One of the great hymns that came out of African-American culture in the US is the powerful gospel song called “Ain’t Got Time to Die.” It was written by Hall Johnson and began with words like this: Lord, I keep so busy praising my Jesus, and I haven’t got time to die. Because when I’m healing the sick, when I’m feeding the poor, I’m working. I haven’t got time to die.
It is one of the main themes I keep sharing almost every Sunday. When we’re caring for the poor, the sick, the needy or the lonely, we’re not simply doing kindness or charity to those who need it. We’re actually working for God. Our faith journey, our spiritual life on earth, has almost everything to do with what we do in our daily life.
The point is, when we are real believers, when we really commit our lives to Christ, we can’t sit still.
We can’t just sit still… because we become so excited, so grateful for our life in Christ that we can’t help but love and serve God… by loving and serving those around us, especially the struggling.
More powerfully, Hall Johnson’s song is very closely in line with what Jesus described his mission on earth. At the synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth, on one Sabbath day, he declared. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”
At the very start of his public ministry, Jesus defined his entire earthly purpose. He came to bridge the gap between heaven and a suffering world.
His mission was to establish God’s kingdom by proclaiming good news to the poor, healing the sick, and setting the oppressed free.
Two thousand years later, this is the same mission he has bestowed upon us. We are the body of Christ. We are his hands and feet. We are here to continue the work he started.
I believe this is exactly what happened to Andrew. In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, the first part of the story is John the Baptist’s own eyewitness account of Jesus’ baptism. We actually talked about this last Sunday—on when we choose to step into the ‘muddy waters’ of those who are struggling, the entire Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is right there with us.
Today, the story continues. The day after Jesus’ baptism, John was standing with two of his disciples when Jesus walked by. John saw him and cried out, ‘Look! There is the Lamb of God!
One of the two disciples was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He immediately began to follow Jesus. From that day on, Andrew’s life changed completely. Once he encountered Christ and decided to follow Him, he simply couldn’t sit still.
Verse 41 describes it this way: ‘At once he went to find his brother Simon and told him, “Simon! Look who I’ve found! I’ve found the Messiah!”‘ Upon this testimony, Simon Peter, too, followed Jesus.
Andrew became a man who was always introducing others to Jesus. For example, in chapter 12 of the same Gospel, during the very first Palm Sunday, a great crowd gathered for the festival. Among them was a group of Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. And it was Andrew who stepped up to introduce them to Christ. Throughout his ministry and life on earth, Andrew brought many people to meet Christ.
Many church historians believe that Andrew preached in the regions surrounding the Black Sea, located between Southeastern Europe and Western Asia. In the New Bible Dictionary, Andrew is described this way: ‘In John’s Gospel, chapter 1, he is described as the first home missionary; in chapter 12, he is described as the first foreign missionary.’
Andrew couldn’t just sit still. He had to share the Good News and bring people to Christ. That was Andrew’s greatness in his life.
A group of young students were asked by their school teacher to make a list of what they thought were the present-day great wonders of the World. And the following things received the most votes:
The Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Grand Canyon, the Panama Canal, the Empire State Building, and China’s Great Wall
The teacher noted that one quiet student had not turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she were having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.” “Well, just tell us what you have,” said the teacher.
The girl stood up and read her paper out loud to the class. “I think the great Wonders of the World today are:
To be able to see; to be able to hear; to be able to touch; to be able to taste; to be able to laugh, and to be able to love.
Isn’t it amazing how we overlook and take for granted the greatest gifts that God has given us? We become so captivated by man-made things that we sometimes forget those greatest gifts from God.
What if we used those wonderful gifts God has given us—our ability to see, hear, touch, feel, taste, laugh, and love—to share the Messiah with others? What if we all joined together as followers of Jesus to bring people to Christ?
One of the things I am learning about Gungahlin and its surrounding community is that it is a true mission field, maybe, one of the most active mission fields across Australia. There are so many people out here who have never had the opportunity to hear the simple Gospel story.
However, telling them the gospel is one thing. And leading them to Christ is another. That might sound a bit tricky to some of you. Speaking of the gospel and leading them to the presence of Christ might seem like a same task, but there is a fundamental difference between them. Telling them the gospel is a task of proclamation but leading them to Christ is a process which is run through a truthful relationship.
People today are often cynical. They don’t just need to hear that the Gospel is true; they need to see and experience that the gospel is real in their lives.
The Bottom Line is, telling is like giving someone a map. But leading is like taking them by the hand and walking the path together.
Modern culture avoids “experts” but respects witnesses. Don’t try to have all the answers. Lead with honesty about your own struggles. Struggle with them when they struggle. Cry with them when they cry. Suffer with them when they suffer. Don’t be just an evangelist to them. Be a genuine and honest friend to them.
When you share how Christ meets you in your weakness, when you share what Christ means in your life, you make the road to Christ look accessible rather than an impossible climb for the “perfect.”
I believe that Christ himself knew this difference very well. You see, not only he proclaimed and preached the good news, but he also stepped into the middle of those ordinary people’s lives as a true friend.
Friends, as a church family, we have a mission that we cannot keep secret. We cannot just sit still. Just like Andrew in the Bible, Jesus is calling us to follow Him today.
God wants you to do whatever it takes to lead your friends, family, neighbours, and even strangers to Christ. If you ignore this mission, you are ignoring your God. And if you ignore your God, you are ignoring your lives here.
If you say ‘Yes’ to this call, I promise you: it will be the single greatest thing you ever do for your life and for this church—to catch people for God and bring them to Christ. Amen.
