First Sunday After Christmas: Pulling an Anna
She was 84 years old.
She was a widow, had been one for a long, long time.
Her husband died seven years into their marriage.
She had known sorrow, and difficulty and heartache,
but hadn’t grown bitter.
She wasn’t hateful or resentful, instead her sufferings had made her kinder
and softer, and sympathetic, and compassionate.
She was a Godly woman.
She knew the scriptures.
You could always find her at worship.
She was known for her fasting.
She was someone you wanted to pray for you.
A woman of great faith.
She was one of those people who heard regularly and accurately from God.
And she wasn’t afraid to tell you what she heard,
She was confrontational
but with a gentle spirit that did not offend.
She was the kind of senior adult I hope to become.
She is remembered for her celebration of Jesus birth.
Around the world on December 25th people celebrated the birth of our Lord
and Savior.
Some knew what they were doing,
Sharing the love that God had put in their hearts because
of the their faith in Jesus.
Others, far too many others, celebrated in pure ignorance,
not knowing it was because of God’s great gift that they
themselves gave and received gifts.
I hope your celebration of the birth of Jesus was everything you hopped it
would be.
That the greatest gift you received was knowing that others love
you and care about you, even while you gave away the
same gift to them.
There is one thing more I think we all need to add to our Christmas celebration.
And that’s to do the same thing that 84 year old saint did
You and I, everyone of us, no exceptions,
We all need to pull an Anna.
Luke 2:36-38 (NIV)
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna set for us an example we are to follow,
She spoke about Jesus to everyone who was looking for redemption.
You need to pull an Anna.
Of all my studies on how best to evangelize,
word of mouth from a friend is the most effective.
When most people hear the word evangelize they cringe.
When they hear the word evangelist they start looking for the exits.
Let’s take a look at Rob Bell’s “Bullhorn man”
Play the DVD.
I think one reason why we want to excuse ourselves from telling our friends about
Jesus is because of the “Bullhorn Man” stereotype.
Maybe another reason we don’t follow Anna example is because we have been
trained by our current cultural dynamic to keep our mouths shut.
Congenial conversation avoids politics and religion.
Religion is a private matter unwelcome in public conversation
Pluralistic Tolerance discourages freedom of religious speech
Maybe another reason is that you’re shy or worse embarrassed.
You’re afraid you’ll make a fool of yourself.
But bottom line you need to pull an Anna.
Matthew 28:18-20 (MSG)
"God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life ... instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.
If you are a believer then you are expected to evangelize.
Authorized by God to tell and train.
It’s not just the job of a pastor, it’s the job of believers.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
As a believer you are God’s marketing plan for bringing the kingdom to others.
You are His ambassador.
He’s given you a message of reconciliation to tell
Romans 10:13-14 (MSG)
"Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help." But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?
If you are a believer Jesus has commissioned you to tell.
When was the last time you pulled an Anna?
Look what she didn’t do.
She wasn’t like bullhorn man
She was selective in who she spoke with.
She spoke to people who were looking forward to redemption.
A person my never be as overt as to ask you how they can be redeemed.
But there are tells that they are looking for it.
What are the signs that someone is looking for redemption?
I’ve got five signs for you,
Five tells that are open invitations for you to step up to the plate and tell
someone about Jesus.
But first just a little foundation.
“No one will ever seek God unless God is already at work in his or
her life.” (Blackaby p. 78)
We call that work Prevenient grace, can you say that with me,
Prevenient grace---“Prevenient grace”
Grace is the desire to be and power to do God’s will.
Prevenient simply means what comes before.
So Prevenient grace is the desire and power to do God’s will before.
efore what?
Before God forgives you of your sins,
reconciles you to Himself and
accepts you as one of His own.
Prevenient grace comes before saving grace.
We wake up and realize our lives aren’t right.
We start searching for what will make our lives right.
God is already at work in a persons life when that individual is looking for
That crazy missing part to their life.
When they are looking for spiritual answers to life’s questions.
God has already done the hardest part,
Making someone receptive to His message that your are going
to deliver.
The scripture indicates that there are certain things that only God can bring about
in someone’s life.
There are Five Things Only God Can Do (Henry T. Blackaby, Experiencing God, p 79)
So when you see somebody dealing with one of these issues that only God
can bring about
Its your open invitation to pull an Anna.
Sign #1
· Is someone interested in spiritual things?
We’re talking about your friends,
And the people that you come in contact with in your world.
Are they showing an interest in spiritual things?
Asking ultimate questions?
That’s your cue.
Only God draws people to Himself.
(http://www.sbcimpact.net/2008/02/29/five-things-only-god-can-do/)
John 6:44 (MSG)
…The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that's the only way you'll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End.
Sign #2
· Is someone understanding biblical truth?
Here you see a friend coming to an understanding of some facet of the faith.
They say something that is in alignment with a Christian world view.
That’s your cue.
Only God reveals spiritual truth.
(http://www.sbcimpact.net/2008/02/29/five-things-only-god-can-do/)
Matthew 16:17 (NIV)
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Sign #3
· Is someone under conviction of sin?
Maybe your friend feels guilty about something and just can seem to shake it.
You see it, you ask them about it, they confide in you, they tell you this
horrible thing they have done.
That’s your cue.
Only God convicts about sin.
(http://www.sbcimpact.net/2008/02/29/five-things-only-god-can-do/)
John 16:8-9 (MSG)
When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin;
Sign #4
· Is someone under conviction of righteousness?
This is like the flip side of conviction of sin.
Recall the righteousness means right relationship.
Does your friend have a sense of not being right,
That something is wrong in their lives.
That’s your cue.
Only God convicts about righteousness.
(http://www.sbcimpact.net/2008/02/29/five-things-only-god-can-do/)
John 16:9-10 (MSG)
He'll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control;
Sign #5
· Is someone under conviction of judgment?
This is a giant leap from guilt, this has to do with a feeling of being condemned.
This feeling can come in the form of feeling rejected, unwanted, unloved,
like their life is under some kind of curse.
That’s your cue
Only God convicts about judgment.
(http://www.sbcimpact.net/2008/02/29/five-things-only-god-can-do/)
John 16:11 (MSG)
that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.
So when you see somebody dealing with issues that only God can bring about
That’s your cue to pull an Anna.
When you see someone interested in spiritual things
When you see someone understanding biblical truth.
When you see someone under conviction of sin
When you see someone under conviction of righteousness
When you see someone under conviction of judgment
That’s your open invitation to pull an Anna
Here’s how to pull an Anna
A. Pray and watch
Ask God to open your eyes and ears to those who were seeking
redemption.
Watch for the signs of their seeking,
The Holy Spirit will help you discern where a person is at spiritually
B. Connect with people.
Be close enough to them to have won their trust.
Earn the right to speak truth into their lives.
C. Asked probing questions
Probing questions, leading questions,
The kind of questions “that will reveal what is happeiing in” their life.
(Blackaby, p 80)
Their answer help you and your friend clarify their issue.
D. Listen
I can not emphasize enough the need for you to listen,
Not just to their words but to their heart.
Listen with empathy and compassion.
Let them tell their story.
E. Speak
Speak the truth with love into their lives.
Make the connection for them between their circumstances and what
God can do.
Tell them how you found what they seem to be looking for.
Tell them the message of reconciliation.
Do that and you’ve pulled an Anna.
God takes care of the rest.
As we begin the New Year, 2009,
Determine in your heart that before Easter
You will pull an Anna with at least one of your friends.