Pastoral Note - 25th March 2007

Evangelism is hard work. Evangelism is daunting work. Evangelism is embarrassing. It’s true isn’t it – 99% of us find evangelism hard for a range of reasons. The fear of rejection and ridicule. The fear of not knowing how to answer people’s questions. The fear of being marginalized at the office. Yet, we saw in last week’s sermon, that in a culture that despised and looked down on the Christian faith, Paul says in Romans.1:16, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel’. Why? As v.16 goes on to tell us, because it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. Because ultimately, the gospel saves! It saves people from the wrath and judgment of God, and their sin (Rom.1:18ff). I once said to someone at church that if you saw a friend walking towards the edge of a cliff, unaware that they are about to walk off that cliff, would you be embarrassed and ashamed to warn them, to yell out to them, to do all you can to get their attention. Wouldn’t you do all you could to convince them to turn around?

The same holds true if you understand the gospel. Because a far greater destruction awaits those who do not know Christ. Are you ashamed and embarrassed to warn people, to get their attention, to convince them?

This coming Friday will be a great opportunity with our Outreach Dinner, to reach out both personally and as a cell group. It will be an opportunity both in terms of pre-evangelism and evangelism. For most of us evangelism is daunting enough by ourselves, so let me encourage you to do this with your cell group. If you knew that when your friends came, there would be some people from your cell group sitting with them and talking to them, it would take the pressure of you wouldn’t it. But more than anything else you don't just want your friends to hear the gospel, you want them to meet other Christians who’s lives have been changed by the gospel.

So let me encourage you to maybe speak to your cell group this week, to see how as a group you can be preparing for Friday. Maybe, you could organize a table or two as a cell group for you and your friends? Maybe, you could work out which two people would be best sitting with the friend or friends you bring. Maybe, you could organize to have pre-dinner drinks with your friends and some people from your cell group, as there is a coffee bar with lounges right next door to the function centre (which makes great pizza as well). I'll leave it to you - but take the opportunity.

Secondly, I think the Outreach Dinner this Friday will be an opportunity to help you be more confident and bold in your personal evangelism. If you can't invite a friend to dinner, I suspect you won't take the next step to share your testimony or faith with them. Let this week be a first step for you - to invite your friends, family and colleagues to a dinner. Even if they choose not to come, at the very least they will know that you are a Christian, which will then provide you with further opportunities as you have just opened the door to your faith.

One of the things that saddens me is that so often when we have outreach events over Christmas/Easter, I have people say to me - 'that was a great talk, I wish I'd brought a friend, didn't think it would be relevant to where they are in life'. The reality is that a chance lost, is a lost opportunity to bring unbelievers one step closer towards God’s kingdom. I believe every opportunity counts. For as Paul says, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.’ (Rom.1:16)

This week let me encourage you to pray for this Friday night, the speaker, those in your cg, their friends and those you are inviting to the dinner. And more than anything else to not be ashamed of the gospel!