JOY OF SHARING

Sermon Summary, 7/8/18, “Joy of Sharing!” (Mt 28:18-20; Phil 2:12-13,17; 3:12-14)

I slept in an extra hour on Tuesday.  I had a dream that set up this whole sermon.  I had gotten to church early and there were people everywhere.  I had forgotten that I had invited a young preacher, highly successful preacher, to come and run the worship.  There were kids, bands, music of all kinds.  This young preacher is a friend who loves to share his faith—everywhere with everyone.  .  What he is doing is not a dream.  In a year, he’s tripled his attendance.  He baptized eight in the Missouri River near Glasgow.  In May, he asked everyone in his congregation to invite someone to the next worship.  His granddaughter even invited her school librarian.  It was an awesome turnout.

Paul’s small churches and the letters of the New Testament by Paul, Peter, James and others were essential to the faith.  The churches were no bigger than ours but formed the foundation for the Church Universal, the Body of Christ in that world.  The letters were Paul, Peter, others sharing their faith with them, joyfully sharing.  And these churches joyfully shared because they truly believed that people needed Jesus.

Adam Hamilton says that before we can freely, joyfully share our faith says we have to have the answers to three questions:

1) Why do people need Jesus?  Hamilton  says that the biggest prob-lems of the world are spiritual.  People need Jesus because he is the answer to the deepest longings of the human heart.  If you believed that, really believed that, wouldn’t be a joy to share Jesus?

2) Why do the people need the Church?  The heart of it is that It’s God’s plan for the world.  Without the church to convey Jesus to the world, there is no salvation for you or for humanity.  The world needs the Church.  We are better together.  We need one another, we need one another’s gifts.  The Church as an institution has done more good in the world than any other.  Society needs the Church.  If you believe this, really believe this, you will want people to be part of the Church.  You will share it.

3) The last question is Why do people need this particular church, Prairie Chapel?  We are United Methodists, the people of the middle way. We are authentic, grace-filled, welcoming, sharing.  Prairie Chapel is a place where people can make friends. 

I’ve shared this before, but it remains vital to our joy.  You don’t have to be an evangelist, you don’t have to be a theologian to share your faith, to invite others to church.  You just have to be able to say, “I go to church.  Church is important to me.  Church makes a difference in my life.  Won’t you join me this Sunday?”  Joyfully.  Amen.