Many sayings today have Biblical origins, ‘Weighed in the Balance,’ ‘By the skin of your teeth,’ ‘to put words in someone’s mouth,’ ‘at your wits end,’ ‘a drop in the bucket’, ‘pearls before swine’, ‘blind leading the blind’, ‘to wash one’s hands of the matter,’ and many more.
The one to focus on right now is ‘Go the Extra Mile.’
Kids Game shows were really great in the 1990’s. Each episode of Nickelodeon Guts had different obstacles to be overcome. These kids went the extra mile in order to win. At the end, the contestant with the most points would win a medal and a glowing piece of a radical rock trophy. Kids from all over the world came to compete.
Legends of the Hidden Temple was another game show. This started with crossing a moat. Then, a giant talking rock would tell a story and ask questions. The first team who got three right answers got to overcome various obstacles. It was quite grueling. At the end was the Temple of Light, a giant, two-story obstacle course. If you got through the temple and retrieved the mystery object, you got another prize.
What motivated these kids to go the extra mile?
Was it the prizes, the fame, the parents pushing them? Whatever the motivation, these kids went the extra mile. They did more than was expected, more than most.
Mat 5:38-42 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”
During this time in history, it was common for Roman soldiers to conscript jews to carry their equipment for one mile. If a jew was alone and had his own stuff, they had to leave it, carry the Roman’s stuff, and then go back to get his own and go his way.
- It is not healthy or prudent to carry someone else’s baggage without putting down your own first.
- Serving out of a sense of obligation does not devalue the blessing to the person you are blessing/serving.
- You will most likely be unfilled doing just the bare minimum.
- As a Christian, if you feel like serving is below you, you have missed it.
- Retaliation is a reaction born from humiliation. You will not retaliate if you choose to not be humiliated.
When Jesus was on trial, He opened not His mouth. He took verbal and physical barbs, yet He didn’t speak. He knew He would be justified. He knew the evil He was experiencing would be turned around.
Jesus wasn’t being a pushover. He was showing what it takes to love your neighbor and follow peace.
Mat 5:43-48 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
It is easy to love people who love you back. But, being in the church is not supposed to be easy. We don’t choose who needs the church or what their needs are. We don’t get to play ‘Select-a-Saint’. We don’t get to customize our congregation. It is not up to us to be spiritual bouncers. The church is a place of refuge. How could we refuse those who need refuge?
We get to choose to love those who persecute us. We get to choose to treat others with the love the world has not shown them. We get to be a church that goes the extra mile.
Mat 25:31-39 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’”
When did we go the extra mile?
Mat 25:40-46 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[f] you were doing it to me!’ 41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[g] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
You have no idea what you are sowing into when you bring someone a home-cooked meal or offer to babysit for overworked parents. You have no idea how you will impact others by your serving.
Gal 6:1-3 “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”
Context is very important in your study of the Bible. A few verses before and a few verses after will explain so much. Take the time to see it.
‘If you think you are above going the extra mile…’ It’s not up to us to be selective about who we serve. Let’s just serve. Jesus went out of His way to heal or serve or teach or minister to just one. He went out of His way to the Samaritan woman. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He went the extra mile. He resisted the devil while fasting for 40 days. He could’ve done it in a spectacular way, but He didn’t. He modeled for us what we could do.
Jesus is the perfect example of a good boss. He won’t ask us to do something that He didn’t already do.
John 15:13 “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
If Jesus did that for us, what is our excuse for not going the extra mile?
For some, going the extra mile means a paradigm shift. For others it means going to God in prayer. It means losing something, giving up something.
Mat 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
You might lose out in the short term, but the Lord will restore that and more. You may end up at a loss for a short time, but soon, you will be back in the black. Go the extra mile and see what God does in your life.
Seek first the kingdom of God.
Become more kingdom minded and less self minded. There will be people coming that have been rejected by the world. These are the ones who need our ministry. They need to meet people who care about them. Reach for the ‘least of these’. Help people to feel loved and valued.
Pastor Michael’s parents have gone the extra mile in raising him. His mother hasn’t hesitated to help or give to those in need. What an example!
Learn to recognize the needs of people around you. Then, respond with, ‘What can I do?’ Jesus has gone the extra mile for us. What can we do to go the extra mile for others?
More Questions for Personal or Group Study:
- What really spoke to you in this message?
- What are some needs of the people around you? What is Jesus leading you to do to meet some of those needs?
- Read Psalm 46. Who is our help? Knowing the riches available to us because of He who loves us so much, how can we be a blessing to those around us (especially those who don’t know Him)?
- How can you encourage someone else with this message?
Excerpted from a sermon preached by Pastor Michael Lagle.
If you are looking for an Apostolic Pentecostal church and are in the Chicagoland area, come check out The Life Church of Northbrook located at 1925 Cherry Ln, Northbrook, IL 60062.
We have services on Sundays at 11am and Wednesdays at 7pm (in person and online): The Life Church of Northbrook.
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