going to talk to every person within a one mile radius of our meeting
location in the next 4 months. We're not just leaving cards or door
hangers. We will come back to the houses we miss. Our goal is to share
the gospel with each household. I was recently talking with a good
friend about this campaign and he asked the question of whether we
were just witnessing or were we also asking what people were looking
for in a church. My answer seemed harsh to him (and it is contrary to
Bill Hybels). I said that I don't really care what the unchurched
people are looking for in a church. It isn't that I am not concerned
about their needs. I offer to pray for them.
When I read the scriptures, and study the first century church, I see
that the Holy Spirit guides the church not the community. In fact,
when I think about who God made responsible for the direction of
ministry at LifeTree Church, I see that it falls to the elders of the
church in prayerful obedience to the Holy Spirit. That means it falls
to me and the other elders of the church.
When we allow people outside of the church to dictate our direction,
we are telling them that our God doesn't know where to take us or that
we can't hear God at all. I think that the church is experiencing
difficulty in reaching the lost partly because we place ministry
directives in the hands of non-regenerates. We have the truth. They
are either searching for the truth or happy to live a lie. We need to
be more vocal in proclaiming that we have the truth they need.
Isn't that what Paul did? Look at Acts 19:1-7 for instance. Paul met
some disciples in Ephesus, but he seemed to think they were missing
something. Why else would he ask if they had received the Holy Spirit?
When they replied that they didn't even know about the Holy Spirit,
Paul proclaimed to them the truth. He didn't ask if they thought they
needed to know Jesus. Further on, he is presented before Felix,
Festus, and Agrippa. Each time, he doesn't ask what the Romans would
like to see in the church. Rather, he tells them why they need to be a
part of the body of believers. Agrippa even commented in Acts 26:28
that Paul was on the verge of convincing him to become a Christian.
The point is that Paul knew what he had was valuable. In fact, the
gift of salvation in Jesus Christ which Paul conveyed to every Jew and
Gentile he encountered was more than valuable. It was vital. That is
why he was content to suffer.
We, the Christ followers of the twenty first century need to
understand this. We certainly need to ask people what concerns of
theirs we may pray for, but we also need to know that the truth to
which we witness is greater than any program we offer or market
analysis we might conduct. To know our community is important. To know
our mission is vital. To know Christ is the greatest of all joy.
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