to share their faith is obedience to the truth. As we continue reading the story of Jesus calling fishermen to join him and fish for people we read:
As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20
“Follow me.” This is a command. And it’s a command that implies that the “me” that you’re following is worthy of being followed. Jesus tells us what this means elsewhere:
“If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32
Here Jesus is inviting us to be obedient to the truth of his word, to be obedient to him. What is the truth of who God is and who Jesus is? If we find any book in the Bible that lays that out systematically, it is the book of Romans. St. Paul doesn’t lay it out as systematically as we might sometimes like, but his letter to the Romans is the closest thing we’ve got. Christians have recognized this and created at times what is called the Romans Road. It is a path through the book of Romans that succinctly describes the truth of Jesus. What you do is write the Romans Road in the margins of your Bible and then all you have to do is remember where the first verse begins. You look up that verse and beside it is the next verse. The content is pretty self explanatory. There are several versions of the Romans Road, but here is my take:
Romans 1:20—Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.
Romans 3:23—All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23a—For the wages of sin is death,
Romans 6:23b—But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8—But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9-10—If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
Romans 8:1—There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:16—It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Romans 8:38-39—For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 12:1-2—I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.
One of my favorite ways of describing what the truth of Jesus is comes from a third and fourth century church leader named St. Athanasius. In his book, On the Incarnation, he begins by describing how we were made in God’s image so that we could have a relationship and friendship with God. But sin distorted that image and broke the friendship. Jesus came to restore that image. Here’s what St. Athanasius says this about the truth of who Jesus is:
What, then, was God to do? What else could He possibly do, being God, but renew His Image in mankind, so that through it men might once more come to know Him? And how could this be done save by the coming of the very Image Himself, our Saviour Jesus Christ? Men could not have done it, for they are only made after the Image; nor could angels have done it, for they are not the images of God. The Word of God came in His own Person, because it was He alone, the Image of the Father, Who could recreate man made after the Image.
In order to effect this re-creation, however, He had first to do away with death and corruption. Therefore He assumed a human body, in order that in it death might once for all be destroyed, and that men might be renewed according to the Image. The Image of the Father only was sufficient for this need. Here is an illustration to prove it. ‘
You know what happens when a portrait that has been painted on a panel becomes obliterated through external stains. The artist does not throw away the panel, but the subject of the portrait has to come and sit for it again, and then the likeness is re-drawn on the same material. Even so was it with the All-holy Son of God. He, the Image of the Father, came and dwelt in our midst, in order that He might renew mankind made after Himself, and seek out His lost sheep, even as He says in the Gospel: ” I came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19. 10) This also explains His saying to the Jews: “Except a man be born anew …” (John 3. 3) He was not referring to a man’s natural birth from his mother, as they thought, but to the re-birth and re-creation of the soul in the Image of God.
C.S. Lewis, influenced by St. Athanasius, summed this up even more succinctly: “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” I sometimes make Lewis a little more gender inclusive by saying: In Jesus, God took on the character of flesh so that flesh might take on the character of God or In Jesus, God became friends with us so that we might become friends with God.
If all that seems too complicated, John Wesley comes to our rescue with a simple description of the truth: “Always remember the essence of Christian holiness is, simplicity and purity : one design, one desire : entire devotion to God.” Love God with everything you’ve got!
For those who desire to be obedient to the truth, there are some key motivators for sharing the faith. At the worst, this motivation can become intellectual hair-splitting. At its best one is motivated by truth, integrity, reason, honesty, and fidelity. Why share the faith? Because we are called to be obedient to the truth.
Joining an Adventure & Rescue Mission
A third reason why one might share the faith is because you’re inviting those around you to join an adventure and rescue mission.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 4:23-25
Now that’s what I’m talking about! For me this is a huge motivator to share the faith. I want to join the adventure and rescue mission of Jesus to heal and transform the world!
One recent tool that has been developed to tap into this motivation is sometimes called the Four Circles or The Big Story or the True Story. It is somewhat of a reaction to the bridge diagram. The bridge diagram is very individualistic. As you’ll see the Four Circles diagram is very community oriented. Here’s a quick video that describes the four circles:
To see how this works if you drew it out, here’s a more home-grown video of the Four Circles being explained by it’s creator, James Choung:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCVcSiUUMhY
http://openchurchnz.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/choung4circlestruestory.jpg
Here are the four circles:
- Creation – Designed by God for good.
- Fall – Damaged by evil and living self-centered.
- Redemption – Jesus restores for better, and his life, death and resurrection show that sin, evil and death don’t have the last word.
- Mission & Adventure of Following Jesus = We are sent together to heal to become an agent of mission to change the world. The goal is to transform you and send you to transform the world by bringing God’s kingdom now.
I have a hard time coming up with worst case motivations for this, but if I had to, I’d say that because it is a reaction to the Bridge Diagram, sometimes this motivation can be simply reactionary. But at it’s best, wanting to join the adventure and rescue mission of Jesus I am motivated by: compassion; justice; ending or reducing poverty; tearing down the walls of racism, sexism, classism, etc.; and bringing God’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Now that’s what gets me up in the morning!
I like this way of thinking about evangelism and sharing the faith because it is also communal. We don’t do it alone. We are sent together to heal. We invite people to join in that adventure and rescue mission. Who doesn’t want to be involved in transforming the world for better? And a key doorway into this mission is through worship. Worship is the staging ground for this adventure and rescue mission. We attempt to make this as easy as possible for you by providing three to five Big Sundays every year. Easter was our last Big Sunday. So you know that we had almost three hundred people here on Easter? That’s amazing!
Imagine with me a community of people that were motivated to share the faith because following Jesus led to personal transformation. Addictions are broken. Marriages are healed. The lonely find community. The “worthless” find worth. The least become the greatest. The last become the first. The lost become found.
Imagine with me a community of people that were motivated to share the faith because following Jesus leads to joining an adventure and a rescue mission to the world. The homeless women and children at Maplewood find a home. Those on the edge of society find a welcoming place at Open Door. Those who are forgotten because of their age and health find friendship and love at Holt Senior Care. Those in need of basic supplies for life find them at Compassion Closet. Those who need medical assistance in Nicaragua find health and healing and hope. Do you know that these are all places where our church is already reaching out to the community and world? We do it by receiving money and giving it away. Do you know that we have over the life of our church received and given away almost $80,000 in special offerings that have gone to meet the needs of our community and world? SycamoreCreekChurch is joining the adventure of Jesus and his rescue mission to save the world. That’s why we share the faith! Will you join the adventure?
God, sometimes we’re not very motivated to share the faith. Sometimes we’re even scared and overwhelmed. Give us motivation when we don’t have any. Help us have a concern for eternity. Help us be obedient to the truth. Help us join the adventure and rescue mission of Jesus to transform the world. Amen.
Friends, I want to let you know about two things. First, there are three books that have been influential to me in working on this series. I’d like to encourage you and/or your small group to pick one up and read it. They are:
This book is a short (127 pages) easy to read book about how to get into spiritual conversations with those around you. I heard Doug speak about a year ago and was deeply moved by his approach to evangelism. His approach is really about how to listen well and ask good questions. I don’t think you can go wrong with this book. If you’re not sure about which book to pick, pick this one.
Coffee Shop Conversations: Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk by Dale Fincher and Jonalyn Fincher
This book is a little longer (219 pages) but covers more ground than Pollock’s book. It deals with the same topic, how to start spiritual conversations, but also spends a lot more time covering what the Christian faith is and how to respond to possible “arguments” against the Christian faith. If your group wants to go deeper than just how to get into the conversations and needs some help with answers to possible questions that come up, this book would be the one to go with.
True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In by James Choung
This book is the most readable even if longest (222 pages) of the three because it is almost all a narrative (And at times is a page-turner!). It is a “fictional” conversation between a college-age Christian, a mentor professor, and his non-Christian love-interest. This book doesn’t dive at all into how to get into spiritual conversations, but shows how to talk about Christianity in a way that is compelling to our current culture. The book attempts to correct some past ways that Christians have tended to present the gospel that have caused our culture to tune out Christians.
Second, in the fourth week of this series I’m going to be doing a live Q&A with you answering the question: What about objections? I’m going to give you the opportunity to ask the kinds of questions you’re afraid will come up if you talk about your faith with others around you. I’m not preparing much for this message because I want you to see what it looks like to answer these questions unprepared and on the spot. I want to model for you how you might answer objections to the faith, and I may even have to model how to say, “I don’t know. Let me get back to you on that one.” So begin compiling your questions and bring them on week four!
Facebook Questions & Answers
Full answers from my friends on Facebook to the questions: What negative associations come to mind when you hear the word evangelism? What bad experiences have you had with evangelism? Either sharing your faith or someone trying to evangelize you? Here are all of the answers I got:
Back in college I attended a ministry on campus. Once they had my contact information, two guys showed up to my dorm room unannounced and started grilling me with difficult theological questions that I had no clue how to navigate. I was young in my faith and they knew it. After fumbling through my responses, they left. At no point did I feel they actually cared about me. They were there with an agenda. They had no intention of hearing my thoughts. It was as if they only cared about results and could care less about fostering a friendship. Needless to say, I never returned and they never wondered where I went.
A single narrow minded focus on ‘Christianity’ and if you do not agree completely with their beliefs you are the enemy…
A focus on altar calls and “getting saved.” Specifically, I think about when this big production with BMX bikes and loud music came to my high school gym one Friday night. If you didn’t attend the event, you must not have been a Christian. If you didn’t go up front at the altar call, you must not want to be saved. Shame on you! A similar pressure was present at other church events like concerts and such. It never happened at Lake Louise, Lake Michigan, or Wesley Woods… all UMC camps. I love being United Methodist!
I was always afraid of having to “do evangelism.” I saw a poster once that showed a polar bear on this empty frozen wasteland. The caption read “Now this is my kind of neighborhood for evangelism.”
What I don’t like about being evangelized to is the feeling that there is only one belief and if you don’t agree fully with every single facet then somehow you are “less than” as a person. I personally don’t like to evangelize to others because I don’t necessarily “fit” the traditional Christian mold. I also have been in situations where I’ve somewhat hidden my faith because friends/acquaintances may feel that bringing up my faith in any way is an attempt to either make them feel inferior or change them in some way. For example, I know religion is a touchy subject with most members of the LGBT community, and even though I personally feel that God is love and everyone has the right to seek personal happiness, bringing up my faith could be seen as passing judgment or even an attack.
My short answer? Evangelism is awkward for me. Religion and faith place me in a box that I personally don’t fit into.
Young men in suits knocking on my door and trying to tell my (while kids cry, dinner burns and i try to escape) why their version of Christianity is the “right” one.
When I rebelled against God I disliked Christianity, especially those who evangelized their faith. As I mature in my Christian faith I respect those that profess their faith and encourage their enthusiasm. In retrospect, I am thankful to God for those annoying evangelists who sparked contempt and fear into my heart.
Interesting you should ask that, that was the exact question my worship committee discussed this month as we gear up for a sermon series on evangelism: what is it and what it isn’t. I hope God is blessing this conversation for you and your church!
Evangelists just are too pushy and long-winded. They make me feel uncomfortable.
Caring more about my soul than my health and welfare.
The people who come to my door and preach without asking if I already am a Christian, or do ask but still preach anyway. If I believe the same thing, I shouldn’t be offended or feel uncomfortable when you talk about it. I can only imagine how much worse it is if it is a non-believer who answers the door.
Walking down a crowded street a guy with a bullhorn waited until I was right in front of him before he lit it up yelling about hell. He’s lucky I didn’t send him there.
Hmm today at sm group we watched a Nooma video called bullhorn, it’s about a bullhorn guy screaming hell fire and brimstone. I loved how he talked about how Jesus “evangelized”
I don’t think of evangelism the same way as I did when I wasn’t as far along in my faith walk. Earlier in life it made me think of Tammy and Jimmy (?) Bakker. Anyway, it was a turn off, pushy, intrusive. Now I see openly talking about faith and how I can lean on God through faith feels comforting and “looks” totally different from “The Bakers.” I don’t feel fake like the big hair and clumpy makeup or the loud pushy preaching.
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