I grew up dreading sermons on the topic of missions. In my youth, I would hear these messages and think that [someday] I would be the one who was tapped to pack up everything he owned and move to Africa. I didn’t want to go to Africa.
And, as an adult, when I heard that we were approaching another “missions’ month,” I would cringe because I knew the sermons were going to fill me with guilt that I wasn’t “going” unto “all nations” to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
I’ve never lived outside of the United States. In fact, I’ve…
And that was my “work” – during the day and after the day, it was work that most in the Church would consider highly “secular.” But it was work. And I understood that I was blessed to have it. Work…
That command was more than just a call to procreation. It was a call to civilization. It’s a call to follow God’s lead in working to build His Kingdom …and to restore or bring about things and relationships that were not there before. And that took work.
And remember, God called human beings to work prior to the Fall. That means the concept of work is not tainted by sin … work is eminently significant and is one of the ways by which the character of our God is revealed through our actions. It’s an example of how He expects us to serve and respond to others. Work, whether paid or for play, is eternally meaningful. We are told to…
But I did not make the connection – work for Ken Long was, well, just “work.”
It was a long time before I realized that there was a Kingdom connection between my job and my Savior. For years, I watched from the sidelines the Lord do some incredible and remarkable things to reach people with the gospel right inside the walls of my company. I was impressed, but I had built a virtual wall between my job and my God. It was not comfortable, or convenient for me to tear down that wall and co-mingle the two…
Later in life, as I reflected on my career a bit, I [eventually] realized that I had blown it. That throughout my career …
Through this season of Lent, Joe shares that you have been following the encounter of the Samaritan woman with Jesus. This evening, I want to talk about this part of the story:
“Now [Jesus] needed to go through Samaria. So, he came to a town in Samaria … Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon ... When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (John 4:4 NKJV)
What stands out to me in this part of this story is the word “needed.” Why does the Bible say Jesus “needed to go through Samaria”? Well …
Most of us have a rather parochial understanding of stewardship, don’t we? When we hear the word, we think in terms of time, talent, and treasure … when we hear the word, “stewardship.” But there are many other ways we are called to be good stewards …
· with our bodies …
· our thoughts …
· our words …
· and the Bible reminds us that we are called to be good stewards of blessings and grace.
I believe we are also called to be good stewards of OPPORTUNITIES … the OPPORTUNITIES that God places in our paths.
· Why does He give us these OPPORTUNITIES?
· Because He wants to use them to teach us or to draw us closer to Him.
Often these are OPPORTUNITIES that we don’t recognize as God-given, or that we ignore for one reason or the other, or feign from for concern of personal risk, sacrifice, or fear, or inconvenience … we’ve all been there.
· “No, that’s not for me,” we might say, “I’m not going to Africa, my wife and I have often jested.”
How we respond to God-given OPPORTUNITY either honors God, or denies Him.
And when we deny Him, it is sin. It is a sin of Omission.
· Doing nothing when we should be doing SOMEthing.
· Not responding to God when He expects us to.
· Not responding to God because we forget that we are not being asked to go “into it” alone.
If you want proof that God is with us in these OPPORTUNITIES, read the story of Moses. Or Caleb. Or Joshua. Or Gideon. Or Benniah. Or David. Or of the Shamgar. Or…
As Jesus approached his encounter with the Samaritan woman, He knew this. He recognized this as a Godly OPPORTUNITY. But … but … just think about the inconvenience of the situation:
· Jesus was exhausted,
· ... the heat was smoldering,
· ... the journey was long,
· ... and He was on foot.
· ... He had somewhere else He was supposed to be.
· ... He knew He wouldn’t be welcome there because of the long-standing animosity between Jews and Samaritans.
· ... Women in those days were forbidden to speak to men outside their own family.
· ... And this woman was already the talk of the town because she’d been through five divorces and was now living with another man.
There are so many reasons one, in our humanness, would have turned around and ignored this OPPORTUNITY, aren’t there?
But Jesus didn’t. He needed to go to Samaria. SHE was the OPPORTUNITY.
There’s an important message here. The circumstances didn’t control Jesus; the will of God and the needs of hurting people did.
· He was willing to go out of His way,
· ... in spite of his fatigue,
· ... self-denying and pushing fear aside,
· ... turning tradition on its ear,
· ... and to break new ground to do it.
· ... And in the encounter, she became the very first person to whom Jesus introduced Himself as The Messiah.
This part of the story is about the intersection of “need” and OPPORTUNITY. It’s an example to us why Jesus needs us. Why we need to be sensitive to OPPORTUNITIES at work or at play, where we, too, can share our faith.
You’ve heard this before – “It’s not about us, it’s about them.” Just as Jesus changed you when you joined His family, He desires to use you to change others.
This woman was the first person to share the gospel in Samaria, and (in John 4:39 NKJV) “many … Samaritans … believed in Him because of the word of the woman” (John 4:39 NKJV).
In spite of our …
…God needs to place OPPORTUNITIES in our path so He can make others whole.
Oh … and let’s get back to The Great Commission. I quoted it at the beginning…
(Matthew 28:16) “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…, [baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...“]
This was the objective at Jacob’s well, wasn’t it? To trust, teach, and disciple the Samaritan woman, right? Does that make sense?
As I reflect on how my education and my career and my [personal] growth as a Believer come together, I have come to think that calling a Christian a full-time missionary is calling an apple an apple – it’s really redundant.
It really need not be said.
Simply by virtue of being a Christian, you are in full-time missions. Whether…
I wish I had understood this when I was sitting in church during Missions Month so many years ago. God’s Word makes it certain that we can be obedient to the Great Commission …
God’s Word makes crystal clear that each of us is called to make disciples of Jesus Christ no matter where we live or what work we have been blessed with.
Let me tie all of this together…
We understand that Jesus has called each and every one of us to be a full-time missionary by The Great Commission,
While at the same time the work we have been provided and are blessed with (even secular work), whether as a volunteer or for pay, is inherently good and meaningful,
And, as we go through life, including in our work, we are given Kingdom OPPORTUNITIES that we are free to acknowledge and use to glorify God, or ignore by the sin of omission.
Now it doesn’t matter what your job title is or isn’t -- seize the opportunity -- we are commanded to make disciples.
· It doesn’t matter if you live in Livingston or Liverpool,
· if you sit at a desk or if you are in the grocery store,
· if you are part-time or are full-time.
Seize the opportunity -- we are commanded to make disciples. It doesn’t matter if you are…
· an entrepreneur,
· an artist,
· a pastor,
· a student,
· a stay-at-home-mom,
· an accountant,
· a barista,
· in the military,
· or are retired…
-- seize the opportunity -- we are commanded to make disciples. Not …
· …next year after your life settles down.
· … at some point in the distant future.
· … [just] on the next short-term missions’ trip.
Today. You are a full-time missionary. Think about it. What an awesome privilege God has given us! What an incredible OPPORTUNITY!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
· A woman of Samaria came to draw water...” (John 4:7 NKJV).
· It was around lunchtime.
· Jesus was tired and dirty … and thirsty.
· He saw a well, and a woman who He knew would be coming to draw water from that well.
· He looked beyond her problems and reputation and saw her potential for His Kingdom.
The OPPORTUNITY with this woman was not humanly understandable or foreseeable...
· After five failed marriages, her trust in men was zero -- and her self-esteem was less than that!
· But in the encounter, she realized the call to introduce the gospel to Samaria for the first time.
· She came to the well a damaged woman, but left as a redeemed, committed evangelist for Christ, and forever radically, influenced change in Samaria.
Jesus saw the OPPORTUNITY, and for this, He needed to go to Samaria.
What an example for us.
Don’t miss YOUR OPPORTUNITY to share your faith. At work or at play, God places them in your path every day.
Presented as colloquy as Guest Speaker at Wednesday evening service,
First Presbyterian Church of Livingston, 10 April 2019.
And, as an adult, when I heard that we were approaching another “missions’ month,” I would cringe because I knew the sermons were going to fill me with guilt that I wasn’t “going” unto “all nations” to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
I’ve never lived outside of the United States. In fact, I’ve…
- …Never had a hankering to live outside of the United States.
- …Nor have I ever been in a career that could traditionally be considered “full-time ministry,” or “full-time missions.”
- I’ve spent an uncelebrated career as an exec in a “the bottom line is everything” tech company.
- During the day I specialized in turning problems into solutions, bad divisions into good divisions, and eventually, in turning bad companies into good companies. Hardly a ministry.
- During the evenings I mostly played trombone and volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America helping to develop energetic young men into engaged young leaders.
And that was my “work” – during the day and after the day, it was work that most in the Church would consider highly “secular.” But it was work. And I understood that I was blessed to have it. Work…
- In Genesis 2:15, we see that God put Adam in the Garden of Eden and called him to “work it and take care of it.”
- In Genesis 1:26-31 we are reminded that work was a part of God’s original, perfect design for the world. In that passage, we see God commanding humankind to “be fruitful” and to “fill the earth and subdue it.”
That command was more than just a call to procreation. It was a call to civilization. It’s a call to follow God’s lead in working to build His Kingdom …and to restore or bring about things and relationships that were not there before. And that took work.
- God didn’t make cheese; He made cows that give milk so that we can work to make cheese from it.
- God didn’t make clothing. He made sheep which provide wool which we work to make beautiful fabrics in wonderful colors for matching outfits.
- God didn’t make housing. He made trees and iron ore from which our work creates lumber and nails to build safe and decent places to live.
And remember, God called human beings to work prior to the Fall. That means the concept of work is not tainted by sin … work is eminently significant and is one of the ways by which the character of our God is revealed through our actions. It’s an example of how He expects us to serve and respond to others. Work, whether paid or for play, is eternally meaningful. We are told to…
- Do it with excellence and for the glory of God, and the good of others.
- Do it with thanksgiving as it is God who has provided it for you.
- It matters.
- Deeply matters.
But I did not make the connection – work for Ken Long was, well, just “work.”
It was a long time before I realized that there was a Kingdom connection between my job and my Savior. For years, I watched from the sidelines the Lord do some incredible and remarkable things to reach people with the gospel right inside the walls of my company. I was impressed, but I had built a virtual wall between my job and my God. It was not comfortable, or convenient for me to tear down that wall and co-mingle the two…
Later in life, as I reflected on my career a bit, I [eventually] realized that I had blown it. That throughout my career …
- ...there had been embedded in that work a countless number of God-given opportunities for ME to get in the game and “make disciples of Jesus Christ.”
- ...What I had eventually figured out was that I didn’t need to leave the United States in order to meet the call to “go” unto “all nations…”.
- ...God had paced me in a company fully expecting that I would make it my personal mission field.
Through this season of Lent, Joe shares that you have been following the encounter of the Samaritan woman with Jesus. This evening, I want to talk about this part of the story:
“Now [Jesus] needed to go through Samaria. So, he came to a town in Samaria … Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon ... When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (John 4:4 NKJV)
What stands out to me in this part of this story is the word “needed.” Why does the Bible say Jesus “needed to go through Samaria”? Well …
- Because He was called to a Godly appointment –
- Our Lord had a God-given OPPORTUNITY.
Most of us have a rather parochial understanding of stewardship, don’t we? When we hear the word, we think in terms of time, talent, and treasure … when we hear the word, “stewardship.” But there are many other ways we are called to be good stewards …
· with our bodies …
· our thoughts …
· our words …
· and the Bible reminds us that we are called to be good stewards of blessings and grace.
I believe we are also called to be good stewards of OPPORTUNITIES … the OPPORTUNITIES that God places in our paths.
· Why does He give us these OPPORTUNITIES?
· Because He wants to use them to teach us or to draw us closer to Him.
Often these are OPPORTUNITIES that we don’t recognize as God-given, or that we ignore for one reason or the other, or feign from for concern of personal risk, sacrifice, or fear, or inconvenience … we’ve all been there.
· “No, that’s not for me,” we might say, “I’m not going to Africa, my wife and I have often jested.”
How we respond to God-given OPPORTUNITY either honors God, or denies Him.
And when we deny Him, it is sin. It is a sin of Omission.
· Doing nothing when we should be doing SOMEthing.
· Not responding to God when He expects us to.
· Not responding to God because we forget that we are not being asked to go “into it” alone.
If you want proof that God is with us in these OPPORTUNITIES, read the story of Moses. Or Caleb. Or Joshua. Or Gideon. Or Benniah. Or David. Or of the Shamgar. Or…
As Jesus approached his encounter with the Samaritan woman, He knew this. He recognized this as a Godly OPPORTUNITY. But … but … just think about the inconvenience of the situation:
· Jesus was exhausted,
· ... the heat was smoldering,
· ... the journey was long,
· ... and He was on foot.
· ... He had somewhere else He was supposed to be.
· ... He knew He wouldn’t be welcome there because of the long-standing animosity between Jews and Samaritans.
· ... Women in those days were forbidden to speak to men outside their own family.
· ... And this woman was already the talk of the town because she’d been through five divorces and was now living with another man.
There are so many reasons one, in our humanness, would have turned around and ignored this OPPORTUNITY, aren’t there?
But Jesus didn’t. He needed to go to Samaria. SHE was the OPPORTUNITY.
There’s an important message here. The circumstances didn’t control Jesus; the will of God and the needs of hurting people did.
· He was willing to go out of His way,
· ... in spite of his fatigue,
· ... self-denying and pushing fear aside,
· ... turning tradition on its ear,
· ... and to break new ground to do it.
· ... And in the encounter, she became the very first person to whom Jesus introduced Himself as The Messiah.
This part of the story is about the intersection of “need” and OPPORTUNITY. It’s an example to us why Jesus needs us. Why we need to be sensitive to OPPORTUNITIES at work or at play, where we, too, can share our faith.
You’ve heard this before – “It’s not about us, it’s about them.” Just as Jesus changed you when you joined His family, He desires to use you to change others.
This woman was the first person to share the gospel in Samaria, and (in John 4:39 NKJV) “many … Samaritans … believed in Him because of the word of the woman” (John 4:39 NKJV).
In spite of our …
- busyness,
- or concern for personal risk,
- sacrifice,
- or fear,
- inconvenience,
- or WHATever,
…God needs to place OPPORTUNITIES in our path so He can make others whole.
Oh … and let’s get back to The Great Commission. I quoted it at the beginning…
(Matthew 28:16) “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…, [baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...“]
This was the objective at Jacob’s well, wasn’t it? To trust, teach, and disciple the Samaritan woman, right? Does that make sense?
As I reflect on how my education and my career and my [personal] growth as a Believer come together, I have come to think that calling a Christian a full-time missionary is calling an apple an apple – it’s really redundant.
It really need not be said.
Simply by virtue of being a Christian, you are in full-time missions. Whether…
- You’re a student,
- a businessperson,
- a barista,
- a doctor,
- a janitor,
- a lawyer,
- a mother,
- or a teacher,
I wish I had understood this when I was sitting in church during Missions Month so many years ago. God’s Word makes it certain that we can be obedient to the Great Commission …
- without changing our vocation or our location.
- We do not need to move to Africa.
- We do not need to sell everything we own and become international missionaries.
God’s Word makes crystal clear that each of us is called to make disciples of Jesus Christ no matter where we live or what work we have been blessed with.
Let me tie all of this together…
We understand that Jesus has called each and every one of us to be a full-time missionary by The Great Commission,
While at the same time the work we have been provided and are blessed with (even secular work), whether as a volunteer or for pay, is inherently good and meaningful,
And, as we go through life, including in our work, we are given Kingdom OPPORTUNITIES that we are free to acknowledge and use to glorify God, or ignore by the sin of omission.
Now it doesn’t matter what your job title is or isn’t -- seize the opportunity -- we are commanded to make disciples.
· It doesn’t matter if you live in Livingston or Liverpool,
· if you sit at a desk or if you are in the grocery store,
· if you are part-time or are full-time.
Seize the opportunity -- we are commanded to make disciples. It doesn’t matter if you are…
· an entrepreneur,
· an artist,
· a pastor,
· a student,
· a stay-at-home-mom,
· an accountant,
· a barista,
· in the military,
· or are retired…
-- seize the opportunity -- we are commanded to make disciples. Not …
· …next year after your life settles down.
· … at some point in the distant future.
· … [just] on the next short-term missions’ trip.
Today. You are a full-time missionary. Think about it. What an awesome privilege God has given us! What an incredible OPPORTUNITY!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
· A woman of Samaria came to draw water...” (John 4:7 NKJV).
· It was around lunchtime.
· Jesus was tired and dirty … and thirsty.
· He saw a well, and a woman who He knew would be coming to draw water from that well.
· He looked beyond her problems and reputation and saw her potential for His Kingdom.
The OPPORTUNITY with this woman was not humanly understandable or foreseeable...
· After five failed marriages, her trust in men was zero -- and her self-esteem was less than that!
· But in the encounter, she realized the call to introduce the gospel to Samaria for the first time.
· She came to the well a damaged woman, but left as a redeemed, committed evangelist for Christ, and forever radically, influenced change in Samaria.
Jesus saw the OPPORTUNITY, and for this, He needed to go to Samaria.
What an example for us.
Don’t miss YOUR OPPORTUNITY to share your faith. At work or at play, God places them in your path every day.
Presented as colloquy as Guest Speaker at Wednesday evening service,
First Presbyterian Church of Livingston, 10 April 2019.
