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- The need to belong is
perhaps the most powerful emotional need experienced in modern times.
- Society continues to
fragment, families disintegrate, and technology isolates until the
opportunities to truly belong become more and more limited.
- But the need to
belong has not diminished.
- Individuals today are
seeking those places where they can belong, and then giving themselves
fully to the relationships they find.
- It is by targeting
inclusion that our church can establish its ministry.
- By becoming a place of
belonging, the local church opens itself up to ever-broadening
opportunities to proclaim its message a message of love and belonging
in the family of God.
- How does the church
establish this kind of ministry? Many times Jesus provided the example
through His own ministry of including people.
- Let's take a look at one
such occasion:
-
Jesus began a tour
of the nearby cities and villages to announce the Good News concerning
the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with
some women he had healed and from whom he had cast out evil spirits.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons;
Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's business manager; Susanna; and many
others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus
and his disciples. Luke 8:1-3 (NLT)
- There are few people
that we read about in the Bible who evidence more commitment to Jesus
than Mary Magdalene who is mentioned here as one of Jesus' companions.
- Such commitment doesn't
just happenIt must be carefully cultivated and developed
- Jesus the Master shows
us the way to include those who have a need to belong in his treatment
of Mary.
-To be a church that
includes others we must
1. MINISTER TO
PEOPLE'S NEEDS
- We just read the names
of three women that followed Jesus as a direct result of Him meeting
their needs, along with other women not named.
- We specifically want to
focus on Mary Magdalene as we know more about her than the others.
- Among them were Mary
Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons Luke 8:2
- Here is a lady who had a
very serious need that was met by Jesus Christ.
- There are at least three
areas of meeting Mary's need that we can examine and see how they stand
as an example of how we can meet people's needs today.
[ Her Need Was
Identified
- Jesus saw Mary as an
individual, not just as part of the crowd.
- He didn't just see her
as a generic human being, but as an individual person with her own
experiences, history, intellect, and emotions.
- Mary was distinctly
Mary, and there was no one else like her.
- Jesus recognized this
and treated her as a person created in the image of God.
- He does the same for
each of us He calls us by name, He sees us for who we really are, He
cares about us as individuals.
- And this is what we are
called to do as a church.
- Oftentimes when we talk
about growth and outreach and numbers it can all sound so impersonal,
can't it?
- But behind every number
is a name, is a history, is a person for whom Jesus died for, and a
person that has specific needs that we can meet.
- We want everyone we try
to reach to realize that we don't think of them as a number on the
attendance sheet; but that we recognize their individuality and that we
love them for who they are.
[ Her Need Was
Prioritized
- The needs of the people
that we meet oftentimes must be met before we share the Good News of the
Gospel with them.
- Jesus prioritized the
need of the individual first, and then He shared His heart.
- While the most intrinsic
need of us all is to come into a relationship with Christ, sometimes the
other needs that people have must be met first.
- If I run across a person
that is starving and say to them, "Well, I really have this cool Bible
that you need to read" I don't think I'm going to get very far.
- But what if I give them
some food first? And then begin to get to know something about them? And
let them know that I value them as a person first?
- What happens then? They
see that I am not just out to win converts, but to take care of real
physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
- They see that I'm not
out to put another notch on my belt, but that I am really there for
them, even if they never respond to Jesus Christ.
- Before Jesus shared the
Gospel with Mary, He prioritized her need.
- If we expect people to
open their hearts to the message we bring, we must first open our hearts
in prioritizing their needs.
[ Her Need Was Met
- Jesus cast seven demons
out of this woman we don't have all the details of this encounter, but
it is evident that Jesus took care of her problem.
- I am well aware that we
cannot fix every problem that every person has.
- I also know that we do
not have every material resource at our disposal.
- Some needs we can meet
immediately, some we can meet by networking with other people, and some
needs will never be met completely.
- But those facts cannot
be legitimately used as an excuse to not at least try to meet the needs
that are out there.
- The biggest need of most
people that we run across can be met it is the need to know that you
are loved and cared for.
- This has always been
true, but is perhaps more true today than at any other time in history
people are lonely, confused, and have lost direction.
- They need us to show
that we care, and are willing to assist them on their journey to
fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
-To be a church that
includes others we must
2. BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS
- Before I go any further,
I need to ask you a question and I want you to just keep the answer in
your own head it would be a great thing to discuss with others later,
but for now, just think about it on your own.
- Here's the question:How
many unchurched people are you in a relationship with?
- I can already tell you
that most of us that have been in the church for a long time would have
to answer "None."
- It seems that the longer
we are Christ Followers the more disconnected we get with those that are
not and that is a real problem.
- The problem is that I
cannot possibly hope to reach people for Christ if I am not in a
relationship with them.
- If I don't have any
non-Christian friends, how can I tell anyone about Christ?
- This is the biggest
detriment to fulfilling the Great Commission that we have today we
don't know any non-Christians well enough to share the Gospel with them
- Jesus went out of His
way, and we must go out of our way, to build real friendships with
people outside of the church.
- By building a
relationship with Mary Magdalene, Jesus was able to change her life.
[ Jesus Gave Her New
Identity
- Tradition holds that
Mary made her living as a prostitute.
- There is no biblical
text that completely supports that, but many times these traditions ring
true.
- Even if she was not a
prostitute, we do know that she would have been an outcast from society
based on the fact that she had been demonized by either seven demons or
had demons cast out of her seven different times.
- Once Jesus met her need
by casting these demons out of her, He was able to show her how she
could be a brand new person.
- He taught her how she
could move from being a sinner to being a saint; how she could change
from demonized to being filled with the Spirit of God; how she could go
from being an outcast to being adopted into the family of God.
- Our job is to build
relationships with the unchurched and show them the same.
- We have the greatest job
in the world we get to tell people and show people that they can be
remade and transformed into the image of God.
- People say they don't
like who they are or what they've become I've got great news they
can be made anew and be identified as a child of God.
[ Jesus Gave Her
Purpose
- He showed Mary that
there was more to life than getting up, and going to work, and taking
care of the kids, and paying taxes, and watching TV.
- He showed her that she
could have an impact on the world around her, that God could use her as
a warrior-servant in His Kingdom, that she was significant in the eyes
of God and could do significant things that would last for eternity.
- Concerning these women
that were following Jesus, our text says that, (They) were
contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his
disciples. Luke 8:3
- She learned that she
could make a lasting contribution to her world.
- Formerly she was
despised and rejected, but now, as a remade human being, she found
purpose in this life that would drive her until she experienced the life
yet to come.
- And this is the message
that we bring that there is more to life than what you think that
you were made for a purpose that you can contribute that God views
you as a significant person made to serve Him and experience His
blessings.
- We build relationships
by sharing and living out this truth.
[ Jesus Gave Her Love
[- Jason Tuskes was a
17-year-old high school honor student.
- He was close to his
mother, his wheel-chair bound father, and his younger brother.
- Jason was an expert
swimmer that loved to scuba dive.
- He left home on a
Tuesday morning to explore a spring and underwater cave near his home in
west central Florida.
- His plan was to be home
in time to celebrate his mother's birthday by going out to dinner with
his family that night.
- Jason became lost in the
cave then, in his panic, he apparently got wedged into a narrow
passageway.
- When he realized he was
trapped, he shed his yellow metal air tank and unsheathed his diver's
knife.
- With his tank as a
tablet and the knife as a pen, he wrote one last message to his family:
"I love you Mom, Dad, and Christian." Then he ran out of air and he
drowned]
- A dying message
something communicated in the last few seconds of life is something we
can't ignore.
- God's words to us are
etched on a Roman Cross they are blood red they scream to be heard
they too, say "I love you."
- These are the words Mary
knew to be true when she met Jesus His words, His actions, His caring,
all were a demonstration of His love.
- When He died on the
Cross, Mary stood there and watched Him die.
- Standing near the
cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister, Mary (the wife of
Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. John 19:25
- Here again, she saw the
ultimate demonstration of love.
- It is this kind of love,
authentic, caring, willing to go to the ultimate extreme, this kind of
love that shows people that we really care about them.
- It is this kind of love
that we must demonstrate as a church to those we are trying to reach
Again, Jesus has set the example.
[ Jesus Gave Her
Belonging
- Mary the outcast, Mary
the possessed, Mary the one on the outside looking in, is now an
integral part of Jesus' band of disciples.
- She's listed here in our
text, along with the 12, and the other women, as one Jesus has chosen to
announce the coming of the Kingdom of God.
- She now belongs to
something greater than herself- Jesus has shown her what it means to be
a part of a group that is on a mission from God.
- And that is what the
church is here for to let people know that they belong, that they are
a part, that they are included as an integral part of what God is going
to do through us this is how we build relationships.
-To be a church that
includes others we must
3. SHARE THE
GOSPEL
- Sharing the Gospel means
letting people know about the Good News that Jesus, God in the flesh,
has come to this earth, has died for our sins on a Cross, has risen from
the dead, and that He wants to be in relationship with us.
- It is our great
privilege, as a church, to have this message to share with all those
around us.
- When Jesus shared the
Gospel, two amazing things happened.
[ Jesus Revealed
His Power
- When Jesus cast the
demons from Mary he revealed that He had a power that was beyond that of
the evil forces in the world.
- He showed her and us
that His power was supernatural that He could bind the forces of
darkness, that He could heal the sick, that He could forgive sins, that
He could grant to us eternal life with Him forever.
- Jesus revealed that
there was nothing beyond His power, and in doing this He showed us that
He had the power to save us.
- When we have met
people's needs and are building relationships with them, we share with
them the awesome power of Jesus Christ Himself.
- Our job is to reveal to
them what Jesus revealed to Mary and what He has revealed to us that
He has the power to fulfill all of the promises that He has made, that
He can make us whole, and that we will be empowered ourselves to become
His new creation.
[ She Responded
With Passion
- No one mattered more to
Mary than this One Who had loved her so.
- She responded to Jesus'
love with an undying loyalty to Him and His cause.
- When Jesus was nailed to
the Cross, Mary was there after He was placed in the tomb, Mary went
to visit His grave and found that His body was missing.
- Mary was standing
outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She
saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place
where the body of Jesus had been lying. "Why are you crying?" the angels
asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "and I
don't know where they have put him." She glanced over her shoulder and
saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize
him. "Why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?"
She thought he was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if you have taken him
away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him."
"Mary!" Jesus said. She turned toward him and exclaimed, "Teacher"!
John 20:11-16
- Mary was the first of
His disciples that Jesus appeared to and she responded to Him again,
with joy and love.
- The result of inclusion
in the way that we've described this morning is an undying passion for
Jesus Christ and His kingdom.
- This is what happens to
people when we share with them the Gospel of Christ.
- This is what happens
when we are living out what we are called to be as the church.
Conclusion:
- Reaching out to the
world around us is not an exact science, but we know that the need to
belong I widespread.
- As Christians we are
compelled to meet the unchurched at their point of need and show them
the way to true life.
- Christianity is more
that a commitment to belief it must also include the opportunity to
belong.
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