Sermon: Search and Rescue

Text: Luke 15:1-10
Topic: Personal Evangelism
Title: Search and Rescue: Helping friends find their way

Click on the title link to see the introductory video.

Also, click here for Off The Map website and resources.

For this morning, I invite you to set aside the temptation to fall into a motivational pattern that is driven by guilt and pressure. When we are motivated by guilt and pressure then I believe we have the wrong motivation. We are going to take a fresh look at reaching out to people who do not follow Christ. How can we help our friends find their way? In doing this we are going to explore alternatives to pushiness. Discover ways to avoid clamming up and becoming free to share the good news in a way that works.

The video that we just saw was produced by an organization called, “Off the Map”. We are hosting a conference for them…The head of this organization is Jim Henderson and this book (for Leadernet) is available. A few of the points that I make today come from this book and a few come from Bill Hybels’ book, “Just Walk Across the Room.”
Mandated activities are evangelism/witnessing (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28)
I want to begin by defining a couple of religious terms:

1. Evangelism: Gk. Euangelion (good news): The process of sharing the good news.
2. Witness: Gk: Marturia To testify – To describe what you know to be true. Defend the truth.

There is a lot that could be said about this topic, but for today I just want to get you thinking and to give you some practical helps. We will be focusing on two parables that are found in Luke 15.
Luke 15
1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Jesus was popular with the wrong crowd. Two groups.: Religious crowd, and the sinners. Guess who Jesus is hanging out with? The sinners.
Who are the tax collectors and sinners of our day? Who are the Pharisees and the teachers of the law of today? Religious people have a tendency to look down on others. Notice, that Jesus is speaking to the sinners and they are the ones listening to Him. Ever think that God may in fact be speaking to the “non-Christians around us.”? Through this story and the following story Jesus reveals that He has agenda behind His social networking. He had an agenda behind His choice of friends.

The fact is that a vast majority of believers today are isolated from non-Christians.
If we are truly following in the footsteps of Jesus, we will find ourselves spending time with people that are not religious at all. The tendency is that when a person becomes a Christian, they quickly lose their non-Christian friends and no longer associate people outside of the faith. This doesn’t happen intentionally, but our social circles tend to shift dramatically. Small group, School of the Bible, volunteer opportunities – start saying no to the Sunday morning fishing trips or the Saturday night parties. Pretty soon we are no longer invited. If that is you, I want to challenge you to consider how your values (my values) could better reflect the values of Christ.

Luke 15: 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'
7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The search involves going to unsafe places. The one with the lost sheep leaves the open country and has to begin searching in the wilderness. Dark places. More dangerous places. Less comfortable places. This is where he has to go in his frantic search for the lost sheep.
Emotionally when one loses something they value they become frantic. This is a reflection of God’s heart towards the lost. Jim Henderson encourages us to view “the lost” as missing people. Lost is hopeless. If something is missing, or if someone is missing from this place, then they become a priority. We want to go find them.

This parable also addresses the question, “Does God care about me?” This story shows how He felt about you when you were furthest from God. This is how He feels now for those who are furthest from Him. In fact He even cares more deeply than the man with the missing sheep. 1. God is after those who are far from Him. Don’t forget this. It will change the way you view people.

When one is found the rescue process begins:
· Rescue involves carrying (It will cost you something)
· Rescue involves restoring (Welcome people who have recently been rescued)
· Rescue involves celebration (Get excited when someone gets baptized or returns to relationship with God)
When one person is restored, the greatest work of God is accomplished.

It is not that the 99 are not important. It isn’t that what we do to grow in Christ isn’t important. But God has a priority – a high agenda, and it has to do with rescuing those that are lost.

It reminds me of the recent news of the Maple Valley woman who’s car went off the highway and she spent eight days missing. Her name is Tanya Rider. After she was found her husband appeared on CNN with a indescribable joy .
All I know is that she's here and she's alive, and that in itself is a miracle," he told CNN. "She's alive after eight days.”
Rider's family reported her missing Sunday, and Tom Rider later offered a $25,000 reward for any information leading to his wife's return.
Tom Rider said he tried that, but "the first operator I talked to on the first day I tried to report it flat denied to start a missing persons report because she didn't meet the criteria," he said.
"I basically hounded them until they started a case and then, of course, I was the first focal point, so I tried to get myself out of the way as quickly as possible. I let them search the house. I told them they didn't have to have a warrant for anything, just ask," he said.
Detectives then traced her cellphone by linking it to a phone tower within five miles of where she was found. Investigators "did an intense ground search and located the car off the roadway," Merrill said.
State Patrol Sgt. Dave Divis said Rider responded when rescuers called her name.
When one person is restored, the greatest work of God is accomplished

Jesus went on to make His point even clearer:
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one.
What is one coin worth? These coins represented a day’s work. Not a lot, but enough. The implication is that this woman is poor, so it was all the more significant for her.

Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
What does the search involve?
Illuminating darkness
Working in dirty places
A careful method.

9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'
How big was this to her?
10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Who would be rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God? Wouldn’t it be God Himself?
So be willing to join Him in illuminating dark places, getting your hands dirty and employing a careful caring methodology.
When one person is restored, the greatest work of God is accomplished.
He is in the rescue business.

Get involved in search and rescue. – Some aspects of a careful methodology.
By valuing the people that God values (the barista, the checker, the person over the cubicle wall, the person across from you on the bus, the client that you work with)
By structuring your time to reflect these values (slow down enough to care) – running group.
By engaging in prayer for those He values: This is the starting point and the ending point.
By sensitizing yourself to the HS as you reach out: Listen, feel, respond.

What is your motive?
Guilt? Pressure? A message you heard? For many Christians, evangelism isn’t normal. It’s a program, a presentation, a memorized script. It’s formalized and structured, and as a result, Christians have to work up a lot of guts to do it. That’s why many Christians only do evangelism once a year or once in a long while.
When we approach evangelism as something to do for us – to appease our conscience or out of an unhealthy fear of God, or out of guilt – Then our motives are wrong.

There can only be one motivation: Sincere love and concern for that human being!

Ineffective Methods they have been tried and proven ineffective, again and again.
Avoid the criticisms: long windedness, fuzziness/weird stories, religionese, superiority – instead stick with a before and after approach.

What seems to work to me:
(These first three points are taken from “Just Walk Across the Room”, by Bill Hybels. The final two points are from Jim Henderson’s book, “A.K.A. Lost”.
1. Develop friendships – by engaging yourself in the lives of people around you
2. Discover stories – before sharing your own story and God’s redemptive story
3. Develop next steps – by following the HS’s direction
4. Count conversations not conversions.
5. Evangelize with your ears. Ask great questions. Respond carefully.

This past summer I went home for my 20th year class reunion from high school. I wasn’t particularly excited about seeing old friends. The truth is that I have no contact with friends from high school for the past ten years. But I thought I might go anyway and visit my parents and some relatives.
The first night…It seemed like the Christians had stayed home.
The next day I went fishing
…
Jesus said that He wanted to make us fishers of men. Fishing can be quite a bit of work. That is what I found out this summer when I went fishing for tuna for the very first time. Lose some, catch some. Productive fishing can be a lot of work.
The second night I resolved to go – to force myself to look for the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with people. I was by myself. With trepidation I ventured into the “Eagles’ Lodge”. I was surprised at how easy that was. I spent the time from 8 p.m. until just after midnight, catching up with people. They wanted to talk. I found out what they were up to and they found out about my life as well. Friendship can transcend time. I reconnected with a friend of mine who lives in Redmond. Another who lives in Bremerton. It involved listening and learning.

Colossians 4:5-6 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

“People aren’t shopping for religion. They are looking for something real…so just be yourself.” They also appreciate a true friend. Just don’t make them into a project. Take on the disposition of true friendship.

Remember what is most valuable.

Do you remember what it was like to be lost? Do you remember what it felt like to have that deep and desperate desire for meaning? Most people that are lost are not going to ask for directions. No way. They are going to find the way on their own! If I’m lost I would prefer that nobody else know about it.

Whenever I hear of a wilderness search and rescue effort I become intrigued, engrossed and captivated by the story. I follow the news closely and try to locate blogs and updates from family, friends, and rescuers. I get caught up in the drama.

I think I find myself caught up in these stories because I can usually identify with the lost person. I have been there – I have climbed mountains. I have gotten lost. And they could be me. I’m safe in my home while they are out there and that bothers me.

In the very same way, our motivation to reach out to others should include that sense that people who are spiritually lost, could be us. We have been there before. We’ve been on that mountain, down that trail and we sympathize and empathize from our place of comfort.

Let this kind of compassion drive you. Enlist in search and rescue efforts. God is leading the search! Join His team. He wants you involved.

Will you, Listen to the HS when you’re with people from other backgrounds.
Will you focus on breaking down stereotypes and build bridges?
Will you actively seek to be stretched by allowing yourself to get close to people different than yourself?

Get involved in search and rescue.
By valuing the people that God values
By structuring your time to reflect these values
By engaging in prayer for those He values
By sensitizing yourself to the HS as you reach out
Not a method, but it is a way of living