Just thinking about...

Evangelism

This coming Sunday (May 31^st) has been designated (btw: who does the designating?) to focus on Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelization. I think it's a Southern Baptist thing but hopefully it's a Christian thing. It's a good idea and we plan to pray and fast.

As I was reading some of the material the IMB prepared to help us prompt people to pray and fast, I noticed that the description read "…a day to pray for people who have not heard of Jesus." I read it again because something didn't seem right. After a few re-readings and thinking about it a while, I concluded my unease was with the group we were praying for. A prayer for world evangelization is for the church to share the Gospel. We would not be praying specifically for the people who have yet to hear of Jesus. We would be praying for the people who have responded with a "YES" to Jesus. We're praying that the Church will engage in evangelism. Evangelism is telling someone about Jesus, sharing the Gospel. To pray for World Evangelization, one would pray for the Church to share the Gospel, right? We certainly should (and regularly do) pray for those who have yet to come to Jesus. But this is a day of praying for world evangelization.

Evangelism is the responsibility of every Christian. To share the Good news of Jesus with someone is what evangelism actually is. While there are some called to do evangelism by speaking to crowds, I think the primary method of evangelism is the average Christian sharing Jesus in the normal course of life. An old youth friend (Dean Finley) called it "As You Go" evangelism. In the course of life, we ask God to help us see opportunities to share Jesus as well as create a few. There are other times when we intentionally and strategically set out to share Jesus, but the primary way is "As You Go Evangelism" looking for opportunities to share Jesus in the normal course of life. We also arrange to send people to places where we can't go and even take a few trips there ourselves. Sometimes we go where others have not gone simply because we need to do it! We also need to utilize the various forms of media to take the Gospel to people. There is one Gospel to share, but there is more than one way to share the Gospel.

However, all of these methods of evangelism require that we love the lost and that we care what happens to them. I read somewhere (can't locate my source!) that Dr. King said "You must first love those you wish to change." Matthew 24:12 may be the problem.

Penn (of Penn & Teller) is an admitted atheist but makes a great point here.

My prayer is that the people I do life with at The River will be so in love with Jesus and others (especially the ones who have yet to know Him) that they will tell others. They won't have to be prompted or guilted or prayed for to do it. They just do it and they do it in a way that communicates the love of God.

Curt's opinion….

Community

We talked this morning about our need for Biblical community/fellowship/relationships/koinonia. I really do believe that we need -as in "it's essential!"- relationships with other Believers in order to live the way God intended us to live.

If we're going to be missional (people on mission with God in the redemption endeavor), we must be in community. Simple.

Just thinking about …

Truth

Chuck Colson prompts me to think in his ongoing commentaries observing culture.

At The River yesterday, we talked about the role Truth plays in a Spirit-filled church. Today's commentary from Colson speaks to the issue rather well.

Thought I would pass it on.

Jesus intro…

I thought this was pretty cool.

Just thinking…

I was moved today during the service as I remembered my Mom's sacrifice for us kids.

Dad left us when I was 12. I had 3 siblings, 6, 5, & 4. We went to live with my grandparents in Union, SC, where my Mom went to work as a secretary in one of the textile mills. Grandpa Johnson enlarged the garden and added more chickens. We moved my sisters into the back bedroom with my Mom, while my brother and I shared the back porch which Pa enlarged enough to hold a bunk bed. In the winter, we opened the window into Mom's bedroom for heat. Of course, Pa cut the space heaters off at night and back on at dawn.

Mom raised four kids for 7 years as a single mom. Then when my dad asked for forgiveness, she gave it. Freely. They remarried and built a new life in North Georgia until cancer and a paralyzing auto accident turned her into Dad's caregiver. She worked full time and cared for my Dad until he died. The she began taking care of her mother (Granny Johnson) the last year of her life. She did it without reservation. She then decided to keep living in North Georgia alone with her church and her friends.

About 10 years ago Mom was visiting us and had some health problems. When the doctors told us that she wouldn't be able to live alone any more, we invited her to live with us. That was hard as she gave up her home in Georgia and moved into our home. It was hard moving from a house on three acres in the country in north Georgia to a room in her son's house in Charleston. We tried to bring as much as we could that would make her feel at home but…

Mom's almost 83 now. She has lost some of her short term memory and often repeats herself. Her knee affected by Baker's cyst results in constant pain. Sometimes we have to remind her to drink plenty of fluids and eat more nutricous food. She doesn't normally feel like going places, but gets bored sitting at home. She loves the cup of Starbucks that I make her every morning to go along with the morning newspaper. She also loves her dog, Abby. Abby was the unloved dog until Mom arrived. Now Abby has cataracts and stays close to mom 24/7.

I thank God for the part my Mom played in my life. Raising four kids as a single mom. Forgiving my father and rebuilding the marriage. Caring for my Dad and my grandmother in their last days. And staying independent as long as she could.

Tom Brokaw called my mother's generation the greatest generation.

I agree.

National Day of Prayer

Thursday May 7^th has been designated as the National Day of Prayer here in the US.

As pastor of Riverbluff, I'm asking you to first, devote some time Thursday for prayer. In your list of "things to do today", I hope you will put "Pray" at the front of the list.

Secondly I ask you to pray specifically with me asking the Lord for a fresh filling of The Holy Spirit in the churches of America. The filling of the Spirit means different things to different Christians, so what I am asking for is that the Holy Spirit will be the dominant influence in the churches of the US and the Christians who make up those churches.

The Scriptures refer to this as a visitation, a revival, a renewal, a filling, or an anointing. I don't think the name matters to God as much as the sincere request from God's People to do a work in us that draws us to Him and to our special calling as His People. I'm praying for the presence of God to work in the churches of this great land and the people called Christians. I am asking specifically for a fresh filling of the churches in Charleston.

Would you join me? And perhaps consider making this one of the regular prayers of your life; just like you pray for your children, or your finances, or your job, or your health?

I have you in my heart….