“… ‘Go out at once into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame’… ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.’’ Luke 14:21-23.
The King has spoken. He has issued a command and His servants obey. In my estimation, this parable is one of the most interesting in the gospels.
First, it is a parable…meaning it is an earthly
story that illustrates a heavenly reality. The setting is a celebration
banquet, a huge fellowship event where the grace of the Master is freely given
and on full display.
Second, many of those on the “most likely” list
were too busy, too distracted, and too self-consumed to accept the invitation.
Third, the King never changed His plan, only expanded
His guest list. He still chose to show His grace but He focused on those who
most would overlook…the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, and the
outsider. Yes, those who were far from God became the focus of His attention.
Fourth, the King directed His servants… ‘go get
them’…all of the needy who would appreciate His gracious invitation. The
servant did over and over…calling and compelling, inviting and encouraging
all who would come to join the banquet of celebration.
Fifth and finally, the King was not satisfied until
all of the seats at the banquet were filled.
We are the servants…men and women who are under authority and entrusted with the message, to call and compel…telling them, “The King desires for them to join the banquet!”
The King’s heart is what prompts us as a church to embrace the vision…to see that 96,000 of our unchurched neighbors would hear the invitation from the King… “come and take your seat at the banquet.” We go, not according to our own initiative, but under instruction. We do not provide the banquet from our resources but proclaim His plentiful resources. We do not glory in our own generosity but as eyewitnesses of His!
Who have you told about this incredible invitation? It is my heart and my hope that every person who calls Englewood home would have the privilege to go into the streets and lanes of our city, into the highways and along the hedges of our counties…to call and compel others to come, so that they may experience the glorious grace of the King personally! I believe this is your heart as well. So, GO…and share with us the stories that we may rejoice together at the grace of our Lord.
The number one reason people say they find it difficult to have gospel conversations is they can’t seem to get the conversation started. What if…you could?
In a world inundated with connectedness, what if it were possible to leverage things like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Blogs, YouTube, and the like for the gospel. Would you? We live in a highly connected world. Love it or hate it…Social Media is here and here to stay! I know…I have heard the same things. A man (or woman) stands up and declares that they are unplugged and will only talk by phone. No text, no email, no Facebook. Ten years ago that was a tenable position. Today, it is the equivalent of taking down the mailbox in front of your home.
Now my goal is not to convince you to jump into the fray of social media. In fact, I am betting that if you’re not already there…you’re probably not reading this message J. Instead, my goal is to influence you to maximize this tool for the gospel.
I recently read that an overwhelming majority of millennials believe social media to be helpful, and they receive a huge amount of information/news/perspective from sources on the web. Their “feed” is where they plug in and they can peruse huge amounts of content as they scroll through stories ranging from the latest fashion, gossip, world events, and debuts of the latest technology.
What if…you and I were present in the feed? Well placed and interesting articles, pictures, and memes are great ways to “slow the scroll” in order to catch a little attention. Now, before you declare me a crazy person (which may be true) I am wondering if you could use this instrument of connection for good? Here are a couple of ways that may prove effective:
Share a Verse. If you use a bible app like YouVersion, there is a graphic of the verse of the day…as well as a way to easily create your own. Be “that guy” who shares a verse a day (just one) in the morning on your Instagram.
Share and Retweet. At Englewood, there is an event or activity being promoted several times a week. When discipleship classes relaunch, there will be promotion pieces available that you could share.
Tweet a Takeaway. I usually grab a “nugget” or two every Sunday from pastor’s messages. Tweet it and tag him in it.
Brag on Someone “status.” Snap a pic or just mention how someone blessed you. For example, a status like, “I LOVE how pastor Jordan loves my kids. @EBCrockymount is blessed to have him.” #EBCkids. We have so many awesome servants here, this one is easy!
Church Selfie. Grab a friend and snap a fun selfie in your Bible Fellowship Group, with your friends in the EDGE, hanging out at the Café or just coming into the building. Even an after-church lunch selfie with friends that tags the church are wonderful!
These are just five quick ideas of how you can open the door for a conversation…one that might lead to Making Friends Forever at Englewood.
Eighteen years ago, a pastor friend, Herb Flavell, gave me a “pro tip” for ministry. He as a dear brother to me…being one of the first pastors to entrust his pulpit to me and the first to allow me to baptize in his baptistry. Herb told me to write down the names in my Bible of each person God allowed me to win to Christ. “Whether through personal evangelism or through my preaching,” he said, “write down everyone. When the devil starts giving you a fit one day…telling you that God can’t use you, just read the names back to him and watch him run.”
I did that for years. Then it was videos of baptism testimonies. Whatever the form…everyone needs to remember why they get out of bed in the morning and “do the work.” Now I know that man doesn’t save anyone…but God chooses through the preaching of the gospel to save those who believe (1 Cor 1:21, 15:1-2).
Resistance and spiritual warfare are non-negotiable. Victory over them is. If you don’t know your WHY, you’ll likely give up on the WHAT of your life and resign to some mere existence while you wait to die.
Victor Frankl, author of the renowned book, Man’s Search for Meaning, was a Jewish Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry. Frankl was imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps during WW II. He made the observation during the terrible atrocities of the camps…that man can endure nearly any “how” of life, as long as he has a “why.”
Perhaps we would do well to stop talking about WHAT we are doing, or HOW we are doing it and focus on explaining WHY we do what we do.
What is your WHY? Why do you work? Why do you go to church? Why do you serve, or give, or go?
Through the years, Pastor Herb’s “pro tip” has been used by the Lord to carry me through some dark periods. Why? Because the WHY is worth holding onto…
It is graduation season. It is an anxious time for many as seasons of life change. It is also a critical time for those who minister.
I have told several people the past few weeks that, statistically speaking, our church’s most effective outreach (if you measure success by connecting people into a long-term discipleship relationship IN THE CHURCH) has traditionally been our hosting of baccalaureate services for two local high schools. Every year (for the last nine years or so) we have several hundred people come to the church for a one-hour program as I share a message of encouragement to students making the transition away from high school. Invariably, over the next 1-3 years, one or two of those families will connect with the church. When I ask them how they came to visit our church, they tell me that they came to a baccalaureate service and enjoyed it.
Why is this service to the community so valuable? I think it is because of Pivotal Moments.
In John 4, Jesus spoke to a woman of Samaria who was the “talk of the town.” She had been married five times and now was living with another man. The gossip circles were so busy about her…that she didn’t even come to the well until the most brutal part of the day…long after all the other women had come and gone. She’d rather face the heat than their judgmental looks and deafening whispers. One day, she came and met Jesus who was waiting. He connected the story of God’s love and man’s purpose to her circumstances at a pivotal moment. She was ready. She wasn’t expecting a sermon or even to converse with anyone…much less someone claiming to have access to living water and who knew her reputation but talked with her anyway. Pivotal Moments.
Or there was the time when Pastor Timothy was frustrated and wrestling with his faith. Ministry had seemed to take its toll and his spiritual mentor…the Apostle Paul…spoke into his circumstance (2 Timothy 1) by way of a letter, encouraging him to remember who he was, where he had come from, and how God had called him. Pivotal Moments.
These two examples (along with dozens more if time permitted) remind us that God prepares hearts through pivotal moments to receive truth. Wise disciples are on the lookout for these moments because they are solid gold.
LAST STORY: Yesterday, I was running on a tight schedule between meetings and stopped by a shop to drop off a couple items. I didn’t have time to be there but was very intentional to fit the drop by in. While inside, a woman asked me to follow her to the back of the shop. When I did, she shared with me that her mom (a Christian) died six months ago and that she was vexed in her heart on how the resurrection worked. She didn’t want to talk out front because her co-workers were not believers. Pivotal Moments. So, we spent 10 minutes talking about what the Scriptures teach about death, the Resurrection, and why we can have hope of reunion if we follow Christ. [I had never met this woman before…but I recognized a pivotal moment had presented itself].
Friend, if you are a follower of Christ, He created you for such moments as these. This woman assumed that I must be spiritual since I was wearing a shirt with the church name. (I’m not sure I ever told her I was the pastor). Parents and students at baccalaureate services are tender for God’s wisdom at this transition in seasons. That woman whose husband has distanced himself, the man who is struggling to put food on the table, and the young lady in the hospital are all tender…and God placed you there to speak truth at a Pivotal Moment. Don’t miss it. Make the most of the opportunity. Pray for the opportunity. Serve during the opportunity. Represent Him.
In 2002, I was introduced for the first time (that I recall) the work of Stephen Hawking. He was a brilliant physicist and a self-avowed atheist (HERE, and HERE). His work on the origin of the universe has been formative in educational curriculum to say the least.
Since hearing of his death, I have listened to many who have selectively spoken of him in nearly “saint-like” terms; whereas other, many of them Christian, have pointed out that he is no longer an atheist and has met the Lord as Judge. Consequently, opinions have flown back and forth and even a few barbs along the way. So, how should a Christian feel about Hawking’s death? Further, how should one speak of the death of an unbeliever in order to balance compassion and truth?
What is certain is that Hawking has stepped into eternity. It is difficult to say…but he entered into an eternal judgment the moment his death occurred. His fate is sealed and not by some capricious act from a temperamental God; rather, his eternity reflects just consequences for willful choices in his life to resist the evidence that points to God (Romans 1). Here are a couple of truths:
But for the grace of God, there go I. (Ephesians 2:8-9) No one earns righteousness with God. No one is justified by merit; rather, each person who experiences the forgiveness of the Lord does so because God is gracious and merciful, a friend to sinners and a redeemer of those who would call on Him. There is no room, therefore, for prideful reactions to the death of a lost person.
Amen and Amen. When Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron were judged and killed for their sin against God, Moses told Aaron not to cry (Leviticus 10:1-7). This may seem heartless, but it is instructive to us. A Christian, by definition, greatly desires the Lord’s honor and glory to be manifested. To wish against justice toward sin is to diminish the glory of God. To bemoan the Lord’s actions or to try to soften the consequences of sin by creating the “possibility narrative,” (i.e. “it is possible he prayed for salvation just before his death;” or, “perhaps God will forgive him since he contributed so much to science”) reduces God’s righteousness to some form of a quid pro quo. God is righteous and just. He does not reduce His standards to squeeze one more person into heaven. Instead, He fulfills the standard and invites all to seek and find forgiveness in Christ.
Weep with those who weep. Whenever a life is lost in death, there are people deeply affected. Weep with them. Do not act as though they should not grieve. They should. Grieve with them, sharing in their loss.
Commit to more fervent evangelism. (John 9:4) There will be some who will be swept up in the accolades attributed to this scientist. Some may adopt his beliefs as their own. Be more passionate for their salvation than ever before…because hell is real and God is just. Eternity is fixed at our death and it is…forever. Live your life to turn back sinners from their rebellion calling them to turn to Christ (Jude 23; Romans 12:15).
The number one reason people say they find it difficult to have gospel conversations is they can’t seem to get the conversation started. What if…you could?
Now my goal is not to convince you to jump into the fray of social media. In fact, I am betting that if you’re not already there…you’re probably not reading this message J. Instead, my goal is to influence you to maximize this tool for the gospel.
Eighteen years ago, a pastor friend, Herb Flavell, gave me a “pro tip” for ministry. He as a dear brother to me…being one of the first pastors to entrust his pulpit to me and the first to allow me to baptize in his baptistry. Herb told me to write down the names in my Bible of each person God allowed me to win to Christ. “Whether through personal evangelism or through my preaching,” he said, “write down everyone. When the devil starts giving you a fit one day…telling you that God can’t use you, just read the names back to him and watch him run.”
It is graduation season. It is an anxious time for many as seasons of life change. It is also a critical time for those who minister.
In 2002, I was introduced for the first time (that I recall) the work of Stephen Hawking. He was a brilliant physicist and a self-avowed atheist (
Recent Comments