Day 102: Edifying Evangelism

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia —remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith." 1 Timothy 1:3-4

This is a good admonishment that we don't hear enough.

We need to bring our evangelism back to the basics: the proclamation of the Gospel.  There are times when we allow for different things to get in the way of proclaiming the Gospel.  Jesus gave us some very good examples of how to proclaim, especially with the use of parables (and even explaining some of them to us in simple terms).  But we can also become obsessed with different things.

One thing that I think of is how we might become obsessed with that one Bible verse and try to figure out how we can make that Bible verse our own.  The truth of the matter is that we want to start making the entire evangelization to be something that glorifies ourselves rather than God.  When we show that we have so much knowledge about a certain matter, we can start to distance ourselves from those we are trying to reach.

Instead, we should remember that evangelism involves godly edification.  Rather than argue with others about minutia, we should be edifying one another, especially those who are new to Christ.  Jesus spent his entire ministry building up his disciples, and he is also edifying us each time we communicate with him through our prayers, worship, and reading.  Therefore, we must continue this tradition to our own students.  We must continue to build them up rather than tear them down.

Day 048: Servants of Faith

"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."  1 Corinthians 4:1-2

 I know that I definitely fall short as a Christian to fulfill my duties.

These two verses make me think about going to a fancy restaurant.  Usually, I'll be dressed up so much, in at least church clothes, in order not to stick out of the rest, particularly the waiters, who are in crisp, white shirts and slacks.  In fact, it is usually how the host and the waiters are dressed that determine the attire of the restaurant.  I expect good food when I go to a restaurant with people in such attire.  When I look at the menu, there are many things that I have never heard of, so I decide to ask the waiter.  However, when I ask, the waiter doesn't really know what the foods are, and he even admits to hating the restaurant.

How does that even make sense?  Why would such a waiter be allowed to work at that restaurant?  That's where the notion of a faithful steward comes in.  We are walking all over the earth, whether with a bible in hand, a cross tied around our neck, or a bible verse inked onto our arms, representing Christ.  How will we live up to what we are showing around?  Are we sure that we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good?  Are we sure that we are not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes?

The people we meet along the way will be asking us questions about our faith, especially if we deem ourselves Christians.  Is this meant to scare anybody away?  Not at all, for we have the ability to learn more because of our faith in Christ.  However, we need to be sure to serve faithfully.  We need to be ready to spread the good news when the occasion arises.  We also need to be ready to serve in all the ways that Jesus has taught us to at all times.

Our redemption is one where Jesus finds us, cleans us, and then sends us on our way, our new way, to expand the community, the church, the body of the faithful, the body of Christ.  

When we received ashes on Ash Wednesday, we showed the world that we are ready to suffer with Christ.  The season of Lent is the time for us to follow up on our statement.  We need to read the bible, pray, and turn away from our old selves so that we can follow Jesus.  We need to tend to the house that Jesus has built up.  We need to be faithful stewards of the Gospel.

 

Day 046: Proclaiming the Good News

"And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

This message is one of substantial courage for me, because I am not a theology student.  I love the Lord.  I enjoy my growing spirituality, but sometimes I feel silenced in front of others who spent their time studying in seminary.  I feel afraid to speak what I believe in front of the educated.

But this message here is what I need.  Paul shows that the Gospel doesn't always need fancy words or discourse.  The Gospel is amazing just because it is amazing: God loves us, and Jesus, God's incarnation, lived a life of purity, suffered death, and rose again, so that we can have eternal life.  That's a message of amazing love.

I hear many of my Christian friends say that they can't preach or can't write about their faith because they aren't educated or because they don't know how to say things like a preacher would.  Just remember, the Gospel has been transmitted by whatever means necessary: the evangelists did not have the most refined Greek, but they still wrote; the early apostles weren't the richest people in the world, but they traveled around with what they had; the Jews were oppressed in the times of Jesus, but they still proclaimed their faith in the face of death.

Make Lent be a time to celebrate your faith and to share your story.  All of us need more of these stories, for that's how our faith grows.  We read the bible to encounter more stories of faith, and a community that shares its stories of faith will only continue to grow.  God has been revealed to so many different people, so let's listen and share. 

Lord of the Harvest

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." (Luke 10:2)
The harvest means that there is already a community out there.  There are already plants with fruits and vegetables waiting to be picked.  There are plants waiting to be seen.  One image that comes to mind with this is the entire concept of coming out.
Coming out is (currently) our lifelong task.  We have to come out to every new person we meet.  We have to discern whether it is worth us coming out at certain times or not.  How scary it is to come out when we have preconceived notions about a person.  How even scarier, though, when we actually know a person's beliefs see us at fault.  However, what joy it is to come out to an ally or another member of our queer family! We find another being just waiting to be seen and understanding what tribulations we have been going through.
Unfortunately, it is another uncomfortable experience to come out as Christian to someone in this same family.  It is an even greater joy and relief when we find another queer Christian.
That's what Jesus is telling us.  The harvest is plentiful.  Our LGBT family is strong and proud.  Our LGBT family is thirsting for God.  The laborers (right now, at least) are few.  Not only must we pray for more laborers, we must also bring out new queer Christians to become laborers.  We need to proclaim the Gospel that there is One who listens to us when we are beat up right in front of our house.  There is One who listens to us when we are being damned by everybody else.  There is One who loves us at all times in all areas.  There is One who forgives us.
Yes, the Lord of the harvest is providing the workers in these harvest fields today.