THE GREATEST INFLUENCE OF ALL

JUST ONE SMALL STEP

Pastor Tayo Adeyemi

Senior Pastor of New Wine Church

                                                                Sunday 12 December 2010

Foundation Scripture: Romans 10: 13-15

We begin a new journey today, The Greatest Influence of All which draws on the Christmas story and will take us through to the end of 2010. I’ll begin by drawing your attention to Romans 10:13-15, in particular verse 15 which states “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.”  This is taken directly  from Isaiah 52: 7 in which the word “feet” can be also translated as “steps”.

One Small Step for Man

On 20 July 1969 at exactly 20:17:39 Apollo 11 became the first spacecraft to land human beings on the moon, a major accomplishment in the history of exploration and indeed, of mankind. The significance of the expedition, the result of President Kennedy’s desire for America to place a man on the moon by the end of that decade, was famously encapsulated in Neil Armstrong’s statement as he set his left foot on the surface of the moon at 2:56 am “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

Scientists have suggested that the average person takes 10,000 steps each day, adding up to about 115,000 steps taken in a lifetime, the equivalent to travelling around the earth four times. Many of these steps will be taken in relation to the basic things of life, but every now and then, we take some steps that are literally life-changing; steps that change our lives or the lives of others – or both, such as Neil Armstrong’s in 1969. This, in my view, leads to the inevitable question, namely “Am I using my steps wisely?” Can I really say that one small step that I take as a person will translate into one giant leap for humanity? Or, to raise the bar slightly, one giant leap for the Kingdom of God?

It takes an average of 10 steps to walk across a room – a thousandth or 0.1%of your daily average. If you noticed that I was trying to get someone’s attention at the other side of the room, I am confident that you would walk 10 steps across the room to get their attention for me. What about if God was trying to get their attention? Would you walk the 10 steps for God? If 10 steps could actually make the difference in someone’s eternity, would you take those 10 steps, whether in the gym, at work or at the train station?

“Christmas – The Ultimate Walk Across the Room”

We are now in Advent, the meaning of which is “the coming”, speaking of the Lord’s coming, in anticipation of Christmas, the biggest celebration in the world’s calendar.  Christmas, which represents the ultimate walk across the room, regardless of the efforts of those who have attempted to relegate it to the same standing of other holidays and festivals, still commands unrivalled attention around the world with lights, carols, cards, gifts, parties, and decorations. Billions of people set aside their normal routines, travelling long distances to be with loved ones and eating too much in order to celebrate the birth of a Jewish baby boy 2000 years ago.

But pause for a moment and consider what it is that we are really celebrating. What is it about the birth of Christ that is of such significance? It is the fact that the Son of God took a few steps, walked across the room and came to look for you and me.  Admittedly it was a very large room but He walked nonetheless. And for this reason, I believe that He is saying to you today: “If I walked across the room for you, you should do the same for others.”

Because you’re worth it!

The reason that many of us do not walk across the room for others is not because we do not care or can’t be bothered. For many, if not most of us, the reason that we fail to reach out to others is that these small steps will take us out of our comfort zone. Well, Jesus thought about that and set the ultimate example.  In coming to the world He left His own comfort zone – the marvellous fellowship of the Trinity and the breathtaking beauty of heaven and laying aside His majesty , He cloaked Himself in humanity and stepped out of eternity and into time and walked across the cosmos to save us.

Romans 5: 6-8 makes clear that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Think about it, giving your life for a noble person is one thing but dying for a sinner? Why would He have done that? The answer, to coin a phrase, is “because you’re worth it!” And thus He calls you to do the same for others. God is calling you to trouble yourself on behalf of someone; to take a few steps across a room and be a friend to someone and share the gospel with them, and if they ever ask you why, tell them: “Because you’re worth it!”. And remember, when you do this, God says your feet are beautiful. You are also expressing the greatest influence of all.

“As you go, preach”

In Matthew 4: 18-19 Jesus called Andrew and Peter to follow Him and His statement “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” has become an enduring metaphor for evangelism.  But for one moment, I want you to consider this: what if this metaphor was not intended for every believer? What if Jesus used the fishing metaphor simply because He was speaking with fishermen in the same way that He used farming imagery when He was speaking to farmers and spoke of sheep when speaking to shepherds?

If today He was talking to you today how would this translate?  He might say “Follow Me and I will make you...Doctors of souls, Engineers of destiny, new creation technicians, designers of new lives and bus-drivers to eternity or solicitors to the lost. The point is that God wants us to see evangelism as an extension of our careers and lifestyles. In Matthew 10: 7, when He sent His disciples out, He said to them “As you go, preach” and in Luke 10: 3 He said “Go your way”. He was instructing us to carry out the great commission as we go about our day-to-day business and rather than evangelism being a special exercise that we go out of our way to engage in, it is something that we do “as we go”.

The Greatest Influence of All

Over this Christmas season, God will provide many opportunities to take that one small step that will change a person’s life forever.  I encourage you to be sensitive to these opportunities and to seize them. For you, it may be one small step but for that person’s eternity, it is a giant leap...from hell to Heaven. This is the greatest influence of all: to change the eternal direction of another human being and direct someone on the fast-track to hell and eternal damnation to the way to Heaven and eternal life.

There is no better opportunity than Christmas to introduce people to the reason for the season. Jesus did not leave His throne in heaven just so that He could be born. His birth was a means to an end. He came into the world to die so that all mankind could be saved. He took that awesome step for you – now He is calling you to take just one small step for Him.

And as you obey, and take that one step, there may well be an announcement in heaven: “That’s one small step for a man, but one giant leap for the Kingdom of God”