Evangelism

As some of you know, I am preaching a series of sermons on the core values at Bethel United Methodist Church. I am preaching out of my three-plus years with Bethel and out of my own ministry of some years in the church. I am using the letters in Bethel to work out our core commitments.

Last week we worked on a Biblical Foundation together. We worked on this not in an effort to make everyone the same. We worked on this to challenge ourselves to read the Bible everyday and to study it in groups. Groups like Disciple Bible Study offer a unique opportunity to get into the Word. Scripture has a privileged place among us.

On Sunday, Aug, 23rd, I worked on the second core value: evangelism. We’ve said a lot about evangelism over the last couple of years, mainly because “need-oriented evangelism” was singled out by Natural Church Development as our minimum factor (the one on which we need to work most as a church).

Visits to Sunday School classes gave us reasons why we are low on evangelism. Reasons stated were: it’s not a priority; we don’t see it as important; we are afraid. So, I think we need to commit ourselves to making it our core value if we are to be a fully alive church.

In my sermon I said first what evangelism is not. Evangelism is not: manipulation, or canned, or offensive, or unusual. Evangelism is not weird or anything like that. It is not beating people over the head with the Gospel. There are some who still do that, by the way.

Lucy said to Linus: “I have finally convinced the boy behind me in class that my religion is better than his.” Linus said: “How?” She said: “I hit him on the head.” That kind of convincing witness is not worthy of the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Then, I spent some time on what evangelism is. Evangelism is: caring, sharing, the spiritual dimension. I said that it’s like planting seeds, good seeds.

My main point was that our assumption that everyone who is outside the church is somehow different from us- is false. 90% of Americans in almost every poll say they believe in God already. A large percentage of Americans are interested in this “spiritual”. So, the truth is that we are not, on the whole, dealing with people who are aetheists.

Evangelism is about love because everyone needs to be loved; everyone needs a community; everyone needs God in Christ. So, we plant our seeds and leave the rest to God.

Look among the people in your sphere of influence. Pray for them and as the Spirit gives you opportunity share, witness, invite others to Jesus Christ.

Blessings!
Dave Nichols

A Biblical Foundation

We began our series Sunday, Aug. 16, on our Core Values at Bethel. I said that the idea for this series came from a story that I read about a coach who decided to teach/coach basketball for children saying that he had become frustrated that older kids don’t know the basics. He said that no one knows the basics anymore.

I think that goes for Christian faith as well. We get along in our faith and get to thinking that we no longer need to master the basics. But, as the coach said: “Michael Jordan was great because he had mastered the basics. That’s what set him free to be great…” So, the first basic for us is a Biblical Foundation.

The Bible has a privileged place among us. I cannot go rummaging around in “Newsweek, or Psychology Today, or the New York Times for a text from which to preach on Sunday. I am, in fact, read them, but I must go the Bible for a text.

The Bible is a our agreed-upon text, the main rule for faith and practice. While the Bible is not a science book or a history book, not primarily, the Bible is a book about God. It is God’s word and all who read it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit hear God speak and are formed into that story.

The Rabbis say that God got tired of being mis-quoted and wrongly reported; so, he decided to write his own story. So, he hired a personal secretary to write as he dictated. Everybody knows that while God likes to talk, he hates to write. For forty days and nights God told his story and his secretary wrote it down.

Finally, it was done and God sat down. God had been pacing back and forth while dictating. Suddenly, the secretary wrote the last word and stood up. He threw down his pen and said, with rage of someone who had been plagiarized: “My God, that’s my story…”

As Christians, we are a people who are enrolled in a story. We bend our lives toward that story. We stand under the judgement of that account of reality. We read it and cry out: “My God, that’s my story.”

John Wesley said that the Bible contains all things necessary for salvation. We read the Bible, if only a verse, every day. We study the Bible with others. And, we remain open to God’s Spirit.

Blessings!
Dave Nichols

God is at Work, HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Last night we had a good but difficult Finance Committee meeting. We are so far behind on our budget right now that…well, you get the idea. One of the most helpless feelings I ever get is the feeling of watching budget numbers deteriorate. Week after week to watch them slide downward gives me a “sinking” feeling.

On the whole, Finance Committee people are doing a great job trying to move the ministries of the church foward while at the same time trying to stop us before we go over a cliff financially. Don’t get the wrong idea. We do have reserves, but you can’t spend those down every year and keep losing money.

We are faced with living through the harshest reality that we’ve faced in this country in a while. A number of our members have lost their jobs; some will have to relocate to find work. Others feels the pinch at work. While they haven’t lost their jobs they have been cut back some. So, they do the best they can.

My challenge as a pastoral leader is to be realistic on the one hand. Yes, we are behind. We want to be good stewards of what we have. And, we have to let others know that we are struggling to decide about staff and other things as we start up the pledge campaign for another year.

As a pastoral leader, I also have to hold up our calling to make disciples of Jesus Christ. How can we in bad economic times continue to do what God is calling us to do on less? How can we continue to go out in ministry to others and not let this drag us into using it as an excuse to do nothing?

This morning, I head God’s word in my devotion. Philippians 2:13. It says: “God is at work in your to will and to work his good pleasure…” OK. Even in the mist of this turmoil, maybe especially in the midst of this turmoil, God is still at work in me, in you, in all of us, to work his will.

Don’t be discouraged. Trust God. Right?
Dave Nichols