Our Shared Calling, Part 3

My wife and I got hooked recently on a Netflicks show called “Stranger Things.” Season two ended with a little teaser accompanied by that old Police song, “I’ll Be Watching You.” Here’s the first two stanzas:

Every breath you take                  Every single day

Every move you make                 Every word you say

Every bond you break                  Every game you play

Every step you take                      Every night you stay

I’ll be watching you                     I’ll be watching you

What intrigues me about this song, other than it is quite a catchy tune and was popular when I was in College, is the theme. The singer is watching someone –scrutinizing her every move, her every relationship, her every action. But one could say this song aptly describes how the world watches us. How people are constantly checking us out, listening to us, scrutinizing our actions so that they might be able to do one of two things: Discover where we fall short, so they can accuse us of hypocrisy or discredit our faith in some way. OR see if our Christianity is truly genuine. So whether you like it or not: every more you make, every step you take, someone is watching you.

That’s why it is so important for you to understand your calling as a believer in Jesus Christ. For when Jesus called you to faith in Him, when you became part of God’s forever family – God set you apart to be distinctly different from the world around you. That’s what we’ve seen these last few weeks. Two weeks ago, God’s Word reminded us that we are called to be God’s Holy People – people who live differently from the world; people who are marked by a genuine, heartfelt affection and love for one another. Last week, we were reminded that we are called to be God’s Royal Priesthood – a people called by God to serve God by serving one another.

But God wants us to see that His calling on our lives doesn’t stop with our relationships with one another. No, this last aspect of our calling has to do with HOW WE LIVE OUT THE GOOD NEWS EVERYDAY before a watching world.  For this last aspect of our calling has to do with our missionary presence in the world.   It’s our everyday calling to be good news people in a bad news world.   It’s the same calling that brought Jesus to us. It’s the same calling that’s at the heart of the Holy Spirit. It’s our missionary calling to a watching and world. So if you’ve ever wondered how your life IS MEANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE to a watching world, then let me encourage you to open your Bibles to 1 Peter 2:11-12, where Peter gives us two ways we are called to live out the good news in our everyday lives.

The first way is found in verse 11, where we are called to Live Out the Good News As Strangers In The World Look at that verse with me now: Dear friends, (beloved) I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11 Once again, Peter describes believers in Jesus Christ, as people who don’t really fit into this world. We are strangers to this world. We do not belong to this world, but to God. Therefore we should not live like the people of this world who are constantly caving to the desires of the flesh.

He actually uses two terms to describe us here. The first, “foreigner” means that we are aliens in this world. We are strangers here. The United States is not our true home. Once you become a child of the King, Jesus becomes your King, and the life you now live here, is like that of a diplomat from another country. You now represent the kingdom of God. You are here to represent God. So don’t work so hard to fit in here. This world is not your home.

The second term, “exile” has more a transient meaning. We are only in this world for a temporary time. We are pilgrims here, just passing through. Pilgrims are explorers, and the very best definition of an explorer is someone who is not afraid of being lost. Because being lost is where the action is and the Spirit is found.   God did not save us to live as recluses. God saved us to go out and relate. Go and be the presence of the good news everyday and in every way. And if this is our calling, then we’re not to get caught up with the same desires of the flesh our world is so enslaved to.

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years since becoming a Christ follower is how much television and movies have changed. When you turn on a sit-com or watch a movie, living together or “one-night stands” is considered a normal behavior… Try to abstain from sex before marriage… or like Vice President Mike Pence, make it a point to dine only with your wife; and you are ridiculed. Not only that, it seems as though every movie hero is lauded for his or her rebellion against the status quo. Rebellion is rewarded and submission is looked upon as weak, archaic and even foolish. And yet, this is the world we live in – a world that says, follow your heart, do it your way.

But what Peter is appealing to here, is that since we represent God in the world and we are just passing through this world – don’t get taken in by the false narratives of this world. For this world’s false narratives tells us to live for self, satisfy the desires of the flesh and make life all about you.

So Peter says, “Beloved, steer clear, don’t have anything to do with the cravings of the flesh.” Curb your enthusiasm for the passions of sinful nature. That’s the old you. The old you was RULED by the flesh, but you’ve been REDEEMED by the blood of Jesus, and now you are THE BELOVED of God. You belong to God, so live accordingly! But at the same time, recognize your flesh is still there, and that you are in a battle for your soul. But Jesus has already won the war. So let him lead you, not your flesh. And when that happens, YOU WILL LIVE DIFFERENTLY… and those watching will see the difference. What will they see? They will see that the good news has power and that Jesus has power to change lives. That’s the first way we are to live out the good news in the world. As strangers here, as pilgrims on temporary assignment who are showing the world that there’s a better way to live.

Now lets look at the second way we are called to live out the good news in our everyday lives. We are called to Live Out the Good News Before A Watching World

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:12

Whether you realize it or not, people are watching your life closely: every move you make, every step you take. The picture here is one of intense and prolonged scrutiny. Your life is their science project and they’ve got their microscope focused on you. They are watching you with a purpose: So they can accuse you of doing wrong; so they might discredit you, slander you and even ruin you. But they’re not just looking for ways to accuse you; they are also looking to see if your life measures up to what you believe – they’re looking to see if Jesus is real – in your life. And what they’re looking at is how you live your everyday life. They are looking to see if you can really be gracious, kind, and morally excellent. Do you really love with no strings attached? Would you really lay down your life for me – like Jesus did for you?

You see, GRACE is a rare quality in this life. Rarely, do you see anyone bless someone without an angle. Just to love someone to LOVE THEM – not expecting them to believe in return – but just to love them – our world is also looking for that.    I told this story a couple of years ago, but its worth repeating. When I was in Tacoma    I started a little coffee shop Bible study with two guys that I got insurance from. One day we all told our faith journey. When it came time for Derrick to share, he shared that he didn’t have a faith, but he was open. But then he told of the time when he was in College and was befriended by a couple of Christian guys from his dorm. They took him to their activities, invited them to a Bible study, hung out with him and ate meals with him. They’d become friends. But then sometime in the second semester, they pressed him as to his faith in Jesus. They basically said, “Hey we’ve really invested a lot of time in you, maybe it’s time you gave your life to Jesus.” But Derrick still wasn’t sure. So they just left him high and dry. They quit hanging out with him and inviting him to stuff with them. Since Derrick didn’t trust Jesus, they dropped him. Derrick had been a project and he knew it.

And I remember that day apologizing to him for those guys. They never really loved Derrick – they just wanted a notch in their evangelism belt. And I remember telling him that I would never do that. I would always be his friend no matter what. That’s what our world is looking for: genuine love – and it doesn’t happen in a one time meeting, or over a few months, it happens over a prolonged time, even years. People are looking to see if the Jesus in you is real. And that just takes time.

That’s why Peter tells us we are to LIVE AMONG people who are far from God. And although they may accuse you, slander you, make fun of you… they are still watching you. And the good news here is that if they see the grace of Jesus in you; if they see good deeds coming from you; if they receive your care, your encouragement, and real love… well, something might just happen to them: they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.  In other words, by closely observing your life, they may come to faith in Jesus. Because it is only those who have faith in Jesus who will glorify God upon His return.

So, yes, people are watching you: every move you make, every step you take. And because of this reality – you cannot live your life in neutral. You can’t hide your faith. What Peter is teaching here runs parallel to what Jesus taught His students in the Sermon on the Mount: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Our God is a missionary God. Jesus is a missionary Messiah and the Spirit is a missionary Spirit. And God has called us to this same kind of life – a life on mission – a pilgrim life – a life of going, a life of blessing, a life of shining forth the good news of Jesus in every move we make and every step we take. This is our shared calling.

So how might we help one another go and be the blessing God has called us to be? Well, that’s where our Neighborhood Groups come in. Many of you have already expressed your desire to be part of one of these groups. Today as we wrap up this message, I want to share with you one ways we are going to help one another do this.

In your program are listed: Five Habits That Will Help Us Live Out The Good News Daily Five habits we want to help integrate and develop in our groups that will help us live out the good news everyday. The first habit is to…

BLESS  To bless a person can be as simple as relieving a burden, lifting a spirit or making a new friend. We can bless others with words of encouragement, acts of kindness or just being a friend. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. This will be one of the fun components of a Neighborhood Group. You will spur one another on to love and good deeds. This means you will work to be a blessing together.

Let me give you an example of how this might work. We would ask the question: “What would it look like to bless 3 people over the next three weeks?” One from your neighborhood; one in you regular activities (golf, pickle ball, pottery, woodshop, etc.); one from our Church. What might you do to be a blessing to someone from one of these spheres of relationship? Here’s an example:

• Invite a neighbor over for dinner
• Go to a movie with some of your golf buddies
• Meet someone new at Rock Springs and take them to Brunch

EAT Jesus was called a friend of sinners and tax-collectors simply because he shared a table with them. Everyone of us eats three meals a day. That’s 21 meals a week. Think of using one or two meals each week where you could bless someone.

LISTEN We are a called to walk in step with the Spirit. And since the Holy Spirit is the missionary Spirit, we need to train ourselves to listen to and then follow His promptings in our everyday lives. I love this because it is the way of the pilgrim to follow the leading of the Spirit. Who knows how the Spirit might unleash us if we learn to listen to His promptings?

LEARN The best way for us to live out the good news is to become a student of how Jesus lived among us. Sometimes that means your group will dig into ways Jesus lived and loved from the gospels. That’s why at the core of every Neighborhood Group will be people who are already following Jesus in a Journey Group.

SEND Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21 So we will continually ask Jesus to send us as His representative wherever we find ourselves: whether that be next door, the pickle ball court, the wood shop or the golf course.

Can you imagine the difference we would make if these habits became part of our everyday activities and relationships? The world is watching us. You neighbors are watching you. People in the gym, in the woodshop, on the pickle ball court, in the grill, on the golf course are watching us: Every move we make, Every game we play, Every step we take, they are watching us. What will we show them? What will we show a watching world?

If we live true to our shared calling, this is what we will show a watching world:

We will show them there’s another way to live

We will show them the light and love of Jesus, and

We will show them that Jesus is real and worth believing in.

This is the adventure that lies before us – our temporary assignment as pilgrims just passing through. And I can only imagine the fun we will have once we start living out this good news together! Let’s pray.