A Place of Shelter and Rest
In Matthew 13, Jesus told us an often overlooked secret of the kingdom.
“He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.’” (13:31-32)
The “kingdom of heaven” in this parable is the church. Those early disciples could not havecompletely understood what Jesus was saying about the church, but you and I can. Those early disciples had the chance to hear the Master preach. They did not understand the amazing privilege they had, but you and I do see how blessed they were.
It is easy to see other people’s blessings, but there is a blessing in this parable that we must notoverlook. Jesus said that the kingdom (the church) becomes a tree, “so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”
The meaning of this last teaching is that the church becomes a place where shelter and rest can be found. Yes! That is what I want the church to be, a place where Christians can find shelter and rest.
The church is a shelter from the attacks from the world. It is a place where a Christian can go and find rest. It is not a place where we ought to fear what others are thinking, doing, or saying behind our back. It is a place of family and a place of safety.
There are two institutions where every person needs to be able to find shelter and rest, (1) the home and (2) the church.
The world may not understand this, but God’s people must!
I love to read an old text with new eyes and see things I have never seen before. Acts 8:26-40 provides one of those “new eyes” experiences. If you are a student of the Bible or have heard any sermons on this text you know the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch. The great evangelist Philip made a tough journey to a remote place, chased the man down in his chariot, and taught him about Jesus.
To me this story has always been about the character of the man who obeyed the Gospel or the one who taught the Gospel. Recently my “new eyes” saw something else.
Philip went to the chariot and taught the Ethiopian about Jesus. That is what we usually see. What may have been missed is that before he taught him Jesus, he heard him read the book of Isaiah. After hearing him read part of Isaiah 53 Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading.” (Acts 8:30)Only after asking that question was he able to teach him about Jesus. I call that the “Reading Isaiah Moment.” It is the event that happens that opens the door to someone hearing about Jesus.
Evangelism is not about cold calling and knocking on doors like someone selling magazines. Evangelism is not about grabbing someone by the shirt collar and making them listen. Evangelism is about finding those moments when someone is reading the book of Isaiah or doing something else that opens the door to a conversation about Jesus.
I have participated in those door knocking campaigns that try to find strangers. It did not work well then and it does not work well now. What does work is finding someone in a “Reading Isaiah Moment” and opening a conversation about Jesus. Once the conversation starts then you can do exactly the same thing Philip did. “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” (8:35).
A “reading Isaiah moment” happens in all of our lives. Don’t miss it when it does. A soul may depend on it.
Lonnie Davis
While reading a blog the other day, I came across these words:
“I have decided that every Monday I will post a Faith lesson, it will be appropriate for families with children, and hopefully adaptable to other circumstances too.”
The problem is that the resolution was dated 15 months earlier and was not followed by any more postings. As a preacher I have great empathy for that want-to-be writer. I have made many public resolutions that simply faded into the landscape with nothing being done. It is a terrible feeling. I guess we all do that in some areas of our life. Sometimes it is inconsequential, but sometimes it is not.
Paul reasoned with a governor named Felix. He spoke to him of “righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come.” Upon hearing Paul, he was “afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you” (Acts 24:25). Sadly there is no record or indication that Felix ever sent for him again. Perhaps he just did not find a convenient time, but I imagine it was because he did not like what was heard.
You can put things off that are not really important, but for matters of faith, we must make time. Do not look for a convenient time to study the Bible, to pray to God, to worship, to teach your family about God. Make time!
An old man was told by a friend that he would do something when he had time. He responded, “I suppose you have all the time there is. It is just a matter of what is important to you.”
Is faith important to you? Then spend some time on matters of faith.
Lonnie Davis