Stay on Mission – 15th January 2018

‘Don’t be foolish’.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:24-29
The crowds were amazed at Jesus teaching!
There were, I am sure, so many things that Jesus said that caused amazement, but, at the centre of this short story that Jesus told is a deep truth that so many of us can so easily miss.
At the core of this story is this truth: ‘When it comes to what Jesus told us, we have to do it, not just accept that it is true!’
I cannot begin to imagine the number of words that many Christians have heard in sermons but in spite of all that has been heard, what has been ‘put into practice? What have we done?
A few years ago, I was in a gym in Virginia Beach, after I had been there for a few minutes, a man came in wearing his gym gear and headphones – he looked the part! Then he went and sat on the rowing machine, took a fitness magazine out of his pocket and began to read it. He was still sitting in the same place, and reading the same magazine, an hour later when I left. I wondered if he thought that just going to the gym and reading about fitness would make him fit?
Then it struck me – do we do this in church?
I like to go to the gym and the gym I go to near where I live, like so many others, has pictures and words on every wall, all of which are intended to encourage gym-users to work hard and achieve the goal of getting fit and healthy.
It is clear that if we want to improve our physical condition then it takes work and application – we have to do the exercises and follow the disciplines! This is just as true with our spiritual condition! If we are going to stay on mission with Jesus, we need to be spiritually conditioned to face and overcome the challenges that we face.
Some of the words that are used in my gym are really inspirational and challenging and I thought that over the next few weeks I would look at some of these and help us to see how what they say are so similar to the things that Jesus said to us as he invites us to join Him in His Mission.
This week, as you reflect on what it means to follow Jesus, don’t be foolish and just listen to what He is saying – put it into practice!
Dennis