Relational Evangelism

As active Christians, the Lord is going to give us people to come alongside in life and with whom to be a friend.  We are called to serve those persons by discovering their needs in the context of that friendship and meeting those needs as the Lord directs us.  Of course the greatest need any non-Christian has is not going to be met through friendship with us, but through friendship with God.  Relational Evangelism is therefore making a friend, being a friend, and bringing your friend to Christ (this will sound familiar to all those who have been involved in a Cursillo 3-Day Weekend.).  

What we often settle for in meeting Jesus’ mandate to “go into the world and make disciples” (Matthew 28) is Passive Evangelism.  Displaying a church sign or running a church website are forms of Passive Evangelism.  This blog is Passive Evangelism.  These are useful, but relationships, personal witness and personal invitations to “Come and See” are how The Lord redeems lives and grows His church.  This is particularly true in our culture where we seem to be a people in search of meaningful and lasting relationships. 

Do you have a person in your life with whom you can develop a relationship, discover their needs, lovingly work to meet those needs, and assure that their biggest need is met, a relationship with the Living God?

 

Giving Others the Opportunity to Know Christ

When sharing with a friend about the Good News of your redemption, healing and new life in Christ, it is perhaps helpful to remember that the final impact on their lives isn't up to you—you are simply communicating what you know and have experienced, and the choice you have made for your life.  We each have to respond the Holy Spirit’s nudge toward Christ on our own.   No one can make that decision for us.  Of course, we still have an obligation to participate in giving others the opportunity to decide... Rom 10:14, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"  (Source: Focus on the Family)

We Are Literally Betting Our Lives on Having the Right Worldview

 

We all have a worldview which is our way of understanding life- why we are here, our purpose on this planet, where we are ultimately headed.  We derive our very identity from our worldview.  We use our resources and expend our very lives according to what we believe.  This is a serious thing to consider in that we are given only one life to live.   Rick Warren said that we literally bet our lives on having the right worldview.  Ask these questions of yourself:  What worldview drives your life?  From what or from whom are you deriving your identity?  What lifestyle are you living and what purpose in life are you expending your life upon?  Is it noble, lofty and worthy enough for the one precious life you have been given?

Victorious Living

In his book Experiencing God, Henry Blackerby’s asked the question, “How do you describe your relationship with God?” He gives us a list of possible answers to ponder: 

Non-existent? 

Plateaued? 

In decline? 

Confused? 

Exciting? 

Growing? 

Transformative? 

Victorious?

 

Unless the enemy has you totally deceived, you are going to desire the latter answers on this list.   A fundamental fact about a relationship with God that is transformative and victorious living is a function of our yielded-ness to God’s Holy Spirit at work in us.  This is true for all stages of conversion, sanctification and perfection through which the Spirit leads us.  Consider these stages of the Christian Pilgrimage:

o    God through His Holy Spirit call us to Himself through the people and circumstances in our lives.

o    The Holy Spirit convicts us of our rebellion and sin and leads us to repentance and forgiveness.

o    The Holy Spirit quickens in us that Blessed Assurance of new and eternal life with the Father.

o    The Holy Spirit begins to build within us an intimate relationship with the Father.

o    The Holy Spirit begins to reveal God's good and perfect will for our lives.

o    The Holy Spirit steadily changes us; we are sanctified for His purposes; we are given holy living.

o    The Holy Spirit imparts to us "Spiritual Gifts " for building up the Body of Christ and doing ministry.

o    The Holy Spirit imparts the Fruit of the Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). This begins to characterize and define our life (Gal, 5).

o    We are victorious over the world, the flesh and the devil- Christlikeness and union with God are ours now and forever. 

 

The question thus becomes- At whatever stage of your life that you find yourself, are you yielded to the Holy Spirit at work in you?  Ask God to fill you to overflowing with His Spirit and lead you out of the muck and mire of this life and into the Victorious Life He has promised to all of us who turn to Him.

A Vision for Youth Ministry

Building up the youth and young adult ministries in a parish family should be a stated priority.  A vision for youth ministry at Holy Trinity is articulated well in Steven Gerber’s book, The Fabric of Faithfulness.  

Youth ministry should give young people a place to explore both life and Faith.  It should introduce them to what we know as the  “Christian Worldview” (Christian understanding of Life and its meaning) for which our culture is offering very sobering alternatives.  Since a worldview is the foundation for living, we should support our young people in finding a Christ-centered way of life and claiming the Christian worldview as their own. 

 

 Additionally, youth ministry should answer questions for our young people such as…

         What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
        What do I believe about the world? Why do I believe it?
        How do I understand my place in the world?
        How do I connect what I believe with the way I live?
        What does it mean for me to live a “life of integrity?”
        How do I discover the right friends and mentors?
        How do I immerse myself in a supportive community?
        How do I passionately live for the sake of the Kingdom?
       How do I continue to grow in my discipleship of Christ?

Sacred Space

Moses was in the desert tending his father-in-law’s sheep when he encountered a burning bush that was not consumed by the flames (Exodus 3:1-15).  He “turned aside” to see this marvelous thing.  God instructed Moses to take off his shoes because this is “Holy Ground,” holy because God was uniquely present.  Moses communed with God.  His life was never to be the same because he visited that sacred place.

Our worship space here at Holy Trinity is our “Holy Ground.”  It is here that we, like Moses, “turn aside” from our daily lives and uniquely encounter God.  This space is “consecrated” by God, which means it is set apart from the world for holy purposes.  It is here that sacred things happen, such as the reading of Scripture and communing with God at His Table.  This is where our prayers go up like incense filling the Temple, where in baptism God sets our feet upon the path leading to Him, where turning points in life such as marriage are sacramentalized (made sacred because God enters into this sacred event). God makes this space for us “Holy Ground.”

Since our worship space is set apart from the world, it looks and feels differently.  It is full of signs and symbols of our Christian journey.  For instance, the baptismal font as we enter the church reminds us of our baptismal covenant with God.  The altar reminds us of the very throne of God.   As we gather around the Lord’s Table we are reminded of the saints of God (that’s us) gathered around the great banquet table of the Feast of the Lamb at our Last Day. 

Our demeanor and behavior when we are in this sacred space is also different.  We are reverent and quiet as we enter this space.  During worship we honor God by singing, praising Him and giving thanks.  We seek to have the Lord speak to us in Scripture and sermon.  We have the tradition of bowing or genuflecting as we acknowledge the

Lord’s presence represented in the Cross of Christ, and with the scriptural admonition that “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,” we have the wonderful custom of bowing at the mention of the name of Jesus. 

And then we have the ancient tradition of processing the Gospel book down from the altar into the midst of the people for the reading of the Gospel lesson, symbolizing the Word of God coming down to us from the realms of Glory. This is reminiscent of the Word of God coming to the Children of Israel at Mt. Sinai.  White vestments signify being “washed clean in the blood of the lamb.”  We sit to hear God speak, and stand for praise and prayer.  If we had kneelers, we would kneel at times of particular reverence or humility before Him.  The list goes on….   Although we may not take our shoes off as Moses did, we do indeed treat this place as Holy.                                                                                                                                     Father Rob

The Collect for Purity

The Collect for Purity has been an opening prayer in Anglican liturgy since Thomas Cranmer translated it into English during the time of the Protestant Reformation.  The prayer has the classic structure of a Collect:  (1) Address- “Almighty God”; (2) Extolling of an attribute of God- “to whom no secrets are hid”; (3) Petition- “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts”; (4) So that- “we might…worthily magnify your holy Name”; (5) In the name of Jesus- “through Christ our Lord.”

Although the confession of sin is at times placed at the beginning of the service, the Collect for Purity also acts as a mini-confession as we come into the Lord's presence stating that we are an open book to God with “secrets” well known to Him.  In spite of our unworthiness, however, we can by God’s grace and Holy Spirit put aside these sins and obstacles, and truly approach God in worship.  How awesome it is that we have a God that is willing bridge the gap between His holiness and our sin-soaked souls for the sake of communing with us!                                                                                                                                                       Father Rob