TILL HE COMES Blog

In a previous post, I made some suggestions about how to do evangelism more effectively. Yesterday, at Mosaic Arlington, Stephen Hammond provided the following list, which I thought was excellent, so I am sharing it with you here:

“Ways to get On Mission this Summer with your Life”

*Host a party for your neighbors as a way to get to know each other

*Organize a garage sale with the proceeds going to help us drill our next well in El Salvador (or you pick another great cause)

*Spend a few hours with the ‘least of these’ as you learn more about life, love and hope

*Start a book reading club at the local bookstore

*Host a charity poker tournament to help relieve AIDS suffering in Africa (or another charitable cause you want to help out)

*Share with your friends how Jesus is changing your life

*Take your family to the $1 movie….but pay for the family behind you as well as a way to demonstrate God’s love in a very practical way

*Get involved in cleaning up the debris in your neighborhood/city

*Prayer walk your neighborhood, your job site, your school or any place you desire to see God’s hope come

*Clean a friend’s home

*Provide free childcare to a family who could use a date night out but probably can’t afford childcare right now

*Host a ‘gaming’ night for your friends

*Pick something/anything that will bring hope and encouragement to another person and then just do it!

Thanks Stephen!

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I do not think I deserve to be called a Christian. Most of my believing friends would probably disagree with that statement, but I think it is possible that some of my friends who do not believe in Jesus for eternal life would probably agree with me. To some of my unbelieving friends, I probably do not fit their idea of how a follower of Jesus should live, talk, and act.

And guess whose opinion is more important?

In this matter (as in many others), the opinion of those who do not believe in Jesus for eternal life trumps the opinion of those who do. So, I guess I cannot call myself a Christian.

And as I was thinking about this recently, I realized that this is exactly the point!

The first group of people who were called “Christians” did not claim the title for themselves. Instead, it was a title given to a group of people who not only believed in Jesus, and talked a lot about Him, but also lived like Him in generosity, service, forgiveness, and love. They were “called Christians” (Acts 11:26). I believe that the title “Christian” is like the British honorary title “Sir.” Neither are titles that can be taken; both can only be bestowed.

There are great masses of people today who like Jesus and think He and His teachings are great, but who want nothing to do with those who claim to be His followers, by those who claim to be “Christians.”

However, I firmly believe that if a group of people who believed in Jesus for eternal life, and committed themselves to living and loving like He commanded, a watching world would soon take notice, and declare, “Now here…Here is a group of people that could be called Christians, for here is a group who seems to take Jesus seriously and want to live like Him.”

To me, that would be the greatest honor I could receive in this life. I don’t want to take the name “Christian.” But if I could be called a Christian, now that would be something! If a person who is not a follower of Jesus could look at my life over years of observation and friendship, and say “You are what I imagined followers of Jesus to be like. You are a true Christian” I would consider my life a success.

So who is calling you a Christian? Is it just you and your other “Christian” friends? Do people who are not “Christians” look at your life and say that you just don’t look like the Jesus they read about in Scripture? If so, my guess is that you are claiming a title you have not yet earned.

Don’t call yourself a Christian until someone who is not a Christian calls you one first.

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I attended a Mormon church last Sunday. I haven’t really had time to write about it much because I worked 15-16 hour days on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I took Thursday and Friday off, and then I go back to work on Saturday. In many ways, my wife feels like a single mother, so please pray for us. 

Anyway, after attending the Mormon church with my co-worker, below are a few of my initial observations as gleaned through my own personal conversations:

1. I am amazed that Mormonism is so popular since in many ways, their style of “worship” service is nearly identical to that of fundamental Baptists. They only use the King James Version, they pray using words like “thee,” “thy,” and “thou,” all the men come dressed is slacks and ties, and the entire morning lasted three hours, with a heavy emphasis on extended times of teaching. Since fundamental Baptists are seeing a rapid decline in attendance, but Mormons are on the rise, what is it about Mormonism that people find attractive?
2. Theologically, Mormonism does not seem to be as “wacked out” as some Christian critics portray them to be. In fact, when it comes to the doctrine of salvation, I could easily argue that Mormons are just as orthodox as many ”evangelical protestants,” specifically in regard to the role of good works in salvation (in other words, they base it partly on their own works). Also, there are many similarities between a Mormon’s view of Joseph Smith and other groups within “Christendom” (e.g. Catholics and some Charismatics) who believe in some sort of apostolic succession or ongoing prophetic additions to Scripture.
3. They believe they are the one true church, and all others are in apostasy to one degree or another. They believe that Joseph Smith restored correct practice and doctrine as it was originally taught by Jesus Christ and Paul. Again, this idea is not unique to Mormons, as there are many groups and teachers who think they have a corner on the truth, and everybody else is in error.  
4. There are, of course, serious problems with Mormon theology and practice. For example, they don’t really believe in the Trinity the way most evangelical Christians do, and they don’t seem to believe that Jesus was eternally God. It is probably for these reasons that they are labeled a “cult.” Also, some of the primary practices of Mormons seem to be based on obscure passages of Scripture. For example, a common Mormon practice is baptism for dead ancestors, which is based on a particular interpretation of 1 Cor 15:29.
5. Most Mormons are convinced that their beliefs are correct because they had a supernatural experience which proved to them that what they believe is true. I have men many people within various brands of Christianity who argue along similar lines. It is next to impossible to convince such a person through logical reasoning and arguments that what they believe might not be true. As I have conversed with my Mormon co-workers about their faith, every time I bring up a question they don’t seem to be able to answer, they revert to talking about their experience (vision, dream, inner feeling, etc.) which proved to them the truth of what they believe, and then they tell me that if I really want to know the truth, I should pray for wisdom and ask God to give me a similar experience to reveal the truth to me.

There are numerous other things I could discuss, but these are the five that stand out to me right now. One thing I am becoming more and more convinced of is that before you go blast someones life, theology, or practice, you should not go read a book about them, but instead endeavor to become friends with someone of that group. Once you do, it will become impossible to blast them. Things are not as cut-and-dry, black-and-white as some speakers and authors would make you believe.

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I wrote on Saturday about an evangelistic festival I took part in and some of my complaints about such efforts. My post was rather negative and critical, so I want to balance it with some constructive suggestions on how evangelism can be done differently and (in my opinion) more effectively.

The bottom line principle is that developing a genuine relationship with someone is simpler, cheaper, and more effective than putting on a big production. It takes hundreds of Christians hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to put on one “evangelistic” festival like the one I participated in, and yet, ironically, seemed to primarily attract Christians. But I believe that if those same Christians put the same amount of time, energy, and money into developing a few close relationships with a few non-Christians in their neighborhood or workplace, the results might be much different.

Here are some suggestions of what you can do this week:

1. Slow down at the doctor’s office this week and really visit with the administrative assistant about what is going on in her life. (But be aware of the people waiting in line behind you!)
2. Give your mailman a cold bottle of water and tell him to knock on your door every day to get another one from you (we have been doing this for close to a year now, and have developed a very good relationship with our mailman. We actually invited him over for dinner a while back!) Of course, this only works if you have a mailman who does his route on foot.
3. When you see your neighbor weeding her flower garden, go give her a hand.
4. Bake a plate of cookies and take them over to the elderly lady across the street. If she asks you to say for milk and cookies, do it!
5. Help your other neighbor put together his storage shed.
6. Get gas from the same gas station every week, and get to know the attendants by name.
7. Use the same check out person at the supermarket every time you go…even if their line is longer.  
8. If you pray over your meal when you eat out, tip your server at least 20%.
9. Hold a free block party where you invite everyone on your block over for a BBQ just so they can all get to know each other. Don’t do a devotional. Don’t invite them all to church. Don’t invite them back next week for a BBQ and Bible study. Just build relationships. This may cost you a couple hundred dollars, but it will be money well spent.
10. See the Doable Evangelism OA blog for more ideas.

I do believe that God can use “festival” evangelism like what I witnessed this past weekend. But in my experience, most non-Christians see such attempts as a half-baked, bait and switch, slightly entertaining, wasteful sales pitches. Christians exhaust themselves putting on such events, and few real relationships are formed. Such events are like fireworks: a lot of noisy flashes, but nothing of substance is left when the show is over.

So if you want to be involved in something of substance, build into the lives of the people whom God has already placed around you. If you begin to look, it is amazing who you will find. I realized just yesterday that six months ago, I didn’t know a single non-Christian by name. Then in the middle of January, something happend in my life which made me reassess all my goals and priorities. Now, six months later, most of my friends are non-Christians. I don’t say this to my credit, but only to show that relationships can be easily developed, if you look for the opportunities. And such relationships are generally cheaper, statistically more effective, and certainly more fun than the typical “evangelistic” event put on by most churches.

Who can you begin to develop a relationship with today?

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I’m working this weekend at a Christian festival/concert called Celebrate Freedom. It’s put on by the Luis Palau association, and includes a couple dozen Christian bands, BMX shows, and lots of fun stuff for families. I was invited to set up a booth in the Family Fun Zone to introduce people to Chinese Juggling Sticks (remember my friend Lance?). I needed some help manning my booth, so invited my friend John to join me. He is slightly better at the sticks than I am. He is also a Buddhist. (I don’t think the two are connected.)

I didn’t tell him much about the festival for two reasons. First, I didn’t know much about it in the first place, and second, I wanted to see how he reacted.

At the end of the night, I asked him what his overall impressions were, and he said, “It’s just a big show…a production. I thought Jesus was about serving and helping other people, not about lights and loud speakers, and trying to act like Britney Spears. I’ve spent many years investigating all religions, and tonight has convinced me further that Christianity has nothing I want.”

Isn’t that the saddest statement you’ve ever heard? And it comes from one Buddhist observing a Christian “evangelistic” festival.

As soon as he showed up, the first thing he said was, “I didn’t realize this was only for Christians. Am I welcome here?” Ironically, this was an “evangelistic” event, but every single person I talked to was already attending a church somewhere, while John, the Buddhist, immediately felt unwelcome. I think it had something to do with all the Christian music blaring everywhere, the Christian symbols on every square inch, and everybody wearing Christian t-shirts.

The booth we had been assigned to was right near the Family Fun Zone Stage, and I wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening on the stage, but John sure was! After about half an hour, he came up to me and said, “So…uh…do most churches do Britney Spears impersonations and sing her songs…except change the words to be about Jesus?” Since I don’t listen to Britney Spears, I didn’t recognize the tune, but I glanced up at the stage and immediately saw what he was referring to. The girls were strutting around the stage in Britney Spears fashion singing a pop song about her love for Jesus. When the song was over, John turned to me and said, “Well, I can never listen to that song again. She just ruined it for me.” (I didn’t realize Buddhists listen to Britney Spears, but I guess some do.)

It was boiling hot out (nearly 100 degrees) and we both went through all our water in about an hour, so John went to find more. We were told there was going to be a hospitality booth for volunteers to get free water and food. The booth did not exist on Friday night, so he had to go buy water. He came back with a 12 oz bottle a few minutes later and wryly stated, “I now know how they can give tickets away for free. This bottle of water was $4.” (I had also noticed on my way in that there were numerous signs all over the place stating that outside coolers were not allowed to be brought in to the festival for “security reasons.” When I learned that they were charging $4 for water, I began to suspect that the “security reasons” were financial security.)

Anyway, about this time, the evangelist lady got up to give her talk to the kids, and so our booth had to shut down so there would be no distractions. Ironically, fifty feet away, another stage (for high school kids) was just getting jumping with a Christian rap group (more on that in a bit). Since our booth was shut down, we got to listen to the evangelistic talk. She began by having all the children repeat after her that they were sinners and God hates sin. She had them all raise hands if they had ever sinned. John got upset. “These are kids!” he said. “They don’t need to be told that God hates them!” (Notice that this is not quite what she said…but I didn’t try to correct him. The inference was definitely there). She went on to talk about the gap of sin that separates us from God and how the cross of Jesus can bridge that gap if we just believe that Jesus died on the cross.

Then there was a prayer time in which the kids were asked to repeat after her a prayer to ask Jesus into their heart. Then those who had repeated the prayer (i.e., all the kids) were invited to go to a counseling booth to fill out a response card and have someone talk to them more about Jesus. John rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. I can only imagine what he was thinking, but the whole talk reminded me of brain washing: Get all the kids excited, then get them scared, then tell them to repeat things after you to make it all better.

Now back to the rap group. When they got up on the stage, John thought it was funny that our booth was asked to shut down to avoid distractions, but their rap almost made the evangelist on our stage impossible to hear. But he was more intrigued at the idea of “Christian rap.” When they first started he said, “Is that rap?” I told him it was Christian rap. He looked at me with a bewildered look, and said, “What does gang banging and gun running have to do with the gospel?” I laughed so hard. I explained to him that they are probably not rapping about gang banging and gun running, but about Jesus. He shook his head.

There were many more such incidents during the night, and I hope John comes on Saturday too. It is so refreshing for me to see the Christian production through new eyes. 

Have you ever tried so hard to do something for people who are not Christians, only to find out that only Christian come, and those few non-Christians who do come don’t stick around long? Maybe you should step back and take a look at what you are doing and how it might look to someone who has not grown up in the church. It truly is a bewildering spectacle.  

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I worked an eighteen-hour day yesterday on four hours of sleep, and then got only four hours of sleep last night also. I’m exhausted. I’m actually quite dizzy today. As soon as I finish this post, I’m going to go mow my lawn. Consequently, this may be my last blog post!  Ha ha.

During that looong day, I was able to have several good conversations with two of the Mormons I work with. I really enjoyed getting to know them and discuss their beliefs with them. There are a lot of similarities with evangelical Christianity, and many strange differences as well. For example, they have a unique solution to the “What about those who have never heard?”dilemma. They practice “baptism for the dead” by which you can be baptized for a dead ancestor in order to give him or her the opportunity to spend eternity with God. The choice is still up to them, but since you were baptized for them, they can now make a choice they couldn’t have otherwise made.

They clearly are trying to “convert” me. I think I might visit one of their “temples” this weekend. I visited a Muslim Mosque last year, so I guess I’ll try a Mormon Temple too.

But all of this only reinforces my opinion that you should not condemn or judge a particular people group unless you are friends with someone from that people group (which then makes it nearly impossible to judge and condemn them). We need to try to get to know other people–with no strings attached (e.g. ”I’ll befriend you so you become a Christian”)–so that we can love them. Too many of us “Christians” spend all our time pointing the finger at people we know nothing about. We think we know them because of something we read, or because of what some Christian teacher said. Then, based on this distorted knowledge, we feel justified in condemning and criticizing these people and their beliefs.

I’m not saying that criticisms cannot or should not be directed at other people. It should. But such criticisms must only take place within a genuine, on-going relationship with someone of that group, in which we invite and accept their criticism of us. If we cannot accept criticism from others in a peaceful manner, we must not give criticism either. Only in this way can we speak the truth in love.

So who have you been condemning and criticizing recently? Maybe you should take them out for dinner, and with absolutely no agenda to “fix their life” or “correct their beliefs” just strive to get to know them as a person. Such a practice will change your life. I guarantee it.

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I used to think that the best way to evangelize was to preach in churches. I figured that most “Christians” were not actually “saved” and so needed to hear the “true gospel” (as preached by me), and once they believed it, they would then become “true believers.”

In other words, I thought that the most fertile soil for evangelism in the United States was among those who were already in churches. I saw the US as a mission field, and churches as the primary location to sew the seeds of the gospel.

As I have developed a missionary mindset, this thinking has changed. While I certainly believe that the US is a mission field, and while I do believe that there are many, many people who go to Christian churches who have not believed in Jesus for eternal life, I have found that the most common result of telling church goers that they might not be saved is a lot of angry church goers. 

I think that the average person in the average church, even if they don’t believe in Jesus for eternal life, are not very receptive or open to anything I might be able to tell them. If they don’t believe in Jesus, but they do attend church, they are likely to have a “Pharisaical” mindset, and therefore, it is almost a complete waste of time, money, and energy to pursue them.

The much more fertile soil in the US are those who would never darken the door of any church in the US. They are the ones I am hoping to reach, and who are receptive to talking about Jesus, and His promise of eternal life to those who believe in Him for it. Trying to tell this message to people in churches seems to do very little except split churches.

So who are you talking to about the free offer of eternal life through faith in Jesus? Are they primarily “churched” people? If so, how’s that working out for you? Have you seen any “conversions” recently? How about church splits and angry board meetings? I’d say that if as a result of what you’ve said, you’ve made more people angry than you have seen people come to faith in Jesus, you’re probably sewing seeds on the wrong soil.

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Katdish (Kathy Richards) asked a great question on a previous post of mine, and I realized my reply needed to be it’s own post. Here is what she asked:

We’re in the beginning stages of planting a church. I’ve been reading quite a few blogs about church planting. I like what I’ve been reading for the most part. My biggest challenge/question to date has been how do we convince the “regular” church people that they need to leave the building in order to follow Christ? I just think they’re missing out on what it means to really impact the world. The “build it and they will come” philosophy just isn’t working anymore — if it ever really did.

My basic answer is “If you can figure that out, you can write a book!” It is the number one question on the minds of most missional thinkers and leaders today. It is the “uncharted waters” of missional churches. Most “missional” churches are new church plants, and they launch with mostly new or non-believers. Very few people have been successful in taking an established church, and leading it to become missional.

One book that begins to deal with this issue is Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer and David Putnam. They suggest some ways that established churches can become missional.

Though I own the book (see my post from yesterday!), I haven’t read the book yet, but here are my suggestions:
1. Study Christ. In the teaching times of the church, emphasize the radical teaching and mission of Jesus. 
2. Study Culture. Help your church understand the culture it is in. American (or Australian, German, whatever), plus the more local microculture within your city and neighborhood. Figure out what kind of people are there, what they value, how they think, and what they do for fun.
3. Creatively bring the two (Christ and Culture) together. As you study the teachings of Christ, and you see how He lived what He taught, come up with tangible ways you and your church can do similar things in your own cultural context. He fed 5000. How can you feed 50 homeless people in your community? He showed love to a woman caught in adultery. How can you show love to prostitutes, single mothers, and strippers? When you have an idea, go do it. Even if only a few show up to help, that is a start.
4. Celebrate and share the stories. In your services, share the stories of the people’s lives you touched. This will encourage more to get involved the next time.

If you really want to get radical, try something a little subversive. A while back there was a man moving into our neighborhood, and for various reason I knew he needed help moving into his house, and didn’t have anybody to help him. I also knew that if I called around, I might be able to get 2-3 guys to help, but that wouldn’t be enough. It was a Wednesday afternoon, and so I went over to the man and said, “At 7:00 tonight, about a dozen men from our church will show up to unload your moving van. It’ll take us about an hour.”

How could I promise this? Here’s the subversive part: On Wednesday nights, we have a men’s Bible study. Generally about a dozen men come. I knew that if I called and told each man that we were going to “go help someone unload a moving truck rather than study the Bible” few would come. So I didn’t tell them. When they showed up, I said, “Hey, instead of study the Bible, we’re going to go serve our neighbor instead. Let’s go!” And we helped the man unload his truck. It took about an hour. And everybody enjoyed it. Well, one or two grumbled, but it was still fun.

You could maybe do something similar on a Sunday morning, although you might want to tell people in advance. Say “Hey, we’ve been talking about how Jesus loves children. Next week, rather than meet here for Sunday service, let’s all meet down at the kiddie park. I’ve been noticing that the benches need painting and lots of trash needs to be picked up. We’re going to go clean up the park for the kids. It’s not going to take any extra time, because we’re going when you would have been in church anyway. Instead of being in church, we’re going to go be the church.”

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I was able to get my hands on a free copy of The Tangible Kingdom last week, which thrilled me because I was going to buy it anyway. It’s the newest book from The Leadership Network, and so far, I haven’t read a book from them that I don’t like. The Tangible Kingdom was no exception, and it is going on my “Missional Must-Read” Book list.

This book really hit me hard, partly because the story of Hugh Halter (one of the authors) mirrors so closely my own story. He was well situated in the established church, but didn’t feel quite at peace with himself, or with God, in such a position. So he left it all behind to see if he could find (or create) something that was still true to Scripture, but was also more effective in engaging and redeeming our culture. Doing so created lots of tension. Here is what he wrote, which is exactly what I am feeling:

You can’t go back, but forward doesn’t feel much better, because forward may not pay the bills or make it any easier to live the Christian life you’ve always wanted to live (p. 18).

He made it through this time of uncertainty (so there’s hope for me!) and ended up in Denver planting a community of faith called Adullam with some friends. As people wanted to learn more about what they were doing and why, they also developed a Web-based practicum for pastors and church planters to help them innovate new ways of effectively being the church.

What I found most refreshing about the book is that the authors are not trying to criticize, judge, or condemn the way the typical church functions today. Instead, they just explained what they are doing and why, and how it is effectively bringing people into the Kingdom of God. His bottom line premise is that the church is supposed to be living out the Kingdom of God in our communities and with our friends. As we do this, the aroma of the Gospel simply attracts people to us. They put it this way:

Church should be what ends up happening as a natural response to people wanting to follow us, be with us, and be like us as we are following the way of Christ (p. 30).

Do you find that other people are strangely attracted to you, your life, your family, and the way you “do church”? If not, it may help to read this book.

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I was just listening to a message given by Michael Frost, and in it he read the following poem by Adrian Plass. It is exactly what I am thinking and feeling. For me, following Jesus has become a life full of deep faith and great fear. The poem portrays both wonderfully.

When I Became a Christian
By Adrian Plass

When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.
He said, your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - I think.
I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say my body may be killed and left to rot and stink,
Well, yes, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen - I think.

But, Lord, there must be other ways to follow you, I said,
I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed.
Well, yes, he said, you could put up with the sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - a bit.
A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
I’m not entirely sure, can we just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and also scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say, Amen - a bit.

Well I sat back and thought a while, then tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good book says that Christians live in joy.
That’s true he said, you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you want to follow me, I said, Amen - tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
I need to get it clear, can I just run through that again?
You say that I will need the joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say Amen - tomorrow.

He said, Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit,
Now tell me, will you follow me? I said Amen - I quit.
I’m very sorry Lord I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.
He said forget religion then, and think about my Son,
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.

Are you man enough to see the need, and man enough to go,
Man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know,
Man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
To battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, and man enough to cry?
When nails break your body-are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again?
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen; Amen, Amen, Amen,
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said, Amen.

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