HEALTHY CHURCH: Are You Having Spiritual Conversations?

      The challenge of remaining outwardly focused is ongoing and relentless. While the natural man tends to focus on self and meeting individual needs, does this align with God’s will for His followers? Paul admonished us to “…be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). Knowing God’s will is a remarkable thing. In Encounter, Gary Rohrmayer noted, “The Lord’s will can be summarized by living out the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-39) and fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).” Perhaps it is time for a paradigm shift in how we implement this?

      Notice the imperative “living out” that Gary emphasizes. This should be obvious, but it is not occurring in the lives of most Christians. Studies show overwhelmingly that, at best, only 1% of churches have an ongoing evangelism emphasis, and the same percentage holds true for Christians sharing their faith. The methodology of many is to hold services, and then if people are interested, they know where to find you. Allow me to repeat from the last article, “With few exceptions, people come to Christ after they have journeyed with other Christians — examining them and considering their claims.”

      Sometimes, our “evangelism” efforts resemble a drive-by shooting attempt more than a spiritual journey with someone. If Jesus can make the trip from Heaven to Earth to pursue the lost (Luke 19:10), why can we not seem to cross the street, talk to our co-workers or build a relationship with someone who is far from God? Begin with the Great Commandment and love them right where they are. A relational approach that might help you is called BLESS — Begin in prayer, Listen to their story, Eat with them, Serve them and then Share Jesus with them. Check out Matt. 5:16.

      In Spiritual Conversations, Gary Rohrmayer called churches to the following paradigm shifts — “move from event-driven to process-oriented, move from a combative approach to an attractive posture, move from a memorized monologue to a meaningful dialogue and move from short-term contact to a long-term relationship.” Gary continued, “A short-term mentality works through this type of sequence — presentation, decision, assimilation. A long-term mentality operates with this sequence in mind — belonging, believing, becoming.” Jesus stated in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.”

      In Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, a Heart for Mission, Tim Dearborn said, “God’s church falters from exhaustion because Christians erroneously think God has given them a mission to perform in the world. Rather, the God of mission has given His church to the world. It is not the church of God that has a mission in the world, but the God of mission who has a church in the world. The church’s involvement in mission is its privileged participation in the actions of the triune God.” Our God is a missionary God, and Jesus Christ is a missionary sent by the Father. Therefore, His church is to be a missionary church.

      In Transforming Mission, David Bosch pointed out, “Our mission has not life of its own — only in the hands of the sending God can it truly be called mission. Not least since the missionary initiative comes from God alone... Mission is thereby seen as a movement from God to the world; the church is viewed as an instrument for that mission. There is church because there is mission, not vice versa. To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God’s love toward people since God is a fountain of sending love.” Your church does not have the function of mission. It exists for mission.

      In Missional Transformation, Dave DeVries stated, “God is a missionary God, and He has sent the church to participate in His mission of reconciling the world to Himself. That mission is the purpose of the church on this earth, and the message is the good news of the kingdom. Missional activity encompasses the redemptive mission of Jesus. Just as Jesus was sent to seek and to save what was lost, the church is sent to seek and to save what was lost.” If you neglect the cross, you are left with no hope. If you neglect the community of believers that leaves you with no church. If you neglect the culture around you, there is no mission occurring.

      I Peter 2:9 (ESV) states, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Jesus sends every believer with the cross in community to the culture. When we fail to love Jesus, one another and our neighbors simultaneously, the mission is thwarted. One of the contributing causes of a church’s failure to fulfill this mission is that Christians are faithful to only one or two of these. Subtracting even a portion has devastating results. Your community of believers is called to share the cross in your culture.

      Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the mission. The Holy Spirit is the power of the mission. The Church is the instrument of the mission. The Culture is the context in which the mission occurs. In the Multiplication Workshop, Dave DeVriessaid, “Essentially, every Christian is sent by Jesus to ‘be Jesus’ to everyone everywhere. It is important for every Christian, aligned with Jesus’ missionary heart, to incarnationallydisplay the gospel to those around them and to make disciples.” Are you aligned with Jesus’ mission by actively seeking out opportunities on a regular basis to have spiritual conversations with people far from God?

      Do you reject the idea of simply going to church as a measure of your commitment to Christ and His church and seek to actually “be Jesus” to everyone everywhere? Are you functioning as a missionary where you live, where you work and where you play? Many thanks and recognition are given to Dr. Dave DeVries and his Multiplication Workshop materials!