This past year I went to several funerals that have caused me to think on the frailty of life and the shortness of our time here. I feel a renewed sense of urgency to "maximize" my days. During my message on "Faithfulness" I looked at the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:16-30. It emphasizes faithful service to the King while he is away. The 24th & 25th chapter of Matthew reminds us that the return of our Master is certain and is on the horizon. He has entrusted us with an incredible treasure in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and He has given each of us varying abilities, skill sets, and spiritual gifts to be used for His glory and for the good of others. His instructions were to take the precious message of the Gospel and to invest it in the lives of others, that we might multiply ourselves and gain a return on our investment for the enjoyment of the Master.
We see these instructions given to us in the first chapter of Acts, and in the last chapter of Matthew. Prior to Jesus' ascension in the book of Acts he states, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had finished saying this, "as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight (Acts 1:8-9)." He gave similar instructions to us in the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 where he said, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age." The question now is, are we heeding His instructions to us? In the Parable of the Talents, the servants were to faithfully serve their Master in His absence. Brothers and sisters, are we faithfully serving the King while He is away?? Are we giving our lives away, pouring ourselves out, making eternal investments in the lives of others?
In mid-October my Grandpa Clark passed away. I was honored to have the opportunity to speak at both his graveside ceremony and later at his memorial service that we had here in Lawton. His memorial service especially impacted me. You see my grandpa accepted Christ in his early 20s, and by God’s grace faithfully walked with the Lord for nearly 50 years. Many of those years, my Grandpa faithfully served as a pastor. During the course of his ministry years, he served at five different churches. So at his memorial service, men and women from all of those different churches stood and testified to the impact my grandpa’s life had had on theirs. Many shared that he had led them to the Lord or that he had encouraged them in their faith. It was such a powerful service, and it spoke loudly to me of importance and of the call to all of us as followers of Christ to live of lifestyle of eternal investment. We are to give ourselves to making disciples for as many years as he gives us.
In early January one of my former basketball players, Trevell Martin, was shot and killed outside of a party. His tragic death has pained me for several different reasons. I can’t fully explain all of the things it has caused me to think about. However, one message that the Lord spoke to me through Trevell’s funeral was loud and clear. At the funeral during the open mic time, a man in his 50s took the podium. He said this, “I first want to give respect to Trevell’s mother and his family who are present here today. However, Trevell was also a part of a much larger family. Will all of the Roc Creek family please stand up.” When he said this, more than half of those present in the church sanctuary that day stood up. That experience made my stomach churn, and challenged me in a great way. You see in a sinfully distorted way, the gangs are faithfully present in the streets and they are faithfully “making disciples.”
God spoke the same message to me at two very different funerals. His message was clear and concise: Make disciples! Our time is short, and only faithful service to Christ truly matters. Again I ask, are we giving our lives away by investing them in the lives of others? Are we faithfully serving the King, by making disciples, while He is away? May we be a people who will one day here the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant! Come and enter into my joy.”
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