Okay, so here’s the plan! Let’s put on the greatest show ever. Make everyone feel welcome when they walk through the doors. Have displays, lights, coffee, couches and all that dazzles when they step into the entrance. Then let’s really blow them away when they step into the giant seating arena where the service will take place. Oh, the light show, dry ice/fog, the band, the music, the videos. And let’s not forget the preaching, to tell them about Jesus with the most amazing stories! For we all want to be able to say, “To all the world, come!”
Before you quit reading this, give me a chance to step on some toes first <<wink wink>>. Of course this won’t apply to everyone, but it’s a great reminder.
Don’t Be Scared
Remember the TV show (before all the networks and streaming apps) called Scare Tactics? They always ended each scare tactic or episode with, “Are you scared, don’t be scared,” after scaring the do-do out of the unknowing victim.
No one wants to be scared. But even something we know about can scare us. The preaching of the Gospel is something that scares many, both Christians (who should be preaching) and non-Christians (those being preached at…or to). Okay, so this should be a clue as to where I am going with this.
Come, Hear Them Preach
The Pastor, the Reverend, the Minister, the Father, the Bishop – they are the preachers. Let’s get all of our unsaved friends to come in the church. That way “those preachers” and their followers can dazzle them with the service and preach to them.
Well, as you know, that is the best effort of some. To get an unsaved friend to a service where they can be preached at…I mean, to. And even then it has to be an extra special service to get those “unsaved” heathen friends there. Like Easter (with a Dove trained to fly in with a spot light on it) or Christmas (with candles, special lighting and maybe even a trinketry gift). Hmmm, well maybe that applies to a lot of Christians too.
Come – Let’s Get This Straight
Okay, so I could go on. And on. And on. Is it wrong to have all of these dazzling, fun, amazing, show-stopping, jaw dropping things going on? Certainly not. But here’s the rub.
Okay, What’s the Rub?
No where in the Word of God does it say for us to get the WORLD (meaning non-believers) into the Church. First, the Church is defined as the body of Christ. You can’t not be a follower of Christ and be a part of His body. The two don’t fit together. I won’t go into all the analogies of that, but in the simplest way that makes sense, right?
The Great Commission (as most know it) doesn’t say, “Get all the world to come into the Church!” No, absolutely not! What does it say,
Mark 16:15 NIV
He (Jesus) said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.“
Now Come!
Now, once they hear the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and are now a part of the body of Christ, let’s get them into the Church. To be an active part of the body.
Still Scared?
Let’s go back to ‘preaching’ the gospel. I call this, living the gospel out in your life. St. Francis of Assisi says it like this,
“Preach the Gospel always, and use words when necessary.”
Notice that when the disciples went out and fulfilled the Great Commission, what did they do? Did they:
- Stand behind a pulpit with robes and read God’s Word and then walk on to the next pulpit or building and do this over and over again?
- Stand on the street corners preaching the word of God and shout at everyone about being sinners?
- Use mega-phones and go to wherever they could find crowds and shout, “Turn or Burn?”
- Spend all they had on making a building look fun and fancy and hold signs up out front saying, “You gotta see this,” so come inside?
No! To all of that. What did they do then? They went out and met the needs of the people, just like Jesus did. They reflected what Jesus did. And what did Jesus do? He reflected what He saw the Father do. And what was that? He met the needs of the people, right there where they were. On the streets, at their homes, in the markets, and at their work place.
The believers reflected Christ and His love as Jesus did what He saw the Father do. Jesus, as I like to say it, was the greatest need meet-er (not a real word) that there ever was. After all, our God is the God of Provision.
And the believers did the same thing, they met the needs of the people. A couple of verses to run with here – Mark 16:17-18 and Acts 2:43.
Come Now, Don’t Be Afraid
So don’t be afraid. Be a need meet-er. When we meet others right where they are, wherever they are, then we are reflecting Christ. This will say a lot more to the World than our words by themselves ever will.
Challenge of the Week (directly from James and the second chapter of his writings):
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Go ahead, make a comment below about something you did this past week to reflect Christ and His love through your actions to someone. So be it!
