PARTICULARITIES OF CHRISTIANITY #3/3

#1 · October 7, 2002, 11:41 am

Quote from Forum Archives on October 7, 2002, 11:41 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

PARTICULARITIES OF CHRISTIANITY #3/3
THE WAY TO PROCLAIMING GOD
October 6, 2002

Text: Matthew 9:35-38

In the last two Sundays, and on this Sunday, I have been preaching on
topics which are intended to point out the particularities of
Christianity. Particularities are those elements of the Christian faith
that set it apart from other world religions. In the previous two
sermons, I have covered two truths of Christianity that make it unique.
The first is our reconciliation to and with God through Jesus the Christ.
The nature of Jesus is unique: fully human and fully divine. No other
religion I know of has room for the Most High, Holy God to actually
participate personally in human affairs. No other religion I know of has
room for the Most high, Holy God to actually make Himself the sacrifice
for our sins. This is certainly a peculiarity of the Christian faith.

The second unique feature of the Christian faith I spoke about flows
directly from Gods direct, sacrificial intervention as Savior:
forgiveness. Divine forgiveness - that is, the forgiveness of our sins by
God through the sacrificial love of Jesus - is certainly the key element
in our salvation. But forgiveness as a part of the faith does not end
there. In response to Gods divine forgiveness, followers of Christ are
to practice forgiveness themselves. One of the stories Jesus used to
illustrate this point, the story of the unmerciful servant in Matthew
18:21-35, makes a very deliberate point: if we cannot forgive our fellow
servants for the sins they commit against us, God cannot forgive us the
sins we commit against Him. These elements of divine forgiveness and
corresponding human forgiveness are unique elements of the Christian
faith.

The third peculiarity of the Christian faith that I will address is what
I call proclaiming God. Let me first admit that proclaiming ones
religion is not unique to Christianity. Almost every faith group I can
think of has some way in which to witness, proclaim, and evangelize.
Every religion in our world today has had a starting point in some
limited geographic area, yet has spread beyond the borders of that
starting point. So what do I mean when I say that proclaiming God is a
peculiarity of the Christian faith?

What I mean by this can be found in the text from Matthew 9:35-38, which
we have read. Most specifically, verse 36: When he saw the crowds, he
had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like
sheep without a shepherd. This marks for the Christian believer the
motivation for mission. Mission can be near or it can be far; mission can
be preaching or service or both; mission can be in democracies or in
dictatorships. None of this matters. What matters most, and what makes it
unique to Christianity, is that it results from the compassion of Christ
and the compassion of Christ-like followers.

Other religions may contain elements of outreach, but they stem from
different motivations. Primarily, they stem from some sense of duty-bound
works righteousness. Works righteousness is the characteristic of other
religious systems. Without the element of personal relationship with the
Father through Jesus Christ, there is nothing left but a philosophical
system of works for adherents to follow in order to be able to prove
their worth within their faith. Outreach and mission is one of those
works.

The religion of Islam, for example, has made no pretence over the
centuries about its principle mode of conversion: conversion by the
sword. Now there are many in our civilized world who will argue that
point and call me quite misguided for saying such a thing. They will
point out that Islam exists quite peacefully alongside other religions in
America and other places in the world. And I will agree. It does coexist
peacefully in America and many other places. But what I will not try to
sweep under the rug is the very real fact that in nations that openly
call themselves Islamic, there are very real penalties that non-Muslims
face. They are penalties that range from economic sanctions to
imprisonment to beatings to executions. They are very real penalties.

Afghanistan now has a new government in place. We have been told that it
is a more moderate government; a government that will ease the severe
restrictions practiced by the Taliban. Thats good. Yet, what we consider
moderate and what they consider moderate can be vastly different. In
an interview with the senior Islamic cleric in the government - remember,
there is no separation of church and state in an Islamic nation - a
reporter from National Public Radio (NPR) noted that the large sword from
the last regime - the sword used for amputations and beheadings against
those who defied the laws of Islam - was still hanging in the office. The
NPR reporter asked why such an artifact would still be there. This top
Islamic leader replied that in their country a man is expected to be
Islam; if not Islam, then at least respect Islam. If he cannot respect
Islam, well and he directed his look at the sword. Do you understand why
I believe that compassion-driven mission is unique to the Christian
faith?

This month, during the World Mission Offering promotion, read the
resources provided about our missionaries ministries. Reflect upon the
meaning and significance of compassion-driven mission. There are so many
missionary stories given to us, we cant even get them all told in a
month, but well tell what we can. Heres one: Muntu-Ndombe is a student
at the Pastors Institute of Kikongo (IPK) in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo. Now times are exceedingly hard there, anyway, but this
energetic young man with a family is trying to respond to Gods call to
be a Christian leader among his people. He has trouble meeting the needs
of his family, but through hard, energetic work, he managed to make ends
meet somehow. His wife, bearing twins, had complications. She was ill for
a long time, and a large part of the family burden fell on Muntu-Ndombe.
A few months after that, his father died, leaving him with no one to help
him support his studies. His wife confided to missionary Jill Lowery that
her husband was ready to call it quits at the school. He just could not
continue with all the additional needs that had developed. She asked for
prayer for her husband. The Lowerys were saddened by the thought of
losing such a promising Christian leader. They had always been impressed
by Muntu-Ndombes leadership skills, enthusiasm, and strong work ethic.
His wifes commitment to a life of ministry despite the hardships was
evident. Our missionaries were convinced that God was calling this couple
into the ministry. Thanks to gifts received through the World Mission
Offering, the Lowerys were able to provide work for Muntu-Ndombe so that
he could finance his own studies, finish his pastoral training, and be a
future Christian leader in the Congo area. (Equipping Leaders, 2002 WMO
Promotional Workbook, ABCUSA, p. 21)

What an example of compassion-driven missions and witness. This is the
way to proclaiming God. We dont support the ministries of our local
church and missions because someone has put a gun to our head, or a sword
to our throat. We dont become any more or less saved by serving God and
Gods people as ministry partners. No one forces us, not even our
religious leaders, to participate in proclaiming God through ministry and
mission support. Why is this? Because our proclamation of God is not
driven by works righteousness; it is driven by compassion. When he saw
the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

This is a far different attitude than any of the other religions. It is a
breath of fresh air. It is also a unique opportunity. There is not a
believer here who cannot, in some way whether large or small, exercise
the spiritual gifts God has given us for ministry in His kingdom. There
is not a believer here who can claim that we have no motivation for
mission or for proclaiming God. Jesus gives us all the motivation we
need.

Jesus himself said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the
workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field. Every man, woman, and child who has made
a profession of faith to God in Christ is at the same time an answer to
Jesus request. I hope that you understand the reality of that.

I think, as I have said in the past two sermons, that it is a mistake to
ignore or set aside the unique elements of the Christian faith for
achievement of a type of peace that relies upon trying to make any other
religion an acceptable equivalent of Christianity. But I can think of an
even larger mistake: to study and learn and be convinced that the
Christian faith is unique and that Jesus is our particular Savior and
that he has compassion upon the whole world and then do nothing about it.
How can we not respond to such a grand and glorious and holy truth? How
can we accuse others of practicing an incorrect or incomplete religion if
we fail to practice the compassion that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 9:36?
How can we not be compassionate when the very Lord of the harvest is so
compassionate?

The peculiarities and uniqueness of the Christian faith also brings with
it responsibility. The Good News is that we are involved in Jesus
particular, compassionate ministry when we act as his ambassadors and
allow him to live through us. As we share in the service of communion
this morning, I invite you to make it more than a private experience.
There are times when acknowledging and celebrating our private
relationship with Jesus is appropriate, but this morning I ask you to
expand your personal horizons by remembering the work of God throughout
the world. Remember that our missionaries and the peoples they are
reaching are in fellowship - in communion - with us. Remember that our
leaders of the International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches
are in fellowship - in communion - with us. And remember that your
brothers and sisters in Christ in this very place are in fellowship - in
communion - with one another, and that we are all in fellowship - in
communion - with God. And this, I say, is the way to proclaiming God.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

PARTICULARITIES OF CHRISTIANITY #3/3
THE WAY TO PROCLAIMING GOD
October 6, 2002

Text: Matthew 9:35-38

In the last two Sundays, and on this Sunday, I have been preaching on
topics which are intended to point out the particularities of
Christianity. Particularities are those elements of the Christian faith
that set it apart from other world religions. In the previous two
sermons, I have covered two truths of Christianity that make it unique.
The first is our reconciliation to and with God through Jesus the Christ.
The nature of Jesus is unique: fully human and fully divine. No other
religion I know of has room for the Most High, Holy God to actually
participate personally in human affairs. No other religion I know of has
room for the Most high, Holy God to actually make Himself the sacrifice
for our sins. This is certainly a peculiarity of the Christian faith.

The second unique feature of the Christian faith I spoke about flows
directly from Gods direct, sacrificial intervention as Savior:
forgiveness. Divine forgiveness - that is, the forgiveness of our sins by
God through the sacrificial love of Jesus - is certainly the key element
in our salvation. But forgiveness as a part of the faith does not end
there. In response to Gods divine forgiveness, followers of Christ are
to practice forgiveness themselves. One of the stories Jesus used to
illustrate this point, the story of the unmerciful servant in Matthew
18:21-35, makes a very deliberate point: if we cannot forgive our fellow
servants for the sins they commit against us, God cannot forgive us the
sins we commit against Him. These elements of divine forgiveness and
corresponding human forgiveness are unique elements of the Christian
faith.

The third peculiarity of the Christian faith that I will address is what
I call proclaiming God. Let me first admit that proclaiming ones
religion is not unique to Christianity. Almost every faith group I can
think of has some way in which to witness, proclaim, and evangelize.
Every religion in our world today has had a starting point in some
limited geographic area, yet has spread beyond the borders of that
starting point. So what do I mean when I say that proclaiming God is a
peculiarity of the Christian faith?

What I mean by this can be found in the text from Matthew 9:35-38, which
we have read. Most specifically, verse 36: When he saw the crowds, he
had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like
sheep without a shepherd. This marks for the Christian believer the
motivation for mission. Mission can be near or it can be far; mission can
be preaching or service or both; mission can be in democracies or in
dictatorships. None of this matters. What matters most, and what makes it
unique to Christianity, is that it results from the compassion of Christ
and the compassion of Christ-like followers.

Other religions may contain elements of outreach, but they stem from
different motivations. Primarily, they stem from some sense of duty-bound
works righteousness. Works righteousness is the characteristic of other
religious systems. Without the element of personal relationship with the
Father through Jesus Christ, there is nothing left but a philosophical
system of works for adherents to follow in order to be able to prove
their worth within their faith. Outreach and mission is one of those
works.

The religion of Islam, for example, has made no pretence over the
centuries about its principle mode of conversion: conversion by the
sword. Now there are many in our civilized world who will argue that
point and call me quite misguided for saying such a thing. They will
point out that Islam exists quite peacefully alongside other religions in
America and other places in the world. And I will agree. It does coexist
peacefully in America and many other places. But what I will not try to
sweep under the rug is the very real fact that in nations that openly
call themselves Islamic, there are very real penalties that non-Muslims
face. They are penalties that range from economic sanctions to
imprisonment to beatings to executions. They are very real penalties.

Afghanistan now has a new government in place. We have been told that it
is a more moderate government; a government that will ease the severe
restrictions practiced by the Taliban. Thats good. Yet, what we consider
moderate and what they consider moderate can be vastly different. In
an interview with the senior Islamic cleric in the government - remember,
there is no separation of church and state in an Islamic nation - a
reporter from National Public Radio (NPR) noted that the large sword from
the last regime - the sword used for amputations and beheadings against
those who defied the laws of Islam - was still hanging in the office. The
NPR reporter asked why such an artifact would still be there. This top
Islamic leader replied that in their country a man is expected to be
Islam; if not Islam, then at least respect Islam. If he cannot respect
Islam, well and he directed his look at the sword. Do you understand why
I believe that compassion-driven mission is unique to the Christian
faith?

This month, during the World Mission Offering promotion, read the
resources provided about our missionaries ministries. Reflect upon the
meaning and significance of compassion-driven mission. There are so many
missionary stories given to us, we cant even get them all told in a
month, but well tell what we can. Heres one: Muntu-Ndombe is a student
at the Pastors Institute of Kikongo (IPK) in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo. Now times are exceedingly hard there, anyway, but this
energetic young man with a family is trying to respond to Gods call to
be a Christian leader among his people. He has trouble meeting the needs
of his family, but through hard, energetic work, he managed to make ends
meet somehow. His wife, bearing twins, had complications. She was ill for
a long time, and a large part of the family burden fell on Muntu-Ndombe.
A few months after that, his father died, leaving him with no one to help
him support his studies. His wife confided to missionary Jill Lowery that
her husband was ready to call it quits at the school. He just could not
continue with all the additional needs that had developed. She asked for
prayer for her husband. The Lowerys were saddened by the thought of
losing such a promising Christian leader. They had always been impressed
by Muntu-Ndombes leadership skills, enthusiasm, and strong work ethic.
His wifes commitment to a life of ministry despite the hardships was
evident. Our missionaries were convinced that God was calling this couple
into the ministry. Thanks to gifts received through the World Mission
Offering, the Lowerys were able to provide work for Muntu-Ndombe so that
he could finance his own studies, finish his pastoral training, and be a
future Christian leader in the Congo area. (Equipping Leaders, 2002 WMO
Promotional Workbook, ABCUSA, p. 21)

What an example of compassion-driven missions and witness. This is the
way to proclaiming God. We dont support the ministries of our local
church and missions because someone has put a gun to our head, or a sword
to our throat. We dont become any more or less saved by serving God and
Gods people as ministry partners. No one forces us, not even our
religious leaders, to participate in proclaiming God through ministry and
mission support. Why is this? Because our proclamation of God is not
driven by works righteousness; it is driven by compassion. When he saw
the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

This is a far different attitude than any of the other religions. It is a
breath of fresh air. It is also a unique opportunity. There is not a
believer here who cannot, in some way whether large or small, exercise
the spiritual gifts God has given us for ministry in His kingdom. There
is not a believer here who can claim that we have no motivation for
mission or for proclaiming God. Jesus gives us all the motivation we
need.

Jesus himself said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the
workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field. Every man, woman, and child who has made
a profession of faith to God in Christ is at the same time an answer to
Jesus request. I hope that you understand the reality of that.

I think, as I have said in the past two sermons, that it is a mistake to
ignore or set aside the unique elements of the Christian faith for
achievement of a type of peace that relies upon trying to make any other
religion an acceptable equivalent of Christianity. But I can think of an
even larger mistake: to study and learn and be convinced that the
Christian faith is unique and that Jesus is our particular Savior and
that he has compassion upon the whole world and then do nothing about it.
How can we not respond to such a grand and glorious and holy truth? How
can we accuse others of practicing an incorrect or incomplete religion if
we fail to practice the compassion that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 9:36?
How can we not be compassionate when the very Lord of the harvest is so
compassionate?

The peculiarities and uniqueness of the Christian faith also brings with
it responsibility. The Good News is that we are involved in Jesus
particular, compassionate ministry when we act as his ambassadors and
allow him to live through us. As we share in the service of communion
this morning, I invite you to make it more than a private experience.
There are times when acknowledging and celebrating our private
relationship with Jesus is appropriate, but this morning I ask you to
expand your personal horizons by remembering the work of God throughout
the world. Remember that our missionaries and the peoples they are
reaching are in fellowship - in communion - with us. Remember that our
leaders of the International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches
are in fellowship - in communion - with us. And remember that your
brothers and sisters in Christ in this very place are in fellowship - in
communion - with one another, and that we are all in fellowship - in
communion - with God. And this, I say, is the way to proclaiming God.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.