Sunday morning we were chastised by our pastor for not inviting our unsaved friends to church. I am left wondering why we are asked to do this. Why is inviting our unsaved friends to church considered evangelism? Actually, where in the Bible does it say that
we should invite our unsaved friends to church? Where does it say that the body of Christ, that is the Church, is comprised of unbelievers? Shouldn't we be getting them saved first? Haven't we read the great commission? First we are told to GO and make disciples THEN baptize, THEN teach them to obey God’s commands. Why are so many churches doing this backwards? If we teach them to obey God’s commands and there is no foundation on which this is formed, have we not built on the shifting sands?
Shouldn't we just love people, unselfishly filling whatever need we see?
God's word says:
He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 22:16
And also:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)
It seems that evangelism has become synonymous with increasing the numbers at your local church; a Sunday morning headcount of sorts. Shouldn't we just be seeing people's needs and looking for a way to fill them and telling them what God has done for us? Showing them a lifestyle that is NOT American pop-culture, showing them that our values are not monetary, showing them that our morals are not compromised, giving all we have to follow Him? Won't that more effectively make disciples? It worked for the apostles, maybe it will work for us:
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:45-47)
So I am left wondering, is this about seeking the Kingdom or is this about numbers on Sunday morning? Is this a sense of entitlement, that we should be sowing AND reaping, forget about the water and sunshine? I suspect the low numbers on Sunday have a lot more to do with apathy and complacency, with stepping over the homeless guy on the way to mail your check to your sponsored child, with selfishly storing up earthly treasure, with standing on common sense instead of faith.
So go ahead, invite your neighbor to church next Sunday after you saw him working in his yard and didn’t offer to lend a hand. What? Who is your neighbor? Christ is not interested in semantics |
• Feb. 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment
I pray that you find one that will search the scriptures and then LIVE it! I pray that you as a church body will grow together and learn to love each other and discover God's will for you and as church as well as you individually.
I enjoyed your simple response to a post on CMseries e-mail loop. Followed your link here.
I may just add you to my bloging google page, so I can read along here and read about how you and your church grow nigh unto God!
Jennifer