“I believe that Sunday morning is for the gathering of
God’s people. Evangelism is what we want our people to do outside the walls.
Our time ‘inside’ is for our people to worship, be edified, and to be
encouraged.” While this statement is a “mash-up” in itself, a statement
like this can be heard around the table at times among preachers over coffee.
“I am preaching for the invitation every week. I am
looking for the lost guy, the distant guy, the displaced guy every week. Every
sermon. Every week! If I lead silent prayer, I am going to give an invitation
to respond.” Ok, maybe this statement appears a little embellished…but I
have heard its parts and the theme of it over and over through the years. I
have even said most of these!
So, which is it? Is the Sunday morning gathering for the
wayward or the worshipper? Is the goal to see the lost saved, or the saints
encouraged? I think the question itself obscures the correct answer because it
seeks an either/or response…rather than a both/and.
As such, let me briefly explain why I preach to unbelievers
every week. Let me first affirm that I believe that the church comes together
weekly, usually on Sunday, and does so for the purpose of worship, fellowship,
exhortation, encouragement and equipping. This is not in conflict with my
reasons below; rather, this sets the stage for them.
I preach to unbelievers on Sunday because they are there. In a church of any size, from four to forty-thousand, there is a good chance that someone listening has yet to truly yield to Jesus as Lord. Sometimes, this person is new. He or she was recently invited, dropped by, or happened among God’s people for some other reason. At other times, this unbeliever is religious and may even be a member. Perhaps he or she prayed a prayer at some point in the past but did not yield to Christ. He may have exclaimed “save me,” but like the “rich, young ruler,” he was unwilling to do what Christ required.
I preach to unbelievers on Sunday because sometimes God’s people act like it. My challenge to unbelievers is always that they would respond to the love of Christ displayed at Calvary’s cross and turn, by faith to Christ as Lord. That prescription is true and effective whether someone is on the “outside” of the family of faith…or is “eating swine snacks in the far country” of Christ’s kingdom. The answer for all rebels is to come to (or back to) Christ by faith.
I preach to unbelievers on Sunday because it trains other believers how to do it. Many small group leaders stand (or sit) and give a lesson to a group weekly. Where did they learn to do that? Sitting under a pastor in the worship gathering on Sunday! I have tried for years to teach these gifted leaders that a second sermon is not the call of the hour; rather, the small group environment is about conversation and application. Trying to change that behavior has always proven to be challenging because these precious teachers learned it honestly. I preach to unbelievers on Sunday so that God’s people will learn how to do so as well. I want them to present God’s truth faithfully, God’s love gracefully, God’s plan compassionately, and God’s call to respond winsomely.
Finally, I preach to unbelievers on Sunday because the gospel encourages the believer. When I talk about being far from God and God’s redemptive plan, I am reminded of my days choosing to live far from Him and how “He sought me, and bought me, with His redeeming blood.” When I find someone bored with the Gospel, I immediately know something is amiss. How do you get bored with your own birthday? When the gospel is proclaimed to the believer it elicits one hearty, worshipful response: AMEN!
Why this article? Well, I am immersed in the subject
presently…and it was on my heart. If you have thoughts, feel free to drop by,
chime in, and we can chat. As always, I’d appreciate your help in clicking
LIKE, sharing the article, or sharing a comment about it. This not only
encourages me; but, it also helps broaden the audience of those who may benefit
from it that don’t yet subscribe personally.
I have a routine. For the most part, I stick with it…
(sorry) routinely. This routine involves my morning habits, the way I
dress, the foods I eat…nearly every area of my life.
I know people who hate routines. They find
them boring. They see them as killers of spontaneity. If something is routine,
they will (again…sorry) routinely avoid it.
Still others, many who have excelled in leadership, swear
by routines. Some leaders advocate routines because they reduce decisions on
less important matters. For instance, if you wear a uniform, you never stare at
your closet wondering what to wear. If you eat out (only) every Friday evening,
then you eliminate the question of what restaurant to visit Saturday through
Thursday.
While I have a routine, I am not a slave to it; rather, I use it as a tool to help me achieve the goals that I have adopted. Meal planning (diets) work this way. If my body reacts well to a certain regimen of foods, I may set a routine of eating only these foods. This routine means I intentionally preclude other foods because they are not part of my routine. In this example, the diet is not dictating my life; rather, it is the roadmap I placed in my life to get me to an objective.
Such is true in my spiritual development. I believe
that biblical knowledge (study of the Word) is essential to sanctification (becoming
like Christ). [See Romans 7]. Sanctification is essential to effectiveness in
God’s Kingdom work (mission). [See 1 Corinthians 9. esp. v.23] Effectiveness in
mission is my objective. It requires sanctification which requires knowledge.
So, I read the Bible. Routinely. I want to be an effective husband, dad,
grand-dad, disciple-maker, teacher, neighbor, etc. These are part of God’s mission
in and through me. So, again, I read the Bible. Routinely.
Another word for routine is discipline. My discipline
(which takes about an hour a day to accomplish) has been built over years. When
I started, it was about 15 minutes. Prayer. Proverbs. A chapter or two from the
New Testament.
Two final thoughts:
If I were beginning a new exercise regimen, I
would not expect to spend two hours, two times a day in the gym…the first
week. I’d be lucky to work out for an hour, three or four times per week. If I
tried to keep up with the biggest and strongest on day one, I’d quit by the end
of the first week.
Second, I blow it from time to time. I get busy,
oversleep, have a sin issue that prevents me from hearing God, etc. If I miss
my routine for a day or two, I catch up on my reading. If this persists beyond
a couple days, catching up will prove impractical. In such a case…I will fast
forward to the plan for that day and pick up from there. What I cannot do is
QUIT and declare that I’ll try harder next year. That’s defeating. It doesn’t
work. So just skip to the right place and begin again. God won’t hate you if
you admit to sleepwalking through parts of Leviticus or the genealogies…though
there are some cool nuggets in there to find if you can discipline yourself.
Anyway, that’s me. Tomorrow I will share my actual routine
(which will surprise some of you). Mostly I share for accountability, but it
may also have some parts you want to add to your discipline.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lao Tzu
2020 is a year of promise. It is a year of opportunity. It is a year of great potential. These affirmations are not simply some new form of “positive thinking.” They are truth. Every decision we make has great potential…for good or evil. Every adopted pathway will lead us closer or further away from the desires we have in our hearts.
The beginning of a new year is an
exciting time. In some sense, we leave behind the previous year and step off
into the prospect of something better.
One thing that can become an obstacle to our opportunities though…is the task of the first step. There is a popular leadership axiom that relates to the “paralysis of analysis.” Some leaders cannot lead because they are fixated on examining every possible outcome before committing. They want to see every option and have every fact “nailed down” before beginning. Truthfully, most never lead because these desires for security are elusive. None of us have all of the information. None of us knows the future perfectly. We can predict. We may even predict well…but only God truly knows.
Other leaders seem to have a Midas touch. They always find opportunities. The experience more than their “fair share” of success. Often, the difference is not related to strategy or ability but initiative. THEY TOOK THE FIRST STEP.
This year, do not allow indecision to deter you. Choose a path and take it. If it is a mistake, turn around and choose a different path. Make a decision. Fulfill YOUR destiny…the thousand-mile journey (if you will) …by acting to take the first step.
Today, I acted toward one of my goals for 2020 which is to read the Bible in its entirety. I have done this many times before. In fact, it is an annual devotional discipline that I incorporated several years ago. However, neither my past achievement nor my future intentions will achieve the goal. So, today I affirmed the decision and read the first four chapters in Genesis. The greatest journey…begins with a single step.
This is the fifth installment of my reflections on a recent trip to South Asia on mission. You can read the previous installments HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. If this is a blessing to you, let me invite you to drop by MY SITE and subscribe to email content to be delivered directly to your inbox whenever it drops. Also, I’d love for you to like and share comments on the posts if you are so inclined. In the ecosystem of social media, your approval helps to ensure that a broader audience can see this information. Yes, a simple click and comment can help spread the good news. Thanks in advance!
One of the debrief questions that a host team asks prior to departing a country is “what stories will you tell?” With so many wonderful experiences, it is always a challenge to zero in on just one or two; however, the question does prompt reflection and calls for a conclusion.
For me, there were several key moments. Watching my
interpreters and sharing team partners move with such boldness and grace would
be one. Time with dear friends sharing a meal would be critical as well. Praying
for sick, injured, anxious, and hurting people is always impactful. In fact,
one such story began this way.
At a home we were visiting, we asked if there was anything we could pray for…an illness or sickness where we might ask God’s mercy on their behalf. The reply was familiar: “No, we are fine. Everything is good.” After thanking God for his blessing, I shared the gospel and stories of hope from the Scriptures. As we were wrapping up, one woman in the home “came clean.” She shared that she had been married for four years but had not conceived. She wanted us to pray for her to have a child.
It was not my first time to pray for this type of request. I
had heard similar stories several times in the week. But this one was special.
The members of our team gathered around this woman to pray, including a
pastor’s wife who was also in the same childless. My heart was grieved. I
thought, “There can be nothing harder for a childless woman than to pray for
God to give another woman a child.” But pray she did. When we finished praying,
my suspicions were confirmed as I saw her wipe a tear from her own eyes.
The image did not leave me. Here is a woman who knew the grace of God personally being challenged to pray that God grant another woman the greatest desire of her own heart! I thought, “What a picture of the fruit of the gospel.” In many circles, there would be jealousy. Or resentment. Or bitterness. For this pastor’s wife, there was only brokenness, grace, and intercession—intercession for God to be merciful toward another woman.
The next day, this pastor and wife asked our team to pray for them, that God would also grant them a child. My commitment was that I would join them in praying daily for God’s mercy in granting them the desire of their heart.
Only a recipient of grace can truly pray for God’s grace toward another. I saw the fruit of the gospel reflected so clearly at this moment and was invited to bear a pastor’s family’s burden with them in the days ahead. What a privilege to partner with them in prayer and know that God hears and loves and always answers according to His own wise counsel. What a privilege to have a front-row seat as God moves.
If you wish to see God grant victories, you must first enter the contest. CMA
I don’t want this to come across in an offensive manner. Honestly that is not my intention; however, I suspect someone may bristle at this observation. Let me apologize in advance for the means but not the message. Westerners, and American Christians, in particular, are becoming increasingly “soft.” We have become so enamored with comfort, ease, compromise, peer-approval and the like, that any obstacle, challenge, resistance, or disapproval is considered “bad.” A false gospel has even taken root in the Christian marketplace promoting a “weird” understanding that if something isn’t easy and doesn’t result in abundantly blessed comfort, it lacks the fingerprints of God’s approval.
Such an idea is foreign to the Scripture; In fact, the
opposite is true. I, for one, was encouraged by the resistance we experienced in
South Asia since I found in it, evidence that we were “on the right track.”
It happened that we were “sharing” during an annual festival season across the country we were working in. During this festival, idols are erected in every village and daily “worship” takes place. All in all, this festival raised the spiritual resistance climate in several unentered places we were “sharing.” On one particular day, I noticed, as we entered an area to share, a man bearing the markings of a radical religious sect. He immediately zeroed in on our group. I was familiar with this sect as I had many dealings with them in another part of the country well-known for its religious persecution. My spidey-sense kicked in and I knew we were in for a treat. This village was the first where our teams were asked to leave and not share Jesus. The next village gave us a similar invitation to leave and still another on the next day.
Why?
Simply stated, the “enemy” hates us because he hates the One whom we serve and speak of. He hates God. This enemy walks about the earth as an intimidating adversary, looking for those he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Demonic forces are real and look for weaknesses in the witness to exploit.
I loved the response of our team: kindness but not
cowardice. Sure, we will leave, but not without praying that God would open
blind eyes, set captives free, and demonstrate His redemptive plan with power
and grace. Yes, we will leave, but not without exposing the village to the
aroma of Christ.
See, we know that whenever you get close to punching the
enemy in the face, he squeaks up! He recoils and then retaliates! It is the
nature of how things work. So, rather than cowering or becoming discouraged, we
should find encouragement and purpose in the resistance by the enemy. After
all, if the devil doesn’t push back against your efforts…you must ask yourself
“why?” Are you simply not a threat, or are you still on his team?
By the way, while one of three sharing teams was being kicked out, the other two were in the village and leading people to profess faith in Christ. Yep! We were on the right track!
When the enemy gets in your face and roars, smile with the
greatest of confidence… “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the
world.” (1 John 4:4).
In recent days I returned from a mission trip in South Asia, working with national partners in one of the least-reach areas of the world with the gospel. You can look at my first article HERE or second HERE. This is the third in the series.
Sunday service prior to preaching to these precious saints
How often do you reflect on and rehearse the Gospel? In the context we served in, there was an effective, simple, and reproducible system for sharing the Gospel. After getting to know the person/family briefly, I received permission to pray for them, and then further permission to share a story of hope from the Word of God. This story would lead to receiving permission to briefly share my personal conversion testimony and a key question (in my case), “Have you ever heard the Gospel?”
This is where it gets interesting to me. No one knew the
gospel. They had not heard. Ever. From anyone. Ever. Did I say ever?
[FULL STOP]
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who
believe (Romans 1:16). Whoever will call on the Name of the Lord shall be
saved. (Romans 10:13). But, how can they call on Him though if they have not
believed, or heard of, or if no one has told them (Romans 10:14-15 paraphrased)?
So this powerful gospel which is able to save and entrusted to us by Him who desires for all men to be saved…has never been heard…but if someone shared it, and it was heard, resulting in belief, it would change all eternity for the hearer! WOW! But that is not all that changes.
One of our team sharing with a group of people gathered to hear the Gospel
As I rehearsed the Gospel over and over again…it brought renewed
joy to my heart. We are not talking about deep theological constructs here.
I was not waxing eloquent on some apologetic approach to the resurrection in
some way that my seminary professors would be captured in awe. I was rehearsing
a short story from pictures imprinted on a sharing bracelet. Creation. Sin.
Consequence. God’s Redemptive Work. The Cross. The Empty Tomb. The invitation
to respond in repentance and belief. Eternal Hope.
As I shared, people were interested…but I was interested in how “interested” they were to hear of God’s creative, redemptive, and restorative work! As I watched God warm hearts and draw people with the gospel, I became more in love with it too!
Here’s what else: I watched all of our national partners
doing the same thing. We all shared the same message in the same basic way. In
fact, one of our sent-out families had a young daughter who rehearsed the gospel
from the bracelet for me many times during the day. This warmed my heart and
caused me to love the gospel more!
I suppose a bottled up, stuck on a shelf, seldom rehearsed story is no less powerful in its nature…but it cannot be appreciated as much until it is shared and shared and shared. [Read that again slowly and process it].
A good day of sharing for our team
Yes, I know we live in America. I know we (most of us who
would be reading this article anyway) have heard the “old, old story” many
times…but I would suggest that we would come to appreciate it more if we would
share it often, everywhere…with everyone who would give a hearing. I might even
go as far as to say—we would learn to love it more through sharing it and
watching what God does with it in the hearts of those who hear.
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