What's Going On?
Is it common for churches to run themselves in a manner that provides a great, moving service with the mentality that somehow the lost people in the community will just somehow find them and end up in a pew? God will magically move on them and transport them to the church if that's where they are supposed to be? Are we relieved of pro-actively reaching the lost because God will find them and bring them to us?
PostScript: I was thinking about Jesus' ministry. It wasn't done in the synagogue, even though he went. It was done out in the streets, in homes, on the shores, at the watering holes- out with the people.
posted by Amber Lynn @ 4:23 PM
1 Comments:
Hello Amber,
Again thanks for the blog. My thoughts on the subject (question?) you posted in "What's Going On?" are that the work of seeking and saving the lost is the work of "individuals" (not the church assembly) and mostly they do it in their own homes and lives.
When we turn this over to an "evangelism center" and simply bring our friends to church we are missing out on what God has saved and sanctifed us for. Reproduction.
The work of evangelism is done by individuals and the fruit of this is brought to the assembly. (Usually after much early discipleship and problem intervention being lovingly administered out of your own time and expense.)
When we have a friend that we see is beginning to bud and grow, we bring them into the assembly. We introduce them to the broader body of Christ. But we remain their main source of life and truth.
This puts the growth of the kingdom back into the hands of individuals not institutions. The institutional process that we see so much of is far from what the 1st century church in the book of Acts practiced.
But yet, wouldn't it be nice if folks would at least bring their friends to church?
I am of the "if you catch em' you clean em'" school of Christianity.
This way two people get changed. One who is just getting started and one who needs some pruning to be more fruitful.
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