Skydivers Wanted...

BECOMING A HEALTHY CHURCH

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 NLT
18I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. 19As the Scriptures say,
"I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas."[c]
20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. 21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe. 22God's way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. 24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[d] Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God. 25This "foolish" plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength.
26Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. 27Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, 29so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
30God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom. 31As the Scriptures say,
"The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done."

FOOLISHNESS vs. WISDOM

A man in a jumpsuit with a parachute stands looking out the open door of a perfectly good airplane. Does this make him a skydiver? After all, he is dressed appropriately. He does have the proper equipment. So, does this make him a skydiver?

NO! The jump, actually diving into the sky, makes him a skydiver.

The jump also makes him seem, to some, crazy, foolish, or at the very least, unwise.

What would you call the man dressed and prepared who never jumps? WISE?


It is easy to participate in religious activities, dress the part, speak the language, learn about God. But what about life outside the walls of a church building? Does the world see us as crazy, foolish, or unwise?… not in some preaching on the corner in tattered clothes foolish, not legalistically condemningly accusatory crazy, but crazy like the folks called by God in the Bible? Does our faith seem radical and foolish to them. Are we jumping or just staring out the door like the rest of the world?

The life of Jesus is told in story. The context of which is the wrong place with the wrong people and in impossible situations. (At least as the “wise” of the world would judge it.) AND HE JUMPS!!!! HE DIVES!!! He is FOOLISH!!!

What is the outcome of this foolishness? Wild, amazing, awe-inspiring, unpredictable God-prints on the hearts of people.

Do we go to the wrong place, to the wrong people, who have an impossible situation…and JUMP?…as individual believers? As a church?
What do we have to lose?

Going Deeper…..

From the story of the Exodus and The Barbarian Way.

EXODUS 40:30-34 NIV

34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.
These followers of God must have looked “crazy, foolish, and unwise” to outsiders. God’s call always involves things that do not make “sense” to us.

“…religion provides stability and certainty; for the barbarian (“foolish” followers of Christ), a life in God is one of risk and mystery. And maybe even a little insanity”—The Barbarian Way E.R. McManus

“When Noah built the ark, he did not live in a flood zone.”-- The Barbarian Way E.R. McManus

“Those people did not live normal lives. Their actions were ludicrous and irrational if you take God out of the formula…The vitality of their life in God moved them beyond the practicality of simply being reasonable.”-- The Barbarian Way E.R. McManus

“You were not created to be normal. God’s desire for you is not compliance and conformity. You have been baptized by Spirit and fire.”-- The Barbarian Way E.R. McManus

There was nothing safe about the man Jesus. He was the Messiah, but he was a fool and rebel to “the wise”. Would anyone call today’s church foolish or rebellious to “the wise”? Some think our message is foolish, but what about our actions.

Going Deeper Questions

Consider the following Questions

-What keeps you from “jumping” after God?

-What keeps you from encouraging others to jump?

-What would happen if we formed the “Skydivers Ministry”?
Would we cheer on the skydivers?
Would others be emboldened to jump?
Would the world take notice?
Would the world be better for it?
Would YOU jump?

CONCLUSION

Someone has to be the first person to jump. Some group has to start. Will it be you? Are you hanging out in places that skydivers might be found? If not, find one. If you don’t find one, start one.

WHOSOEVER can become a skydiver. No experience necessary.

WHOSOEVER is waiting to see God’s foolishness in you so they might see the wisdom of the cross.