ARE WE PREPARED?

Jeremiah 1:1-2:30; Philippians 4:1-23; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 24:17-20

“Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land—the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.  They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. …Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

“Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked.”

The Lord gives us everything we need to be effective disciples. Our problem is we either do not believe or do not fully trust in His provision. We see disciples in action but tell ourselves we could never do something like that. We forget that discipleship isn’t really about us in the first place – it is about God in us. It is about our becoming instruments of grace in the hands of the Master. Fundamentally, it’s about giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to use everything that is our life, good and bad, for His glory. In particular, discipleship provides us with an excellent chance to allow the Lord to redeem our mistakes. When we are vulnerable and allow others to understand our own errors and sin – and how Christ has forgiven even them and used them to draw us closer to Him – our testimony has an integrity and authenticity that speaks far louder than any Bible study or sermon, because it speaks personally of our real life experience.

It has been interesting over the last several years to listen to input from the members of our Sunday morning ministry who are willing to wrestle with and give their personal testimonies. The preparation follows a more or less predictable path. First comes denial, as in, “Oh, I could never do that.” It can take some convincing for us to begin to see that Jesus may indeed have something to say through us and, just possibly, something to say to us in the process. Second comes wrestling with the Spirit over exactly what to say: “I could never tell that!” Third is surrender, which can be more or less graceful, but always ends the same way – with a decision for authenticity, warts and all. “OK, Lord, I give up. Take this where You want it.” Next? Sweat equity, where most of the real fighting with God takes place as we come to grips with the reality of our sin and the astounding wonder of His grace in spite of it. “Oh, Lord, don’t take me down that road again…. Hey, it’s got four new lanes and nary a wreck in sight. I didn’t think you’d ever really clean that mess up!” Then, finally, as the Word is shared, the astonishment of true redemption: “I had no idea the Lord ever could or would use my story to so affect other people….”

The message today is that every pain has a purpose, every failure raises a faith challenge, and there are always those who need to hear that the world still can be overcome, even today. We need to have our story ready. No heavy theology or great academic learning is needed for us to be effective witnesses for Christ. We just need to tell the story the Lord has already given us. When it comes to sharing our failures in the context of the Holy Spirit’s redeeming grace, the challenge I offer is pretty simple: if you can’t or won’t talk about it and share it with others, you’ve got to ask yourself why. If you are still reluctant because you feel guilty, have you given Christ permission to truly wash it clean? Have you not allowed Him to forgive you, not submitted your sin to Him, because you think you have to forgive yourself first? How foolish! Our Creator has loved us in spite of ourselves ever since Eden. We have nothing to fear from confession or vulnerability in the Lord. We need to show those Jesus brings us what it looks like to live victoriously notwithstanding our foibles.

Without challenge, no one wins. It’s OK to talk about where we’ve fallen short and been picked up by Christ. After all, it’s usually the most interesting thing about us!

Everybody has a story capable of changing another person’s life. There is, in candor, a need to bring the right story and the right person together, and we have to leave that mainly in God’s hands. But that said, we should never shrink from the opportunity to tell others what we know, and what we’ve experienced. Much like Matthew’s farmer who sowed his seed on many different types of soil, we cannot always be certain what seeds will take root and prosper, so we do well to cast our seeds of discipleship in a wide circle. But sow them we must, for the Lord has seen fit to give each of us some pretty unique seeds. Their beauty will never be seen unless they are allowed to fully die in us even as they give rise to new life in someone else. We can do all things, even witness, through Christ, who gives us strength.