Evangelism - Shift in thinking
First of all, I want to say this blog has not died. I’m just (currently) too focused on other things to be updating on a regular basis. But as I was preparing for my sharing on Evagelism, I saw this post sitting in my drafts bin; it is post-dated as far back as March 2008. And I think the overall desire to bring God’s vision of Evangelism back as a part of our Christian walks has been a conviction stirring deep within me for many many months now.
I’m very excited to have a chance to proclaim truth and let it be heard. And I think sometimes, the reason why it takes me so long to post something is cause I write in a mini-sermon style. But the following will be flowing from my raw thoughts, cause I’m too lazy to edit this draft.
Ahem,
Outreach, or rather evangelism is all about going out in tiny nodes. Although missionaries who fly to different countries have the right model, that is not the only form of outreach. The whole world is in need of the gospel.
Outreach is not about the churches, but about the local organic churches. It is about the body of Christ. It is about redemption, saving grace and active discipleship. In the New Testament, the Spirit was sent forth and the temple curtains ripped so that the presence of God would not be contained. It was God’s will for all to be saved. (John 3:16, cliche - but needed)
God made each and everyone of us unique. Customized and personable to a certain group of friends. God made us to be relational people. We have Christian and non-Christian friends. And our responsibility and calling is to go plant the word of truth in the relationships we come in contact with.
This is why I say Evangelism is about going out in tiny nodes. For we (believers) are nodes that can go out and link into the lives of so many non-believers. We hold the truth and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring them into an eternal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We should be going out there. Could you imagine every Christian bringing one non-believer to Christ. That would automatically double the amount of ppl saved.
Evangelism isn’t about bringing ppl back into the church. It isn’t about bringing people back into a fellowship. And it certainly isn’t about assimulating them into a faith and making them someone they’re not. Outreach is taking what God has given them, and making their lives centered around Christ. That is essentially what missionairies do.
They don’t go to another country - change their culture and think of innovative ways of bringing them back overseas. Thats ABSURD. When I say overseas missionaries have the right model, I’m saying that their approach is correct. Where they go into a culture - Transform them with the truth, and teach them how to live a life for God. Then they leave.
Take that model, scale it down into a personal level - and that is the way we are going to be effective for the Lord. Effective evangelism is not about bringing people to the Lord, but bringing the Lord to his people.
The goal isn’t to go out there and assimulate a group of friends, and drag them to Church. But to go into a group of friends, bring the Lord into their lives and have them plant the gospel and start a Church within their own group. Isn’t that powerful? I mean we’re perfectly fine with that happening overseas, but why not locally?
Our commission - The only thing we can do.
Often times, evangelism or outreach is exactly what this picture depicts - a crazy mix of uncertainty and fear. It’s crippling. Majority of us, Christians, don’t even think about outreach. And an even larger percentage of us have the wrong picture of what Jesus’ commission really means to our daily lives.
It has become increasingly harder to actively declare one’s faith in the modern day age of freedom and equality. And a lot of the times people (myself included) don’t even know where to start. I think a lot of Christians have become comfortable in ignoring this calling, or at least has not fully grasped the weight of evangelism.
“The only thing you can’t do in heaven is lead a sinner to Jesus”
Sure, we can have church, fellowship, edify and exalt God together. But that’s something we’ll be doing for eternity in heaven. We can read and study the word of God together. Pray and support each other, but that’s all secondary to what Jesus’ commission is for us.
One question we don’t ask ourselves enough is - Why did Jesus come to earth?
The answer is to save us; sinners. To redeem his people. Our work on earth is not to build one-sided relationships with God and prosper with God’s blessings. It’s to go out there and expand His kingdom.
So then, the natural question next would be – What is the Kingdom?
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.” (Matthew 13:31)
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Matthew 13:33)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44)
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls” (Matthew 13:45)
“The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish” (Matthew 13:47)
Jesus spent 122 of his 132 public appearances in the New Testament with the lost. 45 out of Jesus’ 52 parables were told in the context of ‘the world’ and his Kingdom, not the Church or fellowship.
“”What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?” (Mark 4:30)
Jesus replied with the Parable of the Sower. For Jesus says to unlock the secret to other parables, you must first understand this one. (Matt, Luke, Mark) And before His disciples had a chance to ask him to explain it, he blurted out the answer - for the message was that important. You see, the seed is the word of God. (John 1:1 - Jesus is the word) The word in which our job is to sow regardless of the soils - path, rocky, thorny, or good. So that for all who has ears to hear may hear and receive the Kingdom of God and be saved.
“For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you…” (Luke 17:21). The kingdom of God is wherever Jesus is King. The Kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God. It is wherever Jesus is made Lord in the hearts of individuals (Luke 17:20-21). The kingdom of God is in your heart. Wherever you go, the kingdom of God goes with you. For Jesus, the kingdom of God (heaven) means the abolishing of Satan’s realm.
In the Bible describes genuine joy in finding and saving the single lost sheep; or finding the lost coin; or even finding that lost son. Can we truly say we have that mindset? Would we ditch our fellowship on a Friday night in order to go and be with someone that has yet to receive Christ? If someone went to a club to do ministry, would you criticize or support? Do we have a heart that will rejoice over every saved soul, just like how the angels roar in celebration. Do we have a heart of evangelism? Do we have a heart for outreach.
As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
- Matthew 10:7
My friend, Jon, said that the language of evangelism is prayer. That is true because in order to Transform Society we must transform our hearts. (1 Pt 1:7) And that is something only God can do. I want to people to know the mission field is right next to them. It is there co-workers, friends, classmates, professors, parents, and siblings. It’s the stranger on the bus, it’s the homeless on the streets. It doesn’t have to be in a different country. Evangelism doesn’t mean you have to become a missionary.
Evangelism isn’t about bringing someone to church, but bringing the Kingdom to the lost. So don’t just think bringing someone to fellowship or church means you’ve done your job. Cause thats a misconception I don’t want you to fall prey to. Remember that you have the power to bring someone to Christ. You have the power to sow seeds of truth. in fact, thats the only thing we should be doing constantly. I dont want to hear that you arn’t equipped because once you have the message - you are good to go. You have the leadership of the Holy Spirit, teachings of Jesus and the voice of God! What else are you waiting for.
But do let me warn you, Jesus said:
“I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28)
Jesus is coming back. For sure. Do you believe it? Cause when we part-take in communion, we declare and patiently await for his return. The Bible tells us that on that day, Jesus will judge us. (Matt 25:31-46) The Chruch will be glorified. We wll be redeemed, reviewed, reunited and have Jesus reign for eternity. And on that day of glory, there will be people left behind.
The reality is, not everybody goes to heaven. And everybody you don’t reach, will fall away forever. If you think leaving behind your friends from highschool is tough, or that you’ll miss your friends from University after graduation. Wait till you lose someone for eternity. I can’t even imagine that. Don’t wait for the day to take your faith seriously. Mortality is very real. We need to personally respond to Jesus’ commission.
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
- 1 Peter 3:15
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
- Galatians 6:14
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20
It is my prayer and vision to have people take Jesus seriously, and listen to his teachings. May revival breakout on our campuses so that Jesus can save our generation. It is my hope that you’ve been challenged to rethink what evangelism means to you. And trust me, it changed my life and how I served God.
Who Am I
Who Am I - Casting Crowns
Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you’ve done.
Not because of what I’ve done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I’m calling,
Lord, you catch me when I’m falling,
And you’ve told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you’ve done.
Not because of what I’ve done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I’m calling,
Lord, you catch me when I’m falling,
And you’ve told me who I am.
I am yours.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you’ve done.
Not because of what I’ve done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I’m calling,
Lord, you catch me when I’m falling,
And you’ve told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
I am yours.
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
‘Cause I am yours.
I am yours.
The Church – The bride in all its glory
What’s Church?
Perhaps you never asked yourself that question before. But if you aren’t ready to look beyond being status quo, then I suggest you stop reading.
Some may agree that church has become a Sunday phenomenon. Others might say, a structure; a giant mirage - where an illusion has captured the hearts of millions across North America. Many of us associate the church with a nameplate. After all, we do seem to ask each other the infamous question, “…so which church do you go to?” When in fact, does it really make a difference?
I won’t try to paraphrase an interesting exercise that I recently read – but instead I’ll present it in a simple fashion.
Here it is:
“When we were in Malaysia our family had a pet dog.”
Now, I would like to ask… “What happened in your mind when you read that sentence?” More specifically, “Did you see a dog in your mind’s eye when you read the word ‘DOG’?” What happened then? Most of us would “see” a dog when we read the sentence above.
Interesting! I never gave you the details about my dog, and yet, you had a picture of a COMPLETE dog in your imagination! I would like to now ask, “Are you sure that your picture of my dog is correct?”
The readers can argue all they like about my dog. Someone might say that it is a large friendly white dog with long fur, floppy ears and a long tail. Another could say, “No, No. It is a mangy dog that is skinny.”
The fact of the matter is that they would not know unless they have either seen the dog themselves, or I (or someone else) revealed this knowledge to them!
It is no different when we say the word “Church”! When we hear this we all get a picture in our mind’s eye! Now my questions to you are:
1) “How convinced are you that your picture of Church is correct?” (i.e. as God sees it)
2) “Where did this picture come from?”(traditions, your experiences, what you were taught?)
3)”When was the last time your picture of the church was adjusted?”
The reality of it all, is that the church is about Jesus and we are His dwelling place. We are His church! And somehow, the modern day church has managed to become a watered down version of what it used to be in the New Testament. Sure – it still holds a lot of core values, but it seems to have lost the proper direction and leadership; like Mike the headless chicken running in circles for over 18 months before dying.
People that attend church now fall away from their faith in a few short years. We lack lasting impact in our societies; just look at the ungodly acts around us that get passed into constitutions. We have lost the focus of discipleship, despite being commanded (by Jesus) to go and make disciple of all nations. We seem to selfishly cling onto an individualized one-sided relationship with God. Only a few of us feel the need to serve. We lack an impact in reaching the unsaved in our communities; in spite of the era of mega-churches.
When we fail to appoint Jesus at the head of the church, as the chief cornerstone, we lose the power and purpose of the Church. When we fail to view ourselves as the temple of God, we contain the expansion of the bride.
I used to only look at churches through the eyes of my own personal experience in the Western world, however, as I travelled more and had my eyes opened - especially to truths in the scripture - I’ve come to find that we don’t meet the Biblical mandates nor follow the example Jesus set before us.
We no longer have a five-fold ministry where we practice all the gifting of the Holy Spirit into our community of believers. (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Teacher and Pastor) Instead we’ve taken Western/Chinese theology and generated a breed of “super” pastors who do it all. We now need to be certified with a Masters of Divinity before we can preach, or teach. We need to be trained before we take our heart of evangelism out into the world. You see where I’m going with this. Etc.
We no longer push discipleship. We just walk around it, with clever sermons and neat Sunday school packages.
We no longer duplicate the church. The modern day church has stopped moving, she (the bride; the church) has become stagnant - locked into an institutionalized marriage with a bunch of rules and regulations. The church has stopped bringing more people to God. We now see another phenomenon of growing church numbers largely due to the migration between popular/slumping churches.
In the New Testament, churches were grown to further His kingdom. To build up a community of believers and establish God’s kingdom then expand again. However the birthrates of modern day churches are less than 5%. (statistically speaking) It is no longer our goal to replicate the church of God. It has become such a complex model that makes what Jesus proposed far more complicated than what he intended her to be.
Our churches have become finance driven, when the bottom-line is we can do with nothing at all, and still God would (and will) provide.
The Church has started to lose the heart of Jesus, because we pretend to know who Jesus is, without really finding it out for ourselves. We’ve let others fill in the blank for us, and lead us - instead of letting Jesus lead our life directly. When was the last time you read through the gospels or the teachings of Jesus? Or did you just opt for Paul’s commentaries on the Gospels instead?
Has your picture of church been painted by someone else?
Instead, we love clinging onto spiritual giants, soaking up their understanding of God without trying to see what God is trying to reveal to us, individually. We miss our own personal intimacy with Christ that ignites a personal ministry. This is a large reason why we don’t see a higher percentage of people in the Kingdom’s fields of harvest; and this extends into why we don’t see five-fold ministries.
Jesus did not only preach to the middle and upper caste society. He preached to all the nations, which includes the poor, the drug addicts, the diseased, the greedy, the criminals - the sinners. They are the people that need Jesus the most. Yet we are too afraid to even think about that today.
We are too comfortable with the status quo. Why has the church become a self-edifying building, that only exists once a week?
The temple was destroyed then rebuilt. Are we still living out the Old Testament church, or are we embracing the New Testament church that Jesus built? Are we embodying that church? Is it, and I dare say, organic? Growing in nature, wherever Jesus is sown.
It is my hope that the bride breathes new life into our generation so that His glory may be reflected.
Kick-off
It has been a while since my last post, partly due to a busy schedule. But there are reasons to my absence. Part of the reason is that I’ve found it is easier for me to clearly share my passion, encourage and challenge others in person. (In addition, I dislike how self-righteous the tone of a blog can get)
But I do want to try to aim for more regular posts with a focus on addressing some of the truths that have been revealed to me from God. It is my hope that the Spirit within the readers may resonate with the truth and spark more Spiritual growth and intimacy with God.
For a little over a year now, God has been constantly challenging me to look at modern Christendom and how it has evolved. To discover and listen for myself what Jesus has written in the Bible. To go back to the absolute truth and think critically about my faith and religion on a whole.
In an attempt to become more active in posting here are some of the things I will be blogging about (in order) this term:
- The Church - The bride in all its glory.
- Our commission - The only thing we can do.
- Discipleship - A desire for more.
- The Word - Simply truth.
- The Spirit - Power.
- Ministry - Intimacy.
These posts will hopefully give light to some of the things we’ve been encountering in the North American Church societies. I will have to be careful with my wording, and I may step on a few lines that people will disagree with - but it is up to you to really decide for yourself (from the Bible) if what I say is correct. Needless to say, I do welcome the comments.
If my posts have gotten you to question and read (the Bible) more on your own, then I will have reached my goal. Since the truth will speak for itself. In all seriousness, I do think there is a problem with how things, as a whole, are today.
So that’s is my update status for now.