UnCommon Posture
Ruth
It’s going to take an uncommon church, with everything in common, to share Jesus in an uncommon time, uncommon circumstances, and in uncommon places.
We need a church willing to build in fields where no one else is building, to reach people no one else is reaching.
Change starts when
The whole world changes when the posture taken is
Story of Ruth - a story about ethnicity, a story about God rescuing people way beyond the bounds of any one nation, a story about a girl who took an extraordinarily uncommon posture that changed everything
The story of Ruth bridges the gap between the judges of Israel and the kings of Israel
Explained how David could be King of Israel, even though his lineage (his ethnicity) said otherwise (Moabites had to be ten generations removed - David was the great-grandson of the Moabite named Ruth)
11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. —Ruth 1:11-18
UnCommon Postures in Ruth:
- Ruth gave up her family, her home, her culture, her gods. She gave up what was comfortable to cling to what was unknown.
- Ruth got on her knees to pick up the barley that had been dropped and left behind.
- Ruth went to Boaz at Naomi’s request and instruction.
- Boaz redeemed what seemed to have been completely lost.
God takes an ncommon posture:
- Jesus washed the disciples feet.
- God made he who knew no sin become sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Followers of Jesus take an uncommon posture:
- Peter went to the home of Cornelius
- Paul went down to the river in Philippi to sit with the women
We must take an uncommon posture:
1. Willing to
2. Willing to
3. Willing to
It’s going to take an uncommon church, with everything in common, to share Jesus in an uncommon time, uncommon circumstances, and in uncommon places.
We need a church willing to build in fields where no one else is building, to reach people no one else is reaching.