Rock Gardens In the Air

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  (1 Thess. 4:16-17, NASB)

Toby Mac raps a song titled "In the Air" in which he has a lamenting dream about his friend not being part of the rapture:

I had a dream last night about the other side
And I must confess that it was quite the ride
I had a dream last night and the fact that you weren't there
Gave me quite the scare (Ah-huh)
You see people were afloat all around me
Yet their weightless state never seemed to astound me
Everything was grand 'til I noticed one thing
That you my friend weren't on the scene

William Fay had a dream too:

One night I had a dream.   A woman clutched a little girl, struggling to hold her child's head above the water.   Nearby, a wave plunged a man into its salty depths.  He choked for air as he thrashed his arms against a ceiling of water.  All around, the ocean churned with drowning people ...  

Then a huge rock appeared, and a voice called into the darkness.   People began crawling up the rock's craggy sides to safety.

But when they got to safety, something happened that drove me almost goofy.  The people who emerged from the waves got busy.  They got involved building rock gardens, rock lives, rock jobs, listening to their rock music and going to rock meetings where they talked about the people who were still drowing in the ocean.   But nobody went back to the water's edge to help. (Fay, p.5)

There may be a number of reasons why we don't fulfil the commission set by Jesus (going into all the world and making disciples):

Fear of rejection

The parable of the sower in Mark 4 and Luke 8 teaches us that the message will be rejected by some as the seed falls on the path; some will fall away as the seed falls on rocky ground; some will be unfruitful as the seed falls amongst the thorns; but some seed will fall on good soil and reproduce 30, 60 and 100-fold.

It's a biblical principle that Jesus' disciples will be rejected:

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:13 NIV)

But this rejection also brings with it a blessing:

Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. (Luke 6:22 NASB)

Share the gospel first.  Build relationships later.   Remember, it is for His sake.

Fear of reproach

In Acts 5, Peter and the Apostles were investigated for speaking the name of Jesus:

"We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." (v.28)

and Peter's reply should give us encouragement when we fear the reproach of man:

"We must obey God rather than men". (v.29)

and when they were flogged for preaching the name of Jesus, they rejoiced and continued with their task!

... after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (vv. 40-42)

Don't know how to start?

It's the age of religious tolerance.  Whether you consider that is good or bad is a matter of perspective. The point is that religious tolerance is a topical contemporary discussion and it is reasonable to respectfully discuss religious matters and opinions with others.  William Fay suggests 5 questions that help to lead someone to a discussion about faith in Jesus Christ:

1. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?
2. To you, who is Jesus Christ?
3. Do you think there is a heaven or hell?
4. If you died, where would you go?  If heaven, why?
5. If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?  (Fay, p.33)

With this last question, the person gives you permission to share with them.

Fortunately William Fay's ocean and Toby Mac's In the Air are only dreams, but they serve as great reminders to us of our very real and current mission:

... Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  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."   (Matt. 28:18-20 NASB)

We are not alone in our mission.  Note Jesus' last words in the Gospel of Matthew:

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

He is with us!


(Toby Mac's plan to rectify the problem is seen in the latter part of his song, and Fay's strategy for sharing Jesus is spelled out through his book, but I won't spoil them for you...!)

References:

Fay, W. (1999). Share Jesus Without Fear. 1st ed. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, pp.5, 33.