Don’t Live on “Nazarene” Street
By Jason Lovelace
Key Scripture:
Matthew 10.16 – Behold, I send you forth as
sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as
doves.
Matthew 25.24-30 – 24Then
he which had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew thee that thou
art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast
not strawed: 25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in
the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.” 26His lord
answered and said unto him, “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that
I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27Thou
oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming
I should have received mine own with usury. 28Take therefore
the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29For
unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from
him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30And
cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
Mathew 28.19-20 – “Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto
the end of the world.” Amen
Mark 16.15 – And he said unto
them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
Luke 16.9 – And I
say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that,
when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
Romans 10.14-16 – 14How then shall
they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16But they have
not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, “Lord, who hath believed our
report?”
Do you have a favorite chair? Does or did
anyone in your family have a favorite chair, favorite spot on the sofa, or a
favorite comfortable piece of furniture? Why was that chair, sofa, or
piece of furniture the favorite? This writer’s Dad has
such, a favorite chair, and so did his Grandpa. That chair was the
favorite because it was the most comfortable place for Dad and Grandpa,
especially after a hard day’s work. But, here’s an interesting question:
Did your loved one, or do you, stay all day in that favorite, most comfortable
spot or place? Do you or does your loved one sit or lay or recline in that
favorite place the whole, live-long day? Why? In the same way,
should a Christian live on “Christian Street”, a street or place where
the neighborhood is entirely or mostly Christian? Should a Christian
believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, spend all of his or her time in the
church? Why or why not? How, then, should a Believer live, or better
yet, where should that Christian live?
Living on “Nazarene” Street
This writer is a member of the
International
Church of the Nazarene, a
Holiness, Protestant Christian Denomination that began a hundred years ago.
When this writer was an English School
teacher and resident missionary at a Nazarene church in the City of Asahikawa, in Hokkaido, Japan, he lived
in an interesting place. People called the street where he lived, “Nazarene
Street”. The reason was because so many people
who lived on that street were members of the Church of the Nazarene in Asahikawa City.
Even the pastor and his family lived on this street, and the local Church of the
Nazarene, at this time, was located at the head of the corner of this street,
where it intersected with a main thoroughfare for Asahikawa City. The main
road that “Nazarene Street”
ended and intersected on was a busy, busy road. For ten months, until he
was forced to move out of his apartment (due to a kerosene spill), this writer
lived on “Nazarene Street” in Asahikawa City….and
he didn’t like it. Why? What was so bad about living on a street
where most of the people were members of the Church of the Nazarene?
The “Do Nothing” Crowd
The problem this writer had with life on “Nazarene
Street” in
Asahikawa, Hokkaido, had very little to do with the
neighborhood’s Christian Faith. It did, however, have everything to do
with what that neighborhood was doing to reach the lost, especially the early
morning and early evening traffic that crossed “Nazarene Street” at its
intersection with its main thoroughfare: Nothing. Every morning at
the head of “Nazarene Street” hundreds and hundreds of High School and Junior
High School students, office workers, businessmen and women, city service
workers, and even retirees out for a morning walk crisscrossed, right in front
of the church, and right at the time that the church’s early-morning, 5:30AM
Prayer Meeting was ending. The members of that church, and the people who
lived on that church did nothing to witness to these high school students,
retirees, businessmen and women, and office workers. This writer did pass
out more than a few Gospel Tracts with some success, but nobody joined him, and,
even his Christian employer criticized an idea he wanted to use to try and
further his efforts to witness to these people. You see, the problem with
living on “Nazarene Street” was that the Nazarenes in that neighborhood were
doing very little to reach the lost of Asahikawa City, and while some in the
church said the work they needed to do was too far away and too costly, when the
fact was brought up that hundreds were passing by their church doors and
“Nazarene Street” neighborhood daily, they remained silent and did nothing.
Yes, some tracts were ordered, but the last time this box of hundreds of tracts
was seen, they were collecting dust on a second-floor shelf in the church.
This “Nazarene Street” Neighborhood was really a
“Do nothing” Crowd, and that was the problem with living on “Nazarene Street”.
We Are Not Called to Be Part of an Exclusive Club
Even if the people on “Nazarene Street” were daily
going out and witnessing and reaching the people who passed by, would there
still have been a problem with living on “Nazarene Street”? In the Gospel
of Matthew, Jesus says this:
“13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have
lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14Ye
are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven.”
– Matthew 5.13-15
If we are to be followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot
live our lives in the confines of a monastical society, or an exclusive club.
We, as believers, have to get out and, as this writer’s Dad has said to him
hundreds of times, “get our hands dirty.” Consider the words of the
Pharisees concerning Jesus:
“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat
with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he
eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?”
– Mark 2.16
We can see by these words that Jesus, the very Son of
God, was getting out into the world, and, was “Getting his hands dirty”, and it
was something that hit hard against the pride of the Pharisees, a sect of Jewish
Religious Experts who lived on – essentially – “Nazarene Street”, and were
basically “Do Nothings” when it came to ministering to the needs of the people
who looked up to them.
Reach Them!
In response to the Pharisees’ comments to his
disciples, consider Jesus’ words:
“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They
that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
– Mark 2.17
Consider Jesus’ actions, as well, as we see them in
the Gospel of John:
“He riseth form supper, and laid aside his
garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that, he poureth
water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with
the towel wherewith he was girded.”
– John 13.4-5
If the very King of Heaven responded to the Pharisees
with such a challenge, and could do what he did with the disciples’ feet, how
can we do no less? What if, instead of coming down from Heaven, Jesus
himself had decided to remain in heaven (remain living on “Nazarene Street”, if
you will)? What if he had not taken that step to come down and be born on
earth in the form of a helpless, vulnerable baby, grow up and live on earth,
being tempted as we all are, as a human being and a man? We would not know
the Salvation that he offers and gives. We would not know what it is like,
as believers and followers of Him, the forgiveness and release of the guilt that
he has given us through the blood of Jesus Christ! This is why we must, as
Christians, Reach those who are Lost! We must not live our lives on “Nazarene
Street”, being “Do Nothings”. Paul; the Apostle
even speaks of this in one of his letters to the Thessalonians:
“For we hear that there are some which walk among
you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.”
– 2nd Thessalonians 3.11
Paul mentions this again in a letter to his
co-worker, friend, and son in the faith, Timothy:
“And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about
from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies,
speaking things which they ought not.”
– 1st Timothy 5.13
Paul in these two passages is warning us today that
there is a danger of living on “Nazarene Street” and
becoming “Do Nothings.” Paul calls “Do Nothings” “busybodies”, an accurate
term. “Busybodies” look like they are doing work, but, in reality, they
are doing nothing. Many Christians and many Christian Churches and Organizations look like they
are doing great work, but it’s only a façade: in reality, they are
accomplishing nothing with regards to the Body of Christ and in reaching the
lost.
Talents Do Not Grow Without Work
As one of our Key Scripture References speaks of,
believers do not grow when we live on “Nazarene Street” and
become a “Do Nothing”. We, as believers, will never grow spiritually if we
live life on “Nazarene Street”. This writer is a
weight lifter, and as such, he has come to know quite intimately that without
work, muscles do not grow. It has been suggested that if people would
exercise three times a week, for at least 30 minutes to an hour, the citizens of
the USA
would have less obesity problems and would grow physically stronger. Why?
The reason is because with strenuous work comes the reward of greater strength,
higher energy, and enhanced stamina. It’s the same way with learning a
foreign language. A student of a foreign language can have all the book
study, all the book knowledge, and may have the greatest range of vocabulary
that can be attained, but if there is never any real interaction with a person
who speaks that language as the mother tongue, the student – no matter how much
s/he knows about the language and can speak it from a book perspective – will
never really be able to communicate in that foreign language. It is the
same for believers and followers of Jesus Christ. We must get out of the
house, get off of the comfortable chair or sofa, get away from the church, move
off of “Nazarene Street”
and “get our hands dirty”. Otherwise, as Paul, in our passage from Romans,
asks:
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have
not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall
they preach, except they be sent?”
– Romans 10.14-15
There ARE Times for Rest and Relaxation
Please do not misunderstand: what is being
written here does not mean that there are not times when we, as believers, need
to rest. Even Jesus, when he was ministering here on Earth, needed time
for private rest, and private reinforcement, times when he would escape away and
pray to the Heavenly Father alone, before the sun arose, and his disciples
awakened. We, too, in the same way, need that time and that day of rest,
that time to go where Jesus is when he says “Come ye…apart… and rest awhile…”
(Mark 6.31). When we are weary, heavy-laden, and need rest, we,
too, need to rest, and spend time with Jesus Christ, as he extols us to do in
Matthew 11.28-30. We, too, need quiet time with the LORD each and every
day (this writer’s Dad suggests twice a day – morning after rising and evening
before going to bed). We need the three-times weekly church meetings,
twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday, as Paul explains in his letter to the
Hebrews:
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner
of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.”
– Hebrews 10.24-25
We need these times in order to regain the spiritual strength that we
lose from day-to-day, to encourage our brethren in the LORD, and to receive the
new and fresh anointing of the Spirit from the Heavenly Father. Yes, we do
need these times of refreshment and the mountaintop experiences, just as Peter,
James, and John had with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. But, we
need to remember, too, that after that rejoicing time on the Mount with Jesus,
there comes immediately the devil-possessed valley (see Matthew 17.1-21, Mark
9.2-29). We cannot live our lives on the mountain, we cannot stay forever
on “Nazarene Street”, and we cannot spend our lives being busybody “Do
Nothings”, because, if we do that, we will not only end up losing our talents,
as the fearful servant did in our Key from Matthew 25, we will also end up
losing eternal life!
Conclusion – Do You Want to Expand Your Talents? Work for
Jesus Christ!
The bottom line of this lesson for today is this: if a person
really and truly wants to increase himself/herself with regards to being
talented, the answer is to work for Jesus Christ. This writer, when he was
in High School, was not so talented. About the only thing he could do was
lift weights, speak a little Spanish and a little German, and could play
football. However, as he began to give his life totally over to Jesus
Christ, God started adding things to his life that he never dreamed of having.
Teaching children was – and still is, in many ways – extremely frightening to
this writer, yet, ever since saying “Yes” to Jesus Christ about coming to Japan,
he has found that he can teach children, and many say (though this writer
strongly disagrees) that he does a good job of it. Further, this writer
has found that other areas of life, such as understanding and speaking foreign
languages, being culturally sensitive, acting, music, preaching and teaching in
general, and even some areas of music have all been strengthened just because he
chose to go with God and do His will. This is not all to toot this
writer’s trumpet, but to explain to you, reader and friend, how far God has
brought this writer, who was once a backward, shy, awkward, bashful, and
untalented kid from the Hills of Kentucky and Tennessee, who was oft overshadowed by
others. If God can use, and give talents to this writer, he can do it for
anybody...but we have to remember that talents do not grow if we do not use
them, trade them, put them to work, and, ultimately, give them to Jesus Christ
for him to expand and grow. There is an old saying that goes like this,
and it is true: “God does not call the talented, he talents the called.”
What about you? Are you a Christian living on “Nazarene
Street” being a “Do Nothing Busybody”, but
complaining because your church has no life, your spiritual life has no energy,
and your friends and fellow church members seem complacent, lethargic, stagnant,
and cold? The challenge to you today is to get up, get out, get away from
“Nazarene Street”,
rebuke that “Do Nothing Busybody” spirit, and get out there and get to work, and
“don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.” If you don’t know or have
forgotten how to get up and get going, ask God for wisdom: he will give it
to you if you ask (see James 1.5). Are you a non-Christian, a
non-believer, lost, afraid that life will forever be a fruitless, vain chase for
that next thrill, never really nor truly finding fulfillment nor satisfaction?
The challenge to you is to give Jesus Christ a try!! In the Gospel of John
Jesus says this to you:
“...and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
– John 6.37
If you will ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and ask God, by
the shed blood of Jesus Christ, to forgive you of your sins, he will forgive
you, and will begin to do a work in you that you never thought possible.
God will send you his Holy Ghost, to abide with you forever, and through the
Spirit of God, you will be given new and wondrous talents that you never thought
you had nor could do. This isn’t a promise from this writer, but a promise
from God (see 1st Corinthians 1.18-31). Trust in Jesus today!
Prayer – We thank thee, O Father n heaven for Whom
Thou Art: Thou art God, and there is no other! Help us, Lord, to get
away from “Nazarene Street”, to get out and to stop being “Do Nothing
Busybodies”, to get to work and not be afraid to “get our hands dirty.”
Help us, Lord, (and we ask you, will you give us the strength we need?) as your
followers, as your children, as those whom you have called to salvation and to
work, to be at doing the things you have called us to do. Help us all to
do so, LORD God and Saviour, because we live in a hurting, dying, lost world.
Help us, Father, to be sensitive to the opportunities that come our way to share
your Good News, and not only to speak it, but to live it in all that we do.
We bless thy Holy Name, today, Lord Father! We pray all of these things
and ask them in Jesus Christ’s Name, amen!
Verse to Remember:
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
to every creature.”
– Mark 16.15