“And Jesus went…”- Matthew 9:35
In the days in which we live, there are churches seemingly on every street corner, and new ones being planted at a record pace–especially here in the buckle of the Bible Belt. Pastors and church staff are constantly seeking new ways to draw non-believers and believers alike. They have even borrowed from worldly marketing strategies in a desperate attempt to draw people in.
Is that what Jesus did?
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I love how C.S. Lewis put it in his Narnia books: “Aslan is on the move!” Jesus didn’t stay in one place for very long; He was constantly on the go. He could have gathered a group of wealthy followers to build His personal church. He certainly could have set up His headquarters in any Israeli city (or several “campuses” in different cities) if He had wanted to. After all, when Jesus began healing the multitudes, word would have quickly spread and the congregation would have grown to overflowing. As Pastor Leonard Ravenhill put it: “You never have to advertise a fire. Everyone comes running when there’s a fire. Likewise, if your church is on fire, you will not have to advertise it. The community will already know it.”
My family and I attend a local church regularly, and we feel it is incredibly important to gather with Christian brothers and sisters and hear the preaching of the Word–especially as we see Christ’s return drawing near (Hebrews 10:25). The church is the spiritual hospital, support group, and schoolhouse of Heaven. The point I am trying to make is that just as Jesus was on the go, so we as individual followers of Christ should be on the go. In the highways and byways of life–where we work, where we go to school, where we eat, where we shop, where we play or watch sports, where we spend our leisure time–this is our mission field. Every day we encounter people who will never darken a church door: people who are lost, broken, and hurting. People who desperately need the saving grace of Jesus Christ. And merely invited them to our church isn’t going to cut the mustard. No, everyone we come into contact with needs to see Christ in us. But this is only a starting point. The Apostle Paul asks: “But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? (Romans 10:14)’” It is our duty to share the Gospel message with them: boldly, plainly, succinctly, and lovingly. And not under a false pretense, because the world can sniff out those who get close to them for the sole purpose of ”springing religion on them.” People are not projects.
Our family witnesses on the go: be it driving through the Pal’s drive through, checking out at Wal-Mart, eating dinner at a restaurant, or picking up clothing from the dry cleaner. As we go, we show and tell. I encourage you to do this as well. Take the Gospel to everyone you encounter. Just as Jesus did.
In Christ’s perfect love,
Dwight
The Parson
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