Last night my study group discussed Sunday’s sermon by Mac Burberry of Haitian Christian Outreach. Here’s the outline:
“The Power for Missions”
- We serve a compassionate God (John 3:16)
- We have a compelling message (Romans 1:14-16)
- We are a commissioned people (Mark 16:15)
Mac had described the space shuttle and how at liftoff the shuttle is only at 70 percent thrust. Of course, at 3,000 mph, that’s pretty impressive. Then he said there is a point in the launch where they say, “Go at throttle up,” and when thrust is at 100 percent, the shuttle accelerates to 17,000 mph. Having seen that kind of power and also having seen the Challenger disaster, Mac asked a tour guide at NASA why anyone would get into the shuttle. Their answer was this: “They are completely sold out to the mission and they trust the engines to get them there.”
Our study group kicked around the idea that living the Christian life is as intimidatingly powerful as being a shuttle astronaut. There’s no doubt that the changes that God can make in our lives through our faith in Jesus can be intense, even explosive. We also considered that many Christians are content to stay at that initial 70 percent.
Many people, when they become a Christian, come up out of the waters of baptism fired up and excited. Everything they say and do is clearly changed, powerfully changed because of their faith in Jesus. However, the call to be Christlike is more than baptism. Even though we’re not saved because of the things that we do as Christians, the fact remains that because we are Christians, there is more for us to do. That’s why we have to “go at throttle up.” We need to be so sold out on our mission from God that we can sit back and trust God to complete it through us.
Buckle up, it’s a wild ride!