Missional in the Suburbs: Part 9 – Sharing Our Faith

Having spent a great part of my Christian life in Fundamentalist and Evangelical circles I am very aware of the importance that is placed upon evangelism. (And believe me I know the distinctions and distinctives inside and out, both the good and the bad. I will write about just that sometime, but not now.) It does not take a Greek scholar (I am no scholar but I did have four years of the language) to see that “evangelism” and “evangelical” come from the same root word. That Greek word is euangelion. The word actually means “gospel” or “good news.” So in essence, being an evangelical or practicing evangelism has a lot to do with sharing the gospel of Jesus. This is probably best described in 1 Corinthians 15:1- 8 and other places in the New Testament.

In some folks mind, it appears that all that matters is the person’s soul. The material body is nothing more than an abode for a person’s immaterial soul. If that is the case, what happens to the body does not matter. Do we think Jesus just fed the hungry so he could feed the soul? Do we really think he did not care that they were indeed hungry? Did he heal the body of the sick just so he could heal their soul? Do we really think he did not care that they were sick? Of course he cared. When you see it that black and white the answer is clear. Jesus cared for the whole person. He was concerned with the poor and the oppressed and not simply because they had an eternal soul. He was concerned with their entire being, with their whole humanity.

The other week I received an email from a friend of mine in Ohio who shared a true experience that caricatures this in the extreme. The woman who wrote this is a Christian and is sympathetic with their belief in Jesus. But . . . well the point becomes clear easily enough.

I was walking Otto in the park behind our house and a younger couple approached me. She was wearing a long skirt, had long hair - looked like she came from one of the holiness churches. She was carrying an enormous Bible. He came toward me with a tract saying he wanted to give me some information. I told him I wasn't interested and he kept coming toward me talking. Fortunately Otto kicked into attack dog mode and started snarling and growling and they left me alone. I can't imagine that this approach really works. It's a Friday night at the park, you have two ball games going on, a birthday party in the picnic pavilion by the pool, and an assortment of people walking dogs and biking. The last thing anyone wants is to be accosted by people bearing tracts. David and Claire had two guys come up to them in the park so obviously some church is doing a push in the park tonight. Later they'll probably all get together to talk about how persecuted they are and how no one is interested in Christ and we're all going to hell. With no clue that their approach is a huge turnoff. Cornering a woman walking alone in an area near the woods is never a smart idea no matter what you're trying to give out. When I left they were chasing down an old lady walking up the hill.

When you read that, what comes to mind? My feelings are all over the place in that one. Not only have I had the similar experience, I had it from both sides! I have been both the recipient and the person doing the “evangelizing” in this manner. There may have been a time when this sort of cold evangelism worked well, but those days are rapidly becoming a thing of the past . . . if they are not already.

I fully believe if we are to be missional, we should share our belief in Jesus. We should share our faith journey clearly when the opportunity presents itself. If Jesus is the hope of the world, and I believe he is, we should be sharing his message with others. But that is not all that I believe. I also believe we should care for people in the here and now in addition to caring for them in the ever after. Call it holistic. Call it total person ministry. Call it whatever you wish. I call it Biblical.

If we are to be missional in a suburban setting we have to evaluate how we minister to the whole person and not just seek another “notch” in our gun. This will mean ministering in our suburbs, but it is going to mean venturing out of our suburbs at some point too.

This blog has had a bit of a ramble to it, and that is okay. It is my blog. But, I fear that some reading it may feel that I make light of the fact that Jesus died so we could be with Him in eternity. I do not make light of that fact. I am betting my eternity on it. I just do not want us to get so bogged down on eternity that we miss today.