Don’t Live on “Nazarene” Street

 By Jason Lovelace

 

 

Key Scripture:

Matthew 10.16 – Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

 

Matthew 25.24-30 – 24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:  25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.”  26His lord answered and said unto him, “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:  27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.  28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.  29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.  30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 

Mathew 28.19-20 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”  Amen

 

Mark 16.15 – And he said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

 

Luke 16.9 – And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

 

Romans 10.14-16 – 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?  and how shall they hear without a preacher?  15And how shall they preach, except they be sent?  as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!  16But they have not all obeyed the gospel.  For Esaias saith, “Lord, who hath believed our report?”

 

Do you have a favorite chair?  Does or did anyone in your family have a favorite chair, favorite spot on the sofa, or a favorite comfortable piece of furniture?  Why was that chair, sofa, or piece of furniture the favorite?  This writer’s Dad has such, a favorite chair, and so did his Grandpa.  That chair was the favorite because it was the most comfortable place for Dad and Grandpa, especially after a hard day’s work.  But, here’s an interesting question:  Did your loved one, or do you, stay all day in that favorite, most comfortable spot or place?  Do you or does your loved one sit or lay or recline in that favorite place the whole, live-long day?  Why?  In the same way, should a Christian live on “Christian Street”, a street or place where the neighborhood is entirely or mostly Christian?  Should a Christian believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, spend all of his or her time in the church?  Why or why not?  How, then, should a Believer live, or better yet, where should that Christian live?

 

Living on “Nazarene” Street

This writer is a member of the International Church of the Nazarene, a Holiness, Protestant Christian Denomination that began a hundred years ago.  When this writer was an English School teacher and resident missionary at a Nazarene church in the City of Asahikawa, in Hokkaido, Japan, he lived in an interesting place.  People called the street where he lived, “Nazarene Street”.  The reason was because so many people who lived on that street were members of the Church of the Nazarene in Asahikawa City.  Even the pastor and his family lived on this street, and the local Church of the Nazarene, at this time, was located at the head of the corner of this street, where it intersected with a main thoroughfare for Asahikawa City.  The main road that “Nazarene Street” ended and intersected on was a busy, busy road.  For ten months, until he was forced to move out of his apartment (due to a kerosene spill), this writer lived on “Nazarene Street” in Asahikawa City….and he didn’t like it.  Why?  What was so bad about living on a street where most of the people were members of the Church of the Nazarene?

 

The “Do Nothing” Crowd

The problem this writer had with life on “Nazarene Street” in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, had very little to do with the neighborhood’s Christian Faith.  It did, however, have everything to do with what that neighborhood was doing to reach the lost, especially the early morning and early evening traffic that crossed “Nazarene Street” at its intersection with its main thoroughfare:  Nothing.  Every morning at the head of “Nazarene Street” hundreds and hundreds of High School and Junior High School students, office workers, businessmen and women, city service workers, and even retirees out for a morning walk crisscrossed, right in front of the church, and right at the time that the church’s early-morning, 5:30AM Prayer Meeting was ending.  The members of that church, and the people who lived on that church did nothing to witness to these high school students, retirees, businessmen and women, and office workers.  This writer did pass out more than a few Gospel Tracts with some success, but nobody joined him, and, even his Christian employer criticized an idea he wanted to use to try and further his efforts to witness to these people.  You see, the problem with living on “Nazarene Street” was that the Nazarenes in that neighborhood were doing very little to reach the lost of Asahikawa City, and while some in the church said the work they needed to do was too far away and too costly, when the fact was brought up that hundreds were passing by their church doors and “Nazarene Street” neighborhood daily, they remained silent and did nothing.  Yes, some tracts were ordered, but the last time this box of hundreds of tracts was seen, they were collecting dust on a second-floor shelf in the church.  This “Nazarene Street” Neighborhood was really a “Do nothing” Crowd, and that was the problem with living on “Nazarene Street”.

 

We Are Not Called to Be Part of an Exclusive Club

Even if the people on “Nazarene Street” were daily going out and witnessing and reaching the people who passed by, would there still have been a problem with living on “Nazarene Street”?  In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says this:

 

“13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

– Matthew 5.13-15

 

If we are to be followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot live our lives in the confines of a monastical society, or an exclusive club.  We, as believers, have to get out and, as this writer’s Dad has said to him hundreds of times, “get our hands dirty.”  Consider the words of the Pharisees concerning Jesus:

 

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?”

– Mark 2.16

 

We can see by these words that Jesus, the very Son of God, was getting out into the world, and, was “Getting his hands dirty”, and it was something that hit hard against the pride of the Pharisees, a sect of Jewish Religious Experts who lived on – essentially – “Nazarene Street”, and were basically “Do Nothings” when it came to ministering to the needs of the people who looked up to them.

 

Reach Them!

In response to the Pharisees’ comments to his disciples, consider Jesus’ words:

 

“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

– Mark 2.17

 

Consider Jesus’ actions, as well, as we see them in the Gospel of John:

 

“He riseth form supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.  After that, he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.”

– John 13.4-5

 

If the very King of Heaven responded to the Pharisees with such a challenge, and could do what he did with the disciples’ feet, how can we do no less?  What if, instead of coming down from Heaven, Jesus himself had decided to remain in heaven (remain living on “Nazarene Street”, if you will)?  What if he had not taken that step to come down and be born on earth in the form of a helpless, vulnerable baby, grow up and live on earth, being tempted as we all are, as a human being and a man?  We would not know the Salvation that he offers and gives.  We would not know what it is like, as believers and followers of Him, the forgiveness and release of the guilt that he has given us through the blood of Jesus Christ!  This is why we must, as Christians, Reach those who are Lost!  We must not live our lives on “Nazarene Street”, being “Do Nothings”.  Paul; the Apostle even speaks of this in one of his letters to the Thessalonians:

 

“For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.”

– 2nd Thessalonians 3.11

 

Paul mentions this again in a letter to his co-worker, friend, and son in the faith, Timothy:

 

“And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.”

– 1st Timothy 5.13

 

Paul in these two passages is warning us today that there is a danger of living on “Nazarene Street” and becoming “Do Nothings.”  Paul calls “Do Nothings” “busybodies”, an accurate term.  “Busybodies” look like they are doing work, but, in reality, they are doing nothing.  Many Christians and many Christian Churches and Organizations look like they are doing great work, but it’s only a façade:  in reality, they are accomplishing nothing with regards to the Body of Christ and in reaching the lost.

 

Talents Do Not Grow Without Work

As one of our Key Scripture References speaks of, believers do not grow when we live on “Nazarene Street” and become a “Do Nothing”.  We, as believers, will never grow spiritually if we live life on “Nazarene Street”.  This writer is a weight lifter, and as such, he has come to know quite intimately that without work, muscles do not grow.  It has been suggested that if people would exercise three times a week, for at least 30 minutes to an hour, the citizens of the USA would have less obesity problems and would grow physically stronger.  Why?  The reason is because with strenuous work comes the reward of greater strength, higher energy, and enhanced stamina.  It’s the same way with learning a foreign language.  A student of a foreign language can have all the book study, all the book knowledge, and may have the greatest range of vocabulary that can be attained, but if there is never any real interaction with a person who speaks that language as the mother tongue, the student – no matter how much s/he knows about the language and can speak it from a book perspective – will never really be able to communicate in that foreign language.  It is the same for believers and followers of Jesus Christ.  We must get out of the house, get off of the comfortable chair or sofa, get away from the church, move off of “Nazarene Street” and “get our hands dirty”.  Otherwise, as Paul, in our passage from Romans, asks:

 

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?  and how shall they hear without a preacher?  15And how shall they preach, except they be sent?”

– Romans 10.14-15

 

There ARE Times for Rest and Relaxation

Please do not misunderstand:  what is being written here does not mean that there are not times when we, as believers, need to rest.  Even Jesus, when he was ministering here on Earth, needed time for private rest, and private reinforcement, times when he would escape away and pray to the Heavenly Father alone, before the sun arose, and his disciples awakened.  We, too, in the same way, need that time and that day of rest, that time to go where Jesus is when he says “Come ye…apart… and rest awhile…” (Mark 6.31).  When we are weary, heavy-laden, and need rest, we, too, need to rest, and spend time with Jesus Christ, as he extols us to do in Matthew 11.28-30.  We, too, need quiet time with the LORD each and every day (this writer’s Dad suggests twice a day – morning after rising and evening before going to bed).  We need the three-times weekly church meetings, twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday, as Paul explains in his letter to the Hebrews:

 

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

– Hebrews 10.24-25

 

We need these times in order to regain the spiritual strength that we lose from day-to-day, to encourage our brethren in the LORD, and to receive the new and fresh anointing of the Spirit from the Heavenly Father.  Yes, we do need these times of refreshment and the mountaintop experiences, just as Peter, James, and John had with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.  But, we need to remember, too, that after that rejoicing time on the Mount with Jesus, there comes immediately the devil-possessed valley (see Matthew 17.1-21, Mark 9.2-29).  We cannot live our lives on the mountain, we cannot stay forever on “Nazarene Street”, and we cannot spend our lives being busybody “Do Nothings”, because, if we do that, we will not only end up losing our talents, as the fearful servant did in our Key from Matthew 25, we will also end up losing eternal life!

 

Conclusion – Do You Want to Expand Your Talents?  Work for Jesus Christ!

The bottom line of this lesson for today is this:  if a person really and truly wants to increase himself/herself with regards to being talented, the answer is to work for Jesus Christ.  This writer, when he was in High School, was not so talented.  About the only thing he could do was lift weights, speak a little Spanish and a little German, and could play football.  However, as he began to give his life totally over to Jesus Christ, God started adding things to his life that he never dreamed of having.  Teaching children was – and still is, in many ways – extremely frightening to this writer, yet, ever since saying “Yes” to Jesus Christ about coming to Japan, he has found that he can teach children, and many say (though this writer strongly disagrees) that he does a good job of it.  Further, this writer has found that other areas of life, such as understanding and speaking foreign languages, being culturally sensitive, acting, music, preaching and teaching in general, and even some areas of music have all been strengthened just because he chose to go with God and do His will.  This is not all to toot this writer’s trumpet, but to explain to you, reader and friend, how far God has brought this writer, who was once a backward, shy, awkward, bashful, and untalented kid from the Hills of Kentucky and Tennessee, who was oft overshadowed by others.  If God can use, and give talents to this writer, he can do it for anybody...but we have to remember that talents do not grow if we do not use them, trade them, put them to work, and, ultimately, give them to Jesus Christ for him to expand and grow.  There is an old saying that goes like this, and it is true:  “God does not call the talented, he talents the called.”  What about you?  Are you a Christian living on “Nazarene Street” being a “Do Nothing Busybody”, but complaining because your church has no life, your spiritual life has no energy, and your friends and fellow church members seem complacent, lethargic, stagnant, and cold?  The challenge to you today is to get up, get out, get away from “Nazarene Street”, rebuke that “Do Nothing Busybody” spirit, and get out there and get to work, and “don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.”  If you don’t know or have forgotten how to get up and get going, ask God for wisdom:  he will give it to you if you ask (see James 1.5).  Are you a non-Christian, a non-believer, lost, afraid that life will forever be a fruitless, vain chase for that next thrill, never really nor truly finding fulfillment nor satisfaction?  The challenge to you is to give Jesus Christ a try!!  In the Gospel of John Jesus says this to you:

 

“...and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

– John 6.37

 

If you will ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and ask God, by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, to forgive you of your sins, he will forgive you, and will begin to do a work in you that you never thought possible.  God will send you his Holy Ghost, to abide with you forever, and through the Spirit of God, you will be given new and wondrous talents that you never thought you had nor could do.  This isn’t a promise from this writer, but a promise from God (see 1st Corinthians 1.18-31).  Trust in Jesus today!

 

Prayer – We thank thee, O Father n heaven for Whom Thou Art:  Thou art God, and there is no other!  Help us, Lord, to get away from “Nazarene Street”, to get out and to stop being “Do Nothing Busybodies”, to get to work and not be afraid to “get our hands dirty.”  Help us, Lord, (and we ask you, will you give us the strength we need?) as your followers, as your children, as those whom you have called to salvation and to work, to be at doing the things you have called us to do.  Help us all to do so, LORD God and Saviour, because we live in a hurting, dying, lost world.  Help us, Father, to be sensitive to the opportunities that come our way to share your Good News, and not only to speak it, but to live it in all that we do.  We bless thy Holy Name, today, Lord Father!  We pray all of these things and ask them in Jesus Christ’s Name, amen!

 

Verse to Remember:

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

– Mark 16.15