Go Fish

As Christians we focus on being followers of Christ, I've heard many sermons on the subject and I've preached several as well, however, if all we do is follow Christ then we aren't living up to our calling. Over the next few weeks at Waynesboro church of Christ on Sunday morning, we are going to be talking about this very subject as we seek to let God transform us from followers into fishers. We are going to learn to become "fishers of men."

Go Fish is the title of our new sermon series and as you might surmise, we are going to be talking about evangelism. However, this will not be the same old lessons which tell you "how" to evangelize or that lays out a program of work designed for the entire congregation. The "how's" of evangelism cannot be taught in a sermon, and honestly, what works for me quite possibly will not work for you. The way you witness to your friends and even to strangers is very personal, each of us will handle a situation in our own unique way.

Our focus for Go Fish will be on the need for transformation from followers to fishers and upon how we take that journey. Just as the disciples, who left everything to follow Jesus, we also are called to follow him, yet, if you continue reading in your bible you will find those first followers of Jesus transforming to become exactly what Jesus wanted them to be, fishers of men sharing the story of Jesus.

As we Go Fish, we are going to learn how to overcome some of the obstacles that get in our way when we want to share the message of Christ. Things like, "I'm just not good at that," or "I've got too many skeletons in my closet. People won't take me seriously." We are going to discover how God perfectly positions us to reach someone with the Gospel.

You really need to plan to be here for this series and bring your family. We're not going to talk about door knocking or study methods because becoming a fisher of men is not something you do, it's something Jesus wants to do in you. So, be ready for the next few weeks and don't be surprised that during the process you find yourself energized to evangelize!

Remember this phrase because you are going to be hearing it a lot this entire year:

Followers Fish!!!

You will be able to listen to the entire series by subscribing to my podcast on iTunes or by using the SermonPlayer in the left menu bar.

Thanks to David Salisbury and Andy Stanley for inspiring this series of sermons.

The Joy of Christmas

Listen to my two sermon series "The Joy of Christmas."  (You can use the Slidecast option which allows you to hear the sermon while viewing the Powerpoint.) The first sermon in the series "The Three Gifts of Christ" was inspired by a sermon by my friend John Dobbs. The second is "A Savior is Born" and by many accounts is one of my best. Please leave your comments and have a Merry Christmas!

You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes by clicking here or listen to them using the player in the column on the right.

A Savior Is Born

View more presentations from Mitchell Skelton.

Three Gifts of Christmas

View more presentations from Mitchell Skelton.

Christmas Musings

I love Christmas!

There is no one facet of Christmas that makes the season so charming to me, I think that it is the combination of all the different aspects. I enjoy the family gatherings, the food, giving gifts, the eyes of little children as they set their gaze upon Santa Clause, and of course, there is the receiving of gifts. Christmas became much sweeter to me when I became a father. Nothing thrills me more than to watch my children as they unwrap that one special gift; the one Santa always puts way behind the tree so that you inevitably open it last.

One thing that has always puzzled me about Christmas is the zealot like effort that some men put forth to show that Jesus really wasn't born on December 25^th. The reality that Jesus was or was not born on this specific day really does not matter in the big scheme of things. Nowhere in the bible are we commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ and yet nowhere in the bible are we told to ignore his birth either. Like it or not the reality remains that, the majority of the people in the world still celebrate December 25^th as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Rather than ignore his birth or worse yet, try to discredit the holiday and those who observe it, I believe we should embrace this holiday as an evangelistic opportunity.

One of the first examples of evangelism was Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip found the eunuch, a religious man, reading prophesies about Christ from Isaiah 53. The bible tells us; "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:35). Philip did not assume that the eunuch was naive or unlearned in the scripture, yet he knew there was more he needed to know. The eunuch needed to hear the good news about Jesus. The eunuch had an obvious interest in God and a desire to know about the prophesied Messiah. Philip capitalized on this man's desire to learn about Christ and the eunuch after being baptized "went on his way rejoicing." We too should learn from Philip's example. Wherever we find a seeker of Christ, there is where we should start teaching them the good news. With so many seekers of Christ focusing on his birth during this Christmas season we would be careless even negligent if we did not start from "that very passage of Scripture" and tell them the good news about Jesus.

The birth of Jesus was good news for all people. "But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10). Jesus' birth was good news because his birth brought light into the darkness of the world. "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Jesus' birth was necessary for our atonement. For Jesus to take away our sins he had to become human. "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:14—17).

The birth of Jesus was a demonstration of God's grace. The birth of Jesus was God's declaration to mankind that he takes sin seriously. Jesus came to take away the sin of the world. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5—6). Jesus came to give us the gift of grace. "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!" (Romans 5:15—17).

The news of a gracious Savior requires man to act. The shepherds' example in the birth narrative of Jesus shows us the urgency of seeking Christ. Upon hearing the news of the birth of a Savior the bible says, "They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby" (Luke 2:16). In Matthew's account of Jesus' birth, we find the story of the Magi or Wise Men who sought out the newborn King of the Jews. What we know to be true of these men is still true today; wise men still seek Him! "Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD" (Psalm 107:43).

This Christmas season, do the right thing concerning true seekers of Christ. Take them from where they are and teach them the good news!

Mall Talk

A few days ago, Sheryl and I were at the mall doing a little Christmas shopping. The mall was naturally decked out in all its Christmas glory with garland, lights, and trees. At this time of year, there is also an overwhelming amount of temporary kiosks selling all kinds of specialty items. These kiosks have one thing in common; almost all of them are manned with high-pressure salespeople. As we walked through the mall, Sheryl reminded me how to walk past these people without getting sucked in to their sales pitch, do not make eye contact.

Now my first mistake was splitting up with Sheryl in the mall and going in separate directions. The mall is not my natural element, nothing looks the same, and I get lost so what happened next is my fault. I was having difficulty finding a particular store and as I scanned the stores on one side of the hallway I did it, I made eye contact. Oh no! This young lady immediately went into her sales pitch, "Can I ask you a question?" I was hooked! Like a fish on the end of the angler's line, she had me and was reeling me in.

This particular kiosk was promoting "Dead Sea Salts and Lotion" so her next question was, "Have you ever heard about the Dead Sea?" Being a preacher, I replied, "Of course." Before I knew it, she had my hands covered with Dead Sea salt and she was working hard to make the sale.

Little did she know but she was about to get a "sales pitch" of her own. The next question she asked was, "Do you know where the Dead Sea is?" "Israel," I replied. Seeming a little excited she said, "You are the first person today that knew that. What do you do for a living?" "I'm a minister." This threw her off her game a little and she responded, "Oh, well I'm Jewish. So we don't believe in the same thing." "Why would you say that," I said, "We believe in the same God." Immediately she shot back, "No we don't" This gave me a great opportunity to give this lady a short synopsis of Christianity, explaining that we both believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I tell this whole story to make this point: Opportunities abound to tell someone about Jesus Christ.

How are you taking advantage your opportunities to tell someone about Jesus?



Mitchell

The Life of Ryleigh

Tuesday is a special day, it is the day we celebrate Ryleigh Stegall's birthday.  The Butterfly Foundation is having it's annual walk from the high school to the town square in remembrance of Ryleigh and to raise funds and awareness for the foundation.  (It begins at 1:00 PM if you would like to join in.)  Ryleigh's family started the Butterfly Foundation to help people in Wayne County who have children facing life threatening or life altering illnesses.  The Stegall family holds a special place in my heart, in my mind, they are true heroes.  The following post was originally written on September 15, 2007 the day after Ryleigh died, I read it at her funeral and since then it has taken on a life of its own.  It remains the most read post on my blog by far with dozens of hits each month.  My intention is to "re-post" it annually in conjuntion with the Butterfly Walk.  Mitchell

Ryleigh Stegall's seven year battle with Leukemia ended Friday morning as she passed from this life and into the arms of God. Ryleigh's life ended quite similar to how it began, surrounded by family and friends, appreciative to God for blessing our lives with her life.

Anyone who ever spent time with Ryleigh found themselves captivated by her strong personality. She had one of those smiles that could light up a room. With all of the things about Ryleigh that made her special, ironically, it was her desire to just be a normal kid that truly set her apart.

Ryleigh leaves behind her parents, Steven and Michelle, her sister Keerstin, and her brother Chandler, a close knit extended family as well as an entire community who loved her. At some point all of those who knew Ryleigh will ponder the question of "Why?" Why did Ryleigh have to bear such a burden? Why did she have to go so young? Why did all the prayers for healing offered on her behalf go seemingly unanswered? I will be first to admit that I have pondered these questions. While I may not be able to answer these questions, even to my own satisfaction, I do know that God holds the answer. Ryleigh now knows the answer and her smile continues to light up rooms.

We may wonder, "What if. . ." What if she had never gotten cancer? What if God completely removed it from her body? One thing I do know is that no one who ever knew her could imagine what life would have been like without her.

Steven and Michelle never let the disease that robbed so much from their daughter's life define her and neither did Ryleigh. This attitude, this determination, is what defined the life of Ryleigh, it is her legacy to us. It is not what happens to you in life that defines you, but rather it is how you choose to live.

We would all do well to choose to live the life of Ryleigh.

Seek the Old Paths (Honoring God while Remaining Culturally Relevant)

Differences of opinion concerning the direction of the church will inevitably rouse great emotion. Conflict often arises because of a shift in a congregation's "modus operandi" or standard operating procedure. People get too comfortable with familiar and any deviation is seen as suspect. Too often, any change is summarily rejected and even branded heretical simply because "we've never done it that way before."

Lacking any real biblical basis for rejecting the new, opponents of change appeal to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah's statement recorded in Jeremiah 6:16. Here, Jeremiah implores, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient (old) paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Just prior to this proclamation, Jeremiah prophesies of the coming destruction of Jerusalem if God's people do not change. Then in verse 14, Jeremiah decries, "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace." Jeremiah was speaking to God's children who were relying on their past success, who acknowledged only the need of a minor patch (dress the wound), who only wanted to be left alone to do as they had been doing (peace, peace).

What was God's reply? When you stand at a decision point, choose the ancient way. Often this is interpreted as an endorsement of tradition and an injunction against innovation. However, Jeremiah's urging to "ask for the ancient paths" is a declaration to cast off tradition and simply seek God; seek not man's old path, but God's old path. Choose to do things God's way.

God's people face a daunting task today. People are indifferent to religion in general. Financial problems plague our households along with all the usual suspects such as drugs, alcohol, marital issues, health problems, etc. In other words, Jeremiah would say, "the wound is serious!" People in our culture are inundated with choices and will only devote their time to a cause that is relevant. Yes, they need God in their lives, but what is the church doing that says to the world, "We have the answers," and most importantly, "We care!" The church should be at the forefront of innovation when it comes to ways of connecting people with Christ.

The telegraph was once the way to send important messages, however, changes in culture and technology deemed this method of communication no longer relevant. While the messages once sent via telegraph still need sending today, they are sent using different techniques and technology such as email, facebook, and twitter. The same is true for the church and its message. While our message has not changed, our way of communicating the timeless message of Christ must change. To insist that we continue down the "old paths" simply because it worked in the past is positioning ourselves with the Israelites of Jeremiah's day crying "Peace, Peace!" A church that persists in traditions that no longer work because it is uncomfortable with trying new methods not only becomes irrelevant; it risks being condemned by its own selfishness.

Certainly, we can learn from our past. Much of what was done in the past in the name of the Lord is praiseworthy and brings God much glory. The previous generations had a passion for the lost, a craving for knowledge, and an insatiable thirst for truth that we would do well to imitate. If we emulate these qualities while employing culturally relevant techniques we not only honor those who have gone before us, we glorify God.

We sing the hymn, "There is much to do there is work on every hand. Hark! The cry for help comes ringing through the land. Jesus calls for reapers, I must active be. Lord, I must not, cannot dare to let them be. Here am I, Lord send me!" This song so eloquently puts forth our mission. The work is immense and the pleas of the lost are deafening. Jesus has called us to take his word to the world. To put forth less than our best effort is near the equivalent of ignoring the call of our Lord altogether.

We do indeed stand at a crossroad and God demands we make a decision. We cannot defer and do nothing; people in our homes, our church, our community, and our world are lost and dying! How do we answer? We "ask where the good way is, and walk in it."



Mitchell

Plentiful Powerful Prayer

Our attitude concerning prayer, at times, can be fickle. We know we should pray. We know God hears our prayers. We know God answers our prayers. Yet, still we do not pray as we should. Why? Bad experiences with prayer might be the answer. We ask God for something, God answers but not as we wanted, so we conclude prayer doesn't work.



When you want to know how to do something right you go to an expert. Paul was an expert at prayer. Paul prayed earnestly, unceasingly, and most importantly, according to God's will. Paul's prayer at the beginning of Philippians gives us an example of how we should pray. As Paul writes, he is in prison not for any crime, but simply for proclaiming Christ, yet his prayer and the whole letter is filled with joy and a positive attitude.



Despite the fact that he has received some disturbing news about the church at Philippi, he will not be swayed from being thankful for the joy they have brought to him. If Paul can find joy in jail, why can't they find ways to get along? Paul doesn't want them focusing on problems but rather to look at the success they share in Christ. Once he has them looking at this then he can point them forward to real knowledge and understanding. He can put them back on the track of spreading the gospel. Paul sets out to accomplish all of this through prayer. Here's Paul's prayer:

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:3-11)

Always be thankful for God's blessings. We have much more to be thankful for than we do to complain about. We have the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we have the confidence of our salvation, and we have grace. Everything else is paltry details. Why not stop right now and pray powerfully?



Mitchell

Hug a Veteran

Wednesday November 11^th is Veteran's Day. The following are a few thoughts of mine as I reflect upon an event we held at the Waynesboro church of Christ. My only desire for this post is that you may be inspired to say, "thank you" to a veteran you know.

Saturday evening marked the third annual Veterans Day Celebration at Waynesboro church of Christ and it was amazing! We had good food, celebrated with great friends, and most of all God was glorified. This event has become a favorite among our members as well as with members of the community. Some people came for the southern fried catfish but left with so much more.

This celebration is one of my favorites because of the people we are celebrating. Our Veterans are a special group of men and women. If not for them, we most certainly would not enjoy the freedoms we take for granted every day. A persons feelings about a particular war or war in general should not restrain them from honoring the individuals who have been asked to sacrifice on their behalf. One particular Vietnam veteran told me Saturday that he appreciated this event and others like it because, "It gives me the opportunity to make sure that none of our veterans ever feel unappreciated. . ." As he said this, his eyes began to tear and he finished, "like I felt when I came home." Powerful stuff.

We were also honored to have in attendance, members from the Waynesboro National Guard unit who are set to deploy to Iraq in January. Seeing these men and women in uniform reminded us, that even at this very moment, the sacrifice continues.

The next time you see a veteran or a current member of the armed forces tell them how much you appreciate their service.

Mitchell