[BEGIN WITH BLACK SLIDE] Walk 118 Changing Your World Mike Schulz (Prayer to the Holy Spirit will be done after the opening story) [Walk excitedly into room move to podium walk around in circle reach into pocket and bring out cell phone dial Heaven and ask to speak to God wait for an answer ] God, I m here! I am so excited about this mission! I can t believe you want ME to change the world for YOU! I ve decided on my first target for change [ADVANCE SLIDE TO WORLD MAP] Ok, I ve got places in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa there are opportunities everywhere! [Pause ] You had a smaller target in mind? Really.OK.how about this? [ADVANCE SLIDE TO MAP OF NORTH AMERICA] [Pause ] Still too big? OK well let me see OK how about this? [ADVANCE SLIDE TO MAP OF ILLINOIS] Getting closer but still not there yet? Wow OK I m feeling pretty empowered right now, but let me think about this pause [ADVANCE SLIDE TO MAP OF CRYSTAL LAKE] OK, this must be what you mean after all, this is the town I live in, I m sure there are ministry opportunities here pause not quite there yet?...hmmm [ADVANCE SLIDE TO MAP OF ELETSON DRIVE] Wow this is getting really close to home is there a neighbor in need that I don t know about?... Pause well, OK, I guess I can still narrow it down a little more 1
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[ADVANCE SLIDE TO MAP OF 531 ELETSON] OK this is my house I would think I would know if someone here needed some help but OK what do you think of this?...pause can you point me to the person who I can help?...yes, OK. [ADVANCE SLIDE TO PICTURE OF ME] OH! Wait you mean me? Lord, I thought you wanted me to change the world.are you sure about this? What? You have scripture that will help me understand? OK, what is it?...pause.micah 6:8?...pause Lord, I have to admit, I m a little slow when it comes to remembering scripture MICAH 6:8 SAYS WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU BUT TO DO JUSTICE, AND TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD? So you re saying that I need to learn to walk humbly with You before I can change the world? That I must have a plan for anchoring myself spiritually first? If I m going to bring change to the world that I have to start with myself?...long pause start with myself? long pause OK God, thanks for helping me understand this I m gonna need some time to think about this pause let me take some time to reflect on your words and make a plan you ll help me with that, right? OK thank you God I ll talk to you again soon. [hang up and put away cell phone] My name is Mike Schulz and the title of this talk is Changing Your World. [ADVANCE SLIDE TO TITLE SLIDE] Pause Gentlemen, would you please join me in the prayer to the Holy Spirit: 3
[ADVANCE TO PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT SLIDE] Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy your consolations. Through Christ our Lord Amen [ADVANCE SLIDE TO CHANGING OUR WORLD WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?] So what does it mean to Change Our World exactly? Changing our world means that we are attempting to make the world a more Christ-centered, just, and loving community. We heard from Jim about a life of piety; we heard from Ron about study, and we heard from John about action. We heard from Steve about discipleship. We are aware of the world s desperate need for Christ and Christian leadership. But how can we respond to the challenge? IN 1910, G. W. CHESTERTON WROTE A BOOK TITLED WHAT S WRONG WITH THE WORLD. IN THIS BOOK HE WROTE THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL HAS NOT BEEN TRIED AND FOUND WANTING. IT HAS BEEN FOUND DIFFICULT; AND LEFT UNTRIED. For the next few minutes, I want to talk with you not only about trying Christianity, but also about making a plan to successfully live it and help Christ make a difference in the world. CHANGING OUR WORLD CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO FOUR FIELDS OF MINISTRY: YOURSELF, OTHERS, YOUR COMMUNITY, AND THE WORLD. The scripture that I mentioned during my discussion with God was intentional Micah 6:8 does provide a helpful framework for understanding what God requires of us and how we will bring about change in these fields of ministry. Here is Micah 6:8 again for those of you who didn t memorize it during the earlier portion of my talk: WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU BUT TO DO JUSTICE, AND TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD? We can associate the words Walk humbly with your God and our first area of ministry, ourselves. We can associate the words Love kindness with the second area of ministry, others. 4
We can associate Do justice with the other areas of ministry, community and the world. Before we can change the world, we must have a plan for anchoring ourselves spiritually. If we are going to bring change to the world, we must start with ourselves. When we try to change the world without firm roots in a relationship with God and Christian community, we can fall into traps: [ADVANCE TO FIRST OF FOUR TRAPS WE FALL INTO SLIDES] The Pharisee Because the Pharisee is not motivated by God s grace, he or she is driven by rigid perfectionism and guided by legalism. The mission is perverted into attempts to force everyone into one s own mold. My wife has a friend who is a born-again Christian when she was first born again she was so overbearing with people in her attempts to evangelize to them that she turned them away from God instead of helping them establish a relationship with Him. [ADVANCE TO SECOND OF FOUR TRAPS WE FALL INTO SLIDES] The do-gooder Do-gooders are often motivated by their own need to be needed or to make a notable difference instead of by true compassion and commitment to meet human needs. I have a friend who struggles with this from time to time. If she doesn t get the recognition that she feels she deserves from serving God, she is hurt and offended. Offering yourself in God s service should be without any strings attached or any need for recognition. [ADVANCE TO THIRD OF FOUR TRAPS WE FALL INTO SLIDES] The third trap is the savior complex Without a sense of God s providence, caring people may feel they must save the world by themselves. Far-reaching plans or feverish activity may be based more on anxiety for the future than attention to God and the discernment of God s will for the present. [need explanation] [ADVANCE TO FOURTH OF FOUR TRAPS WE FALL INTO SLIDES] The burned-out Without a vital relationship with God and other Christians, one s fire for the mission burns out. You cannot change the world if you are running on empty. I personally have struggled with this trap. For years I served our church in the audio ministry running the 5
sound board at various church services on a weekly basis. I did this out of a desire to serve in an area that I felt I could contribute. But my relationship with God was very weak and I felt disconnected from the other members of the audio team. Eventually, I felt burned out and gave up this position because I had nothing left to give in this area. 6
These traps are good to be aware of the don t side of the poster.so what is the do side of things? [ADVANCE TO OUR MODEL IS JESUS SLIDE] Our model is Jesus. The strength of Jesus ministry came from his relationship with God and his disciples. Between times of intense ministry, Jesus withdrew with his disciples to a lonely place to pray and share his concerns. We can gain strength in our ministry by following this example. Here are some examples of how Jesus prayed: JESUS PRAYED FOR GUIDANCE IN PLACES OF QUIET SOLITUDE - VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING, WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK, JESUS GOT UP, LEFT THE HOUSE AND WENT OFF TO A SOLITARY PLACE, WHERE HE PRAYED (MARK 1:35) JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS DISCIPLES AND FOR ALL BELIEVERS - HOLY FATHER, PROTECT THEM BY THE POWER OF YOUR NAME-THE NAME YOU GAVE ME-SO THAT THEY MAY BE ONE AS WE ARE ONE (JOHN 17:11). Changing our world begins with changing ourselves and sustaining that change in our heart (piety), mind (study) and will (action). After we consider how we walk humbly with our God we might consider the direction from God in Micah 6:8 to love mercy. The most immediate opportunity for changing our world through sharing God s love in our relationships comes from those around us: family members, colleagues, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. Our mission is to infuse our network of relationships with the grace of Jesus Christ, to make mercy and outreaching love a part of our everyday life. HERE IS A CHALLENGE FOR EACH OF US: TO MAKE A LIST OF THOSE AROUND YOU, AND FOR EACH PERSON YOU LIST, consider the grace that they might need from you and what form that grace might take. Who do you know that needs your encouragement? Who needs what only you can do or give? Who needs to hear about Christ from you? [pause]. As we consider our ministry, there is a challenge to consider OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS OTHERS Do you affirm people? Or do you categorize people with limiting labels? What is your attitude to people that are different than you? [pause] I once had an enlightening 7
experience in my church the drama team enacted a drama where I was dressed up as a homeless man who wandered into the church for a church service. I was dirty and grimy, wore old street clothes, and really acted the part. As I entered the church, many people gave me strange looks, and I sat down in an empty pew. No one seated themselves around me. But to her credit, one of the ushers did offer me a program and showed general compassion towards me. During the sermon, I got up and left the sanctuary. The pastor talked about offering hospitality to strangers and it was revealed that the homeless man was part of the story. I re-entered the sanctuary at the end of the service in my regular clothes. I was truly impacted and convicted by this experience I had to come to terms with how I might have acted in that situation if a homeless man came in and sat next to me would I judge him, or would I offer him Christ? What about you? Do you judge others who are different than you? Unwed mothers? Homosexuals? Drug addicts? A judgmental attitude can be the greatest obstacle to the spiritual grace of another. Do you see others for who they can become and encourage them to rise to their potential? As you consider the people around you, begin with prayer. PRAYING FOR ANOTHER PERSON IS AN ACT OF LOVE. Through prayer, God transforms relationships. Through prayer, you help others become changed persons and support them in their new life. THROUGH PRAYER, GOD CAN OPEN OPPORTUNITIES TO REACH OUT AND WITNESS. Make sure your ministry to others flows from your prayers for others. Because my parents did not have a personal relationship with God, my wife and I prayed regularly for them. Many years later, on a visit to my parent s house, they mentioned that they were looking around for a church. On a subsequent visit they mentioned that they had found a church and were attending each Sunday. We were blessed to hear this and continued to pray for them. Then came the real shocker we went to visit for Christmas one year, and my dad pulled me aside and said Mike, I really want to show you this I m really excited about it. When he opened a package and showed me his brand new bible, I was truly moved. I was overwhelmed with what God was doing in his life. This is so I can start attending a bible study at my church he told me. [FATHER AND SON SLIDE] [pause] The point of this story is not that my wife and I prayed and my parents established a relationship with God. I don t believe that it happened like that. I do believe that our prayers were one act of planting a seed that was 8
one of many other seed planting experiences that God provided for them through other Christians. It has been a real joy and blessing to watch their faith grow year by year, and to share in it with them. 9
As you consider how to be in ministry to those around you, EXAMINE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS. Remember what John shared with us in the Christian Action talk? Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ. Seek opportunities to share your relationship with Christ with your friends. Expect them to be receptive. Be authentic in sharing your faith and the difference your relationship with Christ makes. There are not right or wrong ways to share your faith, only authentic and inauthentic ways. When friends make a commitment to Christ, encourage their new way of thinking and living through spiritual support, study of scripture, and involvement in church and meaningful activities. The third field of ministry is your local community. In this area, God calls us to work for justice. In addition to your personal relationship with God, and your one-on-one relationships with friends and family, you are a part of various groups, organizations, workplaces, and even governments. You influence your community by how you do or do not participate as a Christian. YOU ARE CALLED TO HELP CHRIST TRANSFORM YOUR PART OF THE WORLD INTO A MORE CHRIST- CENTERED, LOVING, AND JUST COMMUNITY. Our mission is to help Christ change our communities by acting as an effective Christian influence in those communities. Luke 4:18 reveals God s plan for us to be in ministry: THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED. How can we work to fulfill this mission in practical terms? Let s break it down into three steps: 1. First, identify the situations of human need. Jesus identified such situations to which we are called to respond in MATTHEW 25:35: FOR I WAS HUNGRY, AND YOU GAVE ME SOMETHING TO EAT; I WAS THIRSTY, AND YOU GAVE ME SOMETHING TO DRINK; I WAS A STRANGER, AND YOU INVITED ME IN; NAKED, AND YOU CLOTHED ME; I WAS IN PRISON, AND YOU CAME TO ME. 10
2. Second, work to correct the situation. Sometimes this means taking an unpopular stand. a. Influence groups, organizations, and businesses to which you belong with Christian values. Call them to be partners in the road to a better world, not obstacles along the way. b. Both works of mercy and justice are necessary. An example of mercy is providing food baskets to needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Justice, in contrast, aims to determine why these people are hungry and addresses the factors causing the need. To love mercy (give food to the hungry) without acting justly (addressing the cause of the hunger) is to fall short of changing our world like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. 3. The third point to remember about fulfilling our mission is to be a joyful witness for Christ in everything you do. Let people know by your actions, attitudes, and words that Christ is your source of strength that Christ is the way. How are YOU called to be Christ in YOUR community? People will differ in their approaches to changing our world. As Christian witnesses, we should seek tolerance and mutual understanding. But in every case, Christ s spirit should be evident in what we do and how we do it. We started with ourselves and moved to our one-on-one relationships and then to the community around us. Now we need to expand our vision even further to the ends of the earth. This is the fourth field of ministry to which we are called: Apostolic action. This field of ministry calls us to stretch our hearts, minds, and actions. MATTHEW 28:19-20 STATES: "GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT I COMMANDED YOU; AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE." One of the first places to find opportunities for world missions is your local church mission board. Many people have powerful stories of how serving on mission teams have changed many lives for Christ. Steve shared about his mission experiences last night. I would guess others of you have similar stories. I was blessed and humbled to be a part of our church s mission trip to Venezuela a few years ago. Our church has gathered over $55,000 and our 11
church s men s group is going to build a house this fall for a woman who has been living in a trailer ever since her house was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. [SLIDE PICTURE OF THREE LEGGED STOOL, WITH LABELS] It is important to keep in mind that a strong foundation of faith, study, and action (the three legs of our tripod) is critical for enabling us to be in mission in the world at large. [SLIDE WITH FOUR AREAS OF MINISTRY LISTED] My plan of action for each of these four fields of ministry is as follows: 1. MY SELF: daily bible reading; weekly accountability group; Christian audio books while driving to and from work. 2. MY FAMILY: praying daily with my wife; Sunday school for our fifth grader Matt and seventh grader Brian; worshipping together each Sunday. 3. MY COMMUNITY: My wife and I are registered foster parents in the State of Illinois. We began foster parenting for a 22 year old young lady when she was 16 years old. She just started her fourth year of college last month. We continue to pray for her, encourage her, and be there for her as she continues her time at college. In early 2008 we opened our house to a 21 year old young lady from a troubled home who needed a place to stay after dropping out of college. We gave her a room and a loving home; we have helped her get her driver s license, establish her independence, and nurture her faith. Last month we helped her move into her dorm room at Judson College in Elgin where she is resuming her education as an independent student. Both of these young ladies are like daughters to us. These types of outreach do not have to be long term; in 2007 for Spring Break we welcomed a family of three foster girls (ages 7, 9, and 11) into our home for a week. 4. THE WORLD: I don t have any mission trips planned, but I have found little ways to make a difference in the larger world. One thing I do is to manage web sites for a number of religious organizations, including my church and this Emmaus community. God has given me these skills and I have come to understand that I can use these skills to further His kingdom. Another thing I do is pray for other Emmaus and Chrysalis communities around the world. You ve seen the agape letters from other communities. You ve been 12
shown the prayer vigils of people that are supporting this walk in prayer right now. Many people taking one hour out of their weekend to be in prayer for you. There are many small ways that we can further God s kingdom on this earth. 13
CONCLUSION: Do you remember my story about the homeless man? That experience changed me when I see someone on the street corner, I no longer pass them by. Sometimes I ll give them money, sometimes I ll give them food. In every case, I make sure to pray for the person and guard my attitude carefully. It is not my position to judge them but to offer them God s grace through a smile, respect; kindness to a stranger. The validity of our witness is not proven by immediate results. Some Christians will plant, some will water, and some will harvest. AS DISCIPLES WE ARE NOT CALLED TO BE SUCCESSFUL but to be faithful doing what we can, with what we have, where we are, to advance Christ s kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. But in order to do so, we need a plan for change in ourselves, in our relationships with others, and in our community and our world. [pause] CHANGING YOUR WORLD BEGINS WITH ONE SMALL STEP. What can you do now to make a difference? (Remember to start with yourself). What is your plan? [pause] DE COLORES! 14