October 30, 2016
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
The Body of
Christ…?
“Start Living
Right Now”
Psalm 148
Matthew 7:21-23;
Mark 1:14-20
2 Corinthians
5:11-15; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
Acts 17:24-28
Right Here…Right
Now…
Prayer of adoration and for God’s
illumination so that His Word would be heard through me or in spite of me…
I would ask you to stand, as you are able,
for the Gospel reading from the Gospel of Matthew, verses 21-23. Listen to the
Word of God…His Love Letter…to and for you and me…His beloved children…
Comfort
zone…what comes to mind when I use the words “comfort zone”? Why do you think
we create comfort zones for ourselves? Are you willing to step out of our
comfort zone? I know for me it is hard to step out of my comfort zone. I like
my comfort zone. It is a place where I feel safe and don’t have to worry about
failing. As we stay in our comfort zone, we know how far we can go…it’s much
more sensible for us to stay there if we are going to serve God. Right?
When
God called me to ministry I had this fear of public speaking. Every time I had
to do it I would stumble and stutter through whatever it was I had to read.
There was no way I was going to be able to speak in front of a congregation
every week let alone shepherd one. Now here is God calling me out of my comfort
zone. What was I to do? I had said that I would do whatever God called me to do
when I rededicated my life to God. I never realized how much I would have to
step out in faith…
Now
remember, as I said last week, as we think about…as we ponder this question or
these questions…we remember that God loves you and I so much that He thinks we
are to die for… As a matter of fact…that is exactly what He did…die for sinners
like us…He who knew no sin took our sin upon Himself… are we willing to begin
living in the right here and now? Are we going to trust God…like we
proclaim…with our lives? Is it time to get out of the boat and get rid of our
safety water wings and walk upon the waters of this world?
We have been trying to define…trying to open our
view of…the body of Christ? We have defined it as family. But how we do you and
I define “family?” But we don’t even come close to how God would define it. We
are not the ones who define family…the Creator of our diversely awesome family is
the One who defines it…remember “Ohana means family and family means no one
is left out or left behind.” We have
come to the realization that to become community in the world…to continue to be
relevant we, as Christ’s followers, need to wake up. Wake from our slumber…wake
from our complacency…wake from our numbness and see the world and people around
us who are looking for someone to reach out in love, hope and compassion. We
need to decide what is most important in our lives as Christ followers. And we
need to do this together…as one family…one body of Christ. We are called to
love one another. We are called to “look into” the eyes of those in need and
help fill that need. We are called to be the hands, feet and voice in the
world. Our hearts must be broken not so much for us and our agenda but for what
breaks His heart…for His agenda…
So here we are at the end of ourselves. We have
been talking about many things and have pondered much. But one thing has
remained the same through it all…there was one question that was asked and only
we can answer that question. What are you going to do?
In the Mark scripture this morning the men that
Jesus spoke to all had the same question posed to them. They were asked by
Jesus to follow Him…to become fishers of men. And in every invitation, the
answer was the same…YES. Yes, I will change my life. Yes, I will leave
everything and follow you. Yes, I will trust You with all that I have and am.
Yes, I know that You will supply all since You are asking me to leave my profession.
Jesus is still asking you and me the same question…will you follow me? Are
you willing to follow me right here…right now…?
God is calling us right here…right now… “6 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to
receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard
you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of
God’s favor, now is the day of salvation”. (2 Corinthians 6:1-2) When we
gave our lives to Christ it no longer was and is our own. We were bought at a
very High price…God’s own Son. So, we who believe are not our own. 11
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others.
What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12
We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an
opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in
what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our
mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for
all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should
no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised
again. (2 Corinthians 5:11-15)
We
are called to be light for the world that lives in darkness…we are called to be
the body of Christ…we are called to be fishers of men. Now I don’t do much
fishing…OK I don’t fish…but when you go fishing do you go to places where
everyone else goes or do you go to your “favorite fishing hole”? And what would
you do if your fishing hole all the sudden had no fish? Would you go somewhere
else if someone told you that there were more fish elsewhere? We need stop fishing
the same fishing holes and go to where the One who created the fish tells us to
go. We need to trust our guide that He knows where our special fishing hole
is…each of us has a different place but we are all fishing the same type of
fish.
We
are fishing for soul… not sole but soul fish. We may feel we
have the perfect fishing spot but God may have other ponds for you and I to
fish. We tend to keep using our own sonar to find the fish instead if God’s
sonar to find them…funny thing is…our
sonar may read there is no fish but we insist there is…we don’t want to leave
the comfort of our surroundings…we know this private fishing spot and we gladly
bring in this type of fish…we don’t want to risk reeling in a shark or
something like that…
Acts
17:24-28 tells us;
24 “The God who made the
world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in
temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he
needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and
everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should
inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and
the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and
perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of
us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own
poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
OK…so we are fishing in the same spots…we
are staying in our comfort zone…we are living in our buildings…and we are
missing something vital to our Christian walk… God… He doesn’t live in our
buildings…but within all of His creation. That also means that He also lives in
the “un-comfort zone” places. It means that as we seek God and His will we have
to reach out to those who are part of the body in which we profess…the body of
Christ…out of our comfort zones and into theirs… We are all His offspring…some
of us are the prodigals hoping someone from home will see their figure on the horizon
and welcome them home.
So…questions posed earlier:
v Are you and I willing to live right here…right now?
Speak from the Spirit
v Are we going to trust God with our lives? Speak
from the Spirit
v Do we need to get rid of the water wings and walk
on the waters of this world? Speak from the Spirit
v Are you will to use your gifts, your graces, your
finances for the redemption of souls…bringing about change in the community
around us and the world? Nothing belongs to us anyway. It is God who gave us
the talents and the means. It is because of His great love that we have all
that we have. We may be saving for a rainy day but there are people out there
who are having a rainy day right now who could use our help.
v Are you willing to answer the call of Jesus as He
uses you for His agenda? That’s a question that only you can answer. There
is no doubt about it. God is calling us to a new thing…and it involves you and
me…do you not perceive it…
OK…synopsis…As
we open our hearts and our doors to those who are on the outside we become
family. As we become family we can work together as the body of Christ…as a
family of believers who reach out to those who are looking for someone to grab
their hand to pull them out of the vortex they are in. As we come together the
word Ohana becomes our battle cry because no one is left out or left behind. As
we help others our focus is changed and we begin to think “we” instead of “me”.
We begin to see a change happen within our communities when we begin to
define…to specify what matters most. As
we look into the eyes of others and come up next to them and help them in their
need, we will model what Jesus did for you and me. As we open our hands and our
doors we begin to create a better world not only for ourselves but in our
community…our surrounding communities…and the world. We need to work together
as a church…as churches…as extended families…as the body of Christ…one body… As
we love a Jesus did our hearts and hands will be open to and for others. But we
need to have our hearts broken from this world and all that it holds to be open
to God’s vision and love of others. We
can start living right here…right now…out of our own little world into the vast
possibilities of the Reign of God. We need to pledge our support…our presence,
our energy and resources as we live for the right here right now in the world. Then
and only then, we will become one as we do all of this in the name the One who
is head and shoulders above the rest…who is the head of the church, our hearts
and our minds…our Risen Lord Jesus Christ…
We
are the body of Christ…good bad or indifferent we need to get along. We need to
be stepping out of our comfort zone and meet the other parts of the body where
they are…by the way…we can’t be the true
body of Christ without them. We all get to have choices in life? Are you
going fishing or not…? By the way…before you answer that question…and yes, it is between you and God…I
want to leave you with 1 more piece of Scripture that is found in the Gospel of
Matthew chapter 7 verses 21-23:
True
and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says
to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who
does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that
day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out
demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them
plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Food
for thought…
AMEN
