Confessions of a Church: Two are Better

The Psalm writer wrote:  Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received.   This is the word of God.  It is eternally true and applicable for all of life.  

Ecclesiastes 4:9-16 9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. 13 A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. 14 For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. 16 There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.

Ask my kids what my favorite food is, and  they will likely tell you it's a nice greasy "cheeseburger". A double cheeseburger to be exact, because two are better than one.

Are two better than one? It seems that if we were to examine life in a cursory fashion, this is a rule of sorts which we see play out over and over in a variety of ways.

It takes two to tango.

 You're like "two peas in a pod".

In the Army, when out in the field, everyone has a "battle buddy".

If you were to go hiking, spelunking, swimming, or canoeing, the wisdom of having a second person with you is undeniable.

You'll never purchase a UFC pay per view only to watch your favorite fighter grapple and strike himself for three, five minute rounds.

Imagine training for fencing for years, not privacy fencing, but sword fighting, by yourself, without ever being able to test your technique against another.

The principle which we find in the text today, "two are better than one", can be seen scrawled across every culture, present in every human endeavor, and is undeniably a reality etched into the fabric of God's design for man.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

— Genesis 2:18

Whole sermon series could be dedicated to the idea of two being better than one in regards to marriage. Rightfully so.

What I'd like us to consider briefly this morning is another example found in Scripture of two being better than one.

Mark 6:7

And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits;

Now, as the Pastor has surely pointed out in the past, Scripture can be broadly characterized as either descriptive, or prescriptive. It may be telling you a narrative regarding some event that happened in real time, to a specific people, or, giving you a command, a direction, a prescription for living.

In this verse in Mark we see Jesus sending out His twelve disciples to the lost sheep, and He does so by sending them out in pairs. This passage is one which is descriptive in nature, yet there are principles here which we can apply to our context. Now, it doesn't say in the text, but there are a few things we may infer from this arrangement which can be beneficial to us as a Church as we begin to engage the world around us with the gospel. For example, this Thursday we have an Intersection Outreach scheduled that evening.

So, what are a few practical reasons, in regards to evangelism, why "two is better than one"?

1)   Sharing the Gospel requires the use of words. It demands that you open your mouth and talk to other people. Sometimes in the act of doing this, someone will ask a question, or make a comment, which leaves you completely stumped. How helpful would it be to have a cheerful, loving brother or sister in Christ there by your side to pick you up when you stumble?

2)    Safety is surely something to consider. Just as robbers and thieves roamed about in Jesus's day, necessitating at times that His disciples carried swords, dangers lurk in our day as well. It would be the height of foolishness for a young man or woman to venture out alone, going door to door. Imagine how horribly wrong things could go for a well intentioned young man to knock on the door of a troubled young lady, all by himself, in the age of the #metoo movement. Having a faithful Christian by your side to both pull you out of danger and act as a witness, surely shows us that two is better than one.

This is the time of the Worship service in which we read God's Law, confess our sins, and are assured from God's Word that we are pardoned.

Why, (you may be asking yourself), are we talking about evangelism and outreach today, during this segment of the service?

Evangelism is one of those duties of a Christian which many Christians wrongly believe is to be performed by the professional ministers only. Many Christians wrongly believe that the role of evangelism is to be filled by the Pastor, Elders, and maybe the deacons, but surely not the lay person sitting in the pews.

At a former Church my family and I were members of, there was an outreach ministry set up which offered two or three opportunities a week to engage the community of Sellersburg with the gospel. One could go door to door, visit nursing homes, visit homebound folks, participate in kid friendly community activities, and many other examples.

In this church of one hundred and seventy-five or so congregants, on any given night of door to door, you may have six or seven folks show up. On a really good night, we had twelve. I remember that because of the quips that were made about how Christ had chosen just twelve disciples.

I bring up evangelism this morning in our discussion of how two is better than one, because the reality is, when Christians abdicate their duty of evangelism, it makes it unnecessarily difficult for the Church and her officers to present the gospel to our community in an excellent way. Lay Christians brushing aside the commands of Jesus to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom to their neighbors, puts all the responsibility for evangelizing the community squarely on the shoulders of a few people.

Sharing the gospel with your neighbors can be a scary proposition. When first attempted, it can be awkward, weird, and seems like an unnecessary intrusion into the lives of people who oftentimes make it clear they just want to be left alone.

But it is a command, for all Christians.

You may say "I'm not a good speaker!". Moses said the same thing.

"I'm too busy." God's Word says to make the best use of your time for the days are evil. What better use of your time than sharing the gospel?

"I have little one's." Wal-Mart has strollers for sale, if you need one and can't afford it, let me know.

"I'm scared." Jesus said:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

— Matthew 28:19-20

There will be information and sign up sheets made available after church today for our Intersection Outreach on Thursday. If you have any questions, or needs, please don't hesitate to ask.

At this time, if you are able, please kneel as we confess our sins to the Holy, Holy, Holy Triune God.

Heavenly Father,

We come into Your presence this morning entangled in the day to day activities which oftentimes seem to inhibit us from doing the things we know we ought to do.

We come before You, easily recognizing the brokenness of our world and the remedy, yet are often paralyzed by indifference, or fear.

Father, in regards to the Great Commission given to the Church by Your Son, we often wrongly believe that it was a charge laid at the feet of everyone but ourselves.

Father, we wrongly believe that since we don't have degrees, aren't the most eloquent speakers, or can't find time to be obedient, that we can simply brush aside your commands and another will pick up the slack.

Please forgive us for shirking our responsibilities. Forgive us for hiding Your light under a shade, and help us to be bold as lions to proclaim the Good News to this lost and dying generation.

In Jesus's Name we pray, Amen.

Please stand and listen to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to his church: 

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

To all those who thus repent and seek Jesus Christ for their salvation, your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lift up your hearts!

(From the 07/11/2021 liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie.)