12.09.10 - Spreading Confidence In God

For the last two weeks we have started from a passage in Jeremiah 17 in which Jeremiah says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”

That message isn’t restricted to Jeremiah. That is one of the most basic truths in the entire Bible. Those who have faith in God are blessed. Jeremiah contrasts it with trusting in people or trusting in our own strength. Trusting in God. Having confidence in God.

Last week I talked about growing confidence in God: how we can grow in faith. This week I want to talk about spreading confidence in God. We want other people to be blessed (I hope) and so we want others to trust in the Lord. Love for people must mean that we want them to come to faith in Jesus and be blessed.

I suggested last week that our trust is dependent on our past experience or other people’s past experience. Should I trust aeroplanes? If my past experience of aeroplanes is frightening then I won’t trust aeroplanes. If I hear stories from other people of frightening plane rides then I also won’t trust them. Conversely, of course, if my experience or what others tell me is positive, then I am much more likely to trust them.

Except that we also tend to not trust what we don’t understand. If I have inaccurate information about aeroplanes then I might mistrust them or if I have inadequate information. That would be true of anything. My past experience of dogs and other people’s past experiences of dogs – for example, news media stories of children being savaged by dogs – will affect whether or not I trust dogs. But some of my information might be inaccurate or maybe my view would change if I had more information.

So let’s apply that to how we can encourage people to trust in God, starting at the bottom.

Most people in our society simply don’t know much about God. It used to be that most people at least knew the basic Bible stories and were familiar with a good part of what the church teaches. But today we cannot assume that.

How can we encourage faith? Clearly there is a need for people to tell them. The first need is for some information. If we tell a story about someone at church being healed, that might be radical new information for some of our friends. They simply don’t know about a God who heals. Or if someone is facing some struggle, you might simply say that you are willing to pray. The idea of a God you can talk to and who answers prayer might be new information. People are largely ignorant. A first step is to reduce the ignorance. Tell them.

There is also the question of the quality of the information people have. People have very strange ideas about God such as that He is a killjoy just waiting to catch us having fun and punish us for it. Countering the misinformation might be as simple as having fun and letting people see that Christians can be happy.

I don’t want to say much about the quality and quantity of the information except to say that if lack of information or lack of reliable information is keeping people from trusting God and from knowing His blessings then we can change that by being willing to talk. Clearly God wants us to talk.

Paul, in Romans 10, talks about people simply not knowing.

Romans 10:14-15 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

How can they believe if no one tells them? Sometimes all that is required is some information. We often assume that people don’t want to hear but “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” That is not really about how attractive your feet are. It is about how much people appreciate the person who brings good news. “It is a beautiful thing that you bothered to come and tell me.” They are grateful for good news. All you are doing is offering them something good; a blessing. They will be eternally grateful for that.

If the quality of the information is an issue, tell them the truth. Clarify misunderstandings.

But let’s move on. Sometimes people just need to be told and they will believe but often people’s trust in God will be affected by other people’s experiences of God. We are those other people. Our experiences of God can help people have confidence in Him. In fact, our experiences can have incredible power.

I think there are three steps here. I want to start with the least effective and work towards the most effective but even the least effective can be incredibly powerful.

The first step is us simply living as Christians – as people who have been transformed by Jesus. It is not about us saying anything or people directly experiencing God. It is about people experiencing God’s people. It is about our lifestyle – a lifestyle that is different because of Jesus. A life transformed by Jesus can speak powerfully.

What would be on that step? Our fellowship; our love for one another. When people can see Christians caring for one another like in the early church where, as we read again recently, they sold their land and possessions so as to give to the poor, that is different from society at large and that speaks volumes.

John 13:34-35 34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Loving one another; the strength of our commitment to one another, is a powerful witness. People will know we are disciples of Jesus when they see that.

On that step we could also put serving and caring, in other words, not just our caring for one another but our caring for them. Meeting physical and practical needs. Befriending.

Jesus demonstrated this. He stopped to talk to Zacchaeus to whom no one else would talk and then went and shared a meal with him. Zacchaeus was transformed by that act of love, and repented. Jesus became infamous for being a friend of tax collectors and sinners. And they came to faith in God as a result.

In these instances, people aren’t experiencing God. They are experiencing God’s people. It is the lowest step but when God’s people are transformed people, that experience can be powerful.

The second step is more powerful. Good deeds are good but they often need words as well. A transformed life might raise lots of questions but people need more than questions. They need answers. Why do you behave like this? Why do you love me? Why did you forgive me when I hurt you?

Remember, Paul, in Romans 10 said, “How can they know unless someone tells them?”

1 Peter 3:15 ...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

People see that you have hope. They see that you are different. Be ready to say why.

So the next step is being willing to talk about our experience of God. “I was able to forgive you because God forgave me.” What might we put on that step? Testimonies; our stories of what God has done for us. And those stories can just be part of a conversation.

We know testimonies are powerful, don’t we? When they are honest stories of what God has done for us, people can identify with our situation and can be blown away by hearing what God did.

I think there is an even more powerful step. What if people not only heard about our experiences of God but witnessed them? What if you had a friend whom you took to your small group and the group prayed for something and that prayer was answered? What of someone came to church and saw a healing taking place? Or saw someone repent in tears and find forgiveness? Isn’t seeing it even more powerful than hearing about it second hand?

That happened during Jesus’ ministry. People saw God-things happen and they were amazed and some chose to follow. At Pentecost, people heard the apostles speaking in tongues. People saw the lame man at the Temple healed by Peter and John. They didn’t experience God but they witnessed someone else experience God. Both occasions were followed by preaching. They still needed to hear. The sign opened the door for the message. Now more trusting, they probably did experience God in the preaching.

Jesus said to the first enquirers, “Come and see.” I am convinced there is huge value in that and we need to think more about what that means for us. What if we said, “Come and see”? What if we invited people to come with us and see what God was doing – maybe just see how people love each other or see that Christians can have more fun without alcohol than other have with it, or see miracles taking place? How powerful might that be?

The fourth step is when people experience God themselves. The crowd at the temple witnessed someone else experience of God, but the lame man experienced God personally. How powerful has that got to be? Jesus healed and forgave and delivered from demons. This is what is called “power evangelism” – people coming to know God through some experience of His power. We hear stories of Muslim having visions of Jesus and being converted. Someone might pick up a Bible in a hotel room and hear God speak personally. All of these things are non-Christians experiencing God.

People can come to faith in God at any point. They don’t have to get to the top step. They can simply hear and believe. The steps simply indicate increasing power. On the bottom step there is no God; just God’s people. The second step involves hearing about God. The third, witnessing God. The fourth, experiencing God. But they are all powerful.

So what does this mean for us as a church? What does it mean for you as an individual? Or for your small group? What does it mean for Anthony and Suzie, and all other parents? How can we spread confidence in God to our children? Our own witness; our own lifestyle; talking to them about our own experiences of God; them seeing us experience God – being part of family prayers and seeing that God answers. But ultimately, that they themselves experience God. Let’s let our children experience God.

Are we experiencing God? Then telling others about that or letting them witness it can be a huge part of their coming to trust God.

It is the same thing with our neighbours. What do they see in us? Maybe we can talk to them about our experience of God – a little snippet of our testimony We can invite them to “come and see” when we experience God. Maybe we can be part of them experiencing God. Which step do your friends need?

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. We want other people to experience those blessings. So let’s be ready to use any of those steps, just whichever ones are appropriate.