"A Significant Life"

Introduction

Our reading from Acts chapter 2:22-36, is part of Peter’s first sermon following the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Here we see Peter talking about a significant life, the most significant life of all – Jesus. Peter spoke these words, to convey to his particular audience, how extraordinary Jesus was and is. Now, according to Peter, the whole world will turn on our response to Jesus. Jesus performed wonders of great help to many, and when he was rejected and crucified, he rose again – because it was (just) impossible for such a one as him to be held by death. God has made Jesus both Lord and Messiah.

Jesus is the ultimate significant life. How can we too then, have a significant life?

Following Jesus, of course, yes … but how?

How might we assess ourselves, or develop ways in which we know we are following Jesus?

Today, I have six areas we could consider. I acknowledge writer Robert Jeffress for leading me into some of these thoughts.

Six Areas of Significance

1. Discovering your Unique Purpose

Jesus knew his unique purpose. Even though there were many facets to his incarnation, his unique purpose was summed up this way – “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life [as] a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Others could participate in teaching, healing, serving, and loving enemies, but only Jesus could provide a sacrifice that could bring the possibility of forgiveness for all.

Every follower of Jesus has general purpose in life. Bringing glory to God in their actions and choices. Witnessing to the effectiveness of having Jesus central to one’s life – sharing the good news. Loving our neighbour. But each of us also have particular unique callings upon our time and abilities. This is also linked to our spiritual gifts. Sometimes this calling will be our profession or career as well, e.g. aid workers, pastors, theological educators. What we do as a job can also be what we were born to do, and through this we make a significant contribution to the lives of others and the whole community, e.g. teachers, doctors, nurses. Then sometimes we earn a living and support our family through what we are good at, and then we have a calling to use the rest of our time in God’s service doing other things. In each of these ways, when we come together in the church, we have the different callings coming together to form a very comprehensive mix of ministry. We might think of the quilt where people provide different squares and it’s all stitched together. We might think of the jigsaw puzzle, that is only complete when all the unique pieces are clipped together. We might think of Paul’s ‘body’ metaphor, where all the various body parts are required to make up a functioning cohesive whole.

We should be able to answer the question – why specifically am I here? Do you know your particular calling … the contribution/s you are meant to be making?? There are NO passengers in the Kingdom of God. What is your particular role in church and community??? And these roles are ALWAYS to be performed as part of a church body, NEVER in isolation. Even if you are working at some distance, like a missionary in a far-flung area, you must ALWAYS be accountable to the Body of Christ! Those that have found themselves distant from the church, need to find their way back to be truly in God’s will.

If you need help discovering your unique purpose, then please come and speak with me. There are various means we can use to discover the answer to this.

2. Determining to Influence Culture

The classic text here is: “You are the light of the world. {A city built on a hill cannot be hid.} No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but [rather] on the lampstand; and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). This is what Jesus taught and lived.

The first reaction many Christians have to an increasingly anti-Christian culture … is to retreat, withdraw (like a turtle pulling its head and legs into its shell). Or, they might just judgmentally lash out, without any consideration for the cause and reasons behind such a cultural reaction. Or, Christians might just go into a ‘holy-huddle’ or self-protection mode (confining the rest of the world to hell). Each of these are inappropriate and unbiblical responses. Jesus made it clear, that rather than ever isolating ourselves, we are all supposed to engage in attempts to make a positive difference. The peace and hope and quality of our lives are supposed to shine like light in the darkness. Sometimes we need to consciously rise above how we might humanly react, and make sure that the new nature is replacing the old.

As one example, are we people of the truth? Have we left lies, half-truths, deception and secretiveness behind? Have we dispensed with that selfish divide-and-conquer mentality. To be significant in God’s eyes, we will need to be people of truth. Another example is the power of forgiveness and peacemaking, which often shines a very bright light; as does the attitude of loving even those who persecute us. And serving others, especially the most vulnerable and oppressed, is a key to influencing culture in a better direction. Living with a view to the needs of others is certainly counter-cultural in today’s individualistic mindset.

A good exercise … might be to consider at the end of each day, either individually or in family groups, how each of us has influenced culture in a good Jesus-like way that day!

3. Discerning God’s Will through Prayer

Jesus showed that he was completely tuned into God’s will, even when under severe temptation. Yet, when facing a torturous death, he still needed to call upon a particular resource – and that was prayer. Even though Jesus was Son of God, the human experience was so real for Jesus, that he felt the need to bridge a feeling of separation from God through prayer – “Jesus said, ‘Abba Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet not what I want, but what you want” (Mark 14:36).

The reality of a difficult situation was expressed, but there was also a statement of absolute trust in God’s wisdom. Now, if Jesus needed prayer to stay within God’s will for his life, we too would obviously need prayer on an ongoing basis, and in most, if not all, circumstances. It’s as we spend time with God in prayer, individually, and in groups, that we gain clarity about what we are supposed to be doing.

It’s amazing, that when I have shared a prayer point with a group, that the answer comes through the way another expresses their prayer for this particular concern. Just sharing things out loud, and praying with others, brings new clarity and perspective to what may have previously been a blur. I like Psalm 36:9 – “For with you [referring to God] is the fountain of life; in Your light, we see light”.

Our prayers need to be persistent, reactive to the circumstances around us, and proactive toward a better vision of the future.

4. Leaving the Past Behind

There were those that left everything to follow Jesus. There were also those who seemed to qualify their preparedness to follow. There were still earthly things to attend to, that were seemingly being given higher priority – but Jesus said to them, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Jesus himself showed the way – for when he set his mind toward Jerusalem, at the end of his three-year ministry, he did not waver from his forward progress.

The salvation we are being offered through God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice, is powerful enough to deal with each and every issue in our past and present. We can see in the Gospels how the liberation and healing from all dark influences and demonic strongholds can be absolutely complete. Sometimes we need help to realise the full potential of our salvation – but that help is available within God’s church through the Holy Spirit. But maybe sometimes we hold back, keeping a foot in the past … for whatever reason – maybe the old shoes are still comfortable in some ways, maybe we just haven’t been able to trust Jesus enough!? Yet, we have to come to the conclusion, that we should NOT be looking back (other than to the lessons we can learn).

[This can be true as well for seasons in the church, where we need to wholly commit to the new season and leave the old seasons behind. I invited those writing for the annual report this time around to reflect on the past as it relates to the future – so I commend to you prayerful consideration of our annual report.]

Returning to the notion that Jesus has dealt with all the negativity that can beset us – songwriter Lyndon Wesley wrote in his song ‘Life Extraordinary’ the words, “I made my choice – [I’m] not going back to history”! We have to set our face forward … growing and maturing into the image of Jesus. We must eliminate all possibility of retreat! Hedging our bets and holding back is NOT an option. Paul wrote to the Philippian church, “… forgetting what lies behind, and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:13-14).

The guilt we may have carried in the past has been FORGIVEN! The shame has been lifted! Some disappointment in ourselves may linger, but we must allow the Holy Spirit to carry us forward into God’s plans for our lives … we just MUST!

5. Learning How to Handle Bad Days

There are often battles to be fought – from within and from ‘without’. Jesus knows all about rejection, betrayal and torturous abuse. Yet, on the worst day of his life in many ways, from the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

As part of life, there are worries, doubts and even despair. We have to deal with our share of bad days that include everything from flat tyres, to sore throats, to having just too much to do (which we might blame on others), to the threat of serious illness, to real dents to our faith. On such days, we will need an extra dose of whatever it is that can assure us of God’s love for us. It could be a psalm in the bible, or a story from the gospels covering how Jesus helped a person in need, or a song we need to sing, or to firmly establish God’s presence through prayer, or to have a coffee with someone who is utterly trustworthy to give us good counsel, or to just consider how this perceived setback fits in the larger story of our lives.

Often when someone hurts us, or offends us … they do not fully appreciate the negativity they have brought to us. Even if they do, and it was deliberate, it is coming from a dark place in them that no doubt has a back story. We cannot let resentment build, because it will only hurt us further, and also badly affect those who live around us. Those who crucified Jesus were evil in their deed, and did so for a variety of reasons, ranging from power to convenience. Yet Jesus still had a view to the bigger picture, as he forgave them from the cross.

We should NOT accept abuse and bullying and negative criticism – such things are never okay, but we need to follow the example of Jesus to get beyond it.

6. Looking at the Legacy We Leave

Jesus realised that when he died, and even when he rose again, that the real impact of all this would be dependent on others. That is why, knowing what lay ahead, Jesus invested very deeply in a group of disciples, who would ultimately be the leaders in taking the mission of Jesus forward. Even though Peter, when put under pressure, denied even knowing Jesus – he was later reinstated in ministry with the commission, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). This was because a failure like his, still did NOT undermine his magnificent potential!

And, of course, the resurrection of Jesus, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, changes everything. This all set a pattern for the early church to be interested in developing people into Kingdom-building roles through apprenticeship and mentoring (refer Acts 6). Yet this still would not work without Divine assistance. That is why Jesus made sure that the disciples would gather together, and be filled together with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to his disciples, “See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). A significant life can NEVER be divorced from the power of the Holy Spirit.

Any serious legacy we can leave behind will be empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit turns good ideas and good intentions into serious advances in the life of a community. We need to invest in others, especially the young, allowing the Holy Spirit to design and guide the outcomes. We need to use our resources, time and energies well, in efforts to build community. Who is it we can invest in? Who is it that we should allow to invest in us??

All Mr Holland wanted to do, in the film ‘Mr Holland’s Opus’, was to write his great symphony. To support his family while he wrote it, he needed to become a music teacher, a prospect he hated the very thought of. As it turned out however, it was NOT the great symphony that became his life’s work, but rather it was the students he invested his personal mentoring into … this became his great ‘opus’!