This blog, written by a friend of mine, is a great example of what I am talking about in this weeks blog.
http://thelawmanchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/01/invest-and-invite-how-modern-church.html
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Reality Check
Well, lets face it. The world isn't exactly pounding down the doors of the church to get in. In fact, I would suggest that the church is the last place that those who sit in darkness will want to find themselves. The church building has about as much appeal to a sinner as the county jail does to the average criminal. It just isnt a very comfortable place to go when you're guilty.
So how do we get them in? With what means should we make the whole experience more attractive? Maybe we could add padding to the pews, get better sound equipment, hire a hip worship leader, or have the pastor dress as casual as possible, and refrain from using the words, "sin, repentance, judgment, righteousness, blood, cross, hell, damnation," and anything else that might scare them off. After all, we want to be as seeker friendly as possible, don't we? We wouldnt want to come on too heavy, and imply that following Jesus requires any kind of real change. That might send them straight to the doors.
This way, coming to church on a Sunday morning can be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for anyone. The attendees can walk out the doors, having their backs padded and their ears tickled, and walk straight back into their sinful lifestyles with no real fear of judgment or threat of consequence.
Why are you being so sarcastic, do you ask? Because this is the kind of nonsense that happens when we are too fearful to tell the truth. If the pastor is not bold enough to preach the gospel the way Jesus and the apostles did, how can we expect the church to go out into the world and do so? In other words, if there is weakness in the pulpit, there will be weakness in the pews. If you have a group of people who have been brought into some kind of religious experience of accepting Christ, but are strangers to repentance, who were not told why Jesus died on the cross, then it is no wonder why they lack any kind of zeal for building up His kingdom.
The trouble with the contemporary western church today is that we have a country club attitude. Too many of us subscribe to the mentality that we should enjoy an easy, laid back life. Leave the world outside, we don't care. Don't bother to tell them about what we know, they wouldnt be interested anyway. Besides, even if they were, would they not come on their own?
Listen to this quote by Samuel Chadwick, "Why does the church stay indoors? They have a theology that has dwindled into a philosophy, in which there is no thrill of faith, no terror of doom, and no concern for souls. Unbelief as put out the fires of passion, and worldliness garlands the altar of sacrifice with the tawdry glitter of unreality."
If we do not have a sense of the terror of doom ,we will not have any concern for the fate of the ungodly. Many understand what the Word has to say, but apparently they either do not believe it or have no compassion for those who will fall under the wrath of God. It is either unbelief or apathy that paralyzes the church. Which is it? We either have little love for our neighbor or we have little belief in what God says.
Everyone clings to the promises of God. Promises of forgiveness, freedom, blessing, future paradise, etc., but how often do we groan in sorrow for the promises he has made to execute his wrath on those who refuse to repent? How often do we consider what lies ahead for the ungodly? This is what kindles the fires of passionate preaching. This is what motivates a preacher to carry the message of salvation to his family, friends, neighbors, and the ends of the earth. An awareness of the awful consequence of being in one's sins on the day of judgement is what gives urgency to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is also what drives sinners to the foot of the cross. Recognizing that it is only the blood of the Savior that can wash away their sins is what makes lost men and women put their faith and trust in the One who died for them. These converts do not backslide. They didn't come to Jesus for a better lifestyle, or because they were missing something, or because they had a God-shaped hole in their heart. They came to be forgiven of their sin. Nothing will separate them from Jesus now.
They won't bail out on Jesus when their portfolio disappears, or when temptation rears its ugly head, or when they lose their job, etc. They didn't come to Jesus for a happy life. They came because He is life itself. If anything, all the hard circumstances in life only make them cling tighter to the Lord, and even make them look forward to getting out of here.
Problem is, if pastors and street preachers fail to fulfill their responsibility to preach all of the truth, then we are not only robbing the sinner, but we are robbing the gospel itself of one of its "ablest auxiliaries." God wants his servants to be faithful, and that includes faithfulness to the simplicity and purity of the message. It is tempting to gloss over those parts of the gospel that are uncomfortable to discuss, but to do so does a great disservice to those you intend to reach, and to the Lord.
We don't need to fall into the temptation to make the message more palatable. Study the sermons Jesus preached. See how he faithfully told the truth. To those who were proud, he gave the law, in order to humble them. To those who were humble, he gave grace. God resists the proud, but he gives grace to those who are humble.
So, self examination time. Are you sharing your faith with the people God has put in your life? Like I said at the beginning of this message, they are not exactly wearing out the carpet at the entrance of the church. You are the one who has been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation in their life. Are you being faithful to them and to God by sharing the whole message of the gospel? Do you let the thought of what will happen to those you know and love motivate you to make some effort to share the message of everlasting life with them? Are you willing to let the conversation swing to some uncomfortable things (sin, judgment, hell, repentance) in order to effectively reach them?
Pray about these things, and study the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. Be faithful to God. Be faithful to those with whom you share the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
See you on the streets!!
So how do we get them in? With what means should we make the whole experience more attractive? Maybe we could add padding to the pews, get better sound equipment, hire a hip worship leader, or have the pastor dress as casual as possible, and refrain from using the words, "sin, repentance, judgment, righteousness, blood, cross, hell, damnation," and anything else that might scare them off. After all, we want to be as seeker friendly as possible, don't we? We wouldnt want to come on too heavy, and imply that following Jesus requires any kind of real change. That might send them straight to the doors.
This way, coming to church on a Sunday morning can be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for anyone. The attendees can walk out the doors, having their backs padded and their ears tickled, and walk straight back into their sinful lifestyles with no real fear of judgment or threat of consequence.
Why are you being so sarcastic, do you ask? Because this is the kind of nonsense that happens when we are too fearful to tell the truth. If the pastor is not bold enough to preach the gospel the way Jesus and the apostles did, how can we expect the church to go out into the world and do so? In other words, if there is weakness in the pulpit, there will be weakness in the pews. If you have a group of people who have been brought into some kind of religious experience of accepting Christ, but are strangers to repentance, who were not told why Jesus died on the cross, then it is no wonder why they lack any kind of zeal for building up His kingdom.
The trouble with the contemporary western church today is that we have a country club attitude. Too many of us subscribe to the mentality that we should enjoy an easy, laid back life. Leave the world outside, we don't care. Don't bother to tell them about what we know, they wouldnt be interested anyway. Besides, even if they were, would they not come on their own?
Listen to this quote by Samuel Chadwick, "Why does the church stay indoors? They have a theology that has dwindled into a philosophy, in which there is no thrill of faith, no terror of doom, and no concern for souls. Unbelief as put out the fires of passion, and worldliness garlands the altar of sacrifice with the tawdry glitter of unreality."
If we do not have a sense of the terror of doom ,we will not have any concern for the fate of the ungodly. Many understand what the Word has to say, but apparently they either do not believe it or have no compassion for those who will fall under the wrath of God. It is either unbelief or apathy that paralyzes the church. Which is it? We either have little love for our neighbor or we have little belief in what God says.
Everyone clings to the promises of God. Promises of forgiveness, freedom, blessing, future paradise, etc., but how often do we groan in sorrow for the promises he has made to execute his wrath on those who refuse to repent? How often do we consider what lies ahead for the ungodly? This is what kindles the fires of passionate preaching. This is what motivates a preacher to carry the message of salvation to his family, friends, neighbors, and the ends of the earth. An awareness of the awful consequence of being in one's sins on the day of judgement is what gives urgency to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is also what drives sinners to the foot of the cross. Recognizing that it is only the blood of the Savior that can wash away their sins is what makes lost men and women put their faith and trust in the One who died for them. These converts do not backslide. They didn't come to Jesus for a better lifestyle, or because they were missing something, or because they had a God-shaped hole in their heart. They came to be forgiven of their sin. Nothing will separate them from Jesus now.
They won't bail out on Jesus when their portfolio disappears, or when temptation rears its ugly head, or when they lose their job, etc. They didn't come to Jesus for a happy life. They came because He is life itself. If anything, all the hard circumstances in life only make them cling tighter to the Lord, and even make them look forward to getting out of here.
Problem is, if pastors and street preachers fail to fulfill their responsibility to preach all of the truth, then we are not only robbing the sinner, but we are robbing the gospel itself of one of its "ablest auxiliaries." God wants his servants to be faithful, and that includes faithfulness to the simplicity and purity of the message. It is tempting to gloss over those parts of the gospel that are uncomfortable to discuss, but to do so does a great disservice to those you intend to reach, and to the Lord.
We don't need to fall into the temptation to make the message more palatable. Study the sermons Jesus preached. See how he faithfully told the truth. To those who were proud, he gave the law, in order to humble them. To those who were humble, he gave grace. God resists the proud, but he gives grace to those who are humble.
So, self examination time. Are you sharing your faith with the people God has put in your life? Like I said at the beginning of this message, they are not exactly wearing out the carpet at the entrance of the church. You are the one who has been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation in their life. Are you being faithful to them and to God by sharing the whole message of the gospel? Do you let the thought of what will happen to those you know and love motivate you to make some effort to share the message of everlasting life with them? Are you willing to let the conversation swing to some uncomfortable things (sin, judgment, hell, repentance) in order to effectively reach them?
Pray about these things, and study the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. Be faithful to God. Be faithful to those with whom you share the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
See you on the streets!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Enduring Criticism
Hindsight is always 20/20. Isn't that what they say? It is not unusual to find ourselves in the midst of stark criticism of someone's efforts, especially after they have failed. Often we may be the ones whose mouths are not exactly being used as instruments of righteousness. Its easy for us, and for others to look at each others lives and evaluate the successes and flailings we see, and immediately offer our insight as to how we think things should have happened, or how they could have turned out better. Easy to say when you are looking at the results.
One area where we are dealt especially devastating blows is in the arena of ministry. Every time we see someone step out and attempt great things for God, there are the critics. If you make it your business to begin building the kingdom of God, and to become filled with a passion for urgent zealous evangelism, watch out! Because the attacks and the criticism won't only be coming from the world, but they will also come from places where you least expect it. The enemy will pull out all the stops to shut you down, and if he fails to do that, he will discredit you. Everyone knows how you should be doing your ministry, or how you should have done it. Everyone has an accusing finger that points out your mistakes. Why is it that people are so quick to criticize the good work of others? Why is there this automatic assumption that every good deed is tainted by impure motives?
This is what Theodore Roosevelt had to say about critics who go about to destroy the good work that others would do. I love this. Its so powerful. "It is not the critic who counts. It is not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. Why, the credit belongs to the man who is in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and comes short again and again, (because there is no effort without error or shortcoming), who does actually try to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, and spends himself in that worthy cause, who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. Far better it is to dare mighty things and to wish glorious triumphs, though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
It is far better to have at the very least attempted to do great things and failed, than to live in mediocrity. You will never achieve great things for the kingdom of Christ until you step out and make the effort, even if you fail and have to get back up at some point along the way. Yeah sure, there will be people who talk about it and whisper to each other how you should have gone about it in some other way. So what? What does their opinion matter? Are they on the front lines? Are they leading and directing and getting their hands dirty? I have had failures in evangelism, but my devotion to the cause of Christ is unwavering. I will not stop serving Him.
One of the greatest blessings that God gives me is when another brother or sister comes up and tells me they have been praying for me, or for something I have been involved in. Or that they have been blessed or encouraged by something the Lord did with me. For every critic out there who is bent on destroying what God is doing in or through you, you will find that God has placed people in your life who are authentic, and who love you like a brother or a sister.
Don't let the fear of what others will say discourage you from attempting great things for God. After all, isn't he worth it? Though the whole world turn against you and ridicule you for naming the name of Jesus Christ, yet to have the approval of the King of Kings turns their jeering into less than a whisper. Enduring criticism comes with the territory of daring to be a doer of great things.
Listen to what Paul said in 1Cor4:3,4 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judges me is the Lord."
The only one whose approval we should be seeking is the Lord's. Now go out into the world and be the salt and light he has called you to be!
See you on the streets!
One area where we are dealt especially devastating blows is in the arena of ministry. Every time we see someone step out and attempt great things for God, there are the critics. If you make it your business to begin building the kingdom of God, and to become filled with a passion for urgent zealous evangelism, watch out! Because the attacks and the criticism won't only be coming from the world, but they will also come from places where you least expect it. The enemy will pull out all the stops to shut you down, and if he fails to do that, he will discredit you. Everyone knows how you should be doing your ministry, or how you should have done it. Everyone has an accusing finger that points out your mistakes. Why is it that people are so quick to criticize the good work of others? Why is there this automatic assumption that every good deed is tainted by impure motives?
This is what Theodore Roosevelt had to say about critics who go about to destroy the good work that others would do. I love this. Its so powerful. "It is not the critic who counts. It is not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. Why, the credit belongs to the man who is in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and comes short again and again, (because there is no effort without error or shortcoming), who does actually try to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, and spends himself in that worthy cause, who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. Far better it is to dare mighty things and to wish glorious triumphs, though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
It is far better to have at the very least attempted to do great things and failed, than to live in mediocrity. You will never achieve great things for the kingdom of Christ until you step out and make the effort, even if you fail and have to get back up at some point along the way. Yeah sure, there will be people who talk about it and whisper to each other how you should have gone about it in some other way. So what? What does their opinion matter? Are they on the front lines? Are they leading and directing and getting their hands dirty? I have had failures in evangelism, but my devotion to the cause of Christ is unwavering. I will not stop serving Him.
One of the greatest blessings that God gives me is when another brother or sister comes up and tells me they have been praying for me, or for something I have been involved in. Or that they have been blessed or encouraged by something the Lord did with me. For every critic out there who is bent on destroying what God is doing in or through you, you will find that God has placed people in your life who are authentic, and who love you like a brother or a sister.
Don't let the fear of what others will say discourage you from attempting great things for God. After all, isn't he worth it? Though the whole world turn against you and ridicule you for naming the name of Jesus Christ, yet to have the approval of the King of Kings turns their jeering into less than a whisper. Enduring criticism comes with the territory of daring to be a doer of great things.
Listen to what Paul said in 1Cor4:3,4 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judges me is the Lord."
The only one whose approval we should be seeking is the Lord's. Now go out into the world and be the salt and light he has called you to be!
See you on the streets!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
India, 2010
As many of you know, I will be returning on a mission to India this coming March with a team from Calvary Chapel. Please take a moment to review our travel plans, so that you can deliver us up in prayer and support this work of God.
So here's the rundown...
We will be spending 2 weeks in India in March. While there, we will be doing ministry in two separate cities. First, we will be in Rajahmundry for 6 days, during which we will be involved in a number of different ministries. We will hold 2 days of pastor conferences with 300 pastors, 5 nights of evangelistic crusades, visit churches, baptize many new believers, visit orphans, and visit the mission hospital. We are preparing to be used mightily for the glory of God. Then, on the 15th or 16th, we will fly down to Chennai and stay there for another 6 days. Part of the team will be here for only 3 days, as they will be leaving early. In Chennai, we will also be holding pastors conferences with up to 200 pastors, hold 3 nights of evangelistic crusades, visit orphans, AIDS victims, homeless, gypsies, leper colonies, speak at local churches, etc. I know this sounds like a lot, but if you could see how great the need is, you would understand why we are packing so much ministry into this trip.
Here is a link to my flickr page, where you can view a variety of photo shots from our last trip. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sowingtheseed/
Also, i would like to share with you a clip put together by Living Hope Church in Vancouver. They just returned from a trip in November to the same cities and set up by the same contacts that we will be working with. What you see here is exactly what we are expecting when we go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_KA1QLeSl4
We are in the middle of our fundraising efforts right now. The goal is to raise $20,000. This will be split between the two cities and will pay for ministry, such as, renting space for pastor seminars and for crusades, paying for lighting and stage/sound equip, pay for buses to transport people to crusades, food and medical supplies for poor and destitute, etc. The team members are all expected to raise their own airfare, so we can maximize our impact with the funds we raise.
The time is winding down for us to raise the funds for the trip. Right now, we are in the middle of our last few fundraisers. We have coin-collecting containers labeled for our trip, which we are passing out to friends, family and fellow believers, asking them to toss their loose change inside, and we will collect them in let Feb. Also, we will be selling donuts a few more times to raise funds. Lastly, we have set up a Paypal on the Sowing the Seed website and are selling raffle tickets for an iPod Touch 32g. Tickets are $10 each, and anyone can purchase as many as they like. Donations are also gratefully accepted. http://www.sowingtheseed.com/
The current economic conditions have tightened all of our spending and giving habits. Please prayerfully consider how you might partner with us in fulfilling the great commission.
If you are unable to purchase raffle tickets or to donate, please lift up this effort in prayer.
Thanks everyone,
Blessings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Billy
So here's the rundown...
We will be spending 2 weeks in India in March. While there, we will be doing ministry in two separate cities. First, we will be in Rajahmundry for 6 days, during which we will be involved in a number of different ministries. We will hold 2 days of pastor conferences with 300 pastors, 5 nights of evangelistic crusades, visit churches, baptize many new believers, visit orphans, and visit the mission hospital. We are preparing to be used mightily for the glory of God. Then, on the 15th or 16th, we will fly down to Chennai and stay there for another 6 days. Part of the team will be here for only 3 days, as they will be leaving early. In Chennai, we will also be holding pastors conferences with up to 200 pastors, hold 3 nights of evangelistic crusades, visit orphans, AIDS victims, homeless, gypsies, leper colonies, speak at local churches, etc. I know this sounds like a lot, but if you could see how great the need is, you would understand why we are packing so much ministry into this trip.
Here is a link to my flickr page, where you can view a variety of photo shots from our last trip. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sowingtheseed/
Also, i would like to share with you a clip put together by Living Hope Church in Vancouver. They just returned from a trip in November to the same cities and set up by the same contacts that we will be working with. What you see here is exactly what we are expecting when we go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_KA1QLeSl4
We are in the middle of our fundraising efforts right now. The goal is to raise $20,000. This will be split between the two cities and will pay for ministry, such as, renting space for pastor seminars and for crusades, paying for lighting and stage/sound equip, pay for buses to transport people to crusades, food and medical supplies for poor and destitute, etc. The team members are all expected to raise their own airfare, so we can maximize our impact with the funds we raise.
The time is winding down for us to raise the funds for the trip. Right now, we are in the middle of our last few fundraisers. We have coin-collecting containers labeled for our trip, which we are passing out to friends, family and fellow believers, asking them to toss their loose change inside, and we will collect them in let Feb. Also, we will be selling donuts a few more times to raise funds. Lastly, we have set up a Paypal on the Sowing the Seed website and are selling raffle tickets for an iPod Touch 32g. Tickets are $10 each, and anyone can purchase as many as they like. Donations are also gratefully accepted. http://www.sowingtheseed.com/
The current economic conditions have tightened all of our spending and giving habits. Please prayerfully consider how you might partner with us in fulfilling the great commission.
If you are unable to purchase raffle tickets or to donate, please lift up this effort in prayer.
Thanks everyone,
Blessings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Billy
Monday, January 4, 2010
Initiative Evangelism
Hey guys and gals, Just wanted to share an encouraging message. Because many of us so often fall into the trap of doing nothing because "we don't feel led" or because we think "God will make it happen", I took the liberty of copying the following message so that you may be encouraged by it too.
Jeff Reiman is a member of an online fellowship of evangelists called the Ambassador's Alliance. This is a message he posted last week.
First day of the New Year and I've already failed. I've fallen short of my goal to have at least one witnessing conversation every day. The good thing about it is I won't have any temptation to be proud that ";I haven't missed a day all year!"; I'm also glad that I haven't made any promises that I can't keep - after all, this is a goal, not a vow or a sacred commitment. It's simply a goal that I ask God and others to help me with.
So why did I miss yesterday? It's simple. I didn't take the initiative. I used to pray that God would send opportunities my way to share my faith. I sort of expected some obvious ";Divine Appointment"; to happen, whatever that's supposed to look like. I hear that phrase a lot in Christian circles, and whatever it is it somehow means that one way or another God himself will take the initiative to put a person in my path, or cause a conversation to naturally start, where there is no risk of failure on my part because I didn't stick my neck out to make it happen. Oh I might do all sorts of subtle, goofy things to drop hints to people that I'm a Christian and would love to tell them about it - but for years I expected them to get the hints and take the initiative themselves. What about all the hints from a lost world that they are looking for someone to care, someone to reach out to them? What about the escapism or slow suicide of drugs and alcohol, or the arrogant boasting of beautiful people trying to convince others that they are ";living the dream";, or the loneliness of the guy reading a book in public when he could just as well read it at home? In our non-confrontational culture people simply aren't going to admit they are lost, and most don't even know they are. But Jesus tells me otherwise, and He says ";Go";.Of all the terms for it - street witnessing, personal evangelism, outreach, whatever - I think the phrase ";Initiative Evangelism"; best describes our role. Jesus commands us to go take advantage of the opportunities He gives that are all around us, not to passively sit back and wait for the opportunities to come to us - ; ";divine appointment"; or otherwise. Wherever there are people who have a little time to talk there are opportunities, and for us as people of faith it will always mean that we must step out of our comfort zone. For me, I'm not going to consistently step out of my comfort zone without deciding on purpose to do so in advance, and so at this point in my Christian journey I need to set some sort of unnatural goal to get myself to do something that I guess should come naturally. Maybe one day it will; God isn't finished with me yet.
Jeff is right. Jesus did not call us to passivity or apathy. He has called us to be his witnesses. He has told us to be the light of the world. He has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. All over the New Testament, we are continually reminded of the urgency of getting the gospel out to a lost and dying world.
Let us also take the challenge Jeff has, to make it our business to purposefully share the gospel with someone every day. Let us be sure that as we live out our lives, we are also about our Fathers' business.
Until the nets are full....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)