The Simple Greatest Gift
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The Single Greatest Gift
October 9, 2011
by Rev. William “Buck” Day
Evangelism… I know some of you are already frightened by that. I know that some of you are going, “Ha, ha, ha…I get the next three weeks off.” But I want to ask you to hang in there with me. Hang in there with me, because the experience that I think we are going to be embarking on is one like you have never experienced before. I will tell you right out of the gate you don’t have to memorize anything, there aren’t any scripts that we are going to be handing out. That is not what we are going to be talking about in this experience.
What we are talking about is something rather simple. It is as simple as walking across the room. I think that is something that all of us can do. It is about doing a small thing—something as small as walking across the room. I think that if we do it we are going to touch a lot more lives. That is my hope and that is my prayer for us as we begin this process.
We start today actually with a story by the author of this series, Bill Hybels. The story is this. He had met a tall African-American man with a very Muslim sounding name at a luncheon that he was attending. As they were sharing lunch, the man was across the table and he said, “I love your books.” (He whispered) So after the luncheon they had a chance to talk. This man began to tell Bill his story. He said, “I have been a Muslim my whole life. In my professional life a lot of what I had to do was to go to gatherings after work, kind of cocktail parties, and the goal there was to go and to begin to make business contacts. A lot of business people do that.” He said, “I would do that but I would inevitably find myself kind of standing by myself.” …No one talking to him. He said, “I would be there for the appropriate kind of time and try to make a graceful exit.” I think we have all been there. We have all been a part of an experience like that.
He said, “I was at this one party and the same thing was happening, I was by myself and the party was going on in the rest of the room, but” he said, “I noticed this guy that was talking with a group of people and he kind of caught my eye.” He said, “I noticed that he excused himself from the group that he was talking with and walked across the room and introduced himself.” He said, “As we talked, the conversation unfolded naturally about our mutual business activities, about our families, about sports, all the normal stuff that we talk about every day.” He said, “Then the topic of faith came up.” The African-American man said, “I was a little hesitant to bring it up because I was afraid that I might get the typical reaction when they find out I am a Muslim. But” he said, “I took the chance and I told him.” He said “The guy I was talking to responded.” He said, “Well, you know what? I’m a Christ follower. I am a Christ follower and if I am going to tell you the truth, I don’t know a lot about Islam. So would you do me the favor of maybe meeting over breakfast and kind of giving me the Cliff Notes version of Islam?”
So what happened then was a series of gatherings where they shared meals together and began to build a friendship. In this time together the Christian man was free to ask whatever he wanted about the Muslim faith and the African-American man was free to respond in whatever way he thought was appropriate. This relationship continued because the Christian man was a good listener and he wasn’t judging the other man’s activities, he wasn’t trying to edge in his own agenda; but rather he was showing genuine interest in this Muslim man’s life. The man continued the story with Bill and he said, “You know I grew up kind of in a Christian environment but the church that I went to was filled with racism and I kind of backed away from it and left it. So now the truth is I really don’t know a lot about Christianity.” So he said after a while with this relationship with this Christian friend he said, “You know, you have been such a good listener. Will you refresh my memory in the Christian faith?” What happened there happened easily, it was natural, it was very respectful and a few months later this man said that he determined that Christianity was a better faith system than Islam. So he committed himself to Christ. He told Bill that it changed his life and the life of his family, as well.
Friends, what we are talking about over these next four weeks is this notion of the single greatest gift that we as Christ’s followers can give the people around us. It is an introduction to the God who created them, who loves them and who has a purpose for their life. If we do that, nothing beats that when we do that naturally the way we heard in the story—not monetary gains, not job opportunities, not recognition, not the accolades that come with that. When we boil it all down, what evangelism really amounts to is constantly watching for ways to give away the single greatest gift to someone who is living far from God. That’s what it is about. Ultimately, that is what this Christ follower did in this story that Bill heard. It is a true story. It is something I think we all can do. For this guy had a deep-seated hope that God would use him to be a gift bearer in someone else’s life. Because he was open to be used by God, guess what happened? Guess what happened?
So if we begin to think about this idea of what does it mean to walk across the room, the first thing I think we need to say about it is it means that we have to enter the zone of what might be called the unknown, the zone of the unknown; because all of us are really good at standing in our circle of comfort, aren’t we? Where it is easy to converse, there is no threat, it’s safe. We all know that kind of place, don’t we? We experience it right out here many times on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night. That is where the Christian man at this party, where he was looking across the room—not only was he looking and seeing but he also felt something. He heard a prompting from the Holy Spirit. That prompting was “why don’t you go over there and introduce yourself to that guy on the other side of the room.” He heard that prompting and what did he do? He excused himself from the group that he was talking to, that circle of comfort, and as he did he had no idea what the next step was going to bring. He was stepping out into the unknown. He didn’t know how this Muslim man was going react to it, but you know what? As soon as he took that first step there was no turning back at that point. There was no turning back. I am guessing that as he stepped across that room he was praying the whole time, saying “God I don’t know what is going on, but I am trusting you with this.” And he entered the zone of the unknown. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in the zone of the unknown? I want to let you in on a little secret. God does his best work in the zone of the unknown. He does his best work there.
The conversation started with “Hi, my name is…” And it ended with this African-American man’s eternal destiny and the eternal destiny of his family changed forever. Those first steps changed everything. The gates of hell shuddered as he stepped across the room. The angels in heaven began to build a banner with the name of this man and his family’s name that could be unfurled as soon as he crossed the line of faith. So here is the question for us to ponder. What would happen if you and I took a few steps across the room? What would happen? Is it possible that we could change someone’s eternal destiny by simply walking across the room, and helping someone who is heading towards a Christ-less eternity? Do you think it is worth those ten steps across the room?
That is what we are going to be talking about the next four weeks. That is where we are going, and hear me on this, please. In this four week experience I want you to remember that one of the top priorities of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to turn every one of us, every Christ follower that is in this room right now, into a walk across the room kind of person. That is what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives. So in order to be effective in the zone of the unknown, we have to be led by the Holy Spirit. We are going to continue to hear that as we walk through this, to listen for the Spirit’s prompting every step of the way; because the key to this is fundamentally to be one of those walk across the room kind of people. It means that we walk when the Spirit tells us to walk; and, believe it or not, we don’t walk when the Spirit says don’t walk. That will happen at times. When you think about that that is very dynamic, isn’t it? It is almost mystical in many ways, because it is out of your control; it is out of my control. When you are in that place it keeps you on the edge, doesn’t it? It is an adventure at that point. It is an adventure. It is exciting stuff.
I was in the Canadian Rockies as I told you and at one point we were in the Kananaskis region of the Rockies and we were just below the summit of one of the passes. My brother-in-law and I kind of separated but we were heading up this creek that he had discovered that wasn’t on any of the trail maps. We were walking and there wasn’t a path but it was beautiful. There were boulders and waterfalls and fallen rocks and we had to work our way through; but we never knew what was around the next corner. We never knew what the scene was going to bring. We didn’t know if there were grizzly bears watching us from above because we later saw some about a quarter of a mile away. You didn’t know. You were on edge. It was an adventure. That is what happens when we are led by the Spirit, when we just walk across the room. That is what happens when we walk that kind of Christian life.
Take a look at this Scripture. It is kind of small so I am going to read it to you. So listen to our Scripture today from Matthew. It says:
Matthew 5:13-14
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
The Scripture talks about what salt does, doesn’t it? One of the things that salt requires is proximity. Salt has to be on something in order to flavor it, doesn’t it? And when we think about that in terms of what we are talking about it means that we have to get close to people to affect them. We have to get close to some folks; and that maybe scary for some of you. It may seem like it is too difficult, and yes, I have to confess that there will be times when it is scary. No doubt that guy was a little scared walking across the room to meet that African-American man. That will happen as we enter the zone of the unknown. But the underlying reality I want you to remember is this, that when we are relating right to Christ, when we are in a good relationship with him, when there is vitality, when there is openness in our spirits to the prompting of his Spirit, here is what is going to happen. We are going to find ourselves in our circle of comfort. While we are listening and interacting in the conversation, our eyes are going to be out there looking around us. We are going to be listening for the Spirit to prompt us. “Is there someone there Lord that you want me to go talk to? Is there something or someone that you want me to go do something for?” And the Holy Spirit will move us through that.
As I was talking in our class this morning, this is something that can be learned. Sometimes if we are not used to doing that the Spirit may have to club us over the head to get us to hear the first time; but as we learn we will learn to hear the Spirit’s whispers. We will say “Lord, what is going on in this place? Is there someone here that you need me just to touch, to connect with in some way?” I think that is something that we all can do. We don’t have to do it all the time, as I said, but when the Spirit prompts us, we step. And by God’s grace if we do that, if we commit ourselves to being salty in the world, if we get in proximity to some people who need grace, and we listen for the Spirit’s prompting, then I think that each time we step into that place we can step in with confidence and we can trust the Holy Spirit and say “O.K. God. I am going to walk. I don’t know where I am walking or what I am walking into but I trust you in this. So lead me Lord, and I will go.” Now as you think about that, I know that there are some of you in this room who are thinking “That’s me. I can identify with that. That’s what I live for. That’s my passion.” And there are others that go “You know, I think maybe I had some promptings or some leadings before, maybe, I think.” And there are the rest of us who are saying, “You know what, Buck, I am not sure I know what you are talking about. This is totally foreign territory to me. I have never given an ounce of thinking in this way before about how God might work in my life.”
So as we enter into this four week experience, as I say it is not about a new evangelism program, it is not. Hear me on that folks. Take a deep breath if you are scared of that. It is not about that. Rather it is about how do we become more aware of God’s heart beating through us and operating in harmony with his. That is what it is about. I think that is something that all of us can do. Every single person in this congregation can do that. We can decide to do it. We can learn how to do it. We can be trained to do that. We can be equipped to do that. We can receive pointers to become more effective at that. Now as you think about that you might say “Well why would we want to do that? What is it? What is the reason behind doing this?” So I want you take a moment and reflect on this verse. It says:
Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Take a moment and just reflect on that. (A moment to reflect)
Each one of us has a place in our own lives where the Holy Spirit, God Himself, moved to show you how he really feels about you, how he loves you. God took a walk for you. Jesus walked all the way across the cosmos to reach out his redemptive hand to people like you and people like me. Under the direction of the Father, think about it, Jesus left the ultimate circle of comfort. He left heaven itself. He left the intimacy of the Trinity. He left the adoration and worship from the angels. Why? To rescue people like you and me. Jesus left his circle of comfort and he calls us to do the same. He calls us to do the same. We don’t have to worry about the mechanics. Get past that. Rather it is about taking Christ’s hand and walking. That is what it is about. Christ is asking us to walk into those places beyond our circle of comfort and if we do that something exciting will happen. For Jesus walked for every person on the planet. Every person who ever walked the planet, Jesus walked for. Now he is asking us to walk, as well.
So I want you to think about some of your friends. Think about your friends. Maybe they are sitting next to you right now. How did they wind up in the kingdom? How did they cross that line of faith? Someone had to walk across the room for them, as well. So the single greatest gift that we can give another human being is an introduction to the God who declared that his mission was to find all those who are lost and to bring them home. That is God’s mission. That is his mission for us.
I want to tell you that this four week series I have been thinking about since January. This is something that has been on my mind because I believe that it is that important for us. I am praying that God would do a mighty work for us and in us and through us as a result of this. I will tell you as we begin this four week experience that I am going to offer you some personal guarantees as we step in this time together. First one is that we are all going to grow closer to Christ as a result of these four weeks. We are all going to grow, love our Lord a little more. Secondly we are all going to grow closer to each other. That is why I am encouraging every one of you that are already in small groups to take the time and work through this small group curriculum in your small group. I’ve got the books. I’ve got the DVD’s that go with it. And I know that some of you go “well, I have a breakfast bible study.” Just bring a laptop. You can do this and I have this stuff available for you. If you are not in a small group right now, then come on Sunday morning at 9 o’clock or Wednesday night at 7; either/or. What we did at 9 o’clock this morning I am going to repeat on Wednesday. So if you didn’t come this morning and you wanted to, come Wednesday night. We are going to do the same thing. We give you some options for when you can come, for what works best for your schedule; but processing this in smaller groups is an important part of our experience, as well. The third guarantee is I think we are going to get better at pointing people to faith. We are going to get better at that over these next four weeks. And finally, I think we are going to have some fun, too. I think we are going to have some fun as we walk through this together. That is my prayer for us and may God bless you as you begin to kind of process and think about “O.K. where is God asking me to walk.”
So let me pray for us.
Lord, thank you that you are asking us to walk. Lord we thank you that you have demonstrated how to do that in your Son, Jesus. Lord we confess that we are nowhere near what he is but, Lord, we want to be faithful, we want to be used by you. Lord we confess it is scary. We don’t have all the answers Lord, but you are telling us we don’t need them; we just need to listen and to be faithful and walk. So Lord I ask that you would help us as a congregation over these next four weeks to do that. Thank you Lord that you have walked for us and now you tell us to walk. In your name. Amen.