Messenger of the Gospel Fruitfulness on the Frontline ...

Messenger of the Gospel Fruitfulness on the Frontline – Session 7

1 Peter 3:13 – 16 Psalm 138 Isaiah 52:7-10 Mark 6:1-13

MAY THE WORDS OF MY LIPS AND THE THOUGHTS AND MEDITATIONS OF ALL
OUR HEARTS BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE IN THY SIGHT O LORD OUR STRENGTH &
OUR REDEEMER. AMEN

Think of a time when you received some good news, perhaps it was a new
home or job, perhaps it was the engagement of a family member or close
friend, perhaps someone you know said they were expecting a baby…. How
did it make you feel? Did you feel happy? Excited? Want to tell everyone the
news?

So how do you feel about being a Christian or the bible?

The message of the Christian faith is good news. It is a message that we
believe in a God who loves us, it is a message of salvation, It is a promise that
we are never alone that God is always with us, that he knows the pain and
worries we face each day, that God so loved the world that he sent his only
son into the world to save us by dying for us. It is a message of hope.

As the message of our faith is good news, do you react in the same way as
with other good news; by wanting to tell others?

Some people are happy at the prospect of telling other people about their
faith but others are filled with dread at the thought of telling other people
and why is that?

 Is it because we are afraid of other people’s reaction?
 Is it because we are afraid we won’t be able to answer some questions

about an aspect of faith?
 Is it because we feel it is someone else’s job? Someone like John or

myself who stand up the front?
 Is it because….. OK you get the idea!

It’s not always easy to tell others about our faith, in our reading from St. Mark’s
gospel, we hear how Jesus did not always have an easy time when it came
to telling other people, he struggled to get the message over to people in his
own town; if Jesus struggled on occasion then we can also expect to find the
task difficult occasionally.

Jesus was not discouraged by his lack of success in one place, he continued
going into other villages teaching people about his message and he sent his
disciples out to more villages.

When Jesus sent his disciples out, he also gave them a warning that some
people would not welcome their message. He gave his disciples a clear
message that it is equally important that the people who are listening to the

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Messenger of the Gospel Fruitfulness on the Frontline – Session 7

1 Peter 3:13 – 16 Psalm 138 Isaiah 52:7-10 Mark 6:1-13

message need to be ready to hear it and if it is not the right time for them to
hear, then it should be left for the moment.

Jesus’ instructions to the disciples also apply to us; he tells us that we should
tell other people about the Christian faith but to realise that we will not
always be successful. This is not because we are poor at telling the message,
but rather that the other person is not ready to hear, when we tell others
about being a Christian and what it means, we are allowing God to work
through us.

Sometimes telling other people about the faith is not enough, we need to
defend it with other people who don’t understand an aspect of our faith or
the church’s position on a topic.

In our New Testament reading today we heard from the apostle Peter
encouraging other people to be ready to defend their faith. Peter knew that
people would be sceptical of the Christian faith and that believers would
need to defend the faith, a fact that is true over 2,000 years later.

Peter’s message is to trust in the Lord with respect for the other person’s
feelings. Peter knows that to be an effective messenger of the gospel we
have to answer honestly to the questions that we receive. Being honest can
mean admitting that you don’t know everything! You can always refer them
to their local church or priest.

When Peter was writing this letter, it was to people who faced persecution for
their faith. Today, while there are some areas of the world that Christians
face death for being a Christian and telling others about their faith, the
society which we live in is increasingly hostile to all religions including
Christianity. This does not make it any easier for us to tell people about Jesus.

Just a few verses earlier, Peter instructs his readers to repay any acts of evil
with a blessing. A challenge that God’s love must shine out of us whatever
the situation we find ourselves in; so when we are faced with potential
ridicule or criticism of our faith, we need to respond by letting God’s love
shine through us.

So how do we spread the news?

Being a messenger does not mean that we have to be able to recite lots of
verses from the bible and work them into all our conversations nor does it
mean that we have to use every conversation with everybody to give the
message of Christ. It is God that will transform lives and save people, it is not
us, being a messenger is about letting God use us to tell other people about
Him.

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Messenger of the Gospel Fruitfulness on the Frontline – Session 7

1 Peter 3:13 – 16 Psalm 138 Isaiah 52:7-10 Mark 6:1-13

It doesn’t have to be telling the whole gospel to someone in one go;
sometimes being a messenger of the Gospel is as simple as responding in a
Christian way to a situation.

We are focussing on living out our Christian faith on the frontline, the places
we spend our time, when we are not in church, so how can we be
messengers of the gospel on our frontlines?

A few years ago, a colleague of mine was worrying about what to tell her
step-daughter who was concerned that their dog who had died would be in
pain in heaven, especially as their dog had liked to play rough and tumble
with other dogs and the step-daughter was concerned that their dog might
put other dogs in pain as well. I was able to simply say to my colleague to tell
her step-daughter that there is no pain in heaven. The relief on my
colleague’s face when she realised that she could give comfort to her step-
daughter was obvious.

I was only able to be a messenger because of God. As I went to work that
day, I had no plans to be a messenger at work; however, God did have a
plan to use me to spread the good news. He knew, long before I did of my
colleague’s concern and he gave me the words to say at the right time.

I did not have to give the whole Christian message to my colleague; that
wasn’t what she needed at that time. I just had to give her a Christian
solution to a problem that she was facing. The simple fact that there is no
pain in heaven; a simple message based on Revelation chapter 21 verse 4.

I did not need to explore all the areas around the topic of eternal life,
including the question of whether there are animals in heaven, that was not
what was required. The situation was how can she reassure her young step-
daughter that her dog who had recently died would be able to play without
being in or afflicting pain. The step-daughter already knew that her dog was
in heaven; what she didn’t know was what heaven was like and this is what
her step-mum was struggling to explain.

I was able to say this message with ultimate conviction, somehow knowing it
was true, however, if you had asked me shortly afterwards why I knew it or
where in the bible I could find that reference, I probably would not have
been able to articulate it and I certainly could not have quoted chapter and
verse (I may have guessed that it was in the book of Revelation). However,
God knew my weakness and still used me.

It is always worth allowing God to use us to explain the Christian faith to others
as our reading from Isaiah states that messengers have “beautiful feet”.
Isaiah knew that a word at the right time can be a challenge or can bring
hope, or joy or comfort to others.

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Messenger of the Gospel Fruitfulness on the Frontline – Session 7

1 Peter 3:13 – 16 Psalm 138 Isaiah 52:7-10 Mark 6:1-13

As you have heard, being a messenger of the gospel is not always something
that is planned by us, but it is about being a Christian who is ready to
respond with grace to the whatever situation we find ourselves in and by
doing so, serving our Lord. God knows our weaknesses and still uses us, and it
has been my experience that we also grow through these situations.

God will assist us, if we are willing, to respond to everyday situations and
problems in order to be messengers of the gospel.

Are you willing to allow God to use you in a small (or large) way to spread the
message of the Gospel?
Will you respond, with courage, to the opportunities that God gives you to be
a messenger of the gospel?

As we sit let us pray

Let us think about our daily lives and the challenges and opportunities that
we face, we think about the situations and relationships we have each day
and ask that you will give us opportunities to be messengers of the gospel.
We ask you for courage to tell others about you, and we thank you for always
giving us the words to say in getting the message across to other people.

OUR GRACIOUS MASTER AND OUR GOD; ASSIST US TO PROCLAIM; TO SPREAD
THROUGH ALL THE EARTH ABROAD; THE HONOURS OF THY NAME.
AMEN

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