Evangelism: Breaking Down Barriers

05/06/18—Highland—Meute

“Evangelism: “Breaking Down Barriers”

Genesis 33: 1-11; Acts 11: 1-18

Pearl: The gospel of Jesus Christ is way ahead of us.

Function: To convince worshippers that the gospel of Jesus Christ ought to expand us and change our minds and hearts a little or a lot each and every day.

Think of one of the most memorable ways that the Spirit of God changed your mind about something.

1. I am sorry if you cannot think of anything.
   1. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But the thing is that this God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever is a God who is constantly way out ahead of us expanding our perspectives, blowing our minds, pushing and prodding us to change a little or a lot each and every day!
   2. You ought to be learning some new way that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is changing the world each and every day.
   3. It is not the nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ to remain stagnant. As C.S. Lewis wrote in the Chronicles of Narnia about the Christ-figure Aslan the lion, “Aslan is on the move.”
2. We cannot contain the gospel. We cannot tame the gospel. This is not the nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our understandings and conceptions of the gospel should always be stretching and expanding.
   1. The early church immediately rejected the idea that the Gentiles were being included in family of Jesus Christ.
      1. It is understandable that they did so. There was always a great separation between Jews and Gentiles. Even Jesus himself, when he lived and ministered kept his sense of mission only among the Jews. There were times when Gentiles got his attention and he did associate outside of the limits of the Jews—but on the rare occasion. He made comments as to his amazement to the effect of, “I have not seen such faith in all of Israel!” (Luke 7:9).
   2. Peter came among the circumcised believers in Jerusalem and they confronted him on his going beyond such profound limits of their beliefs and traditions.
      1. It is instructive how Peter responded.
         1. He proceeded to explain step by step how he himself was changed by the Spirit of God.
         2. It is instructive that the people listened to him. They allowed him to explain.
            1. Sometimes we don’t even allow others to explain how they changed their mind about something.
            2. Sometimes we don’t even want to hear a different opinion than our own.
         3. On subjects with which you are being challenged have you sat down with someone and asked them how they came to their position? Have you truly tried to understand? Have you tried on their viewpoint for size?
         4. After Peter explained how he had changed, many accepted his story and changed their minds as well.
      2. The notion of Gentiles being included in the covenant family of faith in the early church was completely revolutionary and radical.
         1. Imagine one of the most sacred beliefs that you hold and having it challenged to its foundation! That is what this was like.
            1. One of my pastoral colleagues said something to me one time after the Presbytery was engaged in debate and discussion over an issue. It sure got me to thinking and I still think about what he said. He said, “Ray, what if the Bible is wrong on this?” Wow! That question shocked me.
         2. You can rattle off any number of controversial. No current issue today is bigger or more divisive than the issue of the acceptance and inclusion of the Gentiles.

• Yet Peter, needed to give permission. Jesus told him that to him were given the keys to the kingdom of God (Matthew 16:19).
  1. So, God provided this vision of the sheet coming down from heaven with animals originally considered unclean and the command to “Kill and eat.” In the vision as Peter protested to God that nothing unclean had ever passed his lips, God responded, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”

1. Peter had a major change of mind and heart and he accepted it. As he shared it with others many accepted his testimony and changed along with him.
   1. But the inclusion of the Gentiles in the church would keep dividing the church for generations!
   2. Actual change comes so slowly.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is always way out ahead of us beyond the barriers of our understanding and of our acceptance!

The only limits within the kingdom of God are those limits within God’s own nature. The only limits within God are the limits of his grace and love…which are quite unlimited, really.

1. Consider the barriers of family dysfunction. The relationship between brothers Jacob and Esau from the beginning was one of competition.
   1. Parents Isaac and Rachel did not help matters in how each had a favorite. Esau was father Isaac’s favorite and Jacob was mother Rachel’s favorite.
   2. Just before Isaac’s death Rachel prodded son Jacob to trick Isaac into thinking that Jacob was actually Esau to receive his birthright blessing. The whole thing worked and Jacob was the one through whom God would work his purposes. It was kind of a big deal how Jacob conspired to steal the birthright from brother Esau.
   3. Years later after much history elapsed the two brothers and all of their families would meet.
      1. As the meeting was about to take place Jacob was full of dread over what he imagined Esau might do to him in retribution. He planned an extravagant gift of money and animals and so forth. He would buy his brother’s forgiveness, he hoped.
      2. Upon meeting each other, Esau emotionally embraced his brother in grace and love. All was forgiven; all was forgotten.
   4. Such is the power of the grace of God! The gospel changes us and it transforms us.
      1. It breaks down barriers and expands limits.
      2. Perhaps you have barriers within some of your relationships?
   5. How is the gospel pushing and prodding you to break down barriers?
   6. How is God enlarging your vision to remove barriers and extend the limits of your love so that you can notice everyone and everything?
      1. She taught first grade in an inner city school. She was well aware that many of her first-grade students were missing so many fundamental experiences others often take for granted.
      2. One small child named Terrance would be forever in her heart. Terrence was small with light skin, big brown eyes and brown hair that was seldom combed. To many, he was a “throwaway” kid. He was raised by his brother, who was a year older, and an 18-year-old sister. Terrence’s mom was frequently in jail with numerous problems. If it weren’t for the breakfast and lunch program, he would never eat a nutritional meal. Dinner for him was a Butterfinger candy bar and a soda.
      3. When Terrence came to school his teacher noticed how sad he was. She knew that no one had ever loved or cherished this small, scared child. During group reading she would ask Terrence to sit in her lap to help turn the pages. At first, Terrence didn’t even know how to sit in her lap and lean against her. Soon afterward, Terrence’s mother was arrested again, and Terrance left school and went to live with his sister. It was the last time she would see Terrence…he was killed in a freak accident in the spring.
      4. She said, “My heart was broken when I heard of Terrence’s death through the news. I told my family how sad I was; how I had never taught him a single thing. He couldn’t read when he left me, he could write when he left me. All I taught him to do was sit in a woman’s lap and what kind of a life skill is that?”
      5. Then her own young son came to her and said, “Mommy, it’s a good thing you taught that little boy to sit in someone’s lap because he’s sitting in God’s lap right now.”

                    

People’s very lives may depend upon your noticing them. See the people before you every day as divine appointments. You are called to remove whatever barrier might be there. Go to your limits and beyond them with the grace and love of God.

 Go out to the limits of your thinking and believing, feeling and loving…because it is at those limits that you will find the gospel of Jesus Christ very much at work!