SHOTGUNS OR RIFLES?

SHOTGUNS OR RIFLES? 

Uncle—squirrel hunter—as got older—eyes worse—not rifle but shotguns.  Could that be the church today? 

Luke 14:15-24 

Jesus—dining at Pharisee’s house—carefully watched as to what Jesus did. 

Jesus heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath—taboo for Pharisees. 

Jesus talks about humility at a banquet.  Take the lowly place and allow the host to raise you to an honored place rather than assuming you have that place.   

When you give a banquet—invite the needy—poor, crippled, lame, blind. 

A person eating with Jesus picks up on banquet idea—“Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the Kingdom of God.” 

Implication—“I am blessed—I am worthy—I am in K of G.” 

Jesus tells parable—man invites friends to banquet—before the event.  Now event is ready—servant goes tells those invited “NOW” is the time to come, eat. 

Excuses—flimsy excuses why they can’t come though time for banquet is now.

Man sends servants to invite others—“streets and alleys”—invite “poor, crippled, lame, blind.”  Needy. 

They come—but more room.  “Go into roads and country lanes”—Compel others to come in so the banquet is full—house is full. 

Final statement—“Not one of those who were originally invited (and did not come at the right time) will get a taste of my banquet.” 

Pharisees and religious leaders—upright—knew all about the Messiah’s prophecies—OT Scriptures. 

Jesus came—Messiah came—K. of God near, present.  But they did not come. 

When God’s people did not come—others invited—many Jews missed Messiah’s coming and banquet.  Message went to Gentiles and others thought to be “too far from God’s favor and blessing.”  Book of Acts—continues Luke’s ministry of Jesus to Gentiles, others, pagan. 

Years ago—“What if we planned an event and everybody came?  What would we do?”  Maybe that happened years ago. 

Now the church needing to answer a different question—“What if we planned it and NO ONE CAME?”  What now would we do?

Maybe those thought to be the right recipients of the message are not. 

Parable of the soils—Luke 8.  Scatter everywhere—only 25% was good soil.  Scatter everywhere—here—“streets and alleys, roads and country lanes” 

The seed must be scattered.  No seed sown—no produce. 

Rifle or shotgun—one is very targeted and centered—one scatters shot everywhere.   

World has changed—the same is not working—is it time in our poor eyesight of the world to shoot with shotguns not rifles? 

When the good did not come—the outcasts were invited.  Who came in the parable?  The outcasts. 

Neal Cole—Organic Church—“Bad people make good soil.  They have lots of fertilizer in their lives.” 

People with no needs don’t respond.  People who are needy do--with cultivation. 

Poor, crippled, lame, blind—the left outs—the needy—not allowed to worship at Temple. 

Are we passing over the harvest?  Are we shooting at the wrong targets?  Are we using the rifle when we need to use shotguns?  Scatter farther out—spread the word over more territory with those unlike us?

Church can’t grow—people aren’t coming today—ever say that? 

We continue to scatter—maybe we scatter among those we didn’t think of scattering to before now. 

Who are the left outs—the poor, lame, crippled, blind—the very needy—the people with lots of fertilizer in their lives. 

What does it take? 

Time spent with those we do not enjoy being with. 

Cole—“If you want to win this world to Christ, you are going to have to sit in the smoking section.”  (Cole, Organic Church, Introduction) 

They aren’t coming to our party—we have to go to them—where they are found—people that aren’t our kind—spending time relating/spending time on their turf. 

Where’s the good soil?  If the good aren’t coming, use a shotgun—scatter to any and all—go to them—sit with them on their turf. 

Make people “people”—not projects—befriend, relate, listen to them for their needs—but show Christ all the time. 

Rifle or shotgun—what do you and your church need?