Tell Others About Jesus Tell Your Children

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 KJV; Share the Good News will all people and do not forget to teach your children about him. Evangelism is a way of life and not a program.

In Fellowship; In Christ

 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

                                                                                  (Acts 2:42-43 KJV)

They continued in fellowship... I suppose fellowship of sorts can be done via social media. But, that is not the fellowship that was enjoyed by those first followers. The coming together to break bread and to pray; being together is what communing is all about. Yes, social media is good to keep in touch with one another when we cannot be together. It is great that we have the opportunity to share the Gospel by means of the world wide web!

But; when it is all over, Christians must gather together to hear the word; to pray; to sing praises; to worship the Lord; to break bread together; and to fellowship with one another. Being a Christian means being a member of the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is one body and not many separate bodies. We cannot delude ourselves into thinking that we can be Christian yet never truly connect ourselves with other Christians. As members of a Body we much be connected in order to be fruitful. As St Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

                                                                                     (1 Cor 12:12-21)

And, once I'm rambling this morning one more question: How are we going to know how to serve others if we cannot ever hear them or see them face to face to know what their needs are? 

I watch many Bible Studies and Worship services online. Many people are hearing the Gospel that have never heard it before because of social mediajust as many people heard the Good News because of St. Paul's letters to the various communities. This safe-distancing that we live with today, in one regard has enabled a great deal of evangelism. It has also put a bit of a hamper on "feeding the sheep" as there are many who do not have social media available to them and that would include many faithful members of the Church. 

I see many small congregations who are either worshiping with social distancing or in their vehicles. I am very grateful for those congregations who are affording those opportunities to hear the Good News and Worship if even at a distance. But, there are many who are not taking advantage of the opportunity. They have found no real alternative ways to continue as evangelists and I cannot help but wonder if they will ever be able to open their church doors back up again. 

I just pray that as we hear the Gospel online, we will not consider this the end all. As soon as it is possible the Body of Christ has a great need to come together in worship; in prayer; in praise; in thanksgiving; in receiving the Sacraments; in breaking of the bread; in fellowship with one another; in community. We cannot succumb to thinking that we can be Christ-like without being connected to the Body of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Evangelism Is Not A Program

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."
                                                                            Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 KJV

Evangelism; sharing the Good News; sharing all that the Lord God has done for us is not a program. It is a way of life.

We share with other people those things that we care about or love. We share photos of our families. Some like to talk a whole lot about their favorite sports team. Others talk about their favorite actors or musicians like they know them personally. But, do those who profess to be Christians talk about God like they know God personally? Do we talk about him like a member of our family? He is a member of our family. He is the head of the family. He is our Father. 

If you love him who will share with others what wonderful things he has done for you. Again, evangelism is not a program that a select few are to administer. It is a way of life for all who believe!

May God open you lips and empower you with knowledge and wisdom to share the Good News!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Confess Your Own Sins

Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. (Luke 6:41-42 NRSV)

One of my former confirmation classes really got hung up on the commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain." Sure they knew that they shouldn't actually use God's name to curse anyone or anything.  But, they really didn't realize how often they actually did it by the use of various slang words to replace the name of Jesus and how often they used that infamous f.... word in conjunction with the name of Jesus or how often they damned others in the name of God.

These young people were also friends. They hung out with each other not just at the church; but, at school and after school, as well. They decided they should start policing each other's vocabulary. They began coming back to me; letting me know how others in the group had sinned by using God's name wrongly.  

It was all in fun at first; but, then it got so bad that I finally had to tell them: "You do not get to confess your neighbor's sins. You only get to confess your own." 

We only get to confess our own. Unless we are called as a witness for something or have to report a crime that's been committed or about to be committed, in addition to not taking the Lord's name in vain, we do not get to confess the sins of others. We do not get to gossip. 

One means of "evangelism" that particularly bothers me is when "christians" use examples of what other people do and what they should not be doing as examples of what is not the Christian life. It is done with this reverse maneuver in an attempt to get them to understand what is an acceptable Christian life-style and how this life-style is beneficial. This sort of evangelism, where the sins of others are confessed, is not sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God for you. It is the preaching of morality. Our good works and our supposed morality will not save us. Only Jesus saves.

Confessing the sins of others to make ourselves look better than them will not save us. Plucking at the speck in our neighbor's eye will not remove the log in our own. Plucking at the speck in our neighbor's eye only reveals to the world, the log in our own. If you are willing to share the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ then share the Good News. Do not point out to everyone, their sins. Share the Good  News and let the Spirit of God do the rest.

We are not to be pointing out the speck in the eyes of others; it is probably only a reflection of the log in our own eyes, anyway. This is something all Christians might want to consider before they open their mouths to proclaim anything other than the Kingdom of God for you and for all who believe through the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Morality does not save us; only Jesus saves.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Prayer and Proclamation; Don't Forget Praise!

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
                          Col 4:2-6 NRSV

Prayer, praise, and proclamation; that is my evangelism strategy. As Paul closes his letter to the Colossians he reminds us to be diligent in prayer and proclamation. Devote yourself to prayer. Pray that God will open doors for the message so that mystery of Christ may be proclaimed. We don't need a program. We just need the grace of God in order to do His will.

Years ago, my congregation was involved in a multi-congregation effort to do more evangelism. We met quite a few times to talk about evangelism among ourselves. As I drove home with two of the congregation's "delegates" to this consortium, we discussed the fact that we were driving quite a distance and spending an awful lot of time talking about evangelism and not actually doing any evangelism.

The truth be told we had these many meetings and had come to the conclusion that we were not of like minds. Leaders from various congregations did not trust one another; everyone seemed to have different and personal agendas, and we were not working well together. We talked a lot at every meeting; but, we never actually got to the point of proclaiming the mystery of Christ. We never got around to doing any evangelism. We had been too busy trying to figure what kinds of evangelism programs would work best. On that drive home we agreed that we already knew in our hearts what we needed to do.  That we would quit wasting time, energy and financial resources talking about evangelism. We were determined to get back on track and put our time and energy into doing the ministry we had received from the Lord. Rather than just talk about it, we would get on with the business of evangelists: praying, praising God, and proclaiming the Good News through both word and deed. We presented this to the council. The motion was approved. By the grace of God, we continued to grow both in Christ and in numbers.

The growth that happened though, did not happen because of one or two or even three people. In this closing section of Paul's letter; he reminds us that he had many co-workers in the gospel. They proclaimed the Good News with one heart and mind. Those who heard the Gospel were encouraged to share it with others. There were no special programs. They did not discuss strategies. By God's grace, they prayed that God would open doors and proclaimed the mystery of Christ clearly to the glory of God. And... the church continued to grow both in Christ and in numbers.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Persecution and Evangelism

 

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of

righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

  When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 

  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

  At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

  While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:54-60 NIV) 

God uses even the worst things that happen for the good. Stephen's death should definitely not come under the category as a good thing. He was stoned for sharing the Good News of the Kingdom. Yet, even as he was being stoned for it, he testified to the goodness and mercy of God.

Following the stoning of Stephen the followers of Jesus were persecuted mercilessly. They scattered across the countryside. But, as they went they shared the Good News with others. The stoning of Stephen initiated a wide-spread persecution of the Christians; yet, it also initiated a wide spread evangelism movement.

Jesus promised that persecutions will come to those who follow him. But, with persecution; much blessing not just for the one; but for those who witness the persecution and those who hear about it. Persecutions do come; but, blessings comes with it. For, "blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:10) 

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Main Thing

Pr. Stephen Lien, LCMC Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Phil 2:1-4 NIV)

Yesterday, the members of Christ Lutheran Church joyfully attended a 3-hour workshop on Evangelism following Worship and a lunch together. Yes, we spent the whole day at the church like in years gone by and those who stayed appeared to thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the time together learning what it means to be an evangelist.

Rev. Stephen Lien, Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry for LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ) preached in the morning and led the workshop in the afternoon. He proved to be a living example of what he taught:  "People don't care what you know until they know that you care." He showed that he cared about Jesus. He showed that he cared about ministering to others. He showed that he cared about the members and visitors to Christ Lutheran in both what he said and what he did. And, not just at Christ Lutheran. I had dinner with him and his wife, Joanne, the evening before and witnessed first hand how he put others before himself; asking staff where they were from, about their lives, calling them by name. By the time we left the Golden Lion, on Flagler Beach, one would have thought they had known each other for years.

Evangelism, you see, is not a program. It is a way of life. It is a lifestyle formed when we keep the "Main Thing The Main Thing." When we begin to truly realize how much love God has for us and for all people; we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to love and care for others; to show genuine concern. We reach out to others, sharing that love of God, in word and in deed. As Paul tells us in Philippians, we value others above ourselves, not looking to our own interests; but, we find out, we ask questions, we communicate with others, to find out about their interests and their needs. By showing that you care about them, as Christ cares about all of humanity, then they will care about what or rather who you know, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Evangelism is a lifestyle not a program. Live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Enlarge Our Borders

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.  1 Chron 4:9-10 NIV

Among the descendants of Judah, is one Jabez.  In the middle of the list of Judah's descendants is a description of this one obscure son. He is born in pain.  He is a humble man who prays to the God of Israel, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" (4:10) God answered his prayer. It does not say how.  It just says he answered this prayer.

Now, I'm thinking the fact that he prayed for these things and God answered has to be pretty important; otherwise, wide would this obscure man's prayer be placed in the middle of this genealogy? I have heard many negative critiques of this prayer.  Yet, I pray it often for others whom I love. It is a simple prayer. Jabez asked God to bless him, to keep him from harm and to enlarge his borders or his territories. The critique I've often heard is that enlarging the territories is about riches as in silver and gold or maybe houses and cars or airplanes. Some would turn Jabez' humble prayer into a selfish prayer. 

However, for the Christian our borders are on the mission field. We do not look at this prayer as a magical means to fill our pockets; but as a prayer that God would bless us with missions, with opportunities to reach out to the whole world with the same love He has for us so that others might come to know him. Evangelism is the purpose for which we pray our borders to be expanded. 

Who would not want their loved ones to be blessed by the LORD, to be kept from harm and know no pain and to have ever expanding borders to proclaim the praises of God? Oh, LORD, expand our territory so that we might reach out to even more, to the multitudes, with the Good News of your Kingdom, through Jesus Christ, our LORD.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Use Those Gifts!

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:3-8 NIV

Evangelism seems to be a hot topic in the church on earth in this generation. It is a much talked about topic. (Emphasis on talked about!) Everyone wants to know how to do evangelism; what the best program might be. Here it is! The best program is not a program; rather, it is that every member of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, use the God given gifts for the good of the whole Body.

That being said, I admit that I do actually have an evangelism strategy. I call it the "3 P's," for Prayer, Praise and Proclamation. Pray for God's will to be done; for His Kingdom to come, on earth as it is in heaven. Praying involves listening, as well. Listen to God's direction on how best to use the gifts He has given you to do His will, to further His Kingdom.  Praise God often and not just in your head. Praise Him aloud so that others might know of how God has been blessing your life. Last of all and certainly not least: Proclaim His Word! Tell others what He has done for you and for them. Tell others of His promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Use those gifts that God has given you for His glory!

God's Peace - Pr. J