Sharing Your Story - Medic!

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, July 3, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar


Click Here to Download the Four Neighbors Activity


Scripture Reference:  Matthew 9:35-38

I’ve never been a farmer or a herdsman.  I’ve worked in a small garden, and I used to spend summers with my Uncle and Aunt on their farm with chickens and cows.  But, let’s face it, I don’t know a lot about the day-to-day goings on of your average sheep.  You probably don’t either.

Yet, when Jesus, in Matthew 9:35-38, says he had compassion on the crowds, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, I have no problem visualizing what he is talking about.  I can see a herd of sheep being scattered by the winds and rain, by wolves nipping at their heels, by vultures taking their lambs.  They run to and fro seeking anything that will take away the bad things.

Now, look around.  Look at your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors, and your relatives.  Do you see it?  Do you see the way the fill their schedules with anything that might distract them from the realities of this life?  Funerals and Hospitals and other such things are to be avoided at any cost.  Turn off the news and stay away from controversy.  They turn their eyes away from the homeless man on the corner and keep your kids from hanging around ‘those kids’ that might affect them.  They stay away from anything painful or difficult and keep themselves immersed in a world of entertainment and busy-ness.  Why?  Because, if they stop for even a second, they might actually see the dangers and realities of the world out their.  They might have to question their mortality.  They might just have to question the condition of their lives and the choices that they’ve made.  This is often why they stay away from church.  They often claim that Christians are judgmental, when it is really that they are afraid of their own conviction and the urging of God.

Harrassed & Helpless,  they stay on this path of silent pain and hectic numbness which keeps them from God.

That’s why we are all called to bring the good news of Christ to the world.  It’s not just the job of one or two pastors, but the job of every Christian to share with those around them.

Remember the old 70s television show, M.A.S.H.?  That’s what we must be like.  We are called to be medics who go out into the battleground of the world and bring the wounded back for healing.  Church is a hospital for the sick and hurt.  It is a place to get revitalized and then sent out to rescue others.

Take this challenge.  Go and share your story with your friends, relatives, neighbors, and coworkers.  Don’t be a jerk, don’t be obnoxious, and don’t be fake.  Be yourself and listen to them and then share your hope with them.  Pray for them.  It matters, and it is what we are called to.

Pay attention and you’ll see that the people you care about are out there on the battlefield, they are wounded and crying out for help.  Have the courage to brave the fire and you could save someone. 

Pastor Rodger

Sharing Your Story - Earning the Right to be Heard

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, June 26, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar


Click Here to Download the Four Neighbors Activity


Scripture Reference:  1Corinthians 9:19-23

“How much do you have to hate someone, to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them about it?”  That is a quote by Penn Jillette, a performing magician and known Atheist.  Can you believe an Atheist said that!?!?!? !  Why is it that someone who doesn’t even believe in God gets it, and those of us who follow Jesus, so often do not?

There seems to be two very strong views about evangelism in our Christian Culture.  There are those who believe in abusive and manipulative tactics such as canvassing a mall with tracts, holding up signs or using bullhorns on street corners or at stadium events, or vomiting Jesus in every conversation they have with every person they meet.  Then there are those that use the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel always, and use words if necessary,” as an excuse to say, “My actions should show Christ without having to say anything.”  This then becomes an excuse never to share the hope of Jesus with others.

Somewhere in the middle ground must be the truth.  We must be willing to share our faith without being a scary, obnoxious, jerk.  Even then, people may have an issue with it, but at least we are doing our part.

I wrote in my personal blog about a couple of girls talking about the issue of proselytizing.  Like so many others in our world, they didn’t believe that a person should share their faith.  I don’t understand that point of view.  I am more like Friar Tuck in the 1991 Movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, when he says to Azeem the Moor, “Let us open a bottle and do our best to save each other's souls.”  If you are a Muslim, an Atheist,  or just about any other belief system, I’m willing to sit down and have an open line of discussion.*

Don’t you think there is more of an issue with a person who has a belief that is life changing who doesn’t want to share it with those they care about?  Especially when it is something as important as eternal life!

If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, they you are called to make disciples.  You are called to share your faith with your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.  What’s more, I would hope that you urgently desire to do so.  You would warn them if they were in a burning building.  You’d try to save them if a car was bearing down on them on the street.  Why in the world wouldn’t you care enough to share the hope of our Lord with them, a hope that could save them for eternity?

Yes.  It is scary to put yourself out their and share your faith.  Yes.  Some people take offense to any mention of religion.  Yes. They might reject you.

Or… Maybe they won’t.  Maybe if you have spent the time getting to know them, concerning yourself with their values, listening to their story, touching their life: then maybe they will listen.  You have to earn the right to be heard. 

This isn’t about manipulation.  It isn’t about false pretenses or pushy sales tactics.

It is about relationships.

It’s about caring enough about those who care about you that you can share hope with them.

I would much rather you share Christ in small ways on a regular basis with those ten to twelve people who are close to you in life than to hand out a thousand silly tracts to people you don’t know.  One way is making disciples, the other is annoying and provides little or no follow-up to help a potential new disciple take more steps.

Whatever happens, we CANNOT let the our fear keep us from sharing our hope with those close to us. 

God calls us to it, and if we care enough about someone else, then we must share in love.

Pastor Rodger

* I have a standing offer:  If you want to talk about God, have questions about the Bible, are interested in spiritual things, want to talk, or just want to share your story: I’ll meet you at a local Phoenix coffee house or restaurant and buy the first cup of coffee (or tea, soda, etc.)  Just visit www.mvccaz.com and click on the ‘Free Cup of Coffee’ button at the bottom of the page.

Sharing Your Story - Speaking of Spiritual Things

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, June 19, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar


Click Here to Download the Four Neighbors Activity


Scripture Reference:  Acts 8: 26-38

Sometimes, we Christians get in our own way.  We get our panties in a bunch (that’s a theological term) about our non-believing friends acting like non-believers.  Our culture is full of books and movies that are spiritual in theme, but we get upset when they don’t line up with our Christian belief system.  Last time I checked, a non-Christian, by definition, isn’t going to line up with Christian ideals – hence the ‘non’ in front. 

Books like the Da Vinci Code or the Secret raise ideas that aren’t biblical.  Books on angels skirt the edge of biblical truth, often leaving the realm entirely.  Movies come out such as Eat, Pray, Love, or The Last Temptation of Christ.  Oprah often recommends books with spiritual undertones.  People like Deepak Chopra, Emmet Fox, or Edgar Cayce are read by many.  There are books on lost gospels and prophecy and self improvement through meditation and prayer.

Most of these things are absolute hooey (another theological term).  But, hooey or not, they raise people’s interests in spiritual ideas.  They intrigue our friends, neighbors and coworkers and get them talking about and considering creation and the creator.  They get people thinking about the divine, the sacred, and about the mystical.

And what is our reaction as a Christian community?

Picket, Protest, Boycott, Whine, and Complain.

Now, wait a minute here.  Shouldn’t we be excited for the chance to openly discuss religious topics with our non-believing friends?  Wouldn’t this make a great opportunity to compare ideas and let God’s truth speak for itself?  Don’t you think this could be an opening to share Christ?

I do.

The simple truth is, though most of these books and movies are full of ideas that are ultimately anti-biblical and false, they often include kernels of truth that will allow discussion to take place and ideas to be shared. 

The book of Jude in the Bible contains a quote from a non-biblical source (1Enoch).  Paul quotes from secular poets in Acts 17 and from a Cretan prophet in Titus 1! 

The truth stands up for itself and can endure questions.  So, why do we get all fussy about books and movies that question the Bible or our belief system?

Let’s take the example of Philip in Acts 8.  When we see someone reading something scriptural or spiritual, let’s open up lines of discussion with them.  When our friends, neighbors, family, and coworkers are interested in the divine, let’s take the time to encourage that behavior, but point them to the real truth that’s out there.

Pastor Rodger

Sharing Your Story - Daring to Know the Unknown God

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, June 12, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar



Click Here to Download the Four Neighbors Activity


Scripture Reference:  Acts 17:16-34

“I believe in God, I just don’t need to go to church.  You see, God and I have got this agreement: I don’t bother him and he don’t bother me.”

This quote sums up the opinion of many people.  They believe in some vague notion of a god who is out there, but not one that actually affects their life or might actually require something of them.  It’s a nice neat way to box up the spiritual portion of your life and put it away and it’s a nice way to dodge conversation that might be a little uncomfortable or make you think.  It works great, all the way up to the point where you have to deal with hard times, the death of a loved one, or your own impending death.  Then the discussion about God gets personal.

The truth is, the idea behind this quote is pretty silly.  If you really believed that there was a being who was powerful enough to create and destroy the very universe, then it would probably be pretty urgent to discover who that being is and, more importantly, discover if that being expects anything out of you.

As Christians, we are called to bring hope to the world, to share the truth about a Messiah who came through our Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  We can do this by challenging our friends to consider the vague god that they believe in, and wonder who that god might be.

Blaise Pascal, a physicist and philosopher suggested we consider belief in God as a wager.  He proposed it is better to bet on the existence of God and be wrong than to bet against there being a God and be wrong.  That is, it is in our best interest to look into belief in God, because, if we are wrong, then it is no big deal.  We’ve lost nothing.  But, if we bet against the existence of God and we are wrong, the consequences could be drastic.

Now, I don’t believe that Pascal’s Wager (as it is formally called) is a good enough reason by itself to believe in Jesus; there is much more evidence and understanding of history and prophecy needed before you arrive at that destination.  But, I do believe it is an excellent evangelism tool to challenge someone to consider whether or not there really is a God and then to challenge them to the importance of further consideration of who that God may be. 

Because, if there is a god, any god, then the consequences of non-belief could be dire and must affect how we live:

• If god is Kali of the Hindu pantheon then we may be required to perform self-mutilation as a form of worship.
• If god is Gaia then we must revere nature above all things and prepare our lives for a constant battle of kill or be killed. 
• If god is Allah of Islam, then we would be required to extreme submission and obedience or face total annihilation.
• If there is not God at all, then we are wasting our time being ‘good’ and should logically take whatever we can get, from whoever we can take it from, and in whatever way we can get it, so that we might live as comfortable as possible in our short brutal lives.
• And, if God is YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and He is the God that sent a promised Messiah to redeem the world from sin; then we should recognize him and joyfully share the love and hope that he promises.  (and this is obviously what I believe based on the evidence that I have found).

It really is OK to talk about ideas, to challenge people to think about spiritual things, and even to be challenged yourself in your thinking on these things.

As followers of Jesus, we Christians have received the most amazing free gift in the world and have the added bonus of being able to share that gift with others.

Won’t you encounter the people you care about and challenge them to consider Pascal’s Wager? 

Won’t you take the time to listen to their story and share your own?

Won’t you care enough to share the hope of Christ with them?

Won’t you dare them to know the unknown God?