Why Modern “Evangelism” Is Not Evangelism At All

What Does It Mean To Be Salt and Light?

In a previous post, I asked “What does salt and light mean?” Now, I’m asking, “What does it mean to be salt and light?” What are the implications?

I have included what I believe is a good, simple, direct mission statement for our church.

We aim to spread the glory of God, strengthen the people of God, and share the gospel of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why did I feel led to put this forth? One, it’s biblical. Two, everytime God led me to put this before all of you, I would get such an encouraging response. Spread.  Strengthen. Share. I would ask myself, “Why?” This statement gives direction. And even 222-year-old churches need to re-evaluate and re-assess what we are all about. So let’s look at some implications in relation to salt and light.

First, we aim to spread the glory of God. Psalm 29:2 says:

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Here is the salt and light in spreading his glory. To ascribe is to “assign, credit, or attribute.” This is outward… this is  being light. As Christians, we have His name and we live with a love for Him not wanting to do anything to take away from his name or his fame. But the  worship is inward. The glory of God captures us, transforms us, directs us! It’s an inward worship and a lifestyle worship.

How can any Christian, any follower of Christ, ever live a redeemed life or ever come into his house with anything but joy and gladness and enthusiasm and expectation? Have we done as Romans 1:22-23 where, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” If you are here this morning and the wonders of all that God has accomplished for you in Christ does not cause you to fall down and worship, exalt, and adore him in your heart and in your life, you need to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith!

Second, we aim to strengthen the people of God. Lookwith me at Hebrews 10:23-25:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

See the progression. We hold fast to the confession of hope without wavering. Why? Because he who promised is faithful.  We have to take time to be discipled and study the Word of God so we know what our confession is and what the promises are. We confess what we believe.  We need to learn what our hope is about.  And notice verse 24: “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” We strengthen one another by encouraging them to feel and live the truth of our Savior. How is this done? Primarily with verse 25: come to church and be the church.  We come to church. We support one another. We see our family together as an absolute priority because it is the body of Christ.

Let me ask you: do you see yourself playing a role inhelping strengthen your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you seek to be strong in the Word so you  can help strengthen others in the Word?

Share the gospel of God. In Acts 4:32-37:

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. [33] And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. [34] There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold [35] and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to eachas any had need. [36] Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, [37] sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Notice that those who believed were “of one heart and souland they had everything in common.” So the Gospel brings about unity among the believers in truth. The heart issue is the salt of Christ. And that worked its way out as light when the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection, with great grace being on
them all. It also brought about a generosity in sacrificial giving.

You see, when the salt of the Gospel penetrates and then brings about the light of living, it will utterly transform!

Beginning a Conversation About Christ

Ed Stetzer recently posted on The Resurgence Website about “Beginning a Conversation about Christ. Well worth reading.

Do You Have a Kingdom Longing?

(If you want to listen to this sermon in its entirety, click here. This sermon was preaching on Sunday, April 13, 2008, at the Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY. Click here for the archive.)

The introduction continues: “He went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him” (Matthew 5:1b). Jesus didn’t just see the crowds and then give a simple gesture or a nod. He went up to a place where he could be seen, sat down as if he planned on staying a while a communing with them, and the people came to him.

Do we have this Kingdom longing? John Piper in his book The Supremacy of God in Preaching wrote:

“People are starving for the greatness of God. But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majesty of God is an unknown cure. There are far more prescriptions on the market, but the benefit is brief and shallow. Preaching that does not have the aroma of God’s greatness may entertain for a season, but it will not touch the hidden cry of the soul which cries, ‘Show me thy glory!’

Jesus understands this longing — and Jesus is the only one who can satisfy that longing. Over and over, they were stunned by an authority coupled with compassion. The Pharisees wouldn’t give those the time of day! They were more interested in their traditions than in God’s creation!

All of us, dear friends, are looking for something we can count on. And the world is searching and scraping to fill a void that nothing in this world can fill. But for you who are Christians, let me ask you: do you long for God’s kingdom to be a reality within you and within this church and within this community? To put it another way, do you and do I long for God’s rule and will to be done, regardless of the pain or cost?

Art Azurdia in a sermon I heard on the radio this past week that the biggest turnaround in our churches over the past fifty years is that the average person looks at the church and asks, “How can the church serve me?” What has happened? We have fallen into the trap of our selfish flesh in that we desire to be our own kings where everyone around us caters to us.

What has happened? Does this not sound like Jesus’ words? Mark 10:42-45

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [43] But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. [45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Do you have a kingdom longing this morning? Do you long for false idols that try to capture your attention to be knocked over by the one True and Living God?

Do You Have Kingdom Lenses?

(If you want to listen to this sermon in its entirety, click here or here to read the Introduction. This sermon was preaching on Sunday, April 13, 2008, at the Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY. Click here for the archive.)

The first portion of this introduction is three simple words: “Seeing the crowds… .” There is a difference between seeing a crowd and seeing a crowd. When I first moved to Lexington, I was warned right away, “If you plan on driving on Nicholasville Road, do not drive when there’s a ball game letting out, or when it’s rush hour. Why? Because of a crowd of cars filled with a crowd of people. You can see that crowd and get annoyed.

Or you can go out to eat and find yourself avoiding certain places because of a line rolling out the door. Or you can be the head of a company or a department and see the crowd of people working under you, but you can use those people simply to advance your own agenda.

I’m glad Jesus doesn’t fit into this category. While this little portion seems to convey a simple looking at the crowds, we get a glimpse into the heart of Jesus as he looks at the crowd in Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” The key word to all of that is “compassion.” Sympathy. Having pity. He put himself in their place and began taking time to see life through their eyes.

It reminds me of a story I read about a man who put up a sign in his yard that read: “Puppies for Sale.” Among those who came to inquire was a young boy. “Please, Mister,” he said, “I’d like to buy one of your puppies if they don’t cost too much.” “Well, son, they’re $25.” The boy looked crushed. “I’ve only got two dollars and five cents. Could I see them anyway?” “Of course. Maybe we can work something out,” said the man. The lad’s eyes danced at the sight of those five little balls of fur. “I heard that one has a bad leg,” he said. “Yes, I’m afraid she’ll be crippled for life.” “Well, that’s the puppy I want. Could I pay for her a little at a time?” The man responded, “But she’ll always have a limp.” Smiling bravely, the boy pulled up one pant leg, revealing a brace. “I don’t walk good either.” Then, looking at the puppy sympathetically, he continued, “I guess she’ll need a lot of love and help. I sure did. It’s not so easy being crippled.” “Here, take her,” said the man. “I know you’ll give her a good home. And just forget the money.”

The situation for the people in Jesus’ time was one perpetual limp after another. John MacArthur noted that the religious factions of the day were leading the people astray. The Pharisees believed in keeping all the law and traditions in great detail. The Sadducees were religious liberals who rejected all things supernatural and changed the Scripture and tradition to fit their worldview. The Essenes separated themselves from everyone, like the monks. The zealots were activists who sought to overturn the political system. MacArthur wryly notes, “The Pharisees said, ‘Go back”; the Sadducees said, “Go ahead”; the Essenes said, “Go away”; and the Zealots said, “Go against.” They truly had no shepherd they could count on.

Let me ask you: when you see the people around you, what do you see? Do you see people as a way to be avoided, exploited, changed, or as many churches and cults do and aim to indoctrinate? It’s time to see people where they are. It’s time to take time to see the crowd around us. And many, whether they realize it or not have a longing for something more. No matter how hard they try, this world cannot meet their true longing for more, for better, for something to grant them purpose.

Ten Encouragements to Gospel-Telling (DesiringGOD.org)

An excerpt:

That is what I find myself praying or more and more. Lord, fill our church with a passion to open the eyes of the blind. Fill us with a passion to do what God uses to bring about the new birth. I say to you what Jesus said to Paul in Acts 26:18: I send you to open their eyes. Don’t stop because you can’t. Of course you can’t. But the fact that you can’t make electricity or create light never stops you from flipping light switches. The fact that you can’t create fire in cylinders never stops you from turning the car key. The fact that you can’t create cell tissue never stops you from eating your meals. So don’t let the fact that you can’t cause the new birth stop you from telling the gospel. That is how people are born again—through the living and abiding word, the good news of Jesus Christ.

Click here to read.

The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper)

The Effectiveness of an Answering Machine Message

Kevin and Julie joined our church this past Sunday — praise God!  Whenever someone joins our church, I always enjoy hearing how they came across us.  They were members of a rather large church in town, but wanted a smaller church where they could know everyone and be involved with a close knit Christian family.  For months they were searching — and almost joined a church — when they finally decided to check out a couple more. 

After hours, they called our church.  Most other churches’ answering machine messages would simply say, “You’ve reached ________________ Church.  Our offices are closed.  Please leave a message and we’ll get back to you.”  I tend to be wordy and have been told on occasion that my answering machine messages are a bit verbose.  But in this instance, they felt that this church was friendly, cared about them, and truly wanted them to join them for worship.  Here is the message we leave:

You’ve reached the Boone’s Creek Baptist Church at 859-263-5466.  We are located at 185 N. Cleveland Road in the Village of Athens and we hope that one Sunday you will join us for one of our worship services.  If you’d like to reach our pastor, Matthew Perry; our Minister of Music and Youth, Ronnie Chaffins, or our secretary, Jennifer Hamilton, please leave your name and a brief message and one of us will get back to you.  If you would like more information about our website, you can log on at www.boonescreekchurch.com.  May God richly bless you.  Hope to see you Sunday.  *Beep!*

Anything magical about that? Absolutely not. And granted, this is a 30 second message — so for every one person who likes this, there may be five who think, “Man, does this message ever end?” But my point is this: even with an answering machine message, this may be the first encounter someone may have with your church, so err on the side of being informative and friendly. Act like your church is worth coming to!

What think ye?

The Church Needs Creeds and Deeds

Recently, in response to a letter submitted to our Kentucky state Baptist paper’s Baptist Forum section that seemed to say “No creed but the Bible,” I felt the need to respond to this mindset. Given how many Southern Baptists are straying to other cults such as Mormonism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses because of the lack of biblical depth they possess, I wrote the following.

I am saddened and stunned at the outcry of those who lament how Southern Baptists seek to clarify doctrinal issues concerning the Scriptures, God, Christ, the church, and family. And yet all of us show the same type of shock when we see that of all the denominations from which the cults steal their sheep, Southern Baptist are their primary source of growth. Why is this?

It is because we Southern Baptists define ourselves more by what we do than by what we believe. Look back over older Western Recorder editions: they spent more time teaching what the Scriptures say rather than talking about missions and church growth almost to the exclusion of doctrinal beliefs. In fact, when Southern Baptists take a stand, they are derided as uncaring, academic, and divisive.

I am all for loving Jesus, but I believe creeds are just as valuable as the deeds. Both must be present — both the content of Scripture as well as the fruit of obedience to the Scriptures. I am for loving the Jesus of the Bible who has clear attributes and had a clear mission for His people. Until Southern Baptist rigorously study who Jesus is, what He has done, what the implications are for us who claim to be Christ-followers, what he expects from His Church and its individual members, we will continue to be fodder for those who deny the faith as we will cease to grow in any significant and spiritual way. Numbers are not the only way to grow a church — we need to be sure there are enough faithful in the church already as well!

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What Would the Modern Preacher Have Done? (Paul Washer)

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