I am rarely as moved as I was when I listened to the Youtube link on Ed Stetzer’s blog site. It is a video clip from Penn who is one half of the magic-comedy duo Penn & Teller.
Penn is a rather strong atheist to say the least, but he has some rather surprising things to say about the heart of an evangelist. He actually appreciates it, and the words of an atheist in this case contain much valuable instruction.
In other news President-elect Obama has selected Rick Warren to lead the convocation at his inauguration. Liberals are shocked, and I think a few conservatives are as well. Why would Obama make such a move? Is it simply political? I think one reason is that honor begets honor. Rick held a very balanced civil forum between the two candidates at his church, so Obama might have just picked him for being a nice Christian.
One of the most puzzling questions in my mind has always been, “Where did the attractional model of evangelism come from?” It you are not familiar with this it basically means that a particular church has a particular worship or cultural expression that makes non Christians get up early Sunday morning, drop what they are doing and go to church.
As for me I have always wanted to put nails on the road in front of the church and then offer free tire repair as an attractional method. However, there may be a few ethical problems with this approach.
Of course I am all for churches trying to remove those things that make it unnecessarily unattractive such as archaic styles, but is it reasonable or even biblical to expect that the main method of evangelism is to get people to church?
When I was a new Christian there was a great expectation and hope that if we as a church were to return to our origins as found in the Book of Acts then the world would hear the commotion, come and check us out and then fall to their knees. Revival would then ensue. After all, isn’t that what happened in Acts 2 when the church was filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time? Many people came as a result of this, Peter preached his famous message and 3000 people were saved that day. Now that is something to write about!
Well, let’s do some math here. There were 120 Christians praying in the upper room of a house, and God showed up in great power. Then we read that this move of God attracted a lot of people, but it is unclear how many people or where they gathered. Next there is a debate among the nonbelievers as to what just happened – how did they get in the upper room? Then Peter makes his move with a powerful message.
I firmly believe that God used Noah to carry pairs and sevens of all animal life on the Ark, but I do not see how the first church fit over 3000 people in the upper room. I don’t even believe that Peter preached from the window. At some moment on this great day I believe that Peter took the discourse to the streets or to the community, and this is where the church often falls short in its understanding of evangelism.
We may indeed experience great moves of God within our insulated Christian communities, but does the result of these experiences ever make it to the streets? I fear that the answer is very seldom.
The real attractional model is to go to where the people are and shine: the streets, the community, the workplace, the university. Don't let the church building become a basket.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matt 5:14-16
In June of 1993 I experienced a sound that to this day I have not forgotten. I did not simply hear it, but I actually experienced it. The sound was the whizzing of an electric motor followed by a kerplunk. It was the sound of the landing gear closing on the plane as we left Raleigh, NC on our way to start a church in Lviv, Ukraine. I had quit my job a few months earlier, and the sound of the landing gear closing was like a giant umbilical cord being severed. All that was safe and secure was cut off, and our future was literally in the air. We were being shot from a cannon, and since we were some of the original missionaries at that time the net on the receiving end was not yet in place. The method of sending in those days was “Ready, Shoot, Aim”, and I felt ill-prepared for the task ahead.
Every missionary has their own version of this story, and I was reminded of our story just recently after I returned from a missionary pastors’ retreat in Warsaw, Poland. One of the common themes discussed was the lack of people who were willing to go to the mission field. “How could we generate more interest?” was my constant thought. The harvest was fruitful in many places, so how could we promote the need? Is there a better way to do this? What can possibly motivate someone to rip themselves up from their roots and choose such a path? The answer was elusive until I recollected how I was originally motivated towards missions.
I honestly would not have picked myself for a mission team in those days, and I often felt like a football player whose position was third-string bench. When all the other players were injured the coach would probably look in the bleachers for replacements before sending me in the game.
Still, I was the one that went, and this is the case with most missionaries. The secret of what motivated us is not found in methods and slick presentations, but it is found in God. We are ordinary people with ordinary giftings who simply had an extraordinary encounter with God. Something had gripped us to such a degree we could not let it go.
Isaiah was a man of God and a prophet, and something quite profound happened to him that I consider to be the motivation and basis of all true mission endeavors. The first thing was that he saw God, and he saw Him in all His glory. Heaven opened and shook beneeth his feet as the praises of God and of His holiness proceeded forth from all the angels. This scene struck the prophet: “Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Is 6:5
Isaiah was acutely aware of his spiritual condition, and he was also aware that not only was he polluted by sin, but the whole nation did not stand a chance before the holiness of God. In much the same way all true missionaries are acutely aware that they live in a world that is under the judgment of God. The renowned missionary Hudson Taylor even published statistics of how many thousands of Chinese entered a godless eternity every day, and this motivated him and a whole generation to literally lay down their lives to reach these dear people. Radical compassion and identification with lost people were and are essential for a missionary.
Isaiah also let God remove his own sin and guilt. The circumstances of this are rather incredible because it shows just how serious the sin issue was as angels took a hot coal from the altar of God to bring to him and touch his lips. Imagine the terror of the moment. The angels could not touch the coal themselves, and Isaiah was already laid waste by the presence of God. However, even as God’s holiness and judgment touched him he was not injured. Instead, his sin was removed. His guilt was gone, and he could not only stand before God but he could answer a specific question that was forthcoming.
Now came the call, and the call was not from angels or from man. It was from God. "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Is 6:8 Even before God could tell Isaiah where he would be sent or what he would be doing Isaiah jumped in response, "Here am I. Send me!" Is 6:8 God then sent him to those same people of unclean lips, "Go and tell this people…” Is 6:9
There you have it, and to this day the preparation of any missionary is unaltered. They have a revelation of God, His holiness and their own inability to stand before him. They also understand His goodness, His greatness and power on behalf of those who believe. As for me I grew up knowing about the historical Jesus, but when He revealed to me that He was King of kings and Lord of lords I soon abandoned my kingdom and goals for His.
Those who heed the call understand that their sin and guilt have been graciously taken away by the work of Jesus on the cross. They cannot keep this secret like some absurd personal faith, but are compelled to make it known.
They hear the call like it is a personal call, but it is most interesting that God did not say, “Isaiah, will you go?” He asked, “Whom shall I send?” The call is open to all who have ears to hear and understand.
I for one am a strong advocate for understanding that we are all missionaries where we are, and after a bumpy beginning of “Ready, Shoot, Aim” I can attest that practical equipping is essential. However, the lack of interest that I see in foreign missions and the lack of a spark in the eyes of Christians when I talk about this need greatly trouble me.
As leaders we must drive people to the presence of God, and once they have met Jesus and continue to walk with Him they will be able to hear the call. Then sending people will be more like pulling a plow behind 50 race horses and less like coaxing mules with carrots.
We have a new dog. For those of you who are parents with pets that first sentence should be enough to evoke sympathy. My family wanted a dog, and after having parakeets, fish, a real parrot and a large rodent (guinea pig) we have graduated to a real pet who can actually return affection. The parrot was actually a puppy in disguise, but have you ever tried petting a fish?
The dog’s unofficial name is poo-er which is a contraction meaning “one who poops”. Pastor Igor’s mother in law, Nadia, gave us the dog. Pooer's mom, snoopy, belongs to Igor’s family, but it conveniently lives with Nadia. I asked Igor if he wanted the dog back, and he said that he would accept ownership as long as the dog continues to live in Kiev. Igor is infinitely wise.
After two months of cleaning up small reservoirs and landmines from our living room floor every morning today is the first morning that pooer neither pooped nor sprung a leak during the night. Hurrah!
However, the victory was short-lived; we now have kittens! Apparently they were living under the front porch, and they emerged for food when their mom did not show up to make dinner. Well, we will not have pet cats for several reasons. First of all, I don’t like them. Second, my family is allergic to cats. If you would like a cat then pay me a visit, stick around for coffee, tea or to help us plant this church.
This whole episode reminds me of discipleship, and if you get upset that I am going to compare Christians to pets then you will just have to get over it. God calls us sheep, and I for one could be compared to a dog chasing cars and turning over trashcans before I was saved - spiritually speaking of course.
Many of us have also pooped on the floor a few times – spiritually speaking again – as new believers. Our friends and leaders just put a clothes pin on their noses and patiently cleaned up after us hoping that we would eventually get a breakthrough. Once we think we have made progress with new believers along come kittens – more new people - to complicate things. More work!
However…Even though life can be messy where would life be without lives? My family loves these pets. We are having a lot of fun. Also, where would God’s kingdom be without new life, new people, messy people who need discipleship, lost people – stray souls - who need a home? The church would be a clean house, but it would also be an empty house.
What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. Matt 18:12-14
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. Pr 14:4
Salvation by works has often been compared to saving yourself from drowning. Many religions essentially teach that they can give proper swimming techniques in the midst of a vast ocean of personal depravity. Of course, they move you closer to the shore and decrease the depth of the water. In other words, they teach that you are not really that lost, and if you are not that lost then you do not need a savior. You just need a guide or a teacher.
Those who call themselves Christians often fall into a similar trap in their understanding of keeping God’s laws. They imply that these laws are also instructions to at least “keep us saved”. However, swimming instructions written on stone tablets are not the best thing to throw someone who is still in deep water. The deep water I speak of is the propensity of the flesh to steer left like a grocery cart with a bent wheel. It does this when God’s law steers right. Rom 7:7-25 Denying this is like trying to hold a beach ball under water in a pool. It will come up somewhere.
The religions of man have it all wrong; we are not drowning at all! We are actually already dead, spiritually dead that is. Scripture teaches us that we are all dead in our sins and that none of us seeks after God. Eph 2:1-10; Rom 3:9-20 The absurdity of saving oneself in this predicament is the same as thinking a drowned man can administer CPR to himself. He is utterly helpless. Yes, we do have a responsibility to hear and repent, and “NO” this is not a Calvinist argument about total depravity. We are dead in our sins, but a totally depraved person grazes naked in the field with cows. Sorry for that tangent.
Jesus had an interesting way of bringing religious people to an understanding that they needed salvation. He did not bring in grace at first unless people were humble. He brought in the law. He reinforced the fact that the tablets of the law were weightier that the Pharisees thought. He pressed this until the hearer exclaimed, “Who then can be saved?” This is when He introduced grace and mercy because it was only then that it could be appreciated.
One of the evangelistic mistakes that we often make in communicating the gospel to people of other religions is trying to explain the person & ministry of Jesus before they see their need for salvation. Even though our postmodern world rejects moral absolutes many world religious still accept them. In these cases we can establish a degree of righteousness using their own standards that brings in self doubt. We can then bring in the gospel that brings a correct fear of God. The terror of an inescapable judgment is actually desirable. It is not popular, but facing the Dark Night of the Soul puts a person in the best position of understanding the hope of trusting in the finished work of Christ.
As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him.
And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?" And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:14-17
When I began a series on “Fishing for Men” a year ago I was in the warm tropical climate of the Philippines. There were many examples of fishing all around including net fishing, a fishing village on the water and even fishing with explosives. On a side note, some interesting Google search results have led people to this site “Simple Truths” and to the post “Fishing with Explosives”, namely people googling for “simple explosives”. Therefore, I feel a responsibility to tell all you would-be terrorists out there to “find a new line of work!”
Back to fishing. The one example of fishing that you will never find in the tropics is ice fishing, but you can find it in Ukraine. I see people every day setting up chairs, drilling holes in the ice – not so thick ice I might add – and defying all barriers just to get a fish or two. I liken this to the must stubborn types of evangelism. It is not fishing/outreach season, the fish are lethargic, the climate is not welcoming, the ground is cold and as hard as concrete and the catch is small. Nonetheless, the fisherman goes out.
Church planting or simple outreach is sometimes like this. It takes stubbornness, patience and resilience. Some countries are like the frozen lake. They are cold both spiritually and physically. They are even deadly like real ice fishing. They can swallow the missionary without a trace. Nonetheless, we are called to go. He calls us to go. Jesus does so because He did so Himself. He came to the coldest place, the hardest ground, uninvited and unwelcomed. The place was not just geographical. It was our own hearts.
I have friends in far-away places doing things for God that might never be heard of. They are heroes. They are not more gifted as you might think. Neither are they less gifted. They are just stubborn. Most of all they are obedient. In an age of grandiose strategies for what is popularly called “planting churches” these people have the heartbeat of the Lord. They will not take “no” for an answer. Neither are they dissuaded by rejection from those whom they seek nor are they disheartened by those who should encourage them but don’t. Well, I might be wrong about the discouragement.
In order to fully obey the commandment that Jesus gave to disciple the nations we must have the same stubbornness, patience and resilience as the ice fisherman. It is not a sport. It is the heartbeat of God.
No, I am not doctrinally dyslexic, and yes, we do need to get people lost…before they can be saved that is. It was a common method among 19th century evangelists to do “preliminary legal work” with the listeners before they presented the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. This basically meant that they had to prove to people in a religious society that they were legally under judgment before they would recognize their true need for salvation.
Jesus did the same thing as He preached not only the letter of the law, but the heart of the law. The biggest crowd on the receiving end of this aspect of His message was the religious Pharisees who were the supposed keepers of the law. Jesus backed them into a corner where the only way out was repentance. However, Jesus did not have to be as intense with the reprobates of society: tax gatherers, prostitutes, drunkards, etc. Different standard? No. The reason was that they often knew that they were lost, and Jesus was a welcomed guest with the gospel of grace.
Jesus and the early American evangelists had one thing to help them that we do not often have today, and that thing is an acceptance of moral absolutes. The basis of these absolutes was the Word of God, which was even accepted by the worst among the lost. However, on the mission field and in post-Christian societies we have to rebuild the idea of absolutes before we can even begin to get to the salvation message. Otherwise it would be like rushing into a room, throwing a life preserver to a group of people and saying, “hold on to this for your life.” We would be perceived as idiots, but the value of that life preserver would become priceless if they saw a tsunami approaching through the window. Life boats on the Titanic were not valued that much either until the ship was going down.
Telling someone that their ship is going down is not fun, and it definitely will not make you popular. People like their ships, and they will defend their ships. Like Jesus with the Pharisees we have to even attack their ships, and some people will attack back.
There are many shortcuts for getting people into the “church”, but there is no shortcut to getting people into heaven. You have to get them lost to get them saved, no exceptions. I salute all my friends who are very creative in getting people in a post-modern culture quite lost and then getting them very saved. It is not easy when there are no accepted absolutes.
I was preaching in Lviv recently when I remembered an example of missions that I had not thought of for 40 years. What jarred the deep archives of my brain is a mystery, but the example was apt as we were expounding Isaiah 54 where God was telling Israel to enlarge their tents. Of course, we were using this example for evangelism.
As a child our family still gathered around the TV for shows like “Ed Sullivan”, “Jack Benny” and “Truth or Consequences”. It was a golden age of low technology, but clever, family-oriented humor. On this particular evening the host of “Truth or Consequences”, Bob Barker, invited a “random” person from the audience to try her luck at winning an all expenses paid trip to any place on the planet that she chose. Let me add here that the host and the woman’s family had planned this all in advance. She was not randomly chosen, and neither was her destination.
In order to win the trip the woman only needed to throw a dart at a giant world map, and wherever the dart landed she could go. Did I mention that she would be blindfolded? They rolled out the giant map, she threw her dart – it never hit the map but landed on the floor – and to her amazement when she took off the blindfold the dart was stuck on North America. Well, there goes the trip to Europe. She still might get to New York.
Another map was rolled out, and it was a detailed map of North America. I will let you know now that this woman was from a small, unglamorous town in northern California. The woman repeated the dart throw again while managing to this time hit the map, and once again when she removed the blindfold she was surprised to see the dart stuck in California. She still had hope that she might get another trip to Hollywood, but her countenance was dropping.
The next map to roll out was of course…California. The process was repeated, and when the blindfold was removed the dart was right in the middle of Smallville, California, her hometown. Meanwhile, the audience was having a corporate hernia holding in the laughter because they too were actors in this ruse. Our sad subject was now using all the inner strength that she had to display thankfulness that she had won a trip to her own hometown, but the joke was soon revealed, and she was given a real trip to Europe with her husband. The ending was good.
So, what in the world does this have to do with the church and the first foreign missionary? Glad you asked! First, let me reveal to you who the first foreign missionary was/is. He is the Holy Spirit. Despite whether or not you are Baptist or Charismatic you have to agree that the very first utterance of the Holy Spirit through the church in Acts 2 was to proclaim the mighty acts of God in all the languages of the foreigners in Jerusalem. God wanted the nations to hear the gospel from the first divine breath of the creation of the church. Next, God had to practically drive the church out of Jerusalem so that they would go to the nations. Nonetheless, they still stayed within their comfort zone, and they only finally realized what God wanted to do when God gave both Peter and the gentile centurion, Cornelius, direct visions to meet each other. It was only complete when the Holy Spirit made the same proclamations through the mouth of Cornelius.
In the modern church, God is like the woman throwing the dart hoping to get us to reach the nations. However, the church being the host of the show continues to move the dart closer to home with the sad result that we can no longer recognize the nations that God has brought to us. Isaiah is used by God to exhort the people of Israel to broaden their influence, and he is actually talking about doing so on the level of the individual.
We need to open our eyes and to be aware that God has called us to reap a mighty harvest, but we cannot do so unless we aim for the nations. In the end, we should stop repositioning the dart.
There is a phrase that often perplexes me even though I know what it means, church plant or planting a church. To the religiously minded person a church plant could be one of a variety of ferns or memorial wreaths at the front of a church “sanctuary” and near the “altar”. I am not sure of the purpose of these plants other than to reverse global warming or to provide a hedge to separate the clergy from the laity. Still, they look nice sometimes.
However, “planting a church” brings in even more confusion to the uninitiated. The first absurd image that comes to mind is of a missionary planting little steeples in the ground. If it were only that simply! Don’t we wish that we could go to the local Christian book store and buy a church planting kit? Just add water. I was driving in the States once, and one of my daughters commented on the number of lakes that we saw along the way. I told her that there were so many because there was a sale on lake kits at Wal-Mart. The instructions simply said, “Just add water.” The kit included a shovel. They love and hate my jokes.
So then, how does one “plant a church?” I must admit that there is a lot of pressure on pastors and missionaries to produce the outward product of a dynamic Sunday morning meeting, but this is a sad goal if that is our goal. Our job is to reach the lost and make disciples who can in-turn do the same. These people then reach every aspect of their community so that dramatic changes are seen in families and in nations. The culmination of all this is what we call a healthy church, the fruit of obedience to the Great Commission. This healthy church also happens to meet together a few times during the week.
So many pastors are stressed about keeping up the Sunday morning appearance. It takes so much emotional and physical fuel, and it leaves us somewhat empty, just another job. Let me say something bold yet simple here, we are not called to build churches. Christ builds His church. We are involved in planting and watering but God causes the increase. Unless the Lord builds the house,They labor in vain who build it;Unless the Lord guards the city,The watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early,To retire late,To eat the bread of painful labors;For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Psalm 127:1,2
Excuse me while I go water our new plant, Kiyevicus Cultivaticus Evangicus. It should bloom soon, but a few more gardeners would be helpful.
There are few greater controversies in the church today than that of prosperity. On one side there are those who believe that money does not mix with the kingdom of God. The results of this are churches that can’t afford to project what they believe beyond the exit doors and missionaries who have to…basically not be missionaries. No one gets to go. The End!
On the other hand there are those who believe that God simply exists to serve us when we ring the bell asking for whatever we think we need. Some churches based on this philosophy simply grow obese with ostentatious extravagance while the world around it dies in godless ignorance. This extreme is also erroneous. However, resources are needed to advance the gospel.
I was once preaching and asked the church how many wanted more money from God than they personally needed. No one raised their hands. I then asked how many would like to reach their community, help the poor and reach the nations with the gospel. They all said, “Yes.” “Well,” I asked, “how can you do this unless you actually believe God for more than you can use for yourselves?” The lights went on, and most understood. God is generous, and He not only wants to meet our needs but reach others through the overflow in our lives.
Most would agree with this, but we still have a problem with method. Some teachers of prosperity would suggest that if you want more resources, more things and greater blessings that you should give abundantly and in faith… to their ministry. To this I would like to suggest a slight modification that would test the teaching and in fact it will actually bring out the true nature of what God wants to do.
This is the change. They should preach, “If you want to be blessed (actually, if you want to be a blessing) give abundantly and in faith to…someone else’s ministry. Give to your neighbor in need, give to the poor, and give to missions even in other ministries.” This would bring a quick balance to excesses, and it would bring much-needed resources to those who need it most.
This even works in the world as seen in the recent Starbucks Cheer Chain phenomenon. A guy drives up to the Starbucks drive-thru, pays his bill, and says, “I want to pay the bill for the guy behind me as well.” The guy behind him then drives up to the surprise that his bill has been paid, so he in-turn pays the bill for the guy behind him. This goes on for hours as each surprised customer pays for the next customer’s bill. Actually, it is reported that this is a promotional idea by Starbucks, and they sometimes ask people to do this.
Well, that is the point that I am trying to make. God is asking us to bless others who can bless others who can bless others. No one preacher is the recipient and God’s kingdom is advanced in many seen and unseen ways. In all fairness I must add that I have friends in the Faith Movement who embrace this balance and are very generous to missions, the poor and others in need. The key is the attitude of the heart. God wants to bless because He loves us, and He wants us to be able to bless others.
One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. Prov 19:17
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt 6:19-21
But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, Matt 6:3 Recent Blog: Biggest Evangelical Private Jet
This is not a political post, but it will make some uncomfortable, I hope. Some time during the last two years I read an article - I can’t remember the author – written by a Democrat who was a conservative Christian. He was frustrated by moderate and left-leaning attempts in his own party to court the Evangelical vote in the US. What frustrated him most was that these people would talk on and on about what they thought the Evangelicals wanted to hear: faith, family, freedom, church, tradition, patriotism, etc. However, they would never talk about the one thing, and this One Thing was the core of the Evangelical belief system, the person and mission of Jesus Christ.
Not that a man has to be an Evangelical Christian to run the country, and I am sure that some well-meaning Christians are not even qualified to lead. Some are. I was preparing this post when I heard that Mitt Romney, a Republican candidate for President and practicing Mormon, was going to give a speech on faith. I was reasonably sure what he would say, and I was correct. It was a very eloquent speech about freedom, tolerance in American history, church and liberty with a subtle Universalist haze. Jesus was mentioned – a classic Mormon slight of hand - but it was a different Jesus, and most of all the One Thing was not to be found.
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 1 Cor 2:1,2 I must confess a little trickery here because this post is really about the church. For some reason there are leaders and church planters who use the exact same approach doing the same as the left-wing and liberals, but they are doing it in reverse. It basically says this: “Let’s talk about everything that we think they – non Christians - are interested in, but let’s leave out the One Thing. It might be too offensive. The less difference they see between us and them the greater chance they will come to our meetings.” Beneath this is hidden the fact that they know very few lost people; thus, the awkward approach.
I am honestly annoyed when people try to patronize me using my faith. They lose credibility in my eyes. They should simply say, “No, I am not a Christian, but I do think I can lead so please vote for me,” or “Sorry, I am an atheist, but this is still a good business deal.” I would respect that much more. (Actually, Mr. Romney was rather honest and true to his colors – vague colors I must add - unlike others who are election year chameleons.)
I also venture to say that non Christians must be annoyed when they see us courting them while trying to act like them and pretending to enjoy the same things that we think they enjoy. They might think, “Why are these guys hiding or even DENYING the traditional tenants of their faith just to get me to attend their meetings? I heard from my grandmother that they used to believe in something. What is it that they want so badly with me to make them do all of this?” (Beneath this is also hidden the fact that they don’t even know us, their neighbors and co-workers.)
Well, that is the question isn’t it? What is it we want with these people? Not votes. Are we driven by a success motivation to fill Sunday venues, catapult ourselves to Evangelical fame or are we driven to see people come to the Crossroad of the One Thing that will forever change their lives? By keeping the One Thing as an anchor of our creative evangelistic endeavors we can’t really go wrong. Removing it is disaster. Truth with love will prevail. It also helps to simply get to know people who are an arm’s length away. No artificiality, just …be as natural as Christ was.
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 1 Pet 3:15 Recent Blog: Moses, Paul & Seatbelts
This post is a continuation of the previous post concerning how a Biblical church has to better communicate unchanging eternal truths to an ever-changing culture. In discussing this I can think of no better example than the recent movie “Transformers”. You know the plot: alien robots morph into Detroit’s latest auto innovations while trying to either save or destroy mankind. Actually, I loved the movie.
At the heart of the Autobots was an unchanging identity, an unchanging form and an unchanging mission. However, outwardly they had the ability to morph into any situation without changing who they really were inside. The Apostle Paul was sort of an Autobot Apostle of the ancient world while becoming “all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” 1 Cor 9:22 What a heart! He was still Paul. I do not think his goal was to be all things to all men. He just wanted to reach and save some.
Concerning Transformers and machines many of us have taken something apart only to reassemble it with a few parts surprisingly left over. In cartoon fashion we wish the thing would still work without these parts, but we soon find out that it was not meant to be. Those parts had a purpose, and it is best to let them stay.
Many Christians are excited about new progressive ways to reach the lost, and in doing so they aggressively disassemble archaic religious practices only to reassemble them into something understandable. This can be useful, and I do it myself. Some go a little further and attempt to disassemble the church itself thinking that it too is an archaic hindrance to reaching people. This is already dangerous ground and the risk of amateurish mistakes runs high.
Then there is the radical who thinks that the message itself needs to be disassembled and reassembled. The result of this – and it is happening right now in Evangelical Christianity – is that the reassembled form has a lot of parts left out that for some reason did not seem to fit the new and popular paradigms. Well, these parts that have worked for many millennia also have a purpose, and the organism will not work without them. The authority of Scripture, the Virgin Birth, the very tenants of our faith are under attack from within.
This is not the Autobot Apostle Paul church that wants to see men saved by progressive outreach, but it is the Decepticon church. It is at its core humanistic and heretical. It is deadly. It is poison. I hate to even post about such things, but something must be said. There are certain truths that need to be dusted off from time to time, and here are a few.
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! Gal 1:6-8
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. Rev 22:18,19
I have been bombarded in the last week by many ideas concerning why churches do not grow and what we should do so that the church can attract more people. My wife is reading a bestselling book by a famous atheist who is also attacking the church, so it seems that the modern church is disliked by Christians and non-Christians alike. What is the solution then?
This reminds me of an anecdotal story I heard many years ago about an ailing man living in a remote, frigid mountain village. He was pale and anemic from an unhealthy life, so his friends and doctor told him to go to Florida for some rest and sun.
Well, the idea seemed fine to our protagonist, and he soon found himself lying on sunny beaches eating lots of healthy food. However, he died in a few weeks. Sorry to end the story so soon.
The deceased was quickly embalmed and sent on a train back to the mountain town, and at his funeral his friends remarked in astonishment how much better he looked after his trip. “Oh, he has finally put on some weight, and he is not as pale and anemic looking since he got some sun.” “You know”, one woman exclaimed, “that trip to Florida really did him a lot of good!”
Does this sound as stupid to you as it does to me? It is equally ignorant to think that cosmetic change on a Sunday morning service will bring life when the real problem is that some churches are rather dead in either their walk with God or their desire to reach their communities. Outer changes simply enhance, but they cannot give rise to life.
Now back to my main point. Both the atheist writhing in his best-seller and some progressive church planters make the same mistake. It is not really archaic styles of worship and out-of-style clothing that make churches irrelevant. These are definitely barriers that need to be addressed if we are to reach a godless culture. However, the problem often lies with irrelevant Christians and those who call themselves Christians while saying and doing stupid things. Many of the criticisms from this atheist were not even related to Christian truths but to basic Christian behavior (or misbehavior).
A person who knows Jesus will love others enough to be motivated to make Him known. He can dress like Mr. Rogers or a punk rocker. In the end, it won’t make a very big difference. The lost will be attracted to the genuine life of Christ within us. By the way, Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister. I would not be surprised if punkers still watch his show when no one is looking.
The world needs a Resurgence of life through vibrant Christians following Christ in community.
Some of my favorite books to read to my daughters when they were growing up were anything by Dr. Seuss, and especially Green Eggs and Ham. I was able to read the tongue-twisting dialogue at ever increasing speeds which always impressed and entertained Abigail & Rebecca.
I thought about this book again recently when I was reading Joey’s blog Discipleship & Listerine. This product’s ad slogan was “If it tastes bad it has to work.”
Speaking of taste our friend in the Seuss story would not try green eggs & ham no matter how it was served, with whom it was served or where it was served.
I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
This guy was simply stubborn and self-centered, and I don't think he liked people very much. However, persistence finally wore him down, so he tried the awful-sounding food. He actually liked the food, and the rest is literary history.
How does this relate to a healthy church? Well, it doesn’t. I just wanted to fill some space. No really, for my many friends who are trying to solve complex church problems I would like to offer a rare savory dish: outreach!
It will work in a box (a car).
It will work in a house.
It will work here or there.
It will work anywhere.
It will also get our eyes back on the thing that Jesus never takes His eyes away from: the un-reached lost that are both here or over there.
It will drive us back to our knees to intercede.
It will drive us to the Bible to be equipped.
It will keep us at the foot of the cross.
Try it!
Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matt 9:36-38
We were late getting to the Araneta Coliseum last week, and barely made it into our convergence service. For those of you not from Manila this is when all 10 of our VCF-Manila congregations come together for one service several times a year. The Araneta can only hold 14,500 of our members, and my family and I had to sit up in the stratosphere.
During worship and communion I was struck, not simply by the number of people that were there, but by the fact that Jesus had suffered, died and paid for the sins of every single person there. The enormity of His sacrifice began to overtake my mind and emotions, and then something even deeper struck my soul… I will get back to this shortly.
One of my favorite movies of last year was The Guardian which portrayed an aging yet successful US coastguard rescuer. After a rescue tragedy he changed gears and began to teach students at the elite Coast Guard rescue school. Well, as usual the young trainees were always trying to break their teacher’s, Ben’s, records, and they were always wondering, “How many saves does this guy have, 200-300?”
One guy in particular, Jake, was always dogging his teacher about his records until the day they were actually doing real life-or-death rescues together in Alaska. Here is how the dialog went:
Jake Fischer: What's your number? Ben Randall: [On his "number"] It's 22. Jake Fischer: Well that's not... bad... It's not 200 but... Ben Randall: 22 is the number of people that I've lost. It's the only number that I've kept track of. This is the deeper thing that struck me at our meeting. Yes, Jesus had saved each and every one of those people in that coliseum. It was wonderful to see, and of course I know that there were visitors there as well. Yet, the group that I was counting, the saved, was eclipsed by the group that I was not counting, the lost. The movie analogy that I used is not perfect in that Ben had saved more than he had lost, but if we had reached 90% of the lost in this world I would hope to still focus on those not yet reached. Until that day let’s not be satisfied. To my friends in Manila just keep doing what you are doing.
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10
I could not resist ending this series on “Fishing Tips” without mentioning one more type of fishing, fishing with explosives! It is really quite simple and efficient; all you need is dynamite or grenades. Just throw in the explosives and up float the fish half dead, stunned or partially cooked. It also destroys the ecology, so any other chance of fishing there is ruined.
As a young believer, I used many types of what I would call “explosive evangelism”. This usually meant something like preaching on the street corner while holding a 10 foot wooden cross that we had fabricated the night before. Lots of yelling in King James English and trying to be Elijah or John the Baptist usually went along with this. A lot of people stopped eating for a moment as they gazed through restaurant windows, probably thinking someone was making a movie, pledging for a fraternity or we had lost a bet. There was one backslidden Christian who turned white when he saw us, most likely thinking that God had come to collect what was due, but we saw no other fruit except that we were pretty bold for Jesus. I guess it was also useful in helping me to start this blog.
The problem with using creative methods or just being obnoxious is that we often try to use external force or power to produce an internal transformation. We can end up competing with the world to out-entertain people; however, creative methods can be effective bridges of communication depending on the culture or people group. Still, the method should never become the message.
When we understand what needs to happen before a person can be saved, we can better tailor our methods to enhance that process.
A person needs to understand their spiritual condition, and this is all about the Holy Spirit working in their hearts when we are “witnesses”.
A person needs to come to a revelation that Jesus – as he is revealed in the Bible – is the only solution for their condition. This requires us to be effective communicators of the truth of God’s Word, but the revelation of Jesus ultimately comes from the Father. (Matt 16:17)
Once we have done our part, which includes praying for that person, we need to trust that God actually knows how to do His part.
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? Rom 2:4
We are not the Holy Spirit and no amount of external pressure, arguments or special effects will move on a person’s heart like Him. Knowing our simple role of being witnesses and sharers of this hope will take the stress out of witnessing and make it the adventure that it should be.
(When my wife read this she exclaimed, “I married a man who preached on the street with a giant cross?!”)
In the movie “The Village” a small community tried - without success - to live in relative harmony with itself, and they had absolutely zero contact with the outside world so that they could insulate themselves from evil influences. The world did not even know that this village existed, and that is the way the elders of the Village wanted it. (If our churches disappeared would the world even notice it?) I will not spoil the plot, but it is full of surprises.
This movie was an extreme example of isolation, and I have never been in a church that was that isolated; however, I have heard some bizarre comments:
“Why are we involved in missions when we don’t reach our own?” The person who said this didn’t want to reach their own either.
“We want to have many congregations reaching every area of the city, but I don’t understand this focus on outreach?” This is my favorite quote.
“That city is saturated with churches. Why are you going there?” That city was at best 5% Christian but had several famous mega-churches.
In the Philippines there is a unique kind of community, a village, that is the exact opposite of the community in the movie “The Village”. I speak of the fishing village. Here are some simple characteristics:
The main goal is to live and to catch fish.
This village is a community built directly beside a body of water or even sometimes on bamboo stilts over the water. Why? Well… because that is where the fish are.
I think that you get the point. The church should not be an isolated group in a building. It should be community reaching community from within community. This is the Christianity that we all long to see, and I sincerely hope to reproduce it everywhere I go. To my friends in the Philippines … Thanks.
I have never fished with a net, but the Bible uses this as the primary analogy in evangelism. Some say line fishing – a pole & line attached to a hook – is like reaching just one person at a time while net fishing is like a large event that gathers many people at once. Well, I beg to differ on that meaning of net fishing.
I have organized several large-scale outreaches in Ukraine, and in one we saw 3000 decisions in two weeks. We knew none of these people before the outreach, and even with organized follow-up we only saw about 10 people added to the churches involved. Even large ministries will tell you that follow-up is the most problematic aspect of large crusades. Our intentions were always good, but the nets simply broke. Most of our growth has always been through one-to-one encounters.
I started this series talking about an “itch” that I had when I first heard about the way the church was growing in Manila, and now the itch has been scratched and satisfied. The net is not the super evangelist or the crusade. The net is community: individuals, families and social groups that already exist in the world’s community that are saved, trained and ministering in community where the lost live. When we tap into the potential of our members then true net fishing occurs, and fruitfulness is multiplied.
In many western countries individualism has eroded the fabric of community to such an extent that people no longer know their own neighbors. This erosion weakens the very net that facilitates reaching society from within. It makes us strangers to the world even before we become Christians, and when we do finally come to the Lord the church can unwittingly estrange us even more from the lost around us. The most expedient solution to this erosion has been to rely on professional ministers to do 80% of the work that all the members should be doing, but this produces a further atrophy in our God-given ability and desire to share our faith. We simply lose by default.
When Steve first invited me to Manila I asked him what I would be doing to which he replied, “The same thing everyone else does.” This was a bit of a jolt to a full-time missionary like myself, but it was the medicine that I had to take before the itch would leave. Desiring titles or the position as “the man of God” will never advance God’s kingdom, and it may even hinder it as we make ourselves the roadblock that younger growing leaders can never get past. Over the years God has removed much of this mindset from me, and every honest pastor must admit that it is an issue in a world where performance and success are exalted.
As a full-time missionary I am at best a leader (to Jesus, not myself), an equipper, which I love to do, and the rest a follower of Jesus and fisher of men. Matt 4:19 The kingdom is best advanced by ordinary, equipped Christians following Christ in community. This is the essence of what we call “discipleship”.
The highlight of this week for me was taking my friend, Marcus, through our One-2-One booklet over sushi at Teriyaki Boy. He is already a Christian, but I was mentoring him to better reach those whom he meets every day. I am convinced that he will bear much fruit, more than me because he lives and works in community. The examples here of ordinary people bearing extraordinary fruit are too numerable to mention! You need to see it just once…in your own church...in your own life.
Most people have defensive walls built around their lives that make it difficult to share the gospel, and Christians often take their best battering ram and charge the strongest part of the wall in an attempt to win someone to Jesus. I have done it many times without much success; however, some people are ready the moment we share with them.
In the movie “Troy” there was a great, ill-fated battle to take the city by the Greeks, and when that failed they came upon an ingenious plan, “What if they invite us in?” Well, of course this is nonsense unless you become a friend or an attractive gift. You know the rest of the story as the enemy hid in the wooden horse that was welcomed as a gift in the city.
How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" Rom 10:15
Now let’s look at this verse. Are our feet really welcome when we share the gospel, or are we seen as a nuisance, or worse, an adversary? I have seen countless methods of evangelism by Christians and even cults that are basically annoying mainly because what they were sharing was not even understandable, much less relevant for the moment. I have also seen an air of superiority and condescension which my friends and I call “the rebuke spirit”.
For example, at work John says, “I am really having trouble with the wife.” or “The #@**/! kids are driving me crazy.” Too often we reply, “If you simply came to church, tithed and gave your life to Jesus things would change.” Well, this is like speaking Chinese to present-day people (unless you are Chinese, then it is like speaking Urdu, etc.) We are also giving the impression that our lives became perfect when we did those things.
On the other hand we could say, “My wife and I also had problems as well as unruly kids, and we got it worked out.” This is something your friend can understand; you had problems and got it worked out. This is welcomed news, and John might let you in the gate to say more. Unlike the Greeks in the horse we really do want to help.
This is the use of testimony, your personal eyewitness account. Your friend’s problem is the “ripple in the water” that we should look for as we are fishing for men. The gospel starts to make sense to him over time, and as he begins to understand the roots of his problems - no God in his temporal life - he will begin to understand the value of our Jesus. In the midst of his personal crisis he will say, “I am so glad to see you! What do I do now?”
Your feet have just become beautiful.
…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. 1 Peter 3:15
Last summer we were visiting friends in New York where we lived and ministered prior to coming to Manila. After a church meeting we all had a picnic at a beautiful park on the west side of Manhattan by the Hudson River. Looking southwest along the river there was a hole in the skyline where the World Trade Center once towered in pride.
I asked my friend where he was that tragic day, and he told me that he was actually driving by the same park when he noticed a passenger jet flying down the river at a low altitude. I pause here in the telling because at this moment you are seeing the same image that I saw in my mind when my friend related what he had witnessed. Yet for some reason listening to my friend’s story at the site of the incident had more impact on me that any of the news footage that I had seen of 911, one of our nation’s greatest tragedies.
There is a fundamental difference between being an eyewitness and simply repeating what we have heard about an event. In a court of law anything other than an eyewitness account is called “hearsay”, which is not admissible. This simply means: I heard it, and then I said it. In Christianity people often get the terms confused, thinking that we need to go “witnessing” while never having “witnessed” the things we will speak of.
“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Jesus is not saying in this verse that God will only give us power to tell the gospel, but He will make us eyewitnesses of the gospel by the indwelling and transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Like the park where my friend told his story, our lives are also the site of an event, and this event is so personally significant that it is called a new birth. Yet unlike the tragedy in New York we went from war to peace, disorder to order, death to life. It was a reverse catastrophe such that if it did happen it would be worth the telling and produce eagerness in the listener.
As a visiting pastor, Jim Hayford, said here last week, “our handicaps are not liabilities, but they are opportunities.” I hate to use the following example in light of the sensitivity evoked in mentioning 911, but I hope that it may bring encouragement to those who think that they have grown too little in their faith to be a witness. If you were to witness any catastrophe like 911 as if the film ran backwards you would see the miracle even before the damage was completely undone. In the same way anyone who sees the process of spiritual transformation will also see the hand of God in it even though the work is not yet complete. Salvation is the event that precedes a life of continual change.
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Heb 10:14
If God has touched your life in any way then you are a witness.
