There’s Room at My Table for You, Part 2

Today on Senate life with Jeannie clearly thinks sanctification really is getting busy in charge of memorizing versus cleanup are so morally and switching your your radio tale of a knowledgeable bad mood. What you think Christian growth is God did not say few to sanitize. You would put you on the shelf. He saved you to send you in the service, we can say that he converted you not quarantine you reconverted your commission after their and teacher. I'm your host Molly made a batch we can come up with some pretty great excuses when we don't want to do something like I don't have time or I don't know what to say or I simply don't have the skill needed to pastor JD Greer concludes our short but powerful study in Luke chapter 14 by helping us deal with some of these obstacles he encourages us to look at how our careers and even our dinner tables are place where we can actually serve others. Frankly, without even having to learn anything profound or perfect. Any new skill. That's good news right so if you miss any of the other messages in this teaching series.

You can find them online any time@jeanniegreer.com so let's get started right now with the inclusion of a method we began yesterday title there's room at my table, not through apostolic effort. Think about like me somebody you matures. The Gospels was met with ordinary people just say God show me how to use my career for the great commission. Figure my own father of the couple, just were before my dad when he retired the day that he retired literally.afternoon his company. We hired him for more money to be a consultant on a project that was they were doing over what we call the 1040 window which is the least Evangelos place in the world. They hired him to oversee the construction of a plant textile plant over there so he goes over for 18 months with my mom and they live there while he's there.

He rub shoulders with Asian businessman that we've never been able to get close to on the river mission trips doing you know English corners and juvenile water bottles is able to leave a couple of those businessmen to Christ.

What it shows you is that… Is already open the door for so many of us to be there were over this article emissions journal that explained that if you count up all the missionaries over in the 1040 window between the 10th abortive parallel were most of the unreached peoples live the total number of missionaries from every evangelical denomination is 40,000. Now let's also praise God we need 10 times a minute.

Yet of the number of Americans working in secular employment in the 1040 window 2 million demographic trends hold, which I assume it would. That means what 36% of them identifies more again what is right off two thirds of them is not really serious about their faith okay so starting Galba was a stick of what third of that number. That means that there are 200,000 practicing Christians practicing Christians you believe the gospel right now in the 1040 window somebody else they avoid. What if they saw their primary purpose in being there as being there to be disciple making disciples that would go from 40,000 missionaries to 240,000 without loss of the church and of the.I want you to understand God placed in some of your hands. A key, and that Kiki intends to unlock the nation's and you got to ask the question how can my child be you cover this sort of reference many articles but if organizing an article that said 75% of college graduates today 75% believed that their career will take them overseas.

At some point, going to a abutting truth. Okay, let's like I read another status said 87.2% of all college graduates in America think they are above average in math like some things are kind of self-defeating. Okay, so that's not true that's not true, but it shows you that many of you have careers that very well could lead you to. That's always safe.

Give us your first two years, once put your money church plant has what we tell retirees. I want to first two years after retirement to go to serve in one of our church fighting teams because this is what God gave C4 with Lisa question for you see, the primary use for the money that you make from your job when you see it as the money you get from your job is certainly how you take care of them. Bless your family, there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of your labor. God gives us richly all things to enjoy, but one of the reasons God prospered you understand this, one of the reasons that he prospered you is for the purpose of blessing others for many of you the whole party your throne with the money you make from your job is for you. I'm sure you throw some change in some leftovers.

God's direction, but you're not giving the first and the best of God you're not using the money God gave you for the purposes God gave it to you for primarily God did not enable you to make the money you make. Just so you could drive nice cars are live in nice houses are have lives are filled the nicest amenities he gave you he prospered you so that you can leverage that prosperity for the poor and the needy. We will have to answer to God for that. Jesus says based on this parable when my favorite biblical heroes is always by getting William Tyndale got first translated the Bible into English, have a couple MMI backstage area have a copy of a Bible from the 1400s or or the page from it that he called the chain Bible as it was in Latin and they change it to the pulpit in English speaking bullets of the nobody can take it home. There were several people get a hold Bible they thought William Tyndale change I translated in English he paid for with his life.

He would end up being burned at the stake in its incredible story. It was always so inspired by. I learned I'm not too long ago, an aspect of the story that I'd never heard the story of another guy named William Monmouth who was a partner with Tyndale that never heard of knotty ministry wasn't a trained preacher. He was a businessman to William Tyndale led to Christ and Monmouth got this vision.

He owned his big fleet of merchant ships so we use the wealth from his merchant ship trading to find Tyndale's translation project and printing project and then he used his network of all the ships going all throughout the English Empire to carry the gospel all these different places so that when the king of England decided to kill Tyndale umbrella translations.

There are way too many scattered all throughout the world that they could never get them back, and in part led to the King James Bible that we have and so I have a copy of one of the Bibles it Tyndale translated it just reminds me two things. One, how precious the word of God is number two reminds me that that God takes different people at his church to prosper. The kingdom of some of you. That's why God gave you what he gave, and it's time for you to start asking that question.

Why did God give me this skill writes that that's all questionable. What if your life were depicted as a party it would be the invited guests. I promise you a second question from Jesus is teaching and here it is by this was much more literal number two.

Are you including outsiders at your dinner table that literally is what he saying right this is that Jesus is teaching at face value around your actual table, your meals, your parties are you including the poor, the landline and the crippled, that I read a book recently that I want to commend all of you called. The gospel comes in the house key is written by a lady who actually lives locally. Here was she was in Durham. Her name is Rosario Butterfield she was or she is one of its incredible stories I've ever thought she was a and she was a professor at Syracuse University of English literature and queer theory. She was a committed lesbian in a committed lesbian relationship and she was what you think about when you think culture warrior on the left side. That's who she was. She just with you.she wrote a seminal article on queer theory that is still referenced today by the homosexual movement is been instrumental in an understanding and so she was very involved in that will grooming promise keepers was coming to her part of New York and she just thought it represented the worst possible people you these Christians believe the Bible. She wrote this I mean just scathing letter to the editor in the local newspaper and she said I got so much reaction from that.

She said I got all these letters and she said she had two piles on my desk for a couple weeks after that one called hate one called love and people.

Some people write me and them to slow you.

You're such a preview. Your awesome and who think or say all this and I put a beloved file and then people would write me in and they would just you write miracles and allows discussing the number that may pop just one letter I did know what to do with it was from God and Smith. There was a local pastor was little tiny church and she said was obviously disagree with me that he spoke with such kindness and tenderness to me in this letter, and he invited me to dinner at his house with he and his wife she was. I stared at that letter, for it was probably five or six minutes and I couldn't I would probably put it in case of a bench out of put in the drawer. Should I put out every euro to three days a look at is it which policies belong to, she said.

So I told my friends about it and they said once you go to his house, had dinner with he and his wife, and you can do so to do some study on them like these crazy Bible believing Christians. You figure out and you could write a paper on later.

She says I did that and I started to go to dinner at a house on Sunday night. She said I went almost every Sunday night for two years to dinner at his house. She said I just in the two years became overwhelmed with his kindness and his tenderness in their generosity toward me. She said it all make a long story, really short here. She said to their love. Eventually I came to faith in Christ. She said I left the lesbian community I came to faith in Christ and surrendered to him.

She said I love getting fired from Syracuse. Now she's married to a pastor here in Durham and Kent Butterfield. They are part of a church up in Durham and she's now the mother of four children, two of which are foster adoptions, and so she writes this book called the gospel come to the house key because she said it was through hospitality that I was brought to faith in Christ and she makes the case that in this climate that were in were girls who were dealing with that. Our houses are the most important tools that God has given us for the spread of the gospel. She points out is the Primary Way, Scripture tells us to reach out to people itself. Jesus primarily reached out to people. He constantly is eating with people the gospel she says is supposed to, the house key when you're sharing the gospel. You give somebody house key and say I want to be a part of a lot of my life.

Here's what she says in the book. She says those who live out radically ordinary hospitality.

So she calls it see their homes, not as bears out all but is God's gift to use for the furtherance of his kingdom. My prayer is that this book gospel go to the house key will help you let God use your home your apartment your dorm room your front yard your community.

Gymnasium your garden or whatever, for the purpose of making strangers and the neighbors and neighbors into family and the book she gives what she calls a typical overview of the week. In the overview of a typical week in the Butterfield household Sunday. She says us for worship and fellowship that also includes a fellowship meal for our church family at our house that ranges usually from 10 to 30 people on Sunday nights on Mondays. She said I usually deliver a meal to a neighbor in need because you don't have. Actually, Jack had me over to corral's name Veronica my my wife's on that sheathing, neighborly but he was. It was also male and she said yes she says I'm not on any social media little amount except for one thing, the next door app she said on the next door queen.

I will tell you she says every single time. Some of the post on the next door app what they need Jesus on the first one there. I did I get there. Whether it's their cat sick or whether it's they need to dog walker. They need someone to water their plants or they need to go to the hospital so Mondays delivered a meal to a neighbor in need. Tuesday she says is dinner informal conversation in prayer at our house with neighbors and church friends with a little prayer for the neighborhood. Wednesday is prayer meeting at church. She said after that wedding errands like dropping all side the gift will one of her neighbors is in jail now Thursday. She said we prayer walk in the evening with our neighbors.

We have a set time.

We just take a prayer walk throughout the neighborhood.

We as neighbors. Jonas she said there get the hang of it, because now they come out of their houses and they stand on their driveways of the movable body gives prayer requests, she said Friday that the regular Costco run with an offer to pick up items for neighbors. An optional meal that I have that evening and fellowship with neighbors.

It works out Saturday. She said that another optional meal prayer church members in our neighbors and that's the typical week mouth. I share this with our church desk in a building. Two things strike me about that schedule one.

It sounds kind of exhausting to be totally honest with you that is not my family schedule. Right now the second most of it. Here's what struck me most of the things that any of us can do right, you don't have to have a great home or a lot of money to be really gifted in doing this, you just need to believe that God wants you to include strangers and outsiders in your rhythms of life. Right. That's what he wants you to do. She thinks of the bulk of gospel ministry. She says is accomplished just be a good neighbor. She said that it will rethink what is this key I need for evangelism. It's just your house. It's been a good neighbor.

Throughout the book she identifies what she calls obstacles that American Christians have to this give you a handful of them in this, my synopsis, not exactly. Her words but she says first one is the wrong definition of hospitality.

She said particularly in southern culture weaving hospitality means and by never church friends and cook a meal for biblically speaking, however, listen hospitality in the Bible means welcoming in the stranger were hospitality in Greek literally means love of the stranger welcoming insiders around your table right to bring into other church friends Christian friends in the Bible is called fellowship and that's also important, but it's different from hospitality. Nothing wrong with enjoying fellowship. But the point is, don't limit that guest list of family friends relative and rich neighbors question is where's the single mom around your table. Where's the orphan, where's the foster kid where's the prisoner where is the abuse.

This is central to Christian ministry that one of the requirements for an elder in first Timothy three is that they are devoted to hospitality, which means their lives are open to people that are outside of the Christian faith, usually with gnomic just include those you enjoy or benefit your life for those who can repay you.

Here's the second thing she identifies fear. Many of us she said are afraid what will happen if we open our homes and expose her kids to. We ought to their homes as our safe councils is our territory. She said yeah but first of all, is not how Jesus lived and he want to be his follower.

Then you gotta change that. So the real danger is not what some stranger may introduce in your family. The real danger is the sandal grow in you and your kids hearts when they live.

Only sheltered, self-centered lives. She says is not stranger danger that's really dangerous it's selfishness and isolation from the stranger that really destroys that there is another author I was reading it was talk about how fear kept his family from fostering as an example, the signatures of what happens about what will happen to my kids about me that eventually said I do, since God told me to trust him and he would take care of it. So I did it. He said now having foster now for many years here at ease and there's three benefits from fostering anyone your real ministry. The life of the child who many times never really experience constant study love number two unit having a ministry with a lot of the parents try to give up their kids for fostering because there is is usually there like a single mom is the highest in that category. We got real ministry in their lives. This is the action one number three, December 3, providing care for these children is the single best things we've ever done for our own kids. We learn how God uses hospitality to shape and form us. That is a fascinating aspect of kingdom living as you bestow a blessing for the benefit of others you realize that you two are recipient of God's grace. Real quite. He says the real question is not how dangerous is that stranger real question is, how dangerous will I become.

If I'm not more open right when the pastors and his wife got involved in inviting refugees into their home and live in a neighborhood where they are in the city.

I was scary at first, he said it back on.

The wife told me she said she settled somehow disguised as Pakistani neighbor shovel my my door and he says in very broken English. Can I have a pressure cooker. She's a pressure could easily get a pressure cooker like you make mom with. She was like oh she is not going to McDonald and Grice but but more pleasurable to like monument vomit, and she's a juror to present Jesus, we had to adjust all kinds of things she said. But the benefit on my children and my family receiving support of the love of Christ is something I would not change. You understand this is what it means to follow Jesus. What you think grow in Christ likeness met.

We think sanctification really is getting busy in church memorizing verses clean up yourself morally and stop using swearwords switching your your radio decay love and not much of a bad mood know what you think Christian growth is God did not say few to sanitize.

You would put you on the shelf. He saved you to send you in the service, we could say that he converted you not quarantine you. We converted you to commission you and the essence of following Jesus is born yourself out for others like he poured himself out for you and your mealtimes. Your tables are great way to do that is C, you would hospitality his performance rather than calling this a big win for southern culture. Here's what Rosario says we sometimes forget that the Christian life is a calling, not a performance hospitality is necessary. Whether you have cat hair on the couch or not people diachronic loneliness sooner than they will die of cat hair in the soup.

Do not let pride over how clean are held not clean your houses keep you from using it for the kingdom. Because the issue is not what people think about your housekeeping skills. The issue is that they are broken and lonely and need a touch from God. The mission is too important to make hospitality primarily about what others think about your housekeeping skills. She explained she says most of my hospital is pretty mundane as to cost about a coffee going in soup always on the stove just cannot say I'm not trying to perform nor impress them to try to be open to me.

How absurd would it be for you to go to a hospital in need.

Desperate life saving stuff in the comment on.

You know I'm not going this hospital because the plants need watering in the in the lobby. Yet I should water the plants, but you know what, if you go to hospitals because you need something lifesaving and that's what Jesus says about our homes yet take care of your house clean your house, but most importantly, usually don't let your pride over what people think about you, keep you from opening up your evening.

It's mess. By the way other people need to see the mess of your life may come into some polished airbrush perfect structure. They don't relate to that. But I will I give this is what this is Jesus loves it when they see you in your mess and all your dysfunction. That's when you okay yeah Jesus love me this way these work on meeting probably get involved in your mess to the court she says is the last one D she says is the big problem. No margin practicing radically ordinary hospitality necessitates building margin diamond of the day time regular routines right where it can be disrupted but not destroyed. The margin stays open for the Lord to fill to take an older neighbor to the doctor to babysit on the fly to make room for a family display/flutter worldwide refugee crisis living out radically ordinary hospitality leaves a foot, with plenty to share because we intentionally live below our means you without margin you're incapable of investing in your neighbors in the spontaneous way that relationships require without margin.

Just will have space to meet and serve them and meet their needs. Margin gives you the ability we've said to be interruptible for God's purposes as this is how will reach our society today we live in a post-Christian world.

She says that is sick and tired of hearing from Christians what they need now is to feel the love of Christians said they can still argue with our beliefs. She's a very committed Christian believes what this church believes believe what the Bible says. She says they will argue with our beliefs but who can argue with ice chest, loving them to genuine mercy driven hospitality. She says in our day in our day for words to be persuasive are words was in. This cannot be stronger than our relationships instrument. Our words cannot be stronger than our relationships are words, no matter how beautiful will not persuade if not backed up by this kind of love and hospitality. My words will appear can be beautiful, and they will not compel people to come to Christ without relationships in your lives with them that will back it up and make a beautiful right it's not rallies is not big events is not even the stuff we do on sometimes we go to depot those are all awesome, but it in our day.

It is these relationships that create that environment to bring people to faith in Christ social media posts are not bringing people to stand that you all will really clear on that. Your angry face will grants on whatever your anger know it ain't change in nobody's mind about anything because in our day. It's not words to change people's minds is relationships.

Hello this stop thinking of witnessing to your neighbors is sneaky evangelistic raids into their simple lives, just as you know, the lovable get up close several baptisms we saw last week you. This is also several baptisms and when you heard them tell the story you listening to it was because somebody open their life to this person just got to know me. So two questions two questions we got from his parable number one.

If your life are depicted as a party who would be invited yesterday and number two are you including outsiders at your dinner table right here/that will challenge you to was one third is out there. I want to challenge every single one of you that one person who is outside of the faith that you are praying about how to reach for Christ, who is what every person the cemetery had one person that they were praying for every day to build a relationship and bring to faith in Christ you were intentional with them about how your including them in your life right and you are committing Sue attempting to have them or somebody is not of the faith in your home at least once a is a very credible thing. I love to challenge you to do commit one time a month having that person that you one person or somebody that is not a believer in your home around your table. If we committed to that.

Can you imagine the change and it would make not just in our church, but in this career challenging English into teaching theories come to any part in this study.

You can find every message in its transcript available free of charge Jenny.com GDR listeners hear from us every day here on Senate life is often that we hear from them. So it's a real treat when we get a letter or email or phone call Molly. I know I speak for both of us and everybody here at Summit life to say that there is nothing we love more, nothing that is is encouraging to us is hearing a first-hand account of how God is using this program.

This teaching is broadcast to change lives for eternity.

We've heard from people that God is delivered from from sin through this service from from struggle with addictions or depression or I'm just the most incredible stories of how God is taken a word that was sewn at just the right time and used it to bring eternal life. I'm you are the ones that are enabling us to get this gospel message into the hearts of people and to saturate our country with gospel centered teachings are thank you, thank you for how you have given of yourself to make make these messages these words accessible to others. We would love to hear from you.

You can call us at 866-335-5220 or email us@requestjennygreer.com. While your online check out our newest resource that was just released this week it's 10 interactive devotionals from the parables of Jesus will sing you a copy. Thank you for making a donation to the ministry today when you get to actually participating in reaching around the world, gospel centered, Bible teaching copy today. Suggested level.

$35 and more, eight 663-3550 T-20 335 20 easier you can get online.com hi Molly, many thanks for sending your back next week. New teaching theories title instead of me.

The right here Monday. Jenny