This morning we continue our exploration
of the 4 Gospels by looking @ the Good News from Mark. This was the first of the
4 Gospels, written about 24 years after Jesus ascended to heaven. Mark was the companion of Peter, who was the
disciple whom Jesus commissioned as the leader of the Jesus movement once Jesus
departed. Mark accompanied Peter on his
missionary journeys, and in leading the first Christian church in Jerusalem. He
heard Peter tell many Jesus stories, over and over and over again. Thus, his
Gospel was based on direct eye witness accounts.
This is the shortest Gospel; so
if you have not read any of the Gospels, or if you feel inspired to give them a
2nd look, then I always recommend that you begin by reading Mark. IT
is a quick read.
Today’s Gospel reading describes
Jesus calling his first 6 disciples. The
term “disciple” means learner; and the disciples learned the Good News of God’s
love for all; but in the process of that learning, they created an extra
ordinary community, where together, they became close friends with Jesus, and
then with one another.
You see, Jesus calls the disciples
to follow him---but that’s exactly what they did. They did not become fishers of men and women
evangelists until 3 years later. PAUSE As one reads most of this Gospel, the only time Jesus
had them do something was when the disciples passed out the loaves and the fish
when Jesus fed the thousands. So, what
was the value of the disciples?
Well, they hung out with
Jesus and one another. In order to build
community, you must spend some time together.
Just like you cannot be a real father without hanging with your kids; so you cannot be a complete Christian without
hanging out with other Christians.
· Unlike some other religions, real Christianity has a
vital social component.
· Christianity isn’t something private; rather it is
shared in relationships.
So, together, they listened
to Jesus as he taught them God’s Word.
· Together they watched Jesus serve others by praying
for the sick, befriending the friendless, feeding the hungry, and helping the
needy.
· My favorite Woody Allen quote, is when he said that
“90% of life is just showing up.” So,
they showed up. They hung out...and
their lives were transformed.
The
Gospel of Mark ends with Jesus’ resurrection, and command to them to preach the
Gospel and to make disciples. PAUSE
·
Do you know what
the Bible says is the ONE product that
the church is supposed to make? The
church is supposed to make disciples.
And what is the first and most important step of making a disciple? You befriend him or her.
·
Friendship is the
key. Last weekend 5 of us attended a workshop
on how to strengthen the local church.
And frankly, if I was to summarize the teaching, in my own words, I
would day that NEW FRIENDSHIPS are the glue that keeps a church family
together. So, recent studies have
demonstrated this:
a.
If newcomers
don’t make at least one good friend within the first several months of their
first visit, they will probably drift away.
b.
Likewise, if long
time church members drift away and do not hear from their friends, then most of
the time, they will stay away.
If
we don’t make new friendships, then we could become a closed clique like many
churches our size. If we don’t make
and keep friendships, then our church will shrink, and then we cannot pay for
the many ministries that so many of you cherish.
Now,
the fact is, most of you here this morning can count one, two or more friends,
whom you value at church. You are the
fortunate ones in our church family.
One of the things that most folks appreciate about
CCQF is the strong sense of community. By and large, church friends
tend to be more appreciative, loyal, caring, and
committed. Why? Because your church friends share these values with
you, as a part of their faith.
As part of our Vision, CCQF is committed to
facilitating the growth of NEW FRIENDSHIPS. Sometimes this occurs
when we gather for food and fellowship; other times to happens when we serve
with others in one of the many church ministries; but the best way that this
occurs is through our popular Small Group program.
For the past four years, CCQF has hosted a Fall
Small Group series, where people meet for friendship, bible study, and (non-threatening)
prayer. Most everyone who has participated in these groups have made
new friends—whom they now treasure. Within Small Groups, you can: sit
back, be quiet, and listen; or you can ask the group to pray for your
family, a loved one, or yourself. Everything shared in a Small
group is confidential.
This fall’s Small Group program will run for 4
weeks, beginning the last week of September. Groups for men &
women will be meeting for 90 minutes on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Others may be added later on.
More information will be forth coming. We
hope that you will consider participating, because you may not think you need a
friend…but there are others who would love to become friends with you.
But this also relates to some of you, who have
wondered about why you haven’t seen this person or that person in many months.
Don’t just brood about that; give him/her/ them a telephone call. Our workshop leader spoke about this: If long time
church members drift away and do not hear from their friends, then most of the
time, they will stay away. So reconnect
with your absent friends, let them know that you miss them, and encourage them
to0 return to the church family, which we all love.
And by
doing that, you will let them, and the entire world know, that we are
Christians by our love.
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