She Must And Shall Go Free Part III: Take to the World

This week we listened to the song "Take to the World" from the She Must and Shall Go Free album by Derek Webb. Here are the lyrics:

“Take to the World” by Derek Webb

Go in peace to love and to serve
Let your ears ring long with what you have heard
May the bread on your tongue
Leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place you are from

(chorus)
And take to the world this love, hope and faith
Take to the world this rare, relentless grace
And like the three in one
Know you must become what you want to save
‘Cause that’s still the way
He takes to the world

Go, and go far
Take light deep in the dark
Believe what’s true
He uses all, even you
And may the bread on your tongue
Leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place that you are from

Last week we talked about living in the freedom, the true freedom, that the blood of Christ affords us. Living in that freedom encourages us to share that freedom with other people, and it also leads other people to ask about the freedom we are living in. So, we must take to the world this love, hope, faith, and freedom that we have. But how do we effectively take Jesus (the source of that freedom) to the world?

1. Have the right attitude-"Go in peace to love and to serve"-(Matthew 20:28)
We should have the same attitude that was in Christ: one that is looking to serve, not be served.

2. Remind yourself daily of the Gospel-"Let your ears ring long with what you have heard"-(John 18:37)
Have you ever heard a joke or a story that you just couldn't wait to tell someone about? Have you ever heard such a loud, shrill noise that the sound stuck in your ears? The Gospel, this freedom we talked about last week, should be that way for us. it should stick in our ears so that we want to, we have to, are compelled to tell others about it.

3. Let Truth be on your lips-“May the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs to lead the hungry back to the place you are from”-(Isaiah 55:1-3)
We spend so much time striving for what does not satisfy. Pursue the bread of life, the only bread that satisfies and then lead other people to it.

4. Open your eyes-“Take to the world this love, hope, faith, and rare relentless grace”-(1 Corinthians 1:21)
We have become comfortable in America because of the great access to the Gospel that we have. But check out http://www.worldmap.org/maps/downloads/BMP_Map_SGI_25.jpg and spend a little bit of time exploring what this map shows. Yes, America is heavily evangelized, but the response is very low. Yes, everyone has access to the Gospel, but our country is slipping away from Christ! Why? Partly because we have become comfortable as Christians and are no longer taking to the World. Open your eyes! There is a mission field right out your front door!

5. Make the need for a Savior real-“Like the three in one, know you must become what you want to save ‘cause that’s still the way he takes to the world”-(1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
This doesn't mean that if you are going to minister to alcoholics you need to become an alcoholic. It doesn't mean that if you are going to minister to gamblers you need to become a gambler. However, we do need to make their need for a Savior real and relevant to them. Pray that God would give you the words to minister to anyone you come in contact with in a way that individually impacts them where they are. The Gospel is powerful, so don't change the message one bit, but make it real.

6. Do hard things-“Go and go far take light deep in the dark”-(Matthew 5:14-16)
I know it is not easy to do but guess what happens to the dark when we go into it? It grows lighter!

7. Be Useable -“believe what’s true, he uses all, even you”-(Jeremiah 1:4-10)
Don't think God can't use you to take to the World around you. Just do it! Step out and obey! Your school needs you. Your workplace needs you. Your home needs you. Your myspace and facebook friends need you to be the light of truth in their lives.

So, now comes the hard part...

How many of these 7 things are you doing?

Where can you make the first change?

Be prepared to be challenged to take to the World in the coming months, but don't wait until I tell you where to go and what to do, start today at home, at school, at work and online!