Change your mind 7

Intro

one of the bigger shifts we ought to make as a whole

bringing people to the places where we meet is a nice thought

but the truth is that we are called to be the church everywhere we go

if thats not the case then we need to reflect on why that is

but much more important and effective than bringing people to church is being the church to the people

Be the Church to the People

not the other way around

Paul in Acts 17

something Paul and friends do throughout their missionary journeys very well

we live in a culture that is a lot like the athenean one- information and philosophy galore

by merit of being a person with faith, you have a unique philosphy that runs counter to the masses general guiding principles

that makes for interesting conversation in and of its self

Paul didn’t wait for these people to come to the synagogue

he brought the conversation to them

Start a Relationship not a Conversation

hopefully this can answer one of the questions given on Wednesday

the thought of starting a random conversation about your faith seems awkward at best

but if we are living that out and trying to be the church to people rather than the other way around, then you won’t have to suffer through how to bring it up “organically”

the conversation ought to come to you

Luke 5

Jesus comes across these men that have only heard about him

he knows they will not understand everything until all of this story is over but here he begins a relationship with them

and they will eventually carry on the work that he starts

Application

once again, evangelism is not always something that requires all of us to be crazy extroverts screaming fire and brimstone through a megaphone

you don’t have to go door to door

you just have to be a Christian such that people can tell that about you

the conversation may not magically present its self

but if you build the relationship and live following Jesus example, the opportunity will present its self