Pastor Pen - 5-18-08

“Now we are facing the reality that fewer unchurched people are willing to visit a Christian church. This will compel us to embrace a go and tell—or incarnational—approach. Should we invite our friends to church? Sure. But should we be, do and tell the gospel to people in culture? You bet. It is not only biblical, but it is even more essential today as our culture grows increasingly resistant to the church.” -Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research
Do you try to make friends with people who don’t know the Lord or do you try to keep your friendships limited to those who are saved?
When you find something that used to work but no longer is, what do you do? Do you try to fix it back the way it was or do you try to improve it?
How do you feel when things are changed? Do you like change or dislike it? Do you find yourself being the one who initiates change, or the one who tries to keep things the way they have always been?
It’s been said that nobody likes change, that we all like to find our comfort zone and stay in it. But when we must change to live, are we willing? The world in which we live has changed and we must adapt in order to tell the lost about Jesus. God does not change, His Word does not change, His laws do not change, but people do, culture does. Just as missionaries take the gospel to the lost people of their culture, we must also.
We need to have friends who are lost, we need to make friends with unsaved people in order to lead them to Christ. This is called Relational Evangelism, or forming a relationship with someone in order to evangelize, or tell them about Jesus.
Even Jesus used relational evangelism in his day, He did not do as the religious people of His day did, he went out where the people were. Why would we think that we are better than Jesus, or that we know more about ministry than He did or does?
We must find a better and more effective way to tell the old, old story of Jesus.
So, are you opposed to change?