Should I stay or Should I go now?
Following on from the last post on How to raise the climate of evangelisim
I want to address some things in regard to the issue of “Avaliability”
I believe this is a real key in rasing the climate
The life cycle of most followers of Christ is such so that the more years you follow Christ
- The less amount of quality contact you have with people who are living far from God
- The less spiritual conversations you engage in
- The fewer invitations to events that present the message of Christ are offered
Is doesn’t take much to understand why, reason being because Christ followers have fewer friends outside of the faith
Yet the life of Christ teaches the exact opposite. The more we follow Christ maturing in faith and growing in Christ likeness then we should see a corresponding increase in our love for people and in our desire to reach out and embrace them in friendship.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14 (NIV)
Rather than shouting His message of hope from a distance, Jesus modelled “incarnational” ministry. He came and “pitched His tent” among us. Remember Jesus left the ultimate circle of comfort heaven and crossed an entire universe to rescue you - and while he was here on earth he did not restrict his love to those who sought him.
He actively pursued sinners, spending so much time with them that he was judged a sinner himself by the Pharisees. His response put the matter in perspective and revealed both His heart for and pursuit of the lost:
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:17).
According to one count, the gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues and 122 were out with people in the mainstream of life.”
We can and must do the same thing amongst people within our reach if we are going to impact them for Christ.
Oswald J Smith puts it this way
Oh my friends we are loaded down with countless church activity’s ,while the real work of the church that of evangelising and winning the lost is almost entirely neglected. We have been gazing to the heavens while sinners are sinking into hell”
The problem comes from the fact that our natural tendency as people is to gravitate to those who are like us and with those whom we feel most comfortable. So, our tendency as Christians is toward isolation from non-Christians
We fill our evenings with Bible studies; fill our lives with Christian friends and end up isolating ourselves from the very culture to which we were called to be salt and light.
There are some true Biblical convictions as we face the tension of being in the world but not of the world. There is also the potential for spiritual danger. We must regularly ask ourselves and have accountability partners ask us “Am I the dominant positive influence, or is this pulling me down?”
Some would measure the maturity of a Christian as one who has most successfully separated himself/herself from the secular world where they live. But if we are to follow Christ’s example, the mark of true maturity is not withdrawal, its invasion
I leave you with this prayer of Jesus, Its the prayer for his disciples from John 17vs 15
I do not pray that you should take them out of the world,but that you protect them from the evil one
How avaliable are you in the world ?
What needs to change?
Jesus said, ‘the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few’.
Will you improve on the few and help reach the many?
