Sermons for the Month
Five Weeks of Joy (2)
DATE: October 24, 1999
SERVICE: Pentecost IX
TEXT: Philippians 1:12-26“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN Today we continue our study of Paul's letter to the Philippians by talking about evangelism. This is what this morning's passage is all about: advancing the gospel, speaking the Word of God, sharing Jesus Christ. Paul says it in a lot of different ways, but it all adds up to the same thing: evangelism. 12 I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; 14 and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear. Now we Lutheran for centuries never had to worry about evangelism except on the mission field in foreign countries. I was asked about a month ago to consider a much larger congregation in southern Ohio. Unfortunately, as I looked over its profile, it had death written all over it. With twice the number of members it had fewer giving to the church than here at Faith. The number of people under 45 was non existent. They had three services, all identical. Although there had been some new member growth in the past year it had been as a direct result of calling done by the previous pastor who had been their five years. The church was now vacant because the pastor had just been told by his doctor to leave not just the church but the ministry. He had literally worn himself out. The church begun in 1848, according to all projections will close in less than 25 years. Many churches would rather die than evangelize. No, evangelism is not a popular word in mainline congregations. But for Paul it certainly was. In fact, it is because his imprisonment had stimulated his Christian brothers and sisters to evangelize that he can rejoice, even though he is in jail. Why is it that he seems to like evangelism and we often do not? Well for one the very word sends chills down the spines of many people--and this includes Christians. Christians don't like the word because they might be called to do it--and such a thing is not quite reputable and downright frightening. We remember when we were kids the pulpit-pounding, finger-pointing revivalists who held forth in old tents down in the park. These same guys are still around, except now they are on radio and television. And they still frighten us. As for people outside the church, they get the "willies" when they hear the word because, who knows, they might be the target of this evangelizing. And they certainly don't want to be button-holed. And yet, here in this passage, it is quite clear that Paul is all for evangelism. In fact, this is what makes his stay in prison bearable: the fact that the gospel is advancing. He may be in jail, but this has not retarded the work of evangelism. In fact, it has helped it. As a result, he can rejoice, even though it must not have been easy for a man as active as Paul to be locked up. But this is okay, he says, as long as evangelism is taking place. Apparently, Paul had a different view of evangelism than many of us do. Why the difference between his view and ours? Part of the answer is that we allowed ourselves to confuse method with message. We see people doing things in the name of evangelism which we do not like (and often with good reason). And since we don't like their methods we write off the whole message. We throw the baby out with the bath water. You see, at its core evangelism is a message, not a method. It is a message about a Savior who came to seek and to save the lost, those enslaved to the "world, flesh and the devil" (as Paul put it in another letter). How that message is communicated is secondary. That it is communicated is crucial. It is clear, then, that we should be evangelizing. If this passage here in Philippians teaches anything it teaches this. To be a disciple of Jesus means sharing the Gospel of the Jesus with others. You don't have to be offensive. Needless to say, it is far better if you are not! You want people to hear the gospel and not just react to your rudeness. The tactics to avoid are: 1) high pressure--trying to manipulate someone by fear or guilt into a religious decision; 2) protracted brow beating -- like often done in tent meetings or revivals in order to get people to respond for the wrong reasons; 3) the use of fear--that they will go to hell if they don't accept Jesus before they die. Although I don't have time to talk about evangelism at length here, here are some helpful hints to get you started: rub shoulders with people who don't go to church. And where do you find them? Parties for one and I am not talking about parties where only the only people there are Christians who attend Faith Lutheran Church. Maybe we should have invited some friends who don't go to church to our progressive dinner last month? Most of the time we think these two groups should not be seen together -- the "party till you drop crowd" with the "home by ten on Saturday night" crowd. On the other hand, rubbing shoulders together in a relaxed way is a good opportunity. Share a meal, inviting an unchurched person to watch the game on TV, exercise together, babysitting and work exchanges, all can be opportunities to develop the rapport necessary for honest evangelism. But we need to go on! Paul now moves in verse 18 to "life and death." Again, Paul forces us to examine yet another area besides evangelism that most of us would rather not talk about. On the other hand, if the topic of death does create anxiety, then we need to face the source of our fear and deal with it. Spiritual growth comes at those points where we feel most uncomfortable. It is here, at the cutting edge of our life that the Holy Spirit is at work. Death seems to hold little terror for Paul precisely because in the gospel he finds the kind of hope that mutes the terror of dying. For him this is what the gospel is all about: a Savior who is so strong that his love holds on to us even beyond the grave. This is what Paul went around Europe and Asia Minor preaching. "Jesus is alive and powerful and he loves you. Come, meet him, open your life to him," Paul would urge. "Follow him." This was his message. This was his passion. People needed to hear this. They no longer had to live with the terror of the grave. Beyond the grave there was Jesus who loved them. Of course, this same Jesus whom Paul knew so well is still alive today. We know him. His love still reaches out to us. The terror of death need not overwhelm us either. But, of course, this is far easier said than felt. Death is not something that is easy to face, even as a Christian. This is why we need to listen to Paul in this passage. There is here in this unit the kind of perspective that can have deep impact on us. 20 It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. In other words, Paul views death the way he views life: it is being with Jesus. Paul feels comfortable with death because for him at the center of both death and life is Jesus. Is it not true that many feel uncomfortable with death, because for them Jesus is no where in their lives. For many, this life is all there is, so they become materialists grabbing all they can get because once they die, they assume it is all over. Others fear death because they are unsure of what is on the other side and still others are afraid they will lose all that makes them unique. And then there are those Christians who have only minored in Jesus at the same time as they have majored in materialism. They lack that keen desire to be with Jesus that gave Paul his perspective. It is as we make Jesus the center of our lives that we lose our terror of death. It is that simple and that hard. When Jesus rose on Easter he pointed out the way to God. In his resurrection he became the forerunner of what his disciples would experience: resurrection to life everlasting. It was this life that was so appealing to Paul. For Paul, to be with Jesus--either on this side or that of the grave--was wonderful. Paul's whole life was built around knowing Jesus. Death was the pathway to the fullness of this knowledge. And yet, as Paul says almost with a sigh, it is probably more important that he remain with them all for the sake of the gospel. But, one day, face to face, in wholeness, bathed in light and love…one day he would stand before Jesus whom he had loved for so long. For Paul this was real life. This is God's life for us, God's promise to all of us who name the name of Jesus as Lord.
AMEN