Jesus said, “Go!”
The church usually just says, “Come!”
Let me explain.
Time and again, Jesus instructed the infant church about sharing the Gospel with the lost world.* While the details of His instruction varied a little bit from situation to situation, it is clear that Jesus expected His people to go into the world around them, and penetrate the culture with the Gospel. We are instructed not only to invite people outside the family (Matthew 22:9), but to eagerly search for them (Luke 15:4), and even to compel them (Luke 14:23) to come be with us!
In contrast to Jesus’ clear expectation, the church typically simply hopes that people will come to us, if we provide good programs and try to meet their needs. Several studies indicate that only a small percentage of active church members ever invite anyone to church. Dr. Thom Rainer’s book, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, states that only one in five active churchgoers invites anyone to church in the course of a year. Even more sadly, only one in fifty church members has ever invited an unchurched person to church! One in fifty. Ever. No wonder the American church is not growing! Ironically, other studies show that most unchurched people would attend church, if they were invited by a friend they knew and trusted.
Do you invite your unchurched friends to church? Do you invite anybody? Ever?
But, let us note that Jesus clearly expects His followers to do far more than simply extend to the lost a personal invitation to come join us in worship and study. He commands Christians to actually share the Gospel with the lost.
Doing that will require three foundational changes in the way we look at the world we live in. First, we must see the people around us the way Jesus saw the people around Him: lost souls in peril of hell, and in need of a Savior. Second, we must see ourselves as Jesus saw us: agents of the Gospel, sent by Him to tell the truth about Who He is. Third, we must see Jesus as He truly is: the Lord of our lives, Who both expects us to obey Him and empowers us to do so.
Two pertinent questions arise from these considerations. First, how can we expect God to draw the unchurched to our churches, while we consistently operate in longstanding and blatant disregard to His clear commands to go to the lost, invite them, and tell them the Gospel? Second, how might God move among us and through us if we actually became more obedient in these crucial areas of ministry?
I, for one, have become increasingly burdened that the church in America – and the churches in Sterling, Colorado, including the one I pastor – must soon discover more effective ways to go, invite and tell. I’m not sure what that looks like, but I’m praying God will make it clear. Would you join me in asking Him to do so? If Jesus said, “Go!” we’ve got to find ways to do what He said.
*If you are interested in checking out some of the passages in which Jesus issued these instructions, here is a sample:
Matthew 10:5-16
Matthew 18:12-14
Matthew 22:8-9
Matthew 28:18-20
Luke 10:1-11
Luke 14:16-23
Luke 15:4-7
John 15:14-16
John 20:21
Acts 1:7-8
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1 comment:
Pastor John, I was glad to see your sermonette on "go." I've been equally burdened by the imbalance of a "come and see" posture most churches have, instead of a "go and be" posture. We're mostly facility, program, and performance centered rather than outreach centered. I am in the process of creating a message based on passaged in which Jesus says something to the effect of "come and see" and "go and be." I have intuitively concluded that he does say, "Come and see," but only insofar as those who come and see "Go and be." Thank you for being on the same page at this time. I draw inspiration from your comments.
Blessings, Pat
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