A
Love Response
By Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the June 9, 2012 Sabbath School Lesson
“For
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings
salvation to everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16, NIV
Many of us have enjoyed the popular social media site, “Facebook.” One of the most used features on that website
is the “Share” button. When traveling “Facebook,”
if we find a picture that moves us with its beauty, a quote that seems so
perfect for the moment, a cartoon that simply must be shared, we have only to
hit that “Share” button, and instantly, the item is published to our wall and
automatically to the walls of all those on our friends list and depending on
what they have enabled, to their friends and their friend’s friends.
This has increased the popularity of sharing the gospel online
in some circles. Perhaps this is because it is so easy. Yet, we may sometimes
ask ourselves why it is so easy to share this message of love and hope with
hundreds of people we may never meet, but so hard to share with our neighbors,
coworkers, and families? Is it because these people know us so well that we
have problems sharing Jesus with them? Is it because we fear that they might
decide that our walk does not match our talk when it comes to Jesus?
Pastors often try to address this from the pulpit. This
usually means trotting out stories like the one in the Gospels about Peter
denying Christ. However, in spite of centuries of sermons about Peter denying
Christ, the only thing accomplished is the addition of another layer of guilt
about our failure to share. Guilt is a poor motivator and a heavy burden to
carry. It might even be a de-motivator. After all, who wants to share and place
their friends and family under that kind of burden as well? The success of the “Share”
button on Facebook is proof that guilt is not necessary to promote sharing. So
why do we share?
We share lots of things besides those we share online.
We tell others of a great concert or Broadway show coming to town. We share about
a movie that we may have seen that we enjoyed. We share recipes that we and our
families have enjoyed. We share the joy with our friends when someone
graduates, has a birthday, is married or expects a child. We share the joy of a
job promotion, a new car, a new boat, or a new home. We share so many things,
so why do we feel uncomfortable sharing Jesus with others? Is it because we do
not find our relationship with Jesus to be joyful?Sometimes,
we seem to act as though Jesus were the “black sheep” in our family tree
instead of the Lamb of God. But why do we do this?
Is it because our relationship with Him is like one we
would have with some alcoholic uncle? We like him well enough when it is just
the two of us, but we are embarrassed to bring him around our friends because
of what they might think. And perhaps it is not so much what they might think
of the uncle that scares us, but what they might think of us. Perhaps we have
tried to present such a perfect image of whom we are that the image cannot
withstand such an apparent flaw. People might judge us based on our alcoholic relative’s
behavior. Could we also be afraid that people might judge us based on how we
compare to Jesus’ character? Will introducing them to Jesus reveal the chinks
in our Christian armor?
There is something about bringing Jesus around that
shines a light on our hypocrisies. It is easy to pretend that we are Christians
when no one is comparing our walk with our talk. We may feel if we are not
talking the talk then no one can fault us on our walk. But we fail to realize
that if we feel this way, we really don’t understand the grace of God very
well. His grace does not function where everyone is perfect. It is not needed
there. It can only be displayed on behalf of those who are not walking in
perfection, those who have flaws. It is those flaws that we may be worried
about when witnessing that actually prove the efficacy
of the gospel. If we understood that, those flaws would not hold us back from
sharing but would be the very reason to share. Instead of acting as though
others were in need of our superior spirituality to guide them, we would simply
point to our flaws and tell them if Jesus could love us and give us grace, then
surely He can do it for them, too. Instead of providing a hopeless standard of
perfection as a burden for people to carry, we can give them the light of hope
shining in their hearts instead of continuing to let their flaws and failures
darken their pathways.
To be sure, a standard of perfection has its place, but
it is not to save people. God’s grace does that. It is for that class of people
who are unable to see their flaws and therefore their need of grace. For them, it is a mirror revealing their
imperfections. When they see those blemishes, they will not be able to continue
ignoring them and will need the cleansing that Jesus offers. Like one woman
sharing with her friend the discovery of a wonderful new cleansing cream, the
one who has had their flaws covered by grace would be overjoyed to tell others
about Jesus and what He has done for them.
Perhaps this is the crux of the problem of witnessing.
Perhaps we haven’t felt the joy of having grace cover our flaws. Or perhaps we
once felt it but because we did not continually apply the “cleansing cream” of
grace, we not only lost its cleansing but also the joy that went with it. If we
were pressured into the baptismal tank, or argued into accepting church
membership, it is possible that we never were exposed to the grace of Jesus.
Instead we were simply given a list of points we could not refute and even
though our hearts were not ready, we could not resist the persuasive power of
the argument. There would certainly be surrender if this were true, but maybe
not joy or peace. Sadly, while this may get us into the baptismal tank, it
cannot keep us in the church. The first person who came along with an argument
we could not overcome could lead us in an entirely different direction, perhaps
even out of the church.
The grace of God is not about having the best argument
or even the best theology. It never was. Lepers are not cleansed by argument.
The dead are not raised by argument. And people are not saved by argument. In
every case it is the simple faith of someone in need clinging to the love of
God. That love is what produces joy worth sharing. Some of our behaviors might be
changed for the better as a result of this experience, but we will continue to
be flawed until Jesus returns to take us to heaven. The Bible makes clear that
the corrupting effects of sin will continue to work in us until then. Paul
wrote, “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the
trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the
mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written
will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians
15:52-54, NIV
If this were not so, if we were somehow made perfect
before then, we would not need the grace of Jesus. It is our flaws that make
this grace necessary. It is also the knowledge of our flaws and our relief from
the guilt we feel over that knowledge that leads us to feel such joy when they
are covered. It is that joy and not our obligation that leads us to share that wonderful
feeling with others, particularly those we have a heart attachment to. Rather
than compare our righteousness to theirs, we are led to expose our flaws and
revel in God’s grace, assuring them that their flaws can be covered as well,
and they can walk with joyful freedom in Christ. When we and they understand
this and experience liberation and the hope that such freedom brings, we will
find ourselves willingly hitting the spiritual “Share” button and showing others
the wonderful thing we have discovered. We will tell them about the marvelous
love of God and the overwhelming grace that floods our hearts and overpowers
every shadow that darkens our vision with the glorious light of His presence.
What a wonder to see that light illuminate the lives of our friends and then their
friends as an ever-widening circle of sharing carries the message of freedom in
God’s love. I am thankful that someone brought it to me. Others will be
thankful we brought it to them. The joy we experience now is nothing compared
with the joy we will feel when we see how many lives our willingness to share
has brought to the feet of Jesus. One day, we will rejoice together.
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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