August 8, 2014
Go – Locally!
Just in case you’re new to the ranks, let’s start with a definition of terms. At Riverview, we talk a lot about our church mission, “Making sacrificial followers of Christ who grow, serve, and go.” Simply put, we aim to be all about 1) growing as followers of Jesus, 2) serving the brothers and sisters within our church community, and 3) going out from that immediate community to share with people who don’t know Jesus.
As a co-leader of the Compassion ministry, I get to spend a lot of my time focusing on what the “go” part of that mission means to those who live in Lansing, Michigan. This can confuse people. After all, sharing Jesus is pretty clear-cut when someone packs themselves off to a part of the world in which Jesus is virtually unheard of. In that case, a missionary learns a new language, studies a lot about a new culture, and then gets to it. They share how God made our earth to function in perfect harmony, how we people messed everything up by wanting to be gods ourselves, and finally how Jesus came to rescue us from our plight. But how does that story get told when we live in a place where there’s a Christian church around every corner? Most people in Lansing have heard about Jesus in some form or another. Yet when we look around us, we still see a broken world pathetically trying to limp along without Him. Once we understand what God did for us, our job is to tell that story over and over again, in as many creative ways as possible. No matter where we live.
Tripping in the Telling
That sounds great. But when we try to take advantage of these opportunities to tell, there can be hiccups. We can all think of times in which we might share the story of Jesus. The possibilities are endless. But when it comes to the actual work, most of us naturally tend toward one of two approaches – both of which often end in frustration. One spins us out and the other spins our relationships out. Try these two scenarios on for size and see where you might tend to fall:
Story 1: Showing without Telling
Volunteering at a soup kitchen, you make a new friend. Her personal life has recently been devastated by adultery and divorce. You spend countless hours listening to her grief as she verbally processes the sordid details of a marriage gone wrong. You cry with her, you hug her. When she can’t pull it together enough to get dressed, you pick up her kids from basketball practice. In the midst of this lengthy process, you’re waiting for your friend to ask, “What makes you different? What keeps you going when your life falls apart?” But the questions never come. She never asks anything that would make for a natural transition to a conversation about Jesus. Within a few months, she’s met a new guy and suddenly your friend is full of hope for a better future. You feel like your best chance of talking about the hope of Jesus with her is past, but you don’t know how you missed it. You are left wondering what just happened.
Story 2: Telling Without Showing
A new family has moved in next door, and and you pop in to say hello. The adults are very friendly. Within fifteen minutes of easy conversation, they’ve mentioned how fun it would be if you could all go to a ball game together. Chatting continues, and you invite them to church. They talk about how they’ve always wanted to expose their kids to a good church, and you feel a rush of excitement. It seems like the perfect time, so you enthusiastically pour out your heart with the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done for you. They respond with stiff smiles. Things get awkward fast. Since then, you just kind of smile and wave at each other from your respective lawns. You’re confused. Jesus is the most important thing in your life, and it seemed like the perfect time to say so.
Showing and Telling the Gospel Life
St. Francis of Assisi is attributed with saying, “Preach the gospel. If necessary, use words.” Some quick online research suggests that St. Francis said no such thing. Ever. But we can appreciate the sentiment. At least, I can. I am the kind of person who would rather work for twelve hours straight in an attempt to show someone a picture of Jesus than to open my mouth and actually say something about Him. Handing out food? Sign me up. Handing out tracts? I am busy. But I have friends that are just the opposite. And whatever your tendency, you can find a godly, quotable individual to back you up.
What it really comes down to is that telling the story of Jesus is holistic. It involves our mouths, our hands, and our hearts – and that is true whether you live in Lansing or in Tibet. If any piece is missing, it’s not the entire story. It’s the showing of Story A and the telling of Story B – combined.
The Compassion ministry offers lots of opportunities to go, to tell the gospel message while showing it. Please consider joining us as we tell the whole story of Jesus to our city.
Got questions, comments, or suggestions for the Riverview Blog? We’d love to hear them! Just e-mail us at [email protected].
Photo credit: Jayson Ignacio
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