In today's chapter, we are introduced to two more communities that have letters addressed to them in the New Testament - Corinth and Ephesus. Of the people in Corinth, Eugene Peterson says, "The people of Corinth had a reputation in the ancient world as an unruly, hard-drinking, sexually promiscuous bunch of people. when Paul arrived with the Message and many of them became believers in Jesus, they brought their reputations with them right into the church" (Intro to Corinthians, The Message). Paul comes to Corinth and stays a year and a half as their pastor/teacher. Paul has been fighting for the inclusion of the non-Jews and now he comes into Corinth, a very liberal and immoral culture.
Ephesus, a highly commercial city, was home to a pagan temple dedicated to the Roman goddess Diana. A preacher named Apollos had already begun declaring the message of Jesus, but wasn't teaching the whole thing. Priscilla and Aquila, Paul's host family in Corinth, took this man aside and filled him in on the rest of the story, then he was even more effective in convincing the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Paul introduces the believers there to the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Chapter 19) and they are filled and then sets up Ephesus as an evangelistic centerpiece for the next several years.
One phrase stuck with me as I read through the chapter. In chapter 5 Paul is working full-time to persuade the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Then here comes the phrase..."But no such luck." They were not accepting his message. This is an important phrase for us as we share the Message with those around us. There will be times when our words fall on deaf ears. There will be times when others are hostile and unaffirming in our attempts to persuade them that Jesus actually is God's Messiah. That's okay! We don't have to beat ourselves up, thinking we've messed up. Our faithfulness is to share, not in their response. This doesn't mean that we bulldog our way into conversations, but that even the most proficient evangelist, Paul, had "no such luck" while explaining the Message.
Throughout our readings, it's clear that the early Christ-followers did not just sit back and watch. They opened their mouths and spoke with clarity about the Message to anyone who would listen. The Holy Spirit was with them and God was reaching out and into the lives of people everywhere. The question that is begging to be asked when reading these accounts seems to be, "Are we as faithful with the Message as they were?"
What keeps you from sharing the Message with others? Yes, we live our lives in a way that points to Jesus, but when do we open our mouths and share? I'm interested in what your thoughts are...seriously. I don't know anyone who is satisfied with their level of communicating the Message with others, so no shame coming from here. We just want to get the discussion started.
Here is what I fear...
(An edited clip from the NOOMA video, Bullhorn, with Rob Bell. Entire video can be purchased at www.NOOMA.com)
Rejection. I think most people, Christ followers included, fear rejection. At our core, we want people to like us. Presentation of the gospel, and its subsequent rejection feels like rejection of who we are, and that can be a very emotional experience.
ReplyDeleteNo one wants to be thought of as a religious nut, an extremist, a fanatic (Mr. Bullhorn guy), or equated with any of that. Yet I think we have to be ready, "in season and out of season" to share our faith. But we won't be ready if we don't stop to think about it, order our thoughts, prepare our words. We don't have to memorize a speech, but we should know what we believe and why and be able to speak it. "They devoted themselves...to the apostles teachings". Maybe part of the story of Acts is to devote ourselves to knowing what we believe and why, so when the opportunity arises we are ready to share our faith (Jesus-the Way, the Truth, the Life) with those God brings our way. I don't think that requires a seminary degree, or requires us to be an expert apologist, but it does require a little forethought. And the willingness to accept that there are those who will reject the good news we have to offer.
(Just some thoughts that passed through my consciousness)
I agree with Pete on the rejection side of it, but I'd also like to add to that the fear of offending someone or pushing them away. In light of everything these days having to be "politically correct" I often find it is hard to bring up my faith, the truth of Jesus, in every day conversation - particularly with coworkers. I know I don't share the Good News with people NEARLY often enough, which really equates to next to never. I'm not proud of that.
ReplyDeleteI had a professor in seminary that would respond to our fears by saying, "What do you thing you are going to push them away to? Hell number 2?"
ReplyDeleteI agree that I don't want to offend people or push them away, but if I really do believe that Jesus is the answer to life and that apart from Him, we will live separated from God for eternity, how can I say I love my neighbors and not share the story with them? I might would argue, on this basis, that the issue isn't fear but love. Do I love the people around me enough to offer tell them about the only true life that is found only in Christ? Do I love them enough to not just let them wander around in the dark bumping into things, when I have the Light? Do I love them enough to offer them a life preserver when they are desperately trying to stay afloat on their own?
I really am not trying to beat anyone over the head with a stick because I am still trying to figure this thing out. I know what I don't want to do, but I'm still searching for what I should be saying and how I should be saying it.
The word "fear" is being used a lot on this post. Good. We need to be honest and say that we're afraid. I'm afraid, for all the same reasons you guys have already mentioned.
ReplyDeleteBut...
In reality, I've found that people are far, far more interested in our spiritual lives and relationship with God than our fears tell us. People don't necessarily want to be "evangelized," but experience is convincing me that a lot of people in our community are looking for something and are genuinely interested in hearing about what you've found. Worse-case scenarios rarely occur, even though our fears convince us they're the most likely outcome.
I've noticed that many times people became believers after seeing miracles or hearing of crazy things that happened to Paul, Peter, etc... I can imagine when those gathered around them to hear them share the news of Jesus being the Messiah, that it was because they knew they had been through ordeals & experiences (beaten, jailed, mobbed, struck blind then healed, etc...).
ReplyDeleteSo here's my point, like Cam said, people are more interested than you'd think and I've found that they are super interested when they hear "the good news / Jesus" in the context of real life applications. Like when you've lost everything you own, like when you were/are facing life's biggest challenges & tests. It doesn't have to be the bad times, it can be about the good and exciting times - but it helps when the sharing is tied to life. Isn't that why we go through those times? So we come to know God better and we can share how we came through? If it was all boring and bullhorned, few would listen and that's why sometimes "no such luck" happens...?
I think I'll go get on my bike, wear a white short sleeved dress shirt with a tie and go across town and beat on doors... yeah, that's the ticket...:)
Yeah Stan. I don't think just sharing information does much good. Sharing your life, which has been changed by Jesus, does a whole lot of good. People are interested in that.
ReplyDelete"Sharing your life" sounds like a cop-out though. What does that really mean? If you have information that could be beneficial to someone else isn't it incumbent upon you to share that information? It seems a little arrogant to think that your "life" could save someone and going around assuming that someone else will see something so good in you that they just have to have what you have.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to be offensive either. I'm just searching too.
I did not mean to imply that my life--or anyone else's--has the power to save anyone. By "sharing your life" I just mean telling about your personal experience with Jesus, as opposed to relaying information about Jesus that is not personal to you. When I read about the early Christians spreading the gospel in Acts, it is clear to me that every time they opened their mouths it was personal, and the fact that Jesus had changed their lives was obvious before they ever spoke about him. It's the difference between a witness--which is what Jesus said we would be--and a reporter, who merely relays information but has no personal attachment to it. To me, that's the difference between sharing my life experience with Jesus and sharing a tract or list of Bible verses. To most people I've talked to, the former is much more compelling.
ReplyDelete...and yes, I do think other people will want what I have. In fact, I know they will. I expect it. It would be arrogant if I thought I had anything to do with it, but I don't. I know Christ, and I know there is nothing better in the world than that, so you bet I think other people will want it. Someone may call that arrogant, but I would call it devaluing Christ if I weren't confident that others would want to know him and that he would change their lives just as he has mine.
ReplyDelete