Keeping Focused

Luke 14:25-35; 15:1-10, 20-32

Rev. Chris Harbin, Rocks Baptist Church
Pamplin, Virginia

Businesses develop strategies to keep employees focused. They develop statements of vision and mission, as well as slogans that everyone can remember, to focus the entire company on its objectives. “Centra Health … the experience you’re looking for.” Centra knows their business is health care. They also know the patient’s experience with that care is very important to Centra’s objectives. Whether or not they are successful, keeping employees focused on creating a good experience for each patient is a major factor in their success.

What is the central focus of our lives as individuals and church? We are called as disciples of Jesus Christ to live according to his example. Jesus did not focus his ministry on those within the fold of faith. He attuned much of his efforts toward outsiders, the lost sheep of Israel. How much energy do we invest on those outside the fold of faith? Do our lives display the Jesus’ focus of ministry?

Crowds followed Jesus as he traveled preaching and teaching. Many were curious to hear the latest sensation. Others were more sincere. Some were trying to makes sense of Jesus’ words. Others were looking for God in their lives. Jesus made sure they all stopped to think about why they were tagging along. He did not want people deluded by thinking there was no demand for commitment in this kingdom living he preached. He wanted them to know the gospel had a price tag of focused dedication.

Yes, salvation is by grace. It is not earned through our good deeds, sacrifice, or effort. At the same time, salvation is not just a ticket for a ride to heaven. It is not about access to a life of bliss. It is salvation from the bonds of sin into a new life with a whole new set of demands. We are saved into a life of responsibility—no longer to live for ourselves, but to focus our lives toward the needs of others.

The world around us cries out for relevancy. We are well aware of high profile Christian leaders falling out of favor through scandal. The world has seen enough icons of faith dashed as masquerading hypocrites. The world around us yearns for believers with transparency, living lives that reflect a true image of a faith with substance. The world wants to see that faith makes a difference in our daily living. They need to know it has the teeth and the mettle to stand the test.

Back in seventh grade, I was a rather thin kid without a lot of visible muscle. One of the boys on the wrestling team was a bully. He badgered me to bring him a quarter every day. I ignored the demand. When he recognized that I would not bow to intimidation, his attitude changed. He was more interested in my standing up to him than in the quarters he demanded. His own life was lived in fear and intimidation. He could respect someone who did not bow to those pressures. Words, however, were not what he needed to hear. He needed to see words backed by character and action in the face of conflict. Faith is not tested until the going gets tough. Do our lives make people ask about our faith?

For Jesus, focusing on God’s purpose meant associating with people classed as tax collectors and sinners. This was the rabble of society—looked down upon by the religious folk. Many looked askance at Jesus for associating with and eating with such people. After all, “One is known by the company he keeps,” and Jesus’ company was not the upstanding citizenry of society. Jesus had a purpose in keeping such company. He knew that in order to share the import of the gospel with people, we must first become their friends and meet their needs without condemnation.

For most of us, that is a tall order. It is easy to befriend those who are friendly to us and enjoy the same pastimes and hobbies. It is a different thing to befriend those whose lives run counter to our sense of morality, correctness, and proper behavior. We worry about being contaminated or damaging our reputation before others. Jesus concerned himself with carrying God’s grace and love even to those whose lives decried their need for mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

When we determined to develop ministry among the Traditionalist Gaúchos in Brazil, we knew we would have to join a traditionalist center. We also knew we would need to take part in their traditional dances. I was very uncomfortable with that. I had grown up among Baptists who equated all dancing with sin. While I knew dance was not always sinful, I had a lifetime of tradition to struggle against. Stepping into the traditionalist center to sign up for dance classes that first evening was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I knew there was nothing wrong with it, but I was uncomfortable taking that first step beyond my traditions to be faithful to God’s call to minister. How willing are we to befriend unbelievers in order that we might share our faith?

Jesus told a series of parables about the lost. He spoke of one sheep in a hundred. He spoke of a shepherd’s love for the lost lamb, placing the rescue of the one ahead of the care for those who were not in danger. He then spoke of the lone coin in ten. This coin represented a larger portion of one’s sustenance, but its imputed worth paled in comparison to its face value. The woman expended time and energy in a search, calling her friends to rejoice with her in its recovery. The next story was about one of two—a father’s two sons, one lost, the other safe at home.

This third story gets more complicated, for it concerns our own sense of injustice at God’s will to make so much of those outside our circle of family. We can identify with the younger brother’s need for forgiveness, reconciliation, and renewal. Like the older brother, however, we look upon the cost of this restoration along with the squandering of the father’s resources. What is there to call for such lavish expense on one who has shown himself irresponsible? After all, the younger brother had not even had a chance to show the true character of any stated repentance or remorse.

The father did not wait for proof. He lavished unconditional love upon the returning son. Sure, there would be responsibilities for him to accept upon returning home, but getting him home was sufficient reason for rejoicing. The rest of the matter was no more than details to worry about at the appropriate time. This kind of love and acceptance in the kind of experience the world is seeking. This is what the world hears that the gospel is supposed to be. It also knows that so-called Christians all too often sit in the older brother’s place looking daggers at any who would disrupt their comfortable family status.

Jesus did not focus on those already seated at the family table. He looked for the lost, struggling, and injured who yearned for acceptance, love, and forgiveness. Grace compelled him to seek out those who needed affirmation of God’s love, acceptance, and grace. How can we display this divine concern for the world beyond our doors? Who needs to see in our lives the faith experience they are looking for? Are we willing to allow God to use us in new ways, keeping our lives focused with Christ Jesus?

—©Copyright 2006 Christopher B. Harbin

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