What if I Don't Know Any Unbelievers?

Sometimes when it comes to evangelism I think a question that haunts many Christians is this one:

"What if I don't know any unbelievers?" 

I'd like to address this question whether you've been a believer in Jesus for many years, or you are a new Christian. Here are some brief thoughts.

1. Yes, you do. You may feel like the only people you know are Christians--and that may be true for the most part--but that's likely not the case if you really take a look around. Forgetting members of our own family we are unsure of in their relationship with Christ, what about people we work with, go to school with, or see frequently in the neighborhood? Have you taken time to hear their story--ask them questions--really get to know them? Do you know their religious beliefs? Think about all the people you interact with in a given week. Now read Acts 17:26 and imagine if God really has "determined...the boundaries of their dwelling place" to interact with you. Begin writing their names down. Start by praying for them.

 2. Don't Over Think It. Many times we fail to see the people that God has providentially put in front of us because we are caught up in looking around for someone else. We have an image of a "kind" of person that we should reach out to and totally miss the weird guy at work, the same lady at the pharmacy we regularly talk to, or the kid that asks the strange questions in Sunday School. Those are people to relationally invest in. Start there. Get to know them. Hear their story. Share yours.

3. Repent. There will always be unique challenges to engaging people with the gospel, but most of the time we have something in our hearts that we need to turn from. Sometimes this is laziness to engage getting to know someone. We think it will take too much of our time and will drain us. Sometimes it's a fear of what it will cost us to "out" ourselves as believers in Jesus at work. And all of this stems from an unbelief in the power of the gospel to save--and being overly focused on retaining our comfort or reputation. If Jesus embraced being misunderstood by people in his love for them--we have to be as well (Luke 7:34; Matt 10;25). 

4. Start Simple. The only way to fix the problem of not knowing any unbelievers is to intentionally get to know unbelievers. I know. It's really profound. But sometimes we think we can share the gospel without getting messy relationally. Sometimes evangelistic methods even encourage this. You can be trained to busily pass out gospel tracts but not be encouraged to get to know the person you're entering into one-way conversations with. You are encouraged to sign up for the mission trip--but not encouraged to walk across the street to the unglamorous neighbor and invite him to watch the game. If you want to share the gospel--you've got to appropriately open up your life to people (1 Thess. 2:8).

"All Religion is Man-Made"

We prayed as couples and Josh and I went across the street to make some friends tonight. The party was still going strong. We were surprised by the immediate shouts of "neighbor!" when we stepped into the backyard. We had some great conversation with guys--at some points we had a sense that seeds were being sown. But after further reflection we both agreed that the most important thing we did tonight was simply be a presence of Christ to folks.

I will share a sound byte of Josh Jordan's conversation...

[Friend] "All religion is man-made."

[Josh] "If you believe there is a God you've got to believe that at least one religion is not man-made."

[Friend] agreeing...

[Josh] "Don't you think that if there is a good God that made you--living for Him would be the greatest thing?"

Josh went on to communicate that because we've been separated from God--Jesus died to help us be reconciled to Him. The conversations went in several directions--loops and spins--but in all we experienced God's help in building relationships and scattering seed.

How Do you Evaluate an Open Door?

Today I'm visiting a friend Josh Jordan in Seguin. It's about 8:30pm right now of a wonderful day of reconnecting and seeing the city as well as San Antonio.

Josh has some great neighbors.

At 9am his next door neighbor was already getting the grill ready while while our kids were playing on the swings. When we got back from San Antonio the music was going loud--but because they had been in Spanish--it wasn't a big deal. But by the time we decided to grill we were hearing Sir-Mix-a-Lot and 80's Salt-N-Peppa.

Nevertheless. His neighbor thanked us for our patience as they were celebrating a family birthday. He insisted through the fence that we come over and get some beans--finally walking over to the house and bringing us a plate to enjoy. He then said, "you need to come over. We're having good conversation."

trusting God for an open door...

Prayer is Mission-Critical...

We just started a book on our pastoral team called "Taking Hold of God" by Joel Beeke. So far it is very good.

As I seek to live in a God-honoring way--I am all-too-often tempted to believe that prayer is an important part of the day--a needed focus of life--but not mission-critical.

I'm hoping to decrease this thought in my life.

One thing that jumped out at me in the first chapter is the statement, "for...Luther, the reformation was about how the church prays." He quotes Luther, "Prayer is a difficult matter and hard work. It is far more difficult than preaching the Word or performing other official duties in the church. When we are preaching we are more passive than active; God is speaking through us, and our teaching is His work. This is the reason why it is also very rare."

I find this to be very true in my life. I am often tempted to believe prayer is a duty disconnected to other very important things. Like a kid that wants to hurry up and eat so he can go play---the bigger work is often viewed outside--away from the quiet--dictated by my "list." I'm seeking a more robust prayer life (and seeking the seeking therein) to live in active trust upon a loving Father.

The 2 Obstacles of the Religious South

As a pastor it can sometimes feel like I go from one circle of Christians to another to another to another. I am reading Christian books, reading Christian tweets, thinking and talking about the church world all day long. I am aware of mega-churches in and near my city I respect and some of the things they're doing. I am aware of the church-planting movement I'm a part of and others around the country as well. So, given my default mindset--I can operate with some false assumptions about how people in the South have heard the gospel.

I was recently reminded of this on a trip to a sister church in Midland of the desperate state of the religious South to hear the gospel for the first time.

As we did a kind of prayer ministry around the homes of the church a person from my team and I found an open door to talk about Christ with a worker in his 20s.

He was a bright, intelligent, hard-working guy. He was easy to talk to--just "good-ole-boy" for those who enjoyed the Dukes growing up. I liked talking to him. His thoughts concerning religion went something like this.

"Hey I appreciate what you guys are doing...I'm a Christian too...I was saved and baptized as a kid. I don't really have any interest in going to a church--but I know I'll see St. Peter at the pearly gates when I die...I'm good."

Although our mission was to demonstrate the love of Christ through prayer and inviting people to a gospel-class a month away--he seemed open to talking.

"How do you know you'll go to heaven--how do you have confidence of that?"

"Because I'm a good person." [confidently]

He went on to explain that he had never murdered anybody--and that being a good person was all that you needed to be sure of eternal life.

"Why did Jesus die on the cross?"

"For our sins...." [confidently]

But how do you know that you're going to heaven?

"Because I'm a good person..." [confidently]

We asked him if someone can be good enough to earn their way to heaven--why he thought God would ever allow his Son to be killed for sins.

Although he did express that he had never considered that--his thoughts stayed fixed in dual objects in his mind. His hope being grounded in two religious activities. 1. He was a good person based on the moral standards of our time. 2. He did believe in Jesus and performed what was required as a child to know he'd go to heaven when he died.

For the majority of people who live next to us and drive past our churches--never forget the power of these two religious activities in our land. These are the greatest obstacles to overcome in the religious South.

1. I believe in Jesus (and performed a religious activity to prove it).
2. I'm a good person.

I was reminded even if for a moment--to forget the fact that their is a church on every corner in my city.

Forget the thought that people in my neighborhood must have heard the gospel by now--surely!

Forget my assumptions that someone's told them or that they know the gospel--and are just hardened to the truth.

Forget that they're probably on someone's prayer list--and someone must be praying fervently for them.

Rather--assume they've never heard.

Assume they have never heard the good news that a holy God created them in His image--fashioned them for his glory and sent His one and only Son to live, die and rise for them--because in their rejection of God as King could do absolutely nothing else to be redeemed, restored, and made alive again.

Assume no one has ever told them the real gospel. Assume that they've heard a message of religious activity and morality cloaked in Christian jargon.

Now let's go one step further on the mission and assume God sent us as missionary ambassadors to tell them the refreshing news they've never heard before. Assume we're called to live strategically, intentionally, and sacrificially so that they might be rescued from deep fried Southern religion.

Lord--send us out with urgency and desperation to the religious South and help us to lovingly and graciously demonstrate and declare that You rose from the dead to save us from our religion.

Global Prayers for a Local Church

Every Thursday morning we have a prayer gathering of Grace Church from 6:30am to 7:30am. Although it's an early hour, I've grown to really love these times together.

Something brand-new we just started this morning is to take the first Thursday morning of the month and dedicate the whole meeting to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). In a sense, all prayer orbits around our call to "go and make disciples" but on these mornings we will try to discipline our praying for specific areas of gospel break-through.

After a brief meditation on Matt. 4:12-25, here are some things we prayed for this morning...

1. A local outreach to our city at Frisco Square. We are seeking to give away 6,000 glow-in-the-dark bracelets to children and demonstrate the love of Jesus this Saturday night.

2. Our Sunday gathering. We asked that God would empower the preached word to draw the listener to Himself and bring change through His grace.

3. Our ministry to Rambling Oaks. A retirement home we've partnered with through faithful men in our church. Every Sunday someone from our church is preaching there and leading worship. A friend named Shayne heads this up. We asked that God would stretch out his hand to heal many for His glory according to Acts 4:30.

4. Every Orphans Hope. We prayed for Gary Schneider and his ministry to orphans in Zambia that office at our church building.

5. Political and Social Tragedy and unrest in Mexico. Through our partnership with Sovereign Grace Ministries we prayed for a church to be strengthened with power and boldness in Juarez, and for the orphanage they support called Rancho 3m to be protected in these days.

6. Gospel for Asia. We have a few members of our church that serve at Gospel for Asia as self-supported missionaries in a full-time capacity to see churches planted among the unreached. We asked God would empower them and their efforts for his glory.

7. An evangelical Russian church that will begin meeting in our church this Sunday. We are seeking to be a part of a church ministering faithfully to Russians in the Dallas area.

8. Iraq. Through Operation World, we united with the global church in praying for the country listed for this day which happened to be Iraq. We prayed that God would reach the unreached Bedouin, Persians, and Gypsies.