Overcoming Cultural Captivity; Going Global (Matthew 25:14-30; Acts 16:6-15)
Listen.November 16th, 2008
Rev. Dr. Craig A. Wagner
Introduction
It’s difficult to overcome cultural captivity. We are people who are formed by our traditions, the people with whom we associate and the culture in which we live. To break out of these influences moves us beyond our comfort zone and without doubt involves a great deal of risk.
If you don’t think this is true, just ask a Lutheran to sit in the front of the church or even better, ask a Lutheran to invite someone come to a worship service. Many would rather go to a dentist’s office and have a tooth filled without anesthesia. Several years ago, I came across the following fact: The average Lutheran invites someone to worship once every twenty years! If we want to be average and you invited someone this year, then that means…
It’s no secret, we don’t like to evangelize and we continue to agree with the old adage that we shouldn’t speak about religion or politics if we want to keep our friends. Actually this is historically accurate. The Lutheran church comes out of Luther’s Germany where the church was a state church; everyone belonged and there was no need to evangelize in the sense in which we understand it today. That great heritage has come to us and we embrace it fully.
Yet, if we have caught the vision of life in Christ and what a life of discipleship is about then we want to share our faith with others, invite people to join us and experience abundant life in Christ. I read about one Lutheran church that was increasing in numbers rapidly. One of the pastors made the comment that in their congregation 81% of the membership invited someone to worship during the past year. This meant stepping out of their comfort zone and overcoming a cultural captivity.
Paul went on missionary journeys to reach those not yet Christian. He knew that the church existed for mission; he was called to make disciples who would make disciples and bring them together in new congregations of believers.
Paul’s journey
The passage for this morning from the book of Acts is from Paul’s 2nd missionary journey. We remember from previous weeks that Paul’s former name was Saul. He persecuted Christians with a vengeance, experienced a conversion while on the road to Damascus, changed his mind about Christ followers and now, as Paul, was spreading the good news of Jesus. With even greater enthusiasm and zeal than in his persecuting of the people of the way, he travelled widely into different countries and cultures naming Jesus as the Christ.
In our passage, we discover that Paul travelled with the guidance of the Spirit. In fact, we read that there were certain places he was not supposed to go, places to avoid and in some areas he was not to speak to anyone. The Lord led him to places that are both familiar to us today and unfamiliar. Names like Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth are very familiar and some of the letters that Paul wrote bear the names of these cities. Congregations were established along the route as people heard the word and were converted to Christianity. The church was expanding far beyond Jerusalem.
Not only in terms of foreign countries was the church breaking from cultural captivity, but also in relationship to the female population. The church of Jesus Christ has always broken with cultural taboos and even religious traditions when it came to ministry with and to women. Just note Lydia in our text. Paul was speaking with several women at the time when Lydia heard the message of Jesus through Paul. God’s spirit touched her and she converted to being a Christ follower. She was an important convert – both due to her gender and her occupation.
Lydia was a woman! A good Jew and most importantly a rabbi or one schooled in Jewish theology would have nothing to do with a woman who was not a relative. Here she was engaged in conversation about Jesus. Of course, as we look back at the gospels, we find Jesus had many women around him functioning as disciples. Lydia was a rich woman. She was dealer in purple cloth. Purple was and extremely expensive dye and the cloth was prized among the wealthy. She heard the message, was converted and then she and her whole household were baptized. And the church expanded.
Paul’s mission was to proclaim Jesus. The Spirit would convert and disciples were being made. Paul was on an intentional missionary journey. This was not something that happened haphazardly. He planned and executed this journey according to God’s direction. And it was extremely successful. Disciples were made, congregations established and Christianity grew; all according to God’s will. It would have never happened if Paul did not overcome cultural captivity and take the good news of Jesus global.
Our journey
Each one of us is on a journey through life. The question is whether or not that journey corresponds with God’s plan for us in relation to expanding the gospel. Questions to ask: Where is your journey taking you? Where has it taken you? If you haven’t done so before, today is a good time to prayerfully ask God to guide you into deeper lives of discipleship and into a life that is lived for the glory of God. Where do you feel God is guiding you? Are there areas in your life that God can use in a way that expands the good news of Jesus? Life is not always easy, but when we catch the vision of being on a mission for the Lord and his church, our perspectives are changed and life becomes less of a worry and more of a joy.
We need to move beyond our own cultural captivity and recognize that above everything else, we are the people of God and that through Christ Jesus we are part of the kingdom of the heavens. The message of Jesus transcends all culture and all nations. The priorities in life need to focus on God and then we can share our faith as we move through our life’s journey; wherever life may take us.
As we have discovered through our Living the Mission emphasis, the journey into discipleship making is not simply about those who are yet to be Christ followers, the journey is first and foremost for us. We need to go deep into lives that are filled with the Lord’s presence so that when we engage others in a discussion of faith we do so from an authentic and honest life of devotion to the Lord. Are we there? Is our journey being guided by the Spirit of the living God? Or are we still captive to other thoughts, ideas and visions? In order for the apostle Paul to undertake those strenuous journeys he needed to invest his entire life in his faith in Jesus as the Christ. He was so assured that nothing was too great, no obstacle too difficult, no opportunity too distance for him to overcome in an effort to share the good news of Jesus.
On our journey, we are called to make the commitment to our Lord and to submit our will and our lives to him. Have we done that? Do our lives reflect our discipleship and desire to be God’s people today? Reflect this morning on your own life: have you invested yourself in the congregation through using your time, talents and finances? A disciple reflects and imitates the master. No excuses, just a life lived for Jesus and for his people.
Doors open
As Paul followed the direction of the Lord, some doors opened and some doors closed for him, but the mission continued and was successful. As Paul journeyed through the area and into other countries and regions, the message of Jesus cut across cultural lines, made inroads in other religions and many were converted to Christ. People came to know Jesus through Paul and the others that were on the mission. Many were converted and began their own journey because of the work of Paul.
The challenge is before us to share the word and the message of Christ to others. In fact, many suggest that it is the United States that now needs to be evangelized for the gospel. The task is great. We need to move above and beyond our cultural religion and share Jesus, converting those around us. There are so many even in churches who call themselves Christian but live without a commitment to Christ and to living as disciples. There are people who unthinkingly follow the culture and worship things other than Christ. People are hungry for meaning and abundant life – people search and search and do not find it until they rest in Jesus. And it’s up to us to bring the message of hope, love and life to them.
Doors are opening, opportunities abound, are we the people that Jesus wants? Are we open to Jesus working through us? The message is urgent. People are dying without faith. We need to share our faith and use our resources as we catch the vision and get into the mission.
Conclusion
I remember years ago when a pastor from Tanzania visited Illinois. On walking through a Caterpillar factory, he engaged a young woman in conversation. Almost immediately he asked whether or not she was a Christian. She answered affirmatively. Next question: Where do you go to church? She couldn’t answer because she didn’t! His response: How can you be a Christian and not worship? Impossible! The need is before us, we are his disciples and now may our lives reflect our faith; a faith in Christ that frees us from cultural religion and moves us into the world for the sake of the kingdom. We have begun a journey into discipleship through our Living the Mission emphasis. I pray that our journey continues as we seize greater opportunities to make disciples who make disciples, who make disciples…… Amen.