Four weeks ago we began a series called “The Great Adventure: Helping our lost peers find Christ.” In the first part of this series we discussed “The Call“. We learned that we have been called to reach the lost for Christ and specifically the people who naturally cross our path: our friends, our neighbours, our co-workers, our families and so on. We learned that we are Christ’s representatives and ambassadors here on this. We learned that God has put us in this exact place, at this exact time for a reason – to tell others about Him.
In the second part of this series we looked at “The Challenge“ – the challenge of praying for our spiritually lost peers. We discussed three values that we need in order to develop a prayerful heart for our spiritually lost peers: people matter to God, people are spiritually lost and people need Christ. We also looked at ten things that we can be praying for our spiritually lost peers. I still have copies of the bookmark I handed out last week if you weren’t here and you would like a copy.
Today we come to the third part of this series, which I have titled, “The Conditions.” Today we will be looking at how we can be an effective light for Christ. According to the book, “Life of Francis of Assisi,” Francis once invited a young monk to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honoured to be given the invitation, the monk readily accepted.
All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, byways, and alleys, and even into the suburbs. They rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At day’s end, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. Greatly disappointed, his young companion said, “I thought we were going into town to preach.” Francis responded, “My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behaviour was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!”
1 Corinthians 3:2-3 tells us that we are a letter that is read by everyone.
“The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.”
Have you ever thought of yourself that way before? Have you ever thought that people are watching you and examining your life? Well a large part of being an effective light for Christ is the life we live in front of our lost peers.
Matthew 5:14-16 in the NLT says,
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
God has called us to be light in a dark world. Let’s take a few moments and discuss the nature of light. Light removes darkness. Light reveals danger. Light shows the path. Light also shows blemishes/defects. When you look at something in the dark, it does not look so bad.
Making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences. Back in the days before electricity, a tight fisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl. “Why,” he explained, “when I went a courtin’ I never carried one them things, I always went in the dark.” “Yes,” the hired man said wryly, “and look what you got!” Some people change their ways when they see the light, others only when they feel the heat.
John 1:9 tells us that Jesus is the real light of the world. And in John 8:12 Jesus tells the people,
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
In a sense, Jesus is saying that we are reflected light. Just as the sun is the source of light and the moon reflects light from the sun to the earth, Jesus is our source of light and we are to reflect that light to others.
In our remaining time this morning we are going to use the word light as an acronym to show us five characteristics/actions that are necessary in order for us to be an effective light for Christ. The “L” stands for love your unbelieving peers. In Mark 12:31 Jesus gives us not a suggestion but a command and this command is ranked at the second greatest commandment of all. This verse says, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Next to loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength we are to love our spiritually lost peers. There are 16 references in the New Testament that tell us to love our neighbour as ourselves, to work no ill towards them, to please our neighbour and to speak the truth to our neighbours. One of the greatest stories ever told concerned loving our neighbour, the Good Samaritan.
Back in the 80’s a Christian singer named Steve Camp wrote a song called “Don’t tell them Jesus loves them” that have always stuck in my head. This one line from the song still echoes in my mind today. “Don’t tell them Jesus loves them until you are ready to love them to.”
One of the best ways we can show love to our spiritually lost peers is by serving them because that was one of the ways the Jesus demonstrated His love for us. We need to find creative ways to serve our lost peers. Some examples are: offering to mow their lawn when they are on holidays, offering free babysitting so they can go out alone as a couple, offering to help with a project around the yard or house. There are unlimited ways we can serve our lost peers in love. The only limitation is our imagination. So the first way we can be an effective light for Christ is by loving our spiritually lost peers!
The “I” stands for imitate Christ. On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the following inscription: “James Butler Bonham–no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased; who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.” No literal portrait of Jesus exists either. But the likeness of the Son who makes us free can be seen in the lives of His true followers.
3 John 11 says,
“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”
The Greek word for “imitate” means to “duplicate” to “follow”. This means that we who claim to follow Christ must duplicate what Jesus has done and follow His example. We must duplicate Christ’s heart for the lost. When Jesus was coming into Jerusalem before He went to the cross, He wept for He saw the people there as sheep without a shepherd. We must also duplicate Christ’s integrity. Everything that Jesus did was genuine – done with integrity. Jesus did not have any hidden motives or agendas when He served people – He strictly did it because He loved them.
We have already looked at the fact that we are Christ’s representatives. We are here on behalf of Jesus to represent what He is all about. That means we may be the only testimony of Jesus that our lost peer may ever get to see. In order to be an effective light for Christ we have to imitate Him!
The “G” stands for gracious talk. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (NLT) When we speak to our lost peers our words need to full of grace.
Paul in Ephesians 4:15 tells us also to speak the truth in love. Reaching out to our spiritually lost peers is a balancing act. After working on the love side of this balancing act by serving our spiritually lost peers we must begin planting the seed of our friendship with God – the truth side of this equation. When it comes to balancing speaking the truth in love and loving our spiritually lost peers I believe there are three types of Christians.
First, there is the chameleon Christian. This type of Christian has an over-emphasis on the “love side”. They have a receptive audience . . . but they have no message. Second, there is the cactus Christian. This type of Christian has an over emphasis on the truth side. They have a powerful message but no audience. Finally, there is the contagious Christian. This type of Christian balances love and truth. They have a powerful message and they have an audience. Think for a moment about what kind of Christian you have been to your spiritually lost peers. Have been a chameleon Christian, a cactus Christian or a contagious Christian? In order to be an effective witness for Christ we need gracious talk.
The “H” stands for hospitality – opening up our homes. 1 Peter 4:9 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” In Bible times hospitality was not merely a gracious act but a necessity. Strangers were to be treated as guests and the home owner was expected not only to house them but also to feed and protect them. Hospitality is known as the “love for strangers”. We must get back into the ministry of graciously receiving others into our homes, feeding them, housing them, and making them always feel the warmth of welcome. We are called to practice hospitality as best we can for it is a true act of gratefulness for what God has done for us!
When we invite our spiritually lost peers into our home our goal is to advance our backyard fence relationship towards a more significant friendship. Meals are a great way to do it. As a general rule, it is good to have a definite reason for inviting them. It may be simply to enjoy your new barbeque recipe or share some homemade ice cream. They might enjoy seeing pictures of your vacation trip (notice I said they “might”).
Don’t be too elaborate if you entertain them for dinner. A formal dinner with crystal, china, and sterling silver isn’t necessary. They would probably feel more relaxed and “at home” with a good barbequed hamburger and a coke. If your meal is too “elaborate” you are less likely to be invited to their home because they may not be able to make your “production”. This does not mean the meal cannot be prepared and served in a lovely, gracious manner. It should be!
But what if you feel awkward about entertaining in this way? Let me suggest that you find someone else in our church who really has the gift of hospitality and invite them and your neighbour over for dinner. Blend their gift with your concern and you’ve got a winning combination! In order to be an effective light for Christ we need to be hospitable!
Finally, the “T” stands for time – being available to our spiritually lost peers. We need to make ourselves available especially when our spiritually lost peers are hurting in some way. Life is tough. Sickness, death of a loved one, marital problems, financial stresses, and other pressures provide opportunities for us as Christians to express Christ’s love to our spiritually lost peers through caring for them. Remember, people don’t care how much (or what) you know until they know how much you care!
Proverbs 11:25b in the NLT says, “Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” The hurts of others are our opportunities to become good news to them. I believe God Himself often arranges these opportunities. A helping hand and a sympathetic, listening spirit give our beliefs validity and impact.
Of the four types of communication: reading, writing, speaking and listening, the latter – listening – is the most critical in building a healthy relationship. Stephen Covey has noted, “the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations is this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” To build relational bridges we must understand that it is when we listen that we learn.
Listening in relationships inspires loyalty and trust. The problem is that most of our listening is not with the intent of understanding, but in readying our reply. Listening involves taking a genuine interest in your spiritually lost peer’s life. A good listener asks questions that express an authentic curiosity about their friend’s situation in life. By really listening, we affirm our friend’s value and dignity. In order to be an effective light for Christ we need to give our time by making ourselves available to our spiritually lost peers and be a real listener.
I want to conclude this morning with a poem by Arthur McPhee. It goes like this:
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Are read by more than a few,
But the one that is most read and commented on
Is the gospel according to you.
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day
By the things that you do and the words that you say,
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,
What is the gospel according to you?
Do men read His truth and His love in your life,
Or has yours been too full of malice and strife?
Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true?
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
We need to seek to be an effective light for Christ to our unbelieving peers. We can do this by: Loving our unbelieving peers by finding ways we can serve them. Imitating Christ. Having gracious talk. Being hospitable by opening up our home. Giving our spiritually lost peers our time by making ourselves available to truly listen to them.
Let’s commit ourselves to letting our light so shine before others that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven!
