Asbury Church

Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are one. Adam and Eve became one flesh. Jesus prayed for His disciples to be unified. His prayer includes us, too. Paul insisted harmony was essential. Strong bonds must be forged within the church. Paul said in Romans 15:6 the church should glorify God with one voice. Yet, Paul had such a very sharp disagreement with the “son of encouragement” (Barnabas) over John Mark’s (who was related to both Barnabas and Peter) behavior that Paul and Barnabas broke up. They went separate ways (Acts 15:36-41). They eventually reconciled: “Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry,” (2 Timothy 4:11) but the original division was painful.

Ideally, Christians should march to the beat of the same drummer, but we do not. We have different approaches and emphases. Some preferences are about doctrine, worship style, music, polity, race, age, mission, ministry programs, social issues and politics. Strong personalities, power and control issues exist too. Our differences often confuse Christians; imagine what others who aren’t followers of Jesus think.

Ephesians 4 is a great text. Read it carefully. It stresses how urgent unity is for the church. Verse 2 of the text shows how unity is created and developed. Note the emphasis in Romans 15:4 on, “the encouragement of the Scriptures.” No wonder John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said, “I am a man of one book” (the Bible).

- Senior Pastor Tom Harrison

Like the cross, reconciliation is both vertical and horizontal. God pardons us, but we must extend forgiveness to others. We often look at forgiveness through an egotistical lens (“THEY hurt ME”) but tend to minimize our role (“I hurt THEM”). Adam and Eve blamed the serpent, each other and God. Resentment is toxic to any relationship. When we realize we are truly loved, accepted and forgiven by God, we no longer need to throw rocks at others. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Our identity is rooted in Christ. He loves us. We are truly and deeply loved.

In his book, “Unoffendable,” Brant Hansen says he often deems other motorists as idiots. Yet when Brant does what he condemns others for, THEY are still the idiots, not him. I smiled when I read his words, “Everybody’s an idiot but me. I’m awesome. Go me.” We, the forgiven, don’t have to be angry or offended. We do not have to condemn others. Part of the Lord’s Prayer is, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Matthew 18:15-35 insists since we are forgiven such a staggering and hopeless debt by God we must not nickel and dime others who owe us. Bitterness destroys. Jesus modeled forgiveness (Luke 23:34). So did Stephen (Acts 7:60). Prayer is supposed to have wheels. It leads us to action. Being reconciled to God and to others is what Jesus intends for His disciples.

Isaiah 55 is a surpassing text. God’s generous feast transcends our physical needs—He also speaks to our soul. What was dead can be restored and redeemed. “Come, everyone who thirsts” (Isaiah 55:1). When we recognize our need, we can come to the party. That God could be so gracious and inviting may not make sense because we don’t think as God thinks. His ways are powerful and great. Our ways are limited, minor and trivial in comparison. God’s word is potent and effective. I love this line too, “He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). Forgiveness is an important part of prayer. We are abundantly pardoned IF we make confession. However, God does not have a “pardon and parole board.” We aren’t on probation with the Lord. “If the son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Then we can bear witness to God’s goodness. As is said, “Grace is one beggar telling another where to find bread.” We find the bread of life in Jesus Christ, who is of the line of David.

The first of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses that launched the Protestant Reformation stated, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Matthew 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Each Sunday we say in our Communion liturgy: “We confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Then we rejoice with these majestic words; “Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!”

“Ash Wednesday” is our unique way to begin the Lenten season. Ashes have two meanings. First, they indicate repentance. Job repents in the last chapter of the book named after him. He wears dust and ashes (42:6). Jeremiah 6:26 described this: “O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, and roll in ashes; make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.” Oddly, Jonah (3:6) was angry when his message met a favorable response: “The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” Jonah needed to repent as much as the Ninevites. They were unrighteous. He was self-righteous. As Paul said, “Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges” (Romans 2:1).

Dust is the second image of Ash Wednesday. Genesis 2:7 says, “… then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Abraham recognized his limitations, too: “Abraham answered and said, ‘Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes’” (Genesis 18:27).

Effective Sermon Series

People who have learned the ability to listen to others will always have friends. The judgments and observations of those who listen will stand a better chance of accuracy than those who speak twice and listen once. As the Psalmist said, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” King Solomon showed the ability to listen deeply and settle an interesting case with two women arguing over who was the mother of a baby. Jesus stressed repeatedly in the Gospels and in Revelation 2-3, “He who has ears to hear…let him hear.” In the book of Acts, the early church had to decide what to do about letting the Gentiles into the faith. James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me…” Paul told the Romans there is a link between hearing and faith: “So faith comes through hearing…” To be an effective person, we simply must learn to listen. It is an acquired habit.

The typical approach to life is “I win, you lose.” I can only win if I beat you. However, we have another option, a third way. It uses the plural personal pronoun, “we.” Life is more than just “me” or “you”—it is also “us.” As John F. Kennedy said, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” We can cooperate rather than compete.

This is the essence of Matthew 7:12. It is referred to as “The Golden Rule.” It is one of the most effective ways to maintain personal relationships. In Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” he emphasizes the importance of having a “Win/Win” strategy. If we can’t get to that, it’s a “no deal.”

We see this unfolding in Jesus’ ministry. He was proactive in coming to earth. He knew His identity and was willing to maintain His integrity in every transaction. Jesus always met people where they were. He embodied abundance, not scarcity. He offered people from every facet of life a Win/Win. They could have community, be empowered, find forgiveness, and discover purpose. They could experience grace, healing, inclusion and resurrection. Jesus wants everyone to win. He was and is incredibly generous and magnanimous. His character reveals the most effective human being who has ever lived. Yet, people still resisted Him. Jesus did not force the kingdom of God on anyone. It was their choice to accept Him. If they rejected Him, the deal was off.

In his pamphlet, “Tyranny of the Urgent,” Charles Hummel claims there is an ongoing tension between things that are urgent and things that are important. Hummel notes the urgent wins far too often. The urgent becomes like a tyrant in our lives. Likewise, Steven Covey’s classic, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” calls the third habit “Put First Things First.” Focusing on the important, not what is urgent, is what will make us effective in the end. An obvious thing about Jesus is His undeterred heart to do God’s will. The Lord Jesus had a remarkably tender and affectionate heart. It was evident in His total commitment to His mission. Luke 9:51 puts it like this: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” The Bible is full of stories about people who let other things crowd out the kingdom of God. Their hearts were dulled and possibly on the way to becoming hardened. In the Luke 14 text, people offered excuses: They bought a field or oxen or got married and that is why they could not attend the banquet. The truth is, they did not want to go. As Bishop Mack Stokes used to say, “An excuse is the skin of a reason wrapped around a lie.” Many today are serving the kingdom of self rather than the kingdom of God. They prefer creature comforts and convenience to commitment to the Creator. This is the incremental descent of effectiveness. Jesus would have none of this deception. He would not allow the urgent to usurp His affections. This resilience is why He is the most effective person who has ever lived.

Our daily readings this week tell about Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptizer. Both have dramatic birth narratives. John lived a godly and influential life. Jesus claimed nobody had ever been greater than John (Matthew 11:11). John stirred things up before the Messiah arrived. Several images of John describe his rugged appearance and his effective preaching. He had his own disciples, but he insisted he was the best man at the wedding. He prepared the way for the groom. John knew his identity. He played his role well. He was the epitome of Asbury’s first staff core behavior “Confident Humility.” While John had doubts when thrown into prison, and though he lost his life, he lived in obedience to the Lord. Our memory verse is, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (verse 30). It is simple to quote but hard to apply. Leonard Bernstein, a phenomenal orchestra conductor, was asked what he thought was the most difficult instrument to play. He answered, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem…” John was not only the best man for Jesus; Jesus said John was THE best man. Yet, Jesus also said the one who is the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John (Matthew 11:11).

- Pastor Tom Harrison