The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

 

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6 ESV).

 

I am always partial to pictures of the Smokies in the fall of the year. The one I’ve attached today was taken some years ago when Mary and I traveled along the road from Gatlinburg, TN., to Cherokee, N.C. It crosses the mountains as it winds its way through Newfound Gap. The views are spectacular. However, the mistake that we often succumb to is in not hearing the voice of God in what we see of His handiwork.

 

As we have been reflecting on what it means to be a witness to God’s saving work, I’ve had a few who have responded that they can’t hear God like I do. Well, let me assure you that I have no special ability to hear the voice of God. However, I often remind myself that everything I see in this world is a product of God’s work of creation. Every sunrise and sunset is a testament to the greatness of God. Everything is that voice of God telling us of His love and grace. That is the basis of our witness. To be a witness is to simply tell about what you have seen and heard. As Christians, we believe that God is always at work around us, so our role is to bear witness to his presence and goodness.

 

There is no need to prove God. All of creation does that quite effectively. Our task is to simply call others to look with eyes that see a bit more deeply at what He has already done. The Holy Spirit is quite capable of taking it the rest of the way!

 

Jesus - the Light of the World

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. (John 1:1–8 ESV).

 

I love how the gospel of John describes the work of John the Baptist. It is a reassuring description of what it means to be an evangelist (a witness) for Jesus. We are told that John came as a witness, to testify concerning the light of Christ. We get this important clarification: “He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” (v. 8). I think this is an important distinction to understand from most contemporary concepts of “evangelism.” Today we hear others talk about sharing our faith, and we are pause, becoming anxious about having the right words to say. What if I say something wrong? What if someone asks me a question I don’t know how to answer? What kind of witness would that be?

 

Wherever you may be right now, take a look at the closest light near you. Doing so might not be very comfortable for your eyes, though. In general, lights are not designed to be looked at. The purpose of a light is to reveal the things around it. For example, you can read a book and see other things around you because some kind of light is helping you to see those things.

 

The role of John the Baptist, “who came as a witness to testify” about Jesus, was to help people understand about the light. John was not the light. But he helped people to understand that the One who is the light makes it possible to see what life is all about. In the same way, our witness about Jesus is not about ourselves—it points people to the One who is the light of the world. To be an effective “witness” is simply to point others to look at Jesus! We need that in our world today desperately!

 

I Don't Have a Story Like That!

 

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” (John 4:7-15 ESV).

 

Our reading today contains the story known as the “Woman at the Well.” Her interaction with Jesus is well-known throughout the Church. It is both dramatic and powerful in presenting the power of Jesus to redeem. The grace Jesus shows to this disgraced and rejected woman is incredible. It is no wonder that she ultimately becomes a powerful witness to Jesus throughout her village. In that way it is similar to the Apostle Paul’s story of His Damascus Road experience and redemption.

 

I have been told by some that my story of redemption is one that is unusual and uncommon. My hope is that it is never a story that centers on me; it should always be a story about Jesus. Sometimes Christians are uneasy about sharing the gospel message because they don’t think their personal experience is extraordinary. I’ve heard many tell me they can hardly remember when they first came to believe in Jesus. For some it was the result of many years of being in a church that consistently preached the message of Jesus. It might have ended in an experience at Vacation Bible School, or Youth Camp; but in every case they felt there story was ordinary. That is simply not true. It is extraordinary, because Jesus is extraordinary!

 

When Jesus struck up a conversation with this woman at the well, it was culturally unusual for him to speak with a woman he did not know, but she sensed his care for her and her life. He was bold but also highly relational and kind. As she talked with him, she showed that she was a thoughtful but wounded person with broken relationships in her past. Aren’t we all broken and wounded before Jesus redeems us?

 

We are called to tell that story. It is that story about Jesus bringing wholeness and healing to our hearts and minds that people must hear. Jesus is the real story every believer has to tell!

 

A Story So Big, We Cannot Help but Tell It

 

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:13–20 ESV).

 

Today’s picture is from the archives of the Facebook thread titled “A&W Root Beer.” It was located on Texas Avenue in College Station, Texas. This photo was taken in the mid to late sixties, just about the same time I was a student at Texas A&M. It has long since been demolished and replaced with high-rise dorms. However, it holds a very special place in my memory. It was the place I first met Mary. In fact, it was that very evening when she and a friend of hers decided to get in the back seat of my car with a friend of mine and me for a hamburger and a frosty mug of root beer. Before your mind begins to wander, she and her girlfriend were seated in the back seat while my friend and I were in the front. Soon into the conversation I turned to her and said, “You’re the most beautiful woman I‘ve ever seen. I’m going to marry you.”  Her response was less than enthusiastic, “Marry me? I won’t even date you. You’re not a Christian.” Well, that was not at all what I expected! But it was the beginning of a journey that has lasted well over half a century!

 

It has been an extraordinary journey! I have often told the story, though I’ve never written the whole of it in any of my published works. Today, the point I want to make is that when we see or experience something extraordinary, usually we can’t help telling people about it. Whether it is an encounter with a celebrity or a wonderful vacation or a life-changing event, we want to share it. That’s why I have told the story so many times to so many people. This was that moment when my life began to change in so many ways.

 

As we think about God’s big mission, I want to focus on our second word, witness. We give witness, or testimony, about God’s work of salvation because God calls us to do so, and the Holy Spirit has come to help us (cf. Acts 1:8). But we are also motivated internally. If we have experienced the saving love and power of God, and it has completely changed who we are and how we live, how can we not talk about it?

 

In our passage today, we read that the apostles Peter and John caused a stir among the religious leaders in Jerusalem by healing a lame man. Those leaders wanted to know by what power or authority they had done this work. Peter, bold as ever, declared that they served Jesus and Jesus alone. And as for their work of speaking about Jesus and ministering in his name, how could they keep from sharing about all they had learned from the Savior? Likewise, our lives ought to spill over with the joy of our salvation!

 

What’s your story? Leave it in a comment for others to share in your joy!

 

The Big Joy of the Invitation

 

When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” (Luke 14:15–24 ESV).

 

Thinking about the gospel reminds us that at the heart of the Christian faith is a life- changing message of joy. That’s why I like this parable so much. Jesus uses a powerful metaphor to describe life with him in the kingdom of God: a great banquet. In Jesus’ day, banquets often celebrated important events in the community. In fact, Jesus’ first miracle took place at a wedding banquet. To spare the family from social embarrassment when their wine had run out early, Jesus turned several jugs of water into wine (cf. John 2:1-11).

 

In our reading (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus tells a story about a wealthy man who hosts a banquet for his friends. They all accept the initial invitation, but when the day of the banquet comes and they are told that the food is ready, they make ridiculous excuses and reject the host’s generosity. So, the angry and frustrated host opens his table to whoever wants to come. He compels his servants to go out and invite those who would be the least likely in many others’ eyes to be invited.

 

I identify so well with this story. I was one of those that would have been counted among the “least likely” to receive an invitation to attend such a lavish affair. I wonder if the reason we have empty seats in our churches is not rooted in our reticence to invite them all! The joy we have been given to attend cannot be hidden. It is meant for everyone!

 

The Big Love of God

 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7–12 ESV).

 

I sometimes ask people if they believe God loves them. For those who answer affirmatively, I follow that question with one that goes a bit deeper in revealing what they understand about the love of God. I ask, “Why does God love you?” The answers are shockingly similar. Almost everyone answers with phrases like “Because I am sometimes kind to others,” or “Because I try to do my best in my life,” or perhaps something like “I try my best to take care of my family.” In almost every case the answers are connected to their efforts to earn it. This idea is foreign to the Scripture.

 

The true heart of the gospel is captured in the powerful words of our reading today: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

 

The gospel message is that there is nothing we can do to make Jesus love us. Our salvation is offered as a completely free, undeserved gift: we simply receive it. Our passage sums it all up in one word: love. The Apostle Paul writes it this way:

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV).

 

Receive the good news for you today: This is love: not that you loved God (or did anything else to earn God’s favor), but that he loves you and sent his Son as a saving sacrifice for your sins. You are loved—just because you are you and God is love.

 

The Big Gospel

 

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-28 ESV).

 

Yesterday we a series surrounding the “bigness” of God. Today, we will look at the first word describing God’s big mission: Gospel. “Gospel” is the Old English translation of the Koine Greek term εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion), meaning "good news". The definition that I think captures just how big and amazing this good news is: “The gospel is the good news of God’s reign, grace, and love in and through Christ for the redemption and renewal of all things.” This definition shapes everything we should be doing in the mission field God has given to each of us. I like Pratney’s quote in the attached meme: Every Christian is a missionary; every non-Christian is a mission-field. The Gospel is meant for everyone.

 

We see this definition at work here in our reading. Jesus announces and proclaims the good news that God’s kingdom has arrived—our God reigns! This good news is not just an announcement; it comes with a powerful demonstration of this life-changing message. Filled with compassion and love, Jesus heals people of “every disease and sickness.” What’s more, Jesus longs to see his team multiply and bring this good news to a world that is desperate for hope and love.

 

In a day when good news is hard to find, there is no better news than the good news of Jesus. There is no better calling than to share this good news with others. “The harvest is plentiful” … we can be the laborers to go into that harvest! (v. 37).