Risk brought great Gain!

Living Faith Church celebrates 4 years! Risk brought great gain.

Four years since two communities of Christians left behind what they knew and what was safe and entered new territory.

What a risk! What gain! What loss!

Yes, loss, because there is no such thing as gain without loss. Those two separate communities will never exist again. In their place is a single community that is still forming and finding its new identity four years on.

‘Risk’ keeps returning to the question, “Will we gain more that we lose?” There were no guarantees at the birth of Living Faith Church even after all the care that went into getting to know each other. But when all was said and done, the crucial factor was, “What Jesus would have us do?” Can anyone doubt that Jesus wants loving unity in his Family?

Living Faith Church is the result of faithful people hearing Jesus’ call and responding. And when we hear Jesus calling it greatly increases the promise of ‘gain’.

We are now enjoying those gains in the greater breadth and variety of Christians that make up this community and the greater breadth and variety of what we now do as a church at mission. This year we will see new initiatives in Cafe Church, a women’s retreat, Living Faith Community Meal – “The Tucker Club”, a Leaders Retreat, and the development of mentoring skills among some of our Elders and pastoral carers. The variety and diversity of involvement in our Sunday worship is only possible by the gifts that both communities have melded into one.

In fact as the new comer it was not possible for me to see two communities when I arrived here. All I see are Christians working in harmony to serve Christ. This is the true celebration!
But hopefully this is not the last risky Christ-inspired, action that we ever take!

In today’s reading in Luke 10 Jesus sends 72 of his disciples in pairs ahead of him to tell people of the Kingdom of God. For the next few weeks they are to live off the hospitality of people of good will who have responded to their message of the Kingdom. Because they are not allowed to take money of extra clothing for sleeping outdoors, their very survival depends on two things:
1. The Kingdom of God is real and not just a nice belief and
2. Whether they have learnt enough from Jesus to communicate it well to others.

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If the head of the house loves peace, your peace will rest on that house; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for workers deserve their wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ Luke 10

Talk about risk! How would you fare? Imagine as you enter that first village and go to the town centre and open your mouth for the first time. I can imagine the anxiety and the joy. Joy that Jesus thought I was ready, and fear that no-one would listen and I would be sleeping under the stars, cold and hungry that night! Looking at the people I would think, “Surely they all happy in their own beliefs and would not welcome this.” Self doubt would compete with desire to follow Jesus.

This is what it means to risk for Jesus’ sake. And he calls you to a very similar risk. For he wants you as his disciple, to spread the rumour of the presence of God.

Your income and housing do not depend on it, but research on faith sharing indicates that people are wracked with anxiety about losing friendships or even their jobs. People are filled with self-doubt that they can communicate anything worthwhile. Others are certain that no-one is interested. All the very same doubts that the disciples had.

But Jesus was insistent that they had to do this. It seems almost cruel to throw them in at the deep end seeing they have been Christ followers such a short time.
Jesus understood that it is only through faith taking a risk that the big gains come. So he took their money away and made them totally reliant on the message of the Kingdom. His only reassurance was that there definitely were people out there desperate for the news about God: “The harvest is plentiful …”
But the risk paid off and brought great gain. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Lk 10:17 Filled with joy, confirmed in their faith and ready to take the next step/risk.

Are you anxious about sharing anything about God with the people you know? Convinced no-one wants to hear? Sure that you don’t know enough about God to open your mouth but wanting to follow Jesus? Good! This is all perfectly normal. The only question you now face is this, “Will I take the risk?”

In Jesus’ school of disciples this is what it takes to graduate to the next level because it is the risk taking of faith that changes us on the inside and brings the great gains that Jesus wants for us. We don’t do it on our own but nor can it happen without taking a risk. May God’s Spirit en-courage us all.

Graeme