Sermons

In the changing room after the badminton match, as you are folding your gear back in your bag, one of your buddies tells you they are practicing Wicca and finding it helpful. What do you say?
A new young neighbour sitting on his porch sees you arriving home on Sunday lunchtime. “been at work, today?”
“No a church meeting actually”
“Oh really?” he remarks the questioning look of his face betraying indifference and unfamiliarity with Christianity, but he is curious.
“What’s that like?”
Roger has been coming to life group socials. He was suspicious of church people as judgemental and hypocritical, but is carrying a gnawing sense of guilt.His internal heaviness stand in contrast to the laughter, joy and sense of freedom this group of Christians carries. He is intrigued!
The work canteen is busy. After paying the cashier you can for someone you know to sit with. Kassim, a recent refugee from Syria, now working in your company is sat alone. You ask if the seat is free and his face brightens as he nods. How do you have a conversation with a Muslim without being offensive or do you play it safe and not mention faith.
Sitting on the bus, the African nurse next to you starts spilling out concerns for their husband and his prolonged sickness. It’s just not fair. It’s not right. We have young kids and he is working hard and kind – it doesn’t make sense he is so ill.  Could I offer hope from God or would this make her more angry?
Joining the conversation
Each one of those conversations is an opportunity to participate in the conversation that God is already having with them and continue it. There no -one size fits all of what to say or do = Jesus offers power to the African and Wiccan who is in fear, honour to the Muslim who is feeling shame, belonging with purpose to the neighbour indifferent to faith and forgiveness to the guilt ridden.
Today we are continuing our series on This Us and considering the value “Outward Looking”
Evangelism is simply joining the conversation that God is already having with people. It’s not just “closing the deal” and leading someone to put their faith in Christ. Apparently it takes 30 encounters for someone to finally make a faith commitment.
Let’s look at Mark 4:26-29 together
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Our job is to scatter seed and leave God to continue the conversation. And maybe, we get to be the one to harvest too!
Scratching their itch
We do need to scatter the right seed though. It’s no good scattering lettuce seed on the ground right now – it’s too cold. Now is the time to scatter the spring cabbage, the onions and garlic and even some hardy annuals for harvest early next year.
If you consider the Wiccan to be of the enemy and start bashing him with hell fire and damnation, it’s most likely the wrong seed. But if you tell him you believe in the power of the Christ to change lives and bring order to creation you may plant a seed well.
If as Roger shares about his gnawing sense of guilt and you tell him about Jesus who died and rose again so we can be forgiven, you will have planted another good seed and may find it sprouts and is ready to harvest in the same conversation.
If you are chatting to an alcoholic who feels the shame of his addiction, the embarrassment of his family, ostracised by his children. Telling him he is guilty is not going to help. Telling him Jesus can take away our shame and has the power to set him free is a great seed to plant.
The African nurse who feels cursed with sickness in her family, needs to hear about the power of Jesus to drive our fear, curses and sickness.
The gospel is amazing, a multi-faceted diamond to meet every effect of sin – guilt, fear, shame and indifference. It’s much bigger than we think. And bigger than our cultural worldview – more on that in a moment
Entering the conversation God is already having with someone is about listening first, asking questions and then giving a seed or two that scratches their sin itch!
Guilt, fear, shame and indifference are 4 different worldviews that people hold. Whole cultures can be predominantly in one and people can be a mix. White British people will have grown up in a culture that is guilt based with a side dish of the honour system, so a mix of guilt and shame. Tribal Africans may have grown up in a culture that is fear based – the fear of curses and the demonic. Eastern Europeans and Asians will likely have grown up in a shame/honour culture.
Tobi told me the story of a Nigerian Pentecostal Evangelist who saw thousands come to faith by preaching into the fear of curses and evil spirits and the power of Jesus to set people free. He came to the Uk and found himself ineffective. It’s not the sin itch that needs scratching for most British people. It’s not their entry point for understanding our need of the Saviour.
About six years ago I remember preaching on the prodigal son story  – a Biblical story of the gospel from an honour shame perspective – the son is in a honoured family. Brings shame on himself and his family by asking for the inheritance early and then squandering it on wine, women and song. At the end of himself in a shameful situation he comes up with the idea of retuning head bowed. Meanwhile the father has been watching every day and seeing his son enter the village, head bowed full of shame. Leaves the place of honour runs across the village (a shameful thing to do) and covers the son with his robe and restores him to honour – forgiven!  A young Caribbean doctor said i have been a Christian for 18 years knowing I was forgiven, but today Jesus has taken my shame away.
To be clear – we need every facet of the gospel diamond – fear, guilt, shame, indifference taken away. But our worldview, our background will often mean one of those is the itch that needs scratching. If we are being outward looking we will listen and scratch the itch with that part of the gospel!

Worldviews are mixing!
Rise of shame in the west – cancel culture, social media.
Brene Brown TED talk Shame is he fear of disconnection from others because of something they did or failed to do. Shame cause people to see themselves as unworthy of love or belonging

Worldview

Guilt / Justice

Shame / Honour

Fear / Power

Indifference / Belonging

Typical Location

West

East (Middle East, Northern Africa, Asia)

South (sub-Saharan Africa, tribal, Caribbean)

Secular societies

Sin’s result

Separation / Guilt

Shame

Fear/curse/bondage

Indifference

Solution in Jesus

Payment / Substitute

Honour Restored / Cleansing

Deliverance

Belonging with purpose

Image of salvation

Courtroom / Justice

Relationship / Cleansing

Power / Freedom

Coming home

Relationship with God

Judge who declares “Not guilty!”

Father who restores Honour

Creator who protects and delivers

Family who welcomes you

Biblical examples

Adam & Eve confronted with disobedience and consequence.
Romans 5 justified by faith

Adam & Eve naked shame.
Prodigal son story

Adam & Eve – afraid and hid.
Psalm 91:4 refuge under God’s wings
Blind Bartimaeus

Adam & Eve’s son Cain

Zacchaeus

How can we be outward looking?
Joining a conversation God is already having with someone.
Wiccan – don’t see them as a demonised evil person. They are a spiritual seeker – looking for power to live life. God has more power!
Buddhist – reincarnation. Old school apologetics 10 reasons why that is wrong. How about “I find resurrection more empowering, more holistic – dealing with body, mind and spirit and full of hope”
Sickness – hey I believe in a God who heals the sick – can I pray for you?
Addicted – Jesus can give you the power to overcome this and set your free.
Excluded – lowest in pecking order (honour shame thing) step down and serve them.
Honour shame – home visits are important, honouring people
Indifferent – post secular majority.
Millennials often yearn for community, significance and transcendence.
mission worth getting involved with – church should be the most mission-minded, service-oriented generous organisation on the planet
Ask questions and listen
Praying for 3 people & invite them to the carol service.
The phone!