We come this morning to a very important aspect of our vision for Markham Baptist, our vision for outreach.  Our Lord gave a very clear directive to his followers.

"Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Our Lord's last command must be our first commitment.  It has been said that the church is the only institution that exists for the sake of its non-members.  And so it is true we seek to follow our Lord's command and proclaim the good news of His grace to our community and to our world.  Our vision for outreach.

You may want to call it missions, you may want to call it evangelism, you may want to call it reaching out.  What ever you call it we define it as sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed.  Our vision for outreach.

Now whenever people talk about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ they generally have two pictures in their minds of how this is done.  It is done through mass evangelism, typified by the Billy Graham crusades.  Or they think of personal faith sharing typified by the person who verbally shares his or her faith with their friends, the people on the bus, or even on the mission field at home and abroad.  Both of these approaches are good and effective but they tend to leave most of us out of the important task of faith sharing.  If we are not gifted with the ability to speak publicly then we are usually left out of these two approaches.

But Scripture speaks of a third type of outreach that involves the whole church, it involves the whole body of Christ, it involves everyone.  Not one person is left out of this approach to reaching out.

An example of this approach is found in our key passage in Act 2:42-47.  This has been the guiding passage for us in the formulation of our vision.  It reads,

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

One of the ways that God has given us to reach out and proclaim the reality of His grace in the person of Jesus Christ is through being the church.  It as these new converts devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to worship, to caring for those in need and doing all this with glad and sincere hearts praising God that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  It was as the church acted like the church that those outside the church were attracted to the Lord of the church.

We need to understand that the church doesn't do witnessing, the church is a witness.  Evangelism cannot be a program of the church it is the church.  Mission work is not relegated to a committee it is the work of the church.  The church doesn't do witnessing, it is a witness.

Of course as you read Scripture you discover five aspects of outreach that are described.

There is GOING.  (1 Peter 3:15) It is our vision that God would raise up from amongst us people who will go to the mission field, here at home and overseas.  It is our vision that we be a church that offer short term mission opportunities, for people to go to where there is need.

There is also SENDING.  (Acts 13:3; 15:22-33).  We want to be a church that supports our missionaries and commissions those who have been called by God to preach the gospel.

There is also GIVING.  (2 Corinthians 8 & 9)

There is also PRAYING.  (Colossians 4:2-4; Romans 15:30-31).

And then finally the one I want to focus on this morning is BEING.

It is as the church acts like the church that those outside the church are attracted to the Lord of the church.

Jesus underscores this truth in a conversation with his disciples.  Scholars call this conversation the “Upper Room Discourse”; it's a conversation Jesus has with his disciples over dinner.  It's recorded in the book of John from chapter 13 to the end of chapter 17.  We can't read it all today, but in that conversation Jesus outlines three characteristics of the church that will make a lasting impact on the world.

The first one is found in John 13:34,35.

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (NRSV)

Do you want to reach the world for Jesus Christ then love one another, care for one another.  Make the love of Christ that you have experienced in your life a reality by loving one another and people will know that Jesus Christ is real.

The world knows very little of the self-giving love of Christ.  Sometimes they see it demonstrated in an individual and it makes them catch their breath - but they quickly dismiss it saying, "She is one in a million."

But when the world sees self-giving love demonstrated by a group of people, there is no dismissing it.  There is no avoiding it.  The world stands up and takes notice when the love of Christ is demonstrated by a group - because then it must be real.

"By this everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another."

He is speaking of a corporate witness.  It is our vision that we so demonstrate the self-giving love of Christ that people in our community will see that the love of Christ is real.

Now the challenge that we face is that we truly love EVERYONE in our congregation.  It is a challenge for today and a challenge we will meet in the future, that we not simply love those who are like us.  That we truly demonstrate the love of Christ to everyone who walks through those doors.  Can we love the person who does not have the same economic background as we do, marriage situation, the same spiritual walk with God, the same colour of skin, the same age, the same get and go as the majority of us here?  Can we love that person?

Because that's where the love of Christ becomes real, doesn't it?  When we are able to love those that many consider to be unlovely.

Of course the power to do that is found in the realization that Christ loved us when we had nothing in common with Him.  Can you imagine if Jesus had an interview with us before He died to discover whether or not we were worth dying for.

Jesus says, "How would you describe yourself?  As God like or sinner?" and we say, "Better put me down as sinner".

Jesus asks, "Would you say you are strong or weak?" and we say, "Compared to you - weak."

"Finally", Jesus says, "are you righteous, or unrighteous?"

"Well there was that one time - no even then definitely unrighteous."

My friends, never think that there is any affinity between us and Jesus.  We did not have anything in common with Jesus that He should give His life for us.

As Scripture says,

"For while we were still weak at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.  But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8) (NIV)

It is as we realize that Christ loved us, the least the lost and the lowly that we are able to express that love for others whom we consider to be least, lost and lowly.  And when we do that - the love of Christ becomes real.

But it is not only our love for one another that demonstrates the reality of Christ to the world - Jesus gives us another characteristic in John 15:8:

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit showing yourselves to be my disciples." (NIV)

What is this fruit?  It is the character of Jesus.  As we demonstrate the character of Jesus - His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  It is as we as a church demonstrate this fruit that we show to the world that Christ is real.

You know, don't you, that nothing is more damaging to the cause of Christ as a church which is either torn apart by jealousy, rivalry, slander, and malice.  But a church that clearly demonstrates the character of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, is the church that proclaims to the world that Jesus Christ is real.

This of course means that we must be making Jesus Christ master of our lives and our church.  This fruit cannot be demonstrated to the world if we are severed off from the vine, who is Christ.

Six years ago, John and I cut down a tree at our cottage.  As we were cutting it up we came across a limb that was in the shape of a "Y".  It was fairly large, about 8 feet tall.  I got an idea.  Instead of cutting it up we took the whole limb and dug a whole in the ground about three feet deep and we stuck it in the ground and tied bungy cords to the two arms and we made it into a giant sling shot and we could fire golf balls into the woods.  I can tell you that after 6 years that limb has not sprouted a leaf, it has not shot out roots, it has not produced any fruit.  Why?  Because it has been severed from the tree that gave it life.

If we are severed from Christ there is no demonstration of His character.

It is as we are make Christ master of our lives, as we devote to Christ all that we do in this church and His Lordship is recognized - His character grows up within us and His character is shown in our church and the world is convinced that He is real.

There is one more passage where Jesus is praying here for you and me.

"I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.  As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:20-21) (NRSV)

It is not only as the church loves and demonstrates Christ's character that the world sees the reality of Christ.  Jesus says here that it is as His church is united that the world may believe.

Unity - it means that His church is one in purpose.  Even as the Father and the Son were one in purpose, our purpose is to glorify God.

Unity.  It means that His church is one in love - even as the Father and the Son were one in Their love for the lost and the least.

It means that His church is one in desire - to see the character of Christ grow among us.

Unity, it means that we are all working together for the common goal, there is no one working for their own selfish desires, but by the spirit of God we are knit together working of the same purpose, with the same love, with a common desire.

It is as this happens that the world believes that Jesus Christ is the one sent from God.

So it is that as the church acts like the church that those outside the church are attracted to the Lord of the church.

You see the beauty of this, don't you?  It is that the body of Christ comes together with our varying gifts that we are a powerful witness to the community.  Some of you have the ability to invite, and some of you have the ability to make people feel welcome - we need to you to talk to new folks.  Some have the gift of mercy, compassion and are able to draw alongside those who are hurting.  Others have the gift of hospitality gift of proclamation and you invite the people to Christ, then there are those of you who have the gift of encouragement and hospitality and you befriend the people and make them feel a part of the body.  Then there are others who have the gift of teaching and you instruct the new Christian and help them in their walk.  The truth is we cannot do individually what we can do as a group.  Together we are able to make a difference in a person's life.  As we work together and truly be the church.

Believe it or not the world is watching us.  They are looking to see if what we say with our lips is what we believe in our hearts and practice in our lives.  They are looking to see if when we speak of the love of God we are speaking the truth and of something that is real.  They are looking to see when we say that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us if we actually mean it.  They are watching to see if we truly are followers of Jesus Christ and demonstrating His character in all that we do.  They are watching to see if we will move forward in unity or if we will allow jealousy and bitterness and anger to rule us.  They want to know if this Christian thing is real, is it genuine, and practically practiced in our lives.

The world is watching us, the children in our midst are watching us and how we love one another affects their faith.

Jesus said, "All people will know you are my disciples if you love one another."

This then is a kind of corporate witness that says to the world, "Look at all of us, this is what you too can become, there's hope.  There is a group of people who genuinely loves, genuinely demonstrates the character of Jesus and genuinely united - and we genuinely love and care for those around us.”

That's our vision.  No more pretending, no more playing, actually being the church that the world will know that Jesus Christ is real.

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - September 2002

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