Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The lost sheep

What do you do if the pastor doesn’t stand up to give a sermon on Sunday Morning? Your worship leader finishes that last song and sits down. 30 seconds go by. 1 minute. Maybe 2-3 minutes. Have you ever sat and done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for a full 60 seconds. It’s excruciatingly long. In that uncomfortable silent time when no one gets up, do you think, “I have something to say. I want to share the glories of my God!”
And so you do. You get up. You share the Word God has given you to give to the people in front of you. It’s not the same words he would give to the people out on the street or in a bakery or pharmacy. These are the words specifically for the group of people sitting in front of you. Truth is relevant. It’s relevant to the time and place it is given. Truth is also relevant outside of that time and place, but “those who have ears let them hear” are there to hear right now.
Do you think ministry is like this? Is ministry getting up and preaching? It can be. It can also be a lot more. You see, as a Christian you are part of the ‘kingdom of heaven’. “But heaven is something I am striving to reach after I die,” you might say. Actually that’s true and not true. Heaven is that place you want to reach. But Christianity and the kingdom of heaven is a lot more than that.
In Luke 15, Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners and is called out by the Pharasees. You notice how it’s “tax collectors” and sinners. The tax collectors were an especially hated group of Jews who basically extorted money from their own people to give to Rome. Read the story here:
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
3 So he told them this parable: 4‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
8 ‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’
Julia and I went to my niece’s baby shower last weekend in west Texas. It was a long 7 hour drive each way. Actually I didn’t stay during the shower. As my Grandmother said “what do you think about all these hens crackling around here.” Sonic was calling my name.
My niece is 21 years old, unmarried, living with the father of her baby (or as it’s said ‘my baby’s father’). I think they love each other and will get married, but it’s sad to see. But that’s not what this is totally about. You see, I think many Christians see the above verses as “those backslidden christians” who repent and come back to church, follow the way, whatever. But that is not the meaning of what Jesus is saying.
You see, those highly religious people came to Jesus complaining he was unclean because he was eating with people who were not believers. A righteous Jew would not have anything to do with these people. You should avoid them at all cost. And I think that’s what some Christians do also. They turn people off by preaching at them all the time. They seek to “save” them instead of know them. Is ‘friendship evangelism’ another way of just preaching to those lost heathens and getting a notch in your belt (or crown when you die)??
My sister is really screwed up. She has been married 3 times and every time she married her father….her father of 20 years ago, not her father of today. The last guy she married was abusive physically and emotionally. She is estranged from one of her daughters. She is a believer and she does love Christ. I saw her take the above verses to heart and really show what it means to go after that lost coin or sheep.
My niece has a good friend named Matt. Matt is a bi-sexual. He is also a drug addict. His mom is an addict. He has been sober for 3 weeks. He was supposed to make the cake for this party we went to. My sister went over to his house. He had gotten really drunk the night before, picked up two guys (yes you read that right), and forgot all about it. He says he had a “gay moment”.
As my sister is telling this story, I looked at my grandmother who was sitting in the front seat with me and said “oh I hate that. When you are walking along minding your own business and POW, you have this gay moment. They come upon you out of no where. It’s just terrible.”
So what does a Christian do with Matt? What does the church do with Matt? Where does he go and what does he do? Which one of you having 100 sheep and losing one would not go after it and when you bring it home throw a party. Jesus says that is heaven. But read the parable again. Who is the Sheppard supposed to represent? It is God. Who are the “sheep”? The sheep are all the people in the world. It’s not just the Christians. The sheep-the people-all belong to God. We are all his children. Red white black and brown. Matt is the lost sheep. Matt is the lost coin.
At one point in your life, you were a lost sheep. You have always been a child of God, but you were not in the family because you had turned your back on God. That doesn’t change your heritage or DNA. Before you became a Christian, you were still “one of the little ones” who didn’t know any better. You rejected God-Christians-Christianity. Now your eyes have been opened and you see the glorious truth in front of you. Matt has not seen that truth and what his life can become and the hope and joy Jesus can bring him in this life, not to mention the life to come. He either has not been told, or has been told and ignores it.
When you read the parable, there are no little groups of sheep or little bags of coins. You don’t hear Jesus say “which one of you with 100 Christian sheep which are different than this other guy’s 100 Muslim sheep which are different than this other guy’s Hindu sheep lose one…..” All the sheep are in the same group. All are children of God and are watched over by God, yet some have lost their way. They have blinders on and don’t want to see the truth. “Those who are in darkness love the darkness.”
So Matt the sheep runs away, or just loses his way. He was at the edge of the field smelling and eating the green grass, and the rest of the herd walked away without him. What do you do? You go to him. Isn’t that what Jesus did. The Pharisees said “come on in.” Jesus said “go out and get ‘em”. He went to weddings, banquets, dinners. His first miracle was to turn water into wine. When you see that scripture, culturally he turned 5-7 50 gallon jugs into the highest end best wine that normally would have been reserved only for the priest. I think Jesus knew how to party.
So many churches throw open the doors and say “come on in.” Sounds eerily familiar huh. That’s not what we should be doing. Maybe you can start a church in a pub. My sister went out after Matt. She didn’t dump him because of his “gay moment”. It doesn’t mean there will not be consequences for his actions. It will take a lot of work to get back into a good relationship with my niece. He deserves those problems.
When Jesus finds that sheep, he carries it back. Why? Because sheep are dumb. And when they have gone astray, you have to carry them back to the herd or they will not come back. Creatures of habit they are.
In Florida, alligators are starting to like the suburbs. Swamps are drained and the gators have no where to go, so they find a nice swimming pool to stay in. The problem with catching the gators and taking them back to the everglades, is they have this sense of direction and can go straight back to their old grounds (where the people are). So the animal control people put these magnets on the gator’s heads (think of the headgear in Minority Report), and it disorients them. They pick up the gator and move him to a new location. His sense of direction is changed and will not go back to that old location. Pretty cool.
There will be more rejoicing in heaven over that one who repents. The one sheep who sees God for who he is, or he sees God in the person coming along side him and turns around to run to the light. Too many people (not just Christians) would turn their backs on Matt. That hopeless case who is an addict, drunk, and (oh my) he is a homosexual too. We can’t have anything to do with him. We definitely can’t be seen with him because what would the others think.
I think we have taken the verse that says “run from every type of sin” and changed it to “run from ever sinner you see so you don’t have the possibility of being swayed by it.” If you stay around it, you will start thinking its ok and then you will become complacent and then the sin becomes a non-sin….nonsense. But that’s not what you do. You come along side Matt. You help him with his addiction. You don’t shove the bible in his face and say “just believe and you will be healed”, smack him on the forehead and push him to the ground. You be yourself, be a friend, and be there for him. This isn’t “friendship evangelism”. This is friendship PERIOD. And when he sees Christ shine in you, that glow will give him a Son-tan he has quietly needed.
Man this will make some people uncomfortable. 1st I say to bring that sinner into the group, 2nd I say don’t preach to him and tell him how wrong he is, 3rd I tell you heaven (meaning God and all the angels) throw a party when he turns his life around, but when every day Christians do the right thing, it is business as usual.
This whole posting is for Matt. It is also for “regular Christians” to see what changes need to be made. But really it’s about all the “Matts” in this world that are discarded and left behind. Let me tell you something. When you yell at God “what am I doing Lord? Why do you have me in this job/marriage/town/church/whatever?” (yes it’s ok if you yell at God. He can take it.) Matt is doing the same thing. He is yelling out (to God or maybe to no one in particular) “What am I doing here in this job/marriage/town/bed? How do I get out of this lifestyle?”
I have a friend in North Dallas who was a drug addict and alcoholic for many many years. He credits God for taking away that craving from him. Yes God can do that and he does. But sometimes he doesn’t. It doesn’t make him mean dictator-like god. But he does know what they and you are going thru. It took God hitting my friend with a 2x4 in the back of the head to get him straight. My friend doesn’t drink or do drugs anymore. He does smoke more than anyone I have ever seen and he drinks more coffee than anyone in their right mind should. Should we run from him since he is not treating his body like the temple it was designed to be?
That brings me to us sheep. Jesus brings that lost sheep back into the herd and sits him down in the middle of the pack. Now is the moment of reckoning. We can turn our backs on him, or we can come along side him, one on the left and one on the right. Some behind and some in front. We help him stay on the narrow path that leads to righteousness. Everyone of us has troubles staying on that straight and narrow path during our lives. When we slip and fall, who will be there to pick us up?
Here are the lyrics to the Tracy Lawrence song “Find out who your friends are.”
Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie
{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are

Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then

This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off
{Chorus}
When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?
{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
(yeah, yeah)
You find out who your friends are

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)




*****************
Are you a fair-weather friend? Are you a fair-weather Christian? Are you seeking some friends to stand beside you at those tough times?
Heaven on earth is that place you get to when you are saved from the hell in your life right now. Hell is real. When Jesus picks you up and puts you on his shoulders, he carries you back to his special field, you have been saved from that hell on earth. The Heaven to experience now is not streets paved with gold, but friends with golden hearts. The heaven now is full of believers who see your ugliness and don’t care because they are ugly too according to the world’s standards. But according to God they are beautiful.
It’s time to make a stand and find all the Matts out there and show them Christ, not just invite them to a building and experience a great worship service. It’s time to be a friend and not do friendship evangelism. It’s time to see the inequalities and injustice in the world and do something about it. You have a choice to make right at this moment. Are you going to live as the status quo or are you going to live like today is your last day and you have to bring as many people with you as possible.
Make a choice….and go get ‘em.