The Table California
The Table is a church family in Arroyo Grande, California. Our desire is to give Jesus His desire...a house where He can be Himself with His family. This podcast hosts the weekly teachings from our Sunday evening gatherings and occasionally supplemental conversations throughout the week.
The Table California
Living on Mission
God desires all to be saved. If we are now saved then we are now on mission to give God the desire of His heart. When this is settled, our evangelism is God-focused. Kingdom people announce to the world who Jesus is with their lives...their words simply confirm the message. The power of the gospel is undefeated when it is declared from the lips of authentic Jesus People who re-present Him as He is.
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Hey, man, we love you guys. Simeon, I've missed seeing you come up and lay hands on people when we pray for them. I love that about you, man. Okay, go ahead and turn to Mark, chapter 16. We'll be in Mark 16. We'll be in a few different passages, as normal, but Mark 16 will be the first stopping point. We'll be in a few different passages, as normal, but Mark 16 will be the first stopping point.
Speaker 1:Asa is going to recite one of the verses that we will be stopping in today 1 Timothy 2, verse 4. Very good, can you say it one more time loud? Good job, bud. 1 Timothy 2, loud. God desires all to be saved. Good job, bud. 1 Timothy 2.4,. God desires all to be saved.
Speaker 1:Okay, a little bit of context with why we're talking about what we're talking about today. We have been talking about the kingdom of God for a few months now. One of the main points that we are making Is we are not just saved, we are people of a kingdom, and that kingdom is completely contrary To the kingdom that we grew up in, the kingdom of this world that we know so well. We have muscle memory on how to act in that kingdom. So we have an encounter with Jesus, we get saved, we receive salvation from our sins, but that does not automatically mean that he becomes Lord sitting on the throne of our heart. I would encourage you to go back and listen to some of the previous messages.
Speaker 1:There's three different types of people that normally find themselves in church. The folks in John chapter 2 who come to Jesus and believe what he is saying. They see the miracles, they believe, but Jesus, he, doesn't entrust Himself to them because he knows what's in their heart. They're unsaved believers. They're not born again. They have faith on their lips, their language sounds right, but they haven't had a born again encounter with God, again encounter with God. The second type of person typically found in churches we point to Mary on Resurrection Sunday, sitting outside of the tomb. She clings to Jesus. Why? Because she's saved, she's born again, she's received new life. But Jesus says don't cling to me, I haven't yet ascended. Don't cling to me yet. I want you to cling to me, but I need you to cling to me where I'm going to be seated and enthroned as king. It's not yet time to cling to me. So who is the second person? The second person is saved, they're born again, but they still sit on the throne of their heart. They're still making the decisions for themselves. They're not kingdom. The third type of person is what we want to be. This is like Peter. This is like Paul. This is like James. He uses kingdom language. Jesus is king. He's seated on the throne in heaven and I'm seated there with him, I'm clinging to him as king.
Speaker 1:You can be saved but not live kingdom life, but you can't live kingdom life without being saved. We want to be kingdom people, jesus people. So we've spent the past few weeks talking about what it means to not just be saved, to not just have our heavenly passport stamped, but to actually live the kingdom life. Things like kingdom people are family. They're not just a collection of individuals. We are a family. That means we interact with one another in a way that represents the kingdom, preferring others more than ourselves, treating and interacting with one another with humility and meekness and gentleness and understanding. We're family. Another thing we talked about is kingdom people are generous, not just with their finances, but with everything their time, their hospitality, their resources, their forgiveness. Kingdom people understand the power of their words. They understand that the tongue is a flame, so kingdom people are disciplined with their speech.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to talk about kingdom people live their life on mission. Kingdom people are evangelistic. Or, to put it plainly, kingdom people share the gospel. Or, to put it plainly, kingdom people share the gospel. Now, if you're thinking he's just going to try to browbeat us to go and evangelize, don't worry.
Speaker 1:There's a twist to the message. Kingdom people are on mission. They are a people of the great commission. Kingdom people are not like the dead sea, only taking in and receiving the life-giving nutrients of the gospel. They are a river of life and hope that is dispensing life, pouring out life wherever they go. That's the promise of John 7, 38. Rivers of living water will flow from your inmost being. That's kingdom people. They are dispensers of truth and grace. Kingdom people are a living embodiment of the truth that Jesus is alive. Count how many times I trip on this and almost fall. I'm going to back this up.
Speaker 1:Okay, I told you, mark, chapter 16. Mark, chapter 16, we'll read verse 15 and 16. Of course, this is after the resurrection. This is just prior to the ascension of Jesus. He looks to his disciples and he says this Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. Go, preach the gospel.
Speaker 1:Now, it wouldn't be a fun gathering in this beautiful setting if we didn't talk about the Greek language for a minute. So I want to talk about this word that's translated preach, go and preach. The Greek word is chariso, chariso. Chariso means to announce, to make known, to proclaim. That's the essence of our mission as kingdom people Making Jesus known to all creation and announcing the gospel of his kingdom. So today we're going to talk about the who, the where and the how of this mission who, where and how. I'm going to emphasize the how, because that's usually the one that we get hung up on. So I'm going to emphasize that one.
Speaker 1:But first I want to talk about the why. Why does Jesus tell us to go into the world and preach the gospel to all of creation? Two main reasons. The first reason is Romans 3.23. The first reason is Romans 3.23. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If all have sinned, then all are condemned. If all are condemned, then all need a Savior. And if all need a Savior, then all need the gospel, which tells all how they can be saved Unless the lost in our community hear that there is a way of salvation through the life, death, resurrection, ascension and enthronement of Jesus, and then they receive that gift of salvation through repentance, then they will die in their sin and live forever separated from God in hell. It's the gospel man. All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
Speaker 1:Jesus says in John, chapter 8, I am the light of the world. Praise God, he's the light of the world. Then he says this If you don't believe that I am, you will die in your sins. That's John 8, verse 12 and verse 24. So what does that mean? To die in our sins? It means we die separated from God forever. This is why we have to be on mission. There are lots of people around us that are living right now separated from God. We don't want them to die separated from God, right now, separated from God. We don't want them to die separated from God. So this leads us to the second reason why kingdom people live on mission to share the gospel with the world. All have sinned and are separated from God. But God takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but rather His delight is that the wicked would turn from their evil ways and live. This is the desire of God's heart. That's Ezekiel 33, 11.
Speaker 1:What Asa quoted earlier 1 Timothy 2, 4. God desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Think about this for a minute. God has a desire in his heart. That same word is used in Ezekiel 33 as Paul uses in 1 Timothy 2. One is the Hebrew word, the other is the Greek equivalent. God says I don't desire that the wicked die and are separated from me. I actually desire that they turn and are saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. That's his desire.
Speaker 1:Now, that's the tension of God's will. That's what desire also means. It means will want take pleasure in. That's God's will. It's his desire that all would be saved. So there's that's the tension. On one side, god desires all to be saved. And then the other side of the tension is our free will to decide. We don't want him. And then, right smack in the middle, is the responsibility of the church to make known to the world the abundant life that is found in Jesus.
Speaker 1:If 1 Timothy 2, 4 is true that God desires all to be saved, then think about this God is currently desiring something in our generation that he does not yet have. God has an unfulfilled desire right now. This is what makes the gospel powerful. Now bear with me, put your thinking caps on. This is what makes the gospel powerful. It flows from the source of God's desire to satisfy a longing in his heart. First and foremost, the why of our gospel witness is God having the desire of his heart. We don't share our faith with the world because the world is lost and on its way to hell. That's not our motivation. We share our faith because God has a longing in his heart. Is the world lost and on its way to hell? Yes, but your neighbor being on their way to hell doesn't give the gospel power. But your neighbor being on the way to hell doesn't give the gospel power. God's longing in his heart is what gives the gospel power.
Speaker 1:John Piper puts it this way Missions exist because worship does not. We go because there are lost people who are not worshiping their creator, and that's not okay with him. He has a desire for them to be saved. Until every person in our community worships jesus as savior and lord, then there's still the need to be on mission for the sake of the longing in his heart. It's a small shift from I share my faith because they're lost and on the way to hell to I share my faith because God desires something and he doesn't have it yet. It's a God focused evangelism or a lost world focused evangelism. It's a slight shift, but I'm telling you, man, it will make the biggest difference in your motivation to share your faith.
Speaker 1:What comes out of your mouth when you share your faith? You ever seen the guys holding the signs, the turn and burn type signs? What are they focused on? Lost sin, separation, death. Flip it around, focus on God and the desire of his heart, and you will not hold up a sign that says turn or burn. You'll share the gospel with tears in your eyes. When you're focused on the longing of his heart, man, it makes a big difference. I've got to move on because some of you look hungry. So that's the why. Why do we share the gospel? Who? What is the who of our gospel witness? That answer is simple, but let me answer this simple question with a story. Who do we share the gospel with? This simple question, with a story who do we share the gospel with?
Speaker 1:In the 1970s, there was a advertisement placed in a Polynesian bless you magazine asking for missionary workers to help start churches in the jungles, where there were many unreached peoples. Now, the qualifications for these missionary workers were this the ability to mix with people, to wade in rivers, to write articles, to mix concrete, to love one's neighbor, to deliver babies, to sit cross-legged for long extents of time, to conduct meetings, to drain swamps, to digest questionable dishes, to patch human weaknesses, to suffer fools gladly and to burn midnight oil. I love that. It's so good. Yeah, right, then it goes on. The job listing suggests persons allergic to ants, babies, beggars, chop suey, cockroaches, curried crabs, guitars, humidity, indifference, itches, jungles, mildew, minority groups, mud, poverty, sweat and unmarried mothers. Had better think twice before applying.
Speaker 1:Who do we preach the gospel to all of creation in every situation imaginable? Jesus says go out into the world and announce what he has done to all creation. Some of you may be called to take the gospel across the world. Others of you may be called to take the gospel across the street. He's going to lead you where he wants you to intersect with individuals. The big question is this are you willing to be a witness wherever he sends you? Are you willing to share Jesus with your friends, your neighbors, the grocery store worker, the coffee shop barista? Are you willing to share Jesus with Muslims, with Jews, with atheists, with homosexuals, with drug addicts, with gang members, with drunk family members? Are you willing to be a witness to the lost person standing right in front of you? Jesus pursued those who were separated from him, to the point that the religious leaders accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of sinners. Can it be said that you are a friend of sinners? Jesus didn't come to call the righteous, he came to call sinners. That's Luke 5, 32. So who do we preach the gospel to? The lost around us, whom God gives us the opportunity to intersect with. So we got the why, we got the who.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about the where. The where is very simple too. Don't worry about it. God will take care about the where. God's going to guide your steps. That's his responsibility. He's going to take you and lead you in the places you should go. When you have that settled, then you can trust that the person standing right in front of you is where he wants you to go with the gospel. If you want to know God's will for you today, if you want to know God's will for you tomorrow. Look at the person standing right in front of you. That's God's will for you, that's your assignment right there. When you believe that God will take you where he wants you to go, whether across the world or across town, you can trust that the person standing in front of you is no accident. We got the why. We got the where. What was the second one, who? Very good, that was a trick question. Okay, now the why. We've got the where. What was the second one, who? Very good, that was a trick question. Okay, now the how. This is the meat. How do we announce, how do we make known, how do we proclaim who Jesus is and what he has done is and what he has done?
Speaker 1:The most effective gospel witness is you and I living lives that look like Jesus. It's as simple and as challenging as that. Authentic lives of humility and meekness. Humility and meekness, kindness, sacrifice, faith, honesty, grace, surrender, obedience, generosity, radical hospitality. When those qualities are evident in the person who tells another person about Jesus, then that gospel is undeniable. When the life being lived matches the word being spoken, the world loses its argument. I'm going to say that again because you guys have gotten dull of hearing. I've talked so much already. When the life being lived matches the words being spoken, the world loses its argument.
Speaker 1:I could evangelize every day with the best gospel presentation, with the most skilled apologetics, I could be the best debater, I could have all the evangelism verses memorized and I could have every answer for every question that could be thrown my way. But if my life does not match the things that I'm declaring with my lips, then my words lack authority. My gospel witness is hollow and empty. It has no weight to it. John says this 1 John 2, verse 6. The one who says he abides in Jesus ought to himself also walk as Jesus walked. Translation let your walk match your words. Your walk better match up with your words. If what I say doesn't match who I am, then I'm actually diluting the truth of the gospel. I'm weakening the power of the gospel to transform lives.
Speaker 1:Jesus tells the Pharisees in Matthew 15, 6. I need to give a scripture to prove what I'm saying, because some of you look skeptical. He tells the Pharisees in Matthew 15, 6. You hypocrites, you've rendered powerless the word of God by your traditions. You've rendered ineffective that's what the word literally means the word of God. By how you are acting. You've robbed the word of God of its power by acting one way and speaking another.
Speaker 1:Paul tells the Romans in Romans 1 16, that he's not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the what Power of God unto salvation. That's what the gospel is. You, okay, brother, okay, anyone else, need to stand up. Feel free If your backside is tired from sitting on those seats. I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Amen.
Speaker 1:The pure, authentic gospel, announced from lips of blood washed, born again, saints of God, is absolutely nuclear. It is atomic. It is undefeated. It's the power of God. So let the pure, unfiltered gospel loose man and watch what it can do when nothing is holding it back. Let the gospel be the thing that is rejected. Let the gospel be the thing that offends on its own merit, not because it has our fingerprints on it, not because we dilute the gospel witness with our hypocritical lives. Let the gospel offend. Let the gospel separate. Big statement Ready Heaven forbid.
Speaker 1:We stand before Jesus one day with the blood of the lost on our hands because they couldn't believe in a gospel that looked like what they saw in our lives. That's the reality of the responsibility that we bear. To whom much is given, much is required. And, friends, we've been given much Forgiveness, life from the dead, the spirit of God indwelling us. To whom much is given, much is required. And with that incredible gift of God's grace comes the responsibility of showing the world what born again, forgiveness from sin looks like in a person. We have to be authentic, we have to be genuine. The Holy Spirit will give us grace to do that. Preach the gospel with your life and let your words confirm that message. I'm almost finished. Is everybody okay? The truth from a nine-year-old.
Speaker 1:There's an old story and a saying that's attributed to saint francis of assisi. The story goes something like this one day, saint francis, he went to one of the young monks in the monastery. He said, brother, let us go into town and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the young monk was so excited. St Francis is asking me to go with him to evangelize. So they left the monastery and they start passing through the town. They pass through the main roads and then they begin going up and down through the alleys. They make their way into the suburbs and then they find their way back to the monastery.
Speaker 1:And the young monkey says did we forget our intention today? Francis says, my son, we have preached. Don't worry, we were preaching while we were walking. We've been seen by many. Our behavior has been closely watched. The world is watching. Our behavior has been closely watched. Thus, we have preached our morning sermon. It is of no use, my son, to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk. It's of no use, my son, to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk. The world is watching to see if we are who we say Jesus is. We say Jesus is. The world is watching to see if we are who we say Jesus is. So John says in 1 John 4, I believe it's 17, you are as he is in the world, and the world is watching. Now this famous story has an accompanying quote that probably some of you have heard before Preach the gospel at all times.
Speaker 1:St Francis of Assisi said, and sometimes, if necessary, use words. It's cute, it's catchy, it's cheeky. I agree with the heart behind it that our lives will often be the best gospel presentation, but the message of Jesus, friends, must be communicated. We have to use words, we have to explain the gospel message. Romans 10, 14,. How shall they believe if they have not heard? The lost have to hear that sin and hell and separation from god are real. Repentance must be explained by those who have received it. Kingdom people articulate the gospel with their lives and their words. So how about we tweak St Francis' statement just a little bit to something like this Preach the gospel at all times with your life and your words. That's the how of our gospel witness. Live a life that is undeniably Christ-like and let your words be life-giving, dead-raising, chain-breaking, eye-opening flames that ignite cold, dead hearts with the mysteriously spontaneous combustion of the gospel. Let your lives, let your words completely confound dead things and bring them to life with the gospel. Closing thoughts Praise God Bryson's hungry.
Speaker 1:Why do we announce Jesus? Why do we preach Jesus? Because he desires all to be saved, and right now all are not yet saved. Who do we announce Jesus? To? All of creation, everyone that we intersect with. Where do we announce Jesus? Wherever he takes us? How do we announce Jesus With lives that confirm our words?
Speaker 1:I want to give you one practical, the easiest thing you can do to begin that conversation with a stranger that is so awkward and so fearful. You want to share your faith, but you don't know how. What do I do? Ask them if there's anything that they need prayer for. I've found that that is the easiest way to bring Jesus into a conversation. Everybody needs prayer. I've told hundreds, if not thousands, of people about jesus and I could probably count on one hand how many of them refused prayer, and I can attest it wasn't that awkward.
Speaker 1:So if you want to bring Jesus into your situation, just ask the person standing in front of you is there anything I can pray for you about? And see what they say Usually, what happens. They'll open up with what's going on in their life yeah, actually I have this going on and that and that. Then you can interject truth into their situation. Well, you know the Bible says this. This is the truth of God's word. Interject truth into their situation. Well, you know the Bible says this. This is the truth of God's Word. Or you can interject testimony from what you've seen God do in your life. Let me tell you I was dealing with that same thing. Let me tell you what God did, and then you pray for them and see what God does. Kingdom people live on mission Amen.
Speaker 1:Are there any questions, any comments, any contributions? All right, shall we eat? Okay, I forgot to give you guys an opportunity to give. If you would like to do that, there are in the house. We have these boxes. You can put checks or cash in these wooden boxes. On top is a QR code. You can just scan that and it'll take you to the giving option on the website. Feel free to do that. Thank you for being generous. All right, let's pray and then kids remember, don't rush into the house. Let those who have prepared the meal go in first, get things ready, and then we'll go in together.
Speaker 1:All right, thank you Jesus, thank you, lord. Your nature is you desire all to be saved. God, it's who you are. Nature is you desire all to be saved. God, it's who you are. So, holy Spirit, would you give us the grace to communicate who you are to the world around us in our lives and in our words? Or we want to represent you rightly. Give us the grace, god. Give us this grace. This is too big for us. So, lord, would you, like we prayed earlier, remove fear from our lives. Remove all doubt and questions and all of the reasons why we could never do that. Lord, remove those things. Give us opportunities to be Jesus to someone this week.
Speaker 1:God, let this week be a week of salvation in our community. God, that the blood of Jesus would run swiftly through the streets of our community and bring life everywhere it goes. Thank you, god. Lord, thank you for this time. Thank you for everyone here, lord. Whatever needs are present, lord, I ask that you would break in Touch bodies, touch bank accounts, touch marriages, lord, touch dreams and hopes and unanswered prayers with the gospel. Lord. Thank you for everyone who contributed to this meal. Lord, I pray that our time would be rich, that it would be full of life, that our conversation would be spiritual, it would be life-giving, lord, that we would even speak prophetically to one another, build one another up in the counsel of God. Thank you, jesus, we love you. Thank you for the opportunity of gathering like this in such a of God. Thank you, jesus, we love you. Thank you for the opportunity of gathering like this in such a beautiful setting. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.