Making God Known: Offering the Gift of Life (Smyth Sewn)

Chapter One

It was late when Ed set off down the chilly street to his car. He hardly noticed the drunk lying in the sidewalk until in his heart he heard God say, "Go back and tell him that I love him." Ed pushed on. "That can't be the Lord; it's just me," he told himself. But the voice was insistent. Ed struggled, then gave in. He turned back to the man and told him of God's love. Realizing that it really was a cold night, he knew he couldn't leave the man lying there. It was obvious he didn't have money, so Ed helped him to find a room and paid for the night for him.

It's so easy not to notice the lost people we encounter. But God sees them. And he wants us to share his heart of compassion for them. We aren't to reach out to the lost because we feel sorry for them, or because we feel guilty if we don't. God loves them, and it must be his love that motivates us to action. We can ask him to give us his heart for those who do not know him. Without him, they are lost. Without him, they can never change. He is the one who seeks people out and changes their hearts. And he uses you and me to do that.

Not all of us are evangelists. Ed certainly isn't. But we can all learn to sense God's heart and to reach out with his love to the world around us. As you begin this study, ask the Holy Spirit to give you more of his heart for the lost.

Preparing Heart and Mind

How do you think God feels about the drunk on your street (or the lost, greedy businessman next door)?

Can you think of someone you would be willing to die for? Why?

Engaging the text

Read Luke 19:1-10

1. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world, yet he takes the time to reach out to one lost tax collector. What does this tell you about Jesus' priorities?

2. Identify an opportunity that you have had to share the gospel with someone, but because of your own busyness, troubles, or even insecurity, you passed it up. Describe it.

3. Consider the various things Zacchaeus does to see Jesus. What does this tell you about his desire to see Jesus? Why do you think Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus? (See also Setting the Stage.)

4. Think about the sort of man Zacchaeus is (v. 8; Setting the Stage). What is the significance of Jesus going to his home for a meal?

5. What would motivate Jesus to risk his reputation in this way?

6. Think of a time when you risked your reputation to reach out to someone lost who was disliked by people around you. What motivated you?

Do you think that the people's evaluation of Zacchaeus was fair? (See Setting the Stage.)

7. Why might their opinion of him change through what happens?

8. What is the main difference between the way Jesus treats Zacchaeus and the way the crowd initially treats him?

9. Why do you think Jesus doesn't wait for Zacchaeus to change before he befriends him?

10. Should we expect lost people to change before we show them God's love? Explain your answer.

11. What keeps us from befriending more people like Zacchaeus?

In what ways do you expect other people to change before you are willing to associate with them?

12. In what ways would you like your life to more truly reflect the heart of God for the world?

Setting the stage]

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified by the Roman authorities at the instigation of the Jewish leadershop.

The Jews view tax collectors as collaborators with the occupying Romans. Tax collectors are therefore hated by their fellow countrymen.

The Romans assign a sum that a tax collector must collect in any district. Anything accumulated above that amount is for their own salary. Many abuse this arrangement to enrich themselves at the expense of their fellow citizens.

Jesus is known as a friend of tax collectors, acknowledged sinners, and other socially unacceptable people.

Hospitality is very important in first-century Palestine. Whether giving or receiving, it implies a kind of identification with the other.

For Even One

Read Acts 8:5-8; 26-27.

God isn't just concerned with saving the masses; he will do everything possible to rescue even one lost individual. As we carry out our evangelism practices, we need this commitment too. We see it in Philip (Acts 8), who preached to the crowds, yet ran to catch a chariot for the sake of one person.

These qualities are also evident in the life of evangelist Billy Graham. He once returned to his hotel after leading hundreds to a relationship with Jesus Christ. In the hallway a drunk man exclaimed, "Well, if it isn't Billy Graham, the world's number one rip-off artist!" Billy invited the man to his room for a cup of tea, and by 3 A.M. the man had sobered up and given his heart to Jesus.

A heart of love for both God and others is the most important thing we need to draw others to Jesus. Philip, the only person in the Bible referred to as an evangelist, beautifully modeled this lifestyle of love.

Will you risk stepping out to follow God's promptings for the sake of one person?

Mission of Redemption

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19).

In declaring that he was the fulfillment of this prophecy from Isaiah 61:1-2, Jesus asserted to all people, for all time, that he is the answer to every human need. He spent the next three years demonstrating this truth: bringing hope, freedom, and healing to the spiritually poor and broken. Now he is asking us to bring his message of hope to hurting people.

Kirsten was one of those hurting people. At age twenty-two, she had a live-in lover and a good-paying job at an abortion clinic, but inwardly she felt miserable. An added frustration was having to pass through-and sometimes evict-the protesters who regularly gathered outside the clinic. Mostly, Kirsten avoided eye contact, but one day she noticed that a couple of them were smiling and talking to her directly. Soon their genuine warmth and kindness broke through her suspicions-and friendships began to develop. Their acceptance of her, in spite of the work she did, led Kirsten to think again about the clinic's objectives. In her mind's eye she began to see babies appear on the sonogram screens instead of blobs, and she found herself encouraging patients notto have abortions. Eventually, she found a whole new life of joy and freedom in Jesus Christ.

The wonderful truth of the gospel is that it is Good News! The more guilty and broken a person is, the more gentle Jesus is with them. Guilt-producing remarks didn't win Kirsten to Christ; love and kindness did.

Do you know someone who needs God's unconditional love? What will you do to share it?

(Continues...)