Week 2: The mindset of sharing the Gospel

This five-week series addresses what Jesus says to Christians who want to stand firm in their convictions and engage both with people outside the church and people inside the church who are in need of repentance.

When trying to persuade others, we should be motivated by Christ’s love, expect hostility, act with gentleness and respect, and model our approach after biblical examples.

Read Pastor Tito’s Sermon Summary below

https://medium.com/@titosotolongo/

JESUS & ALI

The mindset of sharing your faith

“If you had the cure to cancer wouldn’t you share it? … You have the cure to death … get out there and share it.”  Kirk Cameron

There are some animals that are very polarizing.  You either love them or you hate them.  I believe snakes fall into that category for many of us.  Personally, I am interested in snakes, but only if they are behind protective glass.  My wife, and to be honest myself included, are terrified of snakes.  During the first 12 years of living in our first house, we had two snakes find their way inside.  Hearing my wife’s reactions, you would’ve thought that the world was going to end.  To be fair, I was not the epitome of manliness while I successfully expelled them from our home.  When I find snakes in my house, I know what to do with them, which is to remove them.  Many times, when we find snakes mentioned in the Bible, we think we know what to do with them.  We associate them with evil or wickedness, mainly because the devil tempted Adam and Eve through the form of a snake.  But Jesus once said that His followers are to act like snakes and doves as we share our faith with others.

When it comes to spreading the Gospel, success is when we speak the message that Jesus saves and model it with our lives unapologetically, regardless if people accept it or not.  Jesus personified these animals to help us obtain the proper mindset to share our God story.  This mindset is rooted in our Spirit-fueled faith in God rather than the fear of people.  Without this understanding, we will either represent the Good News in a bad way or we will just reduce it to a good secret.

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  Matthew 10:16-20 (ESV)

Jesus doesn’t want his disciples, both then and now, to be naïve.  Christ didn’t come to this world to play around and He wants us to understand that living out the Gospel is not a game.  Lives are on the line, and God isn’t the only one who wants to claim souls.  That is why Jesus uses such heavy words, saying that He is sending us out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  This doesn’t mean that He is feeding us to the wolves, but He wants us to understand that our enemy, though defeated on the cross, is not going down without a fight.

Jesus continues with a lengthy explanation, painting a very clear picture of why we don’t have to fear to share our faith.

“you will be hated by all for my name’s sake…a disciple is not above his teacher” (Matt 10:22-24)

Being a Christian is to be Christ-like, which implies that people could treat us like they treated Jesus.  But we must confront that hate as Jesus did.  He died for those who hated Him because He loved them

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul….Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matt 10:28-31)

We set ourselves up for disappointment and pain when we have a mindset that cares more about being loved and accepted by people instead of loving and accepting people.  This is possible when we realize that Jesus loves us and accepts us by grace through faith.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword…Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  (Matt 10:34-38)

When Jesus speaks of a sword in this manner, He is not giving believers a license to kill unbelievers.  The sword He is speaking of is the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).  The sword is Jesus Himself because He is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14).  Jesus’ loyalty comparison is not one of love and hate, for the original Greek phrases that are written is emphasizing that our love for God compared to others shouldn’t even be close, as extreme love is compared to hate.  Christians believe in holding to what is right and true because we believe it’s what is best for me and you.  As Christians, we are to fight for others and for their benefit in love.  We don’t fight against others.

Carrying our cross was a symbol of death, and Jesus is using this image without the disciples knowing that soon He was going to be literally carrying His own cross.  This death we are to pursue is not a suicide mission where we are living and looking for ways to die for God.  Rather, it is a mindset that is dying to live!  Dying daily to myself, my prejudices, my insecurities, and my selfishness so that Christ may live in me and give life to others through me.

Jesus is helping his followers to be free from the fear of people with power, influencers, strangers, or family members, in order to develop the mindset of a serpent and dove.

Serpents are known to be shrewd, cunning, and even are a symbol of wisdom and intellectual keenness.  Snakes are slick in the way that they can escape from dangerous situations or find their way into places.  Jesus stated that Christians can flee danger, in order to continue to spread the Gospel.  We are not to look for ways to die for our faith, but if death finds us, we have can have the confidence and boldness to come face to face with the fear of death and not blink.  We also can act like snakes by being sensitive to the Holy Spirit in the way we slip in and around a conversation in order to present Jesus as the solution.

Sharing our faith like a serpent means we should not fear others.  On the other hand, doves are different.  They are gentle animals that symbolize compassion, purity, and peace.  This is a reminder that the motivation to share the Gospel should always be love and to help others to encounter Jesus. Sharing our faith like a dove means we see others as people to be loved rather than problems to be solved!  This helps us to listen without judgment and speak without having to force a conclusion so we can allow others to draw their own conclusions.

Jesus used both animals in His example because one without the other doesn’t work.  If you are a serpent and lack the compassion and peacefulness of a dove, you will be dangerous as you look for ways to “strike” your opponents and you will spread poison in their soul.  If you are a dove and lack the discernment of a serpent, you will be ineffective and weak as you will fail to take advantage of a situation.

Muhammad Ali is famous for saying that he, “Float like a butterfly and stings like a bee”, describing his boxing style as a combination of grace and power.  Our mindset as believers should be this; Be slick like a snake and love like a dove.  I believe that Jesus is giving us a 1-2 combo that when unleashed will do so much damage to the realm of darkness that demons will be out for the count.  The power in our punches doesn’t come from us but by the power of the life-giving love of Christ.

Don’t forget, though we might act like serpents and doves, our identity is one of sheep.  All sheep are led by a shepherd, and as our Shepherd, Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us.  You don’t have to fear the wolves when we share your faith out in the world because the God you believe in is with you and He desires to bring more lost sheep into His fold.  It by His power that we as sheep can be protected from the wolves, it is by His wisdom that we can be slick like snakes, and it is by His love that we can love like doves, all so more souls can be saved!