The Big “E”
There’s a word that tends to strike fear in the minds of most Christians. The word? Evangelism: sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to those who haven’t heard. I wonder why this is such a scary word?
Some don’t like the idea at all, saying our actions should speak for us, and we should just keep our faith to ourselves. Some are upset about different approaches the church has taken over the years to share the gospel, tactics that look more like coercion than sharing good news. Others are just nervous to talk about anything spiritual, especially in a place like the Pacific Northwest. Finally, there are others who want to be sharing Christ more, but have no idea how. With all the baggage, it’s tempting to ignore this Christian calling altogether.
Yet, as believers, we have a higher allegiance than our experience, our emotions, and even our failures. Jesus told us to “Go and make disciples!” How then can we participate with God, offering the gift of His Son, to those who need it most? I believe we approach it like anything else in our Christian life—we do it together, never alone.
Every part of the Christian life is designed to be lived out in community. Yet, for some reason, it seems this calling to evangelism has become more of an individual than corporate responsibility. Maybe that’s why there is personal fear towards this word. “It’s all up to you!” “You need to share with your friends!” “You may be the only bible someone reads, or the only Jesus someone sees!” Is that true? Is that biblical? There is some truth to these statements, but I think we desperately need to bring evangelism back into the shared calling of the church, and less about individual responsibility.
We see a picture of this in Acts chapter 2. After the church’s initial growth at Pentecost, the church continued to grow through the local community. At the end of the chapter, evangelism is happening: “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” People are meeting Jesus, and yet we are only told about the community. Jesus commissioned his disciples in a similar fashion: He said, “You are the light of the world.” The ‘You’ is plural, meaning, “You together” are the light of the world, not just you as an individual. I’ll put it another way: you aren’t the best picture of Jesus your friends will ever see, the community of believers is!
This is why as a church we are setting out to run the ALPHA course beginning March 16, at the Old Rainier Brewery. ALPHA is an opportunity to invite people into a safe environment to discuss the basic questions of life and Christianity. We share a meal together and discuss topics each week, while sincerely allowing any and all questions. Most of all, we do it together.
So, if you feel the burden to share Christ with those you know and love, and you are not sure where to start, bring a friend and join us, as we explore the good news together.
In the meantime, we invite you to join us as we begin praying for friends and family that we might know, that we could bring with us to the course. Then, let’s be prepared to be God’s answer to that prayer. Let’s take the risk of inviting, let’s take the risk of sharing, and again, let’s do it together!
We trust that this is going to be a powerful and joyful season for us as a new church, as we step out in faith to extend the good news of Jesus Christ to our a city and beyond.
Maybe if we do this together, it might not be so scary after all!
-Pastor Jeff & CCC ALPHA Team
P.S. If you are new to ALPHA, click here to watch a 5-minute video that will help get you acquainted.