Think Different – The Easter Experience

Video: Not My Problem (to watch it just click on the projector)

A man worked in a post office. His job was to process all mail that had illegible
addresses. One day a letter came to his desk, addressed in a shaky handwriting
to God. He thought, “I better open this one and see what it’s all
about.” So he opened it and it read:

“Dear God, I am an 83-year-old widow living on a very small pension.
Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had a hundred dollars in it which was all
the money I had until my next pension check.”

“Next Sunday is Easter, and I had invited two of my friends over for
dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with.”I have no
family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?”

The postal worker was touched, and went around showing the letter to all the
others. Each of them dug into their wallet and came up with a few dollars. By
the time he made the rounds, he had collected 96 dollars, which they put into
an envelope and sent over to her. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a
warm glow thinking of the nice thing they had done.

Easter came and went, and a few days later came another letter from the old
lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It
read:

“Dear God, How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me?”
“Because of your generosity, I was able to fix a lovely dinner for my
friends. We had a very nice day, and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.
” “By the way, there was 4 dollars missing. It was no doubt those
thieves at the post office.”

Scripture – Mark 10:43-45

⁴³ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Here is the context from which Jesus said to his disciples:

1. James and John had asked Jesus if they could sit on his right and left. They wanted the position of honor – next Jesus
2. The other ten disciples heard their request and naturally they were a little ticked off.
3. Jesus, being Jesus, knew what was going on and he says,

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different.”

Jesus says to be a leader you must be a servant

To be first you must be a slave of everyone else.

Jesus makes a big deal about his all through out scripture.

He says if you follow me – it will be different.

• He is constantly telling us to love others whether we like them or not.
• He is constantly telling us to forgive others whether we like them or not.
• He is constantly telling us to serve others whether we like them or not.
• He is constantly telling us to share with others whether we like them or not.
• He is constantly telling us to look to the interest of others.
• He asked to go the extra mile
• He asked us to turn the other cheek.

As followers of Christ – we are called to think different.

I have been reading this book on Steve Jobs.  Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple. If you are not familiar with Apple, they makes computers, iPhones, and various other technologies that is changing the way we do life.

He challenged his employees to think different. He challenged his board to think different.  If he employees said it was impossible – he said make it possible. If board members said it was impossible – he said I can make it possible. They ended up doing what was deemed impossible – possible

Although I don’t agree with the spiritual path he went on – he did challenge the world to Think Different back in 1998.

Back in 1994 he did an interview with PBS.

This is what he said,

“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.

 That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is – everything around you that you call life, was made up by people who were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.

The minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually something will, you know if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it, you can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing. It’s to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it.

I think that’s very important and however you learn that, once you learn it, you’ll want to change life and make it better, cause it’s kind of messed up, in a lot of ways. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

Jesus said the same thing to His disciples

• The world is kind of messed up in a lot of ways.  Because you are my followers you’ll want to change life and make it better. He goes on to tell his disciples not just to live in this world but embrace it, change it, improve it, and make your mark upon it. He challenges his disciples to live different, talk different, and be different. The world will try to shape you into its image.  He tells them you are not just meant to live in this world. You are called to serve this world. He says to them, you know how the world works. You must think different.

Jesus is challenging us to think different. In Romans 12 we are told,  “but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

In this passage today we are challenged to be a servant. He says, “if you want to be a leader – be a servant.”

• That sounds like fun doesn’t it.
• You must not think like a master, or a ruler, or as one who has any authority.
• You must think like a servant.
• You have no rights.
• You are here to serve other people.

You are not here to become successful, financially secure, comfortable, self-centered, have a nice family, have fun, and save a little money.  This is a limited life. Those followers of Christ who refuse to think differently get caught up in this insane way of thinking and limit themselves.

This past week – a follower of Christ in our church dared to think differently. She dared to become a servant to a person who was her servant. I asked Evelyn this morning to share her story. (sorry we were unable to record it but if you know Evelyn I know she would be excited to tell you it).

You are here, if you dare to think different – to serve others, to be their slave. In other words, other people’s problems become your problem.

This is why Jesus says those who WANT to lead. Lead meaning – to want to make a difference, want to influence those around you for the Kingdom of God – you must be willing to serve others.

To serve others:

• You first must want to be a difference.
• You first must want to be an influence.
• You first must want to be a slave to all.

You must be crazy enough to believe that being servant makes a difference. Because those crazy enough to believe it – make it happen.

A friend of pastor friend of mine is daring to think different. He has his kids Sunday School teachers at their church getting to church about 30-45 minutes early. Do you know what they do? They go around the neighborhood, introducing themselves, and asking for their kid for a couple of hours. Then they walk them home.

They are cleaning the church out making a bigger space for children and their families

They are meeting with the parents on a one basis as the parents let them in.

In this day and age when we live in a church culture that says come to me, my friend is daring to think different and going to them and saying “hey, do you want to come along”.

The disciples were crazy enough to believe that they could turn the world right side up. So they went into this sick world to make followers of Christ.

• Kumar – who I introduced to you last week dared to believe he could be used by    God and over 100,000 people have come to Christ because he made himself available to God. He made it his problem
• Saeed – who I introduced you to a couple of weeks ago who is in prison for doing the same thing that Kumar was doing is being tortured, brutalized, and asked to renounce his faith – made himself available to God. He made it  his problem.

Jesus says to this disciples and to us, “but among you it will be different.”

Jesus is teaching us to think different.

• As his followers we should want to be inconvenienced.
• As his followers we should want to enter into people’s problem.
• As his followers we should want to be their servant.

Who is crazy enough to believe that this church can make a major difference in this community?

Who is crazy enough to believe that God can use a bowling ball to change someone’s life?

Who is crazy enough to believe that God can use a movie in church to change someone’s life?

Who is crazy enough to believe that God serving others in our community just might change someone life?

Who is crazy enough to believe that praying makes a difference?

Who is crazy enough to believe that if we connect with people and we connect them to Christ that there life will be changed forever.

If you are crazy enough to believe it can happen – make it happen.

Jesus challenged his disciples to think different and looked what happen – many of them gave their life because they were crazy enough to believe it was true.

Jesus was crazy enough to die on the cross – he believes in you and he believes in me.

Are you crazy enough to help someone have an Easter Experience?