Sharon spoke at the Guelph Vineyard and I wanted to share
her thoughts so this blog is all about the S in jsninaber.blogspot.ca J
Sharon refers to herself as a ‘recovering Baptist’ as she
struggles with works, performance and striving as it relates to the Christian
life and because anything has the potential to become legalistic in our lives.
She shared three simple but profound points. Fill Us, Use Us, Show Us. We get ready as we are filled, we get set to be used, and we go and He show us!!
1.
FILL US!
Before we can reach out to our neighbours, let’s consider
how vitally important it is for the Holy Spirit to be at the center.
We had a neighbor back in the day named Selma* who Sharon
tried to reach out to and share her faith with.
She didn’t know the Holy Spirit in an intimate way at that time and she
relied on her own abilities and knowledge to witness to her. When Selma eventually became a believer, she
asked Sharon, “Why didn’t you tell me?”???
The lesson to be learned is this.
1.
The Holy Spirit convicts of sin John 16:8
2.
The Holy Spirit DRAWS people. John 15:26 The
Greek word here for ‘draws’ means to ‘DRAG’. It is the same word that is used
in John 21:6 when referring to a heavy net full of fish being dragged to
shore! So just ponder that for a moment.
It is the Holy Spirit’s work and Holy Spirit literally drags us to Christ…awesome
truth! He does the work.
3.
Holy Spirit gives us authority and power and
even the words we need when we need them.
Matthew 10:19
God’s timing is perfect.
It is amazing to know that He sets up the divine appointments and leads
and directs when we listen for His voice and seek to obey Him! Our motto at Church at the Manor is
simple. LOVE and SERVE. We don’t debate and we trust in the Holy
Spirit to work and He never fails us.
Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This past Sunday I (Jack) had the opportunity to just sit
with one man who was completely distraught over the loss of a relationship for
5 years. He normally just comes down for lunch and then leaves. A simple question just to ask how he was
doing led into the complete undoing of his heart. As I listened, Holy Spirit led the
conversation to the place where I was able to place my hand on his shoulder and
pray that the Father would heal his pain and wrap His loving arms around
him. There was incredible receptivity and
I really sensed the Spirit leading during this time.
USE US!
In the book the Art of Neighboring, the story is told of a
group of 20 pastors in the Denver area who met with the mayor to ask the
question, “How can we as churches best work together to serve our city?” The mayor shared that the majority of the
issues that our community is facing
would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just figure out a way to
become a community of great neighbours!
One pastor in the meeting was rather embarrassed because what
the mayor in reality was saying was that it would be great if their
congregations could just live out the second part of the great commandment to
love our neighbour as ourselves – it is actually a command from Jesus. Matthew 22:37-40
“Solutions for our society are NOT found in government,
police or schools or in getting more people to go to church. The solution is within us”
After one year at the Manor we have seen this first
hand. We have seen doctors hand out
prescription after prescription, judges whose hands are tied, people who KNOW
the system and the loopholes, frustrated parole officers.
We have seen breakthrough because of caring relationships,
people who are just willing to SHOW up and be there for those who attend our
services. We are so excited to see some
of them getting real rehabilitation through the intensive ministry of Teen
Challenge, we have seen a mother reunited with her children and a new home, a
new family (believers in Jesus) who care to meet with her and encourage her in
her new journey.
Don’t get hung up on getting people into your church. Jesus didn’t say to build nice church
buildings and have great programs and Bible studies and then they will
come. Jesus said GO!
Most people that we’ve met are open to talking about God and
open to a relationship with Him. They
may not be ready to step foot into a traditional church. An interesting point to note though is that
when they do accept Jesus into their life they eventually want to experience
deeper teaching, fellowship with believers and are hungry for more. The Holy Spirit will take care of this
process.
We are in way over our heads at the Manor. It’s great to be in a situation where we
desperately need God’s Spirit!! We need
to step out in His power and ask Him to use you. It is SO GOOD!
3.
SHOW US!
God, show us how valuable people are! WE need to ignore what we see in the physical
as we meet oru neighbours. Don’t draw
conclusions or make assumptions. Reach
out and ask God to see them through His eyes.
Why would Levi, the tax collector, leave everything behind
when Jesus said, ‘follow me’? Matthew
9:9-13 A few thoughts.
Jesus accepts him and loves him just as he is.
Levi feels wanted and needed. Jesus has a plan for him despite his past.
Jesus engaged him in conversation even though he was despised and hated.
“Let’s be honest. The
fact that the Pharisees question Jesus’s attendance indicates that this party
was likely not a “Mountain Dew and pizza” kind of party. This, for sure wasn’t a Sunday afternoon
church potluck. This was a party where
people were having a lot of fun.”…When was the last time you were accused of
doing something like this? Has your
character ever been questioned you ate or drank with sketchy people?” from The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and
Dave Runyon
Here’s the amazing teacher, prophet, miracle worker inviting
Levi into a relationship. To ‘follow me’
means to ‘walk the same road’ It is to enter the teacher/ student relationship,
master/pupil.
How bizarre for Levi, how exciting!
Jesus doesn’t care about how others look at or value a
person. He loves the outcasts and
unloved.
One older man who comes every Sunday for lunch at the very
least is very bitter towards God, He is angry and has been abused by a trusted
religious leader. He refers to God like
Santa or the tooth fairy. He shares “I admire your faith, but I still don’t
believe in God” and the response Sharon gave is that’s ok, but I know that God
loves you and has a plan for your life.
As that was shared, his tears began to flow.
Another man with a tough exterior who now is a follower of
Jesus shared how he used to hate Christians because all they did was quote
Scripture at him. He shared how we were
different and just showed him love. The
first time Sharon saw him she told him that she saw a spirit of compassion in
him and that he had the gift of mercy.
At that time, he said, “lady you don’t know me, I could throw you in a
ditch” to which she replied that is not who you are though. Over the course of the year we have known him
he is living out who God called him to be, a man with a heart of compassion for
others. He also has been prophesied over
as a “loose cannon in God’s gun”!
Here’s Jesus. He
didn’t come to polish the righteous, he came to rescue sinners. See your neighbours through God’s eyes. They
are loved, valuable and uniquely made.
They have purpose and destiny.
*names have been changed for privacy
