Super-Glue Christians
Introduction
Among the items that I use to fix things around our house, one of my most valued items is a little tube of super-glue. It is powerful. We have a beautiful glass magnolia that we value because it was given to us by some friends. It got broken a while back. I carefully applied super-glue to the broken surfaces, quickly pressed them together, and now you would never know it was broken. That same thing happened with a delicate little Precious Moments figurine. I repaired it with super-glue and now it’s as good as new.
I submit to you that the finest thing you and I could do--for God, for others, and for ourselves--is to resolve to be, by the help of God, super-glue Christians--Christians who stick!
One of the most glaring weaknesses of 20th century Christendom, as a whole, is the fact that so many of us are woefully inconsistent. We wax hot for a while, and then we’re cold. We get all “revved up” periodically, but then after a time we “fizzle out.” We make a lot of noble beginnings, but all too often we are short on the follow-through. The greatest single need at this crucial time of history is for Christians who don’t come all “unstuck” when obstacles beset their path, or when someone offends them, or when things don’t go to suit them.
Thus, I want to challenge you this morning, and I want to challenge myself: be a super-glue Christian! By the grace of God, manifest in your life the admirable quality of “stickability.” I want to issue that challenge at three specific points.
I. First of all, STICK TO CHRIST
A. An ADMONITION
In Acts 11 we’re told of how great numbers of people were converted in the Syrian city of Antioch. Acts 11:21 says, “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” Notice, then, verses 22-23: “Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch; who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”
B. An EXPLANATION
The word translated “cleave” means “to abide; to continue; to persevere.” Barnabas was not saying that those Christians in Antioch needed to “hang on” in order to stay saved. The Scriptures make it crystal clear that once a person is truly converted, he can never be lost again. Jesus said, in John 10:28: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” What Barnabas was saying was this: “You who are saved need to be careful lest you become slack in your daily fellowship with Christ and thereby lose your joy, your inner strength, and your spiritual influence.” It was in that sense that Barnabas was saying, in effect, “Be sure to stick to Christ.”
C. A WARNING
Getting out of fellowship with Christ usually starts with small things--just “slacking off” a bit. The prelude to Simon Peter’s denial was his following “afar off” (Luke 22:54). He was still following at that point, but he was lagging behind--and that’s how it usually starts with anyone. You find excuses for not taking on responsibility in advancing the Kingdom of God. You begin missing services, and then your attitude gets bent out of shape, and before you realize what has happened you’ve become a backslider--miserable and defeated; and it mostly occurs as a result of letting Satan pry you away from a strong daily devotional life.
If you allow yourself to grow cold in your daily walk with the Lord, you’re putty in the devil’s hands. He can whip you around just about any way he desires. But if you discipline yourself to spend time with God each day, faithfully reading his Word and praying, then it’s likely that you’ll stand firm in other areas as well, and you’ll be able to persevere regardless of what life brings your way.
An artist painted a picture of a midnight scene. It portrayed a lone man rowing a small boat across dark, stormy waters. There was a high wind, and the angry waves were beating against the tiny craft. The sky was black and threatening, but through a rift in the clouds one bright star was shining. The man in the boat had his eyes fixed on that star while he rowed desperately through the storm. Beneath the picture was this caption: “If I lose sight of that, I’m lost.”
Some under the sound of my voice are going through tough times. The winds and waves of adversity are lashing you, and you’re wondering if you’re going to survive. But take heart! If you’ll keep looking to the Bright and Morning Star, you’ll make it through the storm, and the sun will shine again.
II. Second--STICK TO ONE ANOTHER
A. The REQUIREMENT
The Bible teaches that Christians are to maintain among themselves a positive, close relationship. In making that point, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:25-27: “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
Psalm 133:1 declares, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”
Galatians 6:10 speaks of the church as “the household of faith,” and Ephesians 2:19 uses a similar expression, “the household of God”--both verses indicating that the church is a spiritual family--and members of a family ought to stick together. That doesn’t mean that we always have to agree on everything. That doesn’t happen in any kind of family. But it does mean that we will work through any disagreement with love and mutual respect.
B. The REASONS
1. Mutual Encouragement
One reason that we’re to maintain unity is that each of us needs the encouragement and support of others. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Romans 14:7 says, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”
The mighty Sequoia trees of California are not only huge in circumference, but they are exceedingly tall, sometimes towering 300 feet above the ground. Interestingly, though, they have unusually shallow root systems that reach out in all directions to capture the greatest possible amount of surface moisture. But the roots of each Sequoia also intertwine with the roots of the others nearby, thus providing support for one another. Seldom do you see a Sequoia growing alone, because high winds would uproot it. But together, in clusters, they are able to stand.
In like manner, you and I need each other as we face the storms of life. The song-writer was on target when he wrote:
Blessed be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds, Is like to that above.
Before our Father’s throne, We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, Our comforts and our cares.
We share our mutual woes, Our mutual burdens bear,
And often for each other flows The sympathizing tear.
2. Effective Witnessing
But unity is also essential for another reason. In Acts 4:32-33 we read: “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Their witness to the unbelieving world was powerful and effective, because they stood together in a spirit of unity.
Horatio Nelson, who died in 1805, was England’s greatest naval hero. In reference to one of his grandest naval victories, he explained it this way; he said, “It was my happy privilege to command a band of brothers.”
Stick to one another--to a large degree your effectiveness individually, and collectively, depends on it.
III. STICK TO THE MAIN TASK
A. The TASK IDENTIFIED
A preacher friend of mine, Gary Taylor, told of an experience which changed his life and his ministry. He was pastor of Tower Grove Baptist Church in St. Louis, Missouri, at the time.
It took place in July, 1985. A young single mother, living in an apartment building near that church, came home from work on Wednesday afternoon. I don’t know if she was on drugs, or simply snapped under the strain of life’s pressures. I don’t know what caused it, but on that particular Wednesday afternoon she committed an unspeakably horrendous crime. My friend Gary didn’t learn about it until Thursday morning, and it was Saturday before he finally was able to get permission to visit her in the jail where she was incarcerated. By that time she had come to realize the enormity and the horribleness of what she had done, and--as Gary said--she was “a basket case.” Gary met with her for about an hour and, as he later expressed it, “We just turned from one end of that book to the other discovering the message and the truth of God’s mercy and God’s forgiveness.”
I know Gary Taylor well enough to know that he never minimized the horror or wickedness of what she had done, nor would he have suggested for one moment that she should not pay in full for her crime--but he was trying to help her see how God could change her life so that for whatever time she might have remaining on this earth things would be different, and how she could prepare to meet God at the judgment. She wasn’t saved that day--although later she was--but even then, on that Saturday afternoon, the light of conviction and understanding began to dawn on her and she began to see a ray of hope.
They told Gary he had to go, so he got up to leave. Gary is about six feet, seven inches tall and this young woman was a tiny little thing. Gary said she looked just like a little girl. She reached up and hugged Gary and said, “Oh, preacher, thank you for coming.” She began to weep, and so did Gary. With tears running down her face, she looked up at Gary and said, “Preacher, I’d just give anything if I’d found your church before Wednesday.” Gary began to cry again and said, “Oh, I’d give anything, too, if you’d found our church before Wednesday.”
Gary turned and started out of that cell, when suddenly the Spirit of God spoke to him. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, called the young woman by name, and said, “Wait a minute--wait a minute. According to the Bible it’s not your responsibility to find the church. According to the Bible it’s the church’s responsibility to find you!”
He had it right. That is the main task of individual Christians, and of the church collectively. In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,” and in John 20:21 he said to his disciples then and to his disciples of all succeeding generations, “as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
There are multitudes of such people in this world, and some are in your community and mine--individuals who inwardly are staggering and reeling under the awful burden of sin, lostness, personal defeat, and alienation. Some of them are walking time-bombs, who not only are bound for eternal hell but have the potential for terrible destructiveness in this life, to themselves and to others. Their only hope is to experience Christ’s cleansing and forgiveness--and it’s our job as Christians to go after them with a sense of urgency and to find them and point them to Jesus.
B. The TASK UNDERTAKEN
1. Witness by Example
And how are we to do that? The little children in kindergarten sometimes have a period during the day called “Show and Tell.” That’s also God’s method for winning a lost world. We’re to show by our example the difference that Jesus makes. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
2. Witness by Speaking
But that’s not all of it. The Bible also says, in Psalm 107:2, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so....” Jesus said, in Acts 1:8, “...ye shall be witnesses unto me....” Whatever else a witness is, it is a person who tells what he knows first-hand to be true. To think that our example alone can complete the task of soul-winning is woefully wrong. No one can by example explain Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, his resurrection, or the need for repentance and faith in order to receive the gift of eternal life.
Someone has said that the most embarrassing question that can be asked of a modern-day Christian is this: How long has it been since you personally led someone to faith in Jesus Christ? That same person said that the second most embarrassing question--but I would reverse the order--is this: How long has it been since you tried?
Conclusion
Will you personally accept the challenge that is being given this morning? Will you commit yourself to being, by the grace and help of God, a Super-Glue Christian?
But before anyone can commit to being a certain type of Christian, he must first become a Christian--and the way to become a Christian is to yield in repentance and faith to the crucified, living Christ. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” So, if you’re not saved, I urge you to turn to Jesus without delay. What will happen when you do that? He will forgive your sins; he’ll wipe the slate clean. He will give you newness of life in the here and how, and when you die, instead of going to hell you’ll spend eternity with him in that blessed place called heaven.
I challenge you to let him have his way with you, and to do so right now--today!