Dude, Where’s My Tract?
I used to think about Jesus and the disciples quietly walking into a new city—finding a place to serve as their headquarters, partnering with the local church folk, and then spreading out to distribute tracts and Bibles to anyone who walked by. Then they would go knock on doors or even visit the local coliseum to try to meet some lost people. This was my view because this was how we did evangelism in many churches I have been in. As I began to study God’s Word I saw something that was radically different than I thought. When Jesus entered a city, the whole place went crazy. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see this parade. I love Luke 15:1-2, “All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining.” Are you kidding me? Jesus did not have to go looking for lost people? The religious people were complaining? How perfect is that picture? It all sounds too similar to things today.
These people gathering around Jesus would have been the freaks and rejects of society at that time. The “religious” people saw a group of people who sickened them. People not worthy of sharing the street with them, much less a meal. And here we see Jesus, surrounded by sinners, sharing life with them. He loved those who were rejected, He offered life to those with no hope, and He genuinely cared about those who were abandoned. That is evangelism!
In all honesty, how would your church handle a few nobody sinners showing up on Sunday morning—with loving arms open wide or with arms crossed and complaining? Would your church require that “those people” get right with God and then they would be freely accepted? Would they be handed a Bible and told to come back after you know Jesus? When I read through the Gospels, I see a Christ who sinners were drawn to, like a magnet. Today we see that non-Christians are totally put off by the church. Maybe we need to embrace a new style of evangelism. I call it the “Living as a Christ Follower” plan. Here is what it takes:
- Love people
- Care for people
- Share life and hope with them
- Love them some more
- Love them some more
I made it five because that’s a nice number to have in a plan. Basically, love and care for the people Christ puts in your world. We are surrounded by people everyday. People you work with, people you ride the train or bus with, people you live next to. Everywhere you look, you will see people. Don’t give them a tract or a canned gospel presentation, although they do have their place and think you have done your evangelistic duty. Love on them. Leave a bigger tip in Jesus’ name, have a dinner party in Jesus’ name, mow your neighbor’s yard in Jesus’ name, and pray for more opportunities in Jesus’ name. This week start rethinking evangelism. Begin to see it as much more than something you do, and more of something you are!
There have been 5 replies so far
I have wondered how we would respond to those scathing accusations about hanging out with sinners too much and after thinking about it I don’t think we would respond at all. I say that because I don’t think we are being accused of hanging out with “sinners” too much. Unfortunately we (including myself) like to hang out with people that look like us, talk like us, make the same amount of money as we do and are “good people” like us. Where did we go wrong? Why are we so far from the mission of God and thus so far from the heart of God? The next three stories Jesus told in that passage in Luke all clue us in on God’s heart for the lost. He sees the world through the matrix of lost and found, dead or alive where we see the world through the matrix of morality, right and wrong. There is a common theme in all three stories, when the sheep was lost the shepherd went after it, when the coin was lost the woman searched for it, when the two sons were lost the father went after both of them. The theme is that God’s heart pursues lost humanity. I think it is a great point to re-look at that word “lost.” I did not like it until studying this lesson and seeing that if something is lost it has value. You don’t loose a piece of trash and search after it, you throw it away. The only thing that you loose and search after it is something that is valuable to you. When we see people that are lost, not whether they are good or bad, but lost or found we will begin to see people as Christ sees them and we will begin to live on mission by joining the grand mission of God.
1 | calvarycliff
Friday, February 1, 2008, at 10:41am
Great thoughts Cliff. You are absolutely right. The thing I have to reming myself of is that at one point in my life, I was that lost coin and praise God He came looking for me. I think we forget about that too often. It is studies like this one that really challenge my current worldview. The challenge is what will I do with what God has shown me?
What about you? What are your thoughts on this idea and lesson? Share your thgouths and be a part of the conversation!
2 | Chad Jordan
Friday, February 1, 2008, at 12:39pm
I don’t think we can be reminded enough that we are to put on Jesus so that others can see Him through us. So often, we want to follow plans or processes to evangelize people. As this week’s lesson conveys, we are too often busy “doing” evangelism. We like to “present” the Good News to people by planning when, where, and how to share with them. This week’s lesson serves as a wake up call that reminds us to “be” the Good News to people. Like Chad writes, living as a follower of Christ (modeling the way Christ lived and loved) will bring the Good News to people in a caring and loving way, and will open the door to the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of those we come into contact with.
3 | romans812
Friday, February 1, 2008, at 9:54pm
As a pastor’s wife this lesson really hit home for me this week, with a twist! Our church is struggling to find understanding between those who are there every time the doors are open and those who may not be at Sunday night or Wednesday night services because they are leading small group Bible studies in their home, or taking the gospel to a retirement center, or sharing the gospel over a barbeque pit at a community fundraiser, or shopping for food for our community youth ministry. Seems that all of this activity that takes place outside of the walls of the church doesn’t amount to much in the eyes of some.
This week coming home from one of those evening services, I literally heard myself say, “Lord, it shouldn’t be this hard to love another Christian.” Hmmm…what’s wrong with this picture? Then I read the list of characteristics of being lost in the Learner’s Guide under “I Need to Understand Being Lost.” Finally the proverbial light bulb turned on over my head. I shared the list with my teenage daughter and asked who this sounds like to her. “Duh—,” she cut right to the point, “Mom, everybody knows the church is full of lost people.” Well, now I knew this too. But I never thought about it being the ones that are there every time the doors are open!
Oh, and then I got down the page to the really big “DUH” question: “Why are Christians so often viewed as judgemental and condemning of lost people?” Let’s see…because they often are!
Here’s what’s cooking in my brain: maybe those people who are so judgemental and condemning of not only lost people, but also of other church members, are really lost themselves! So now my big challenge is to learn to love those judgemental, condemning people into a real relationship with Jesus. Pray for me ‘cause it won’t be easy!
Which brings me back to one of the first questions in the study: “Does it really bother us that we are surrounded by people who are looking for what we have but they cannot seem to find it?” They don’t even realize that they are looking for anything or lacking anything! Yeah, it bothers me.
Father, help me to love these people. Help me to not be so judgemental and condemning of them. Help me to see them with your loving eyes. Give me Your words of hope to speak to them. The unity and peace they seek will only come as each one intentionally nurtures a growing, vital, relationship with You. Amen.
4 | Sandy B
Saturday, February 2, 2008, at 12:10pm
Thanks for your thoughts this week. When I read over the list describing “Lost” people, I was reminded also of the fact that I have many of those same characteristics. The difference is that list no longer defines me but who I used to be. The bottom line is this, we cannot know someone’s heart and whether they are truly following Christ or they are still searching. Only He knows who His children are. So all we can do is love the people around us regardless of how they treat us. Let’s all determine to show Christ’s love when its easy and when its tough, and leave the rest up to Him!
5 | Chad Jordan
Saturday, February 2, 2008, at 8:11pm
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