The Mission—Reaching the World Next Door (Na Session Six)

What a full day! In addition to fruitful lunch and dinner meetings, I also spent the better of the afternoon with the enthusiastic women who attended my breakout session. I truly enjoy the Q&A time that inevitably follows a message. Thank you, dear sisters, for passing up an opportunity for a nap to listen to me. It was a treat to meet you and to talk to so many of you!

This evening I met a woman who is a missionary to Sudan on furlough. She was doing me a kind favor, but I was grateful to meet a woman who is ministering in such a difficult area. It was appropriate to encounter her right before Eric Simmons' message on evangelism. Eric is the pastor who leads our singles ministry at Covenant Life Church. His message tonight was energetic, humorous and passionate, which was a blessing to weary conference attendees. He had us cheering stories of God's work among unbelievers. It was truly a motivating message.

"Sometimes I think the most unreached people group is the one next door," Eric said. "Do you think of yourself as a missionary to the world next door? Do you just go to Starbucks or do you see yourself as being sent to Starbucks? Do you go to school or do you see yourself as being sent to your campus? Do you go to work or do you see yourself as being sent to your job?"

Eric said that Colossians 4:2-6 gives us three things to do as local missionaries: We pray, we live, and we talk. This passage reads:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison-- that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

So, point one, pray for opportunities--every day, in every situation. "This point needs an asterisk underneath it: Pray for it at your own risk," he said. "Because opportunities will come at awkward moments. You're never quite prepared for them."

Then, point two, live. Live lives that glorify God. "Effective missionaries live a distinctly life among a specific culture of people," Eric said, urging us to write this down. "Verse five tells us to conduct ourselves wisely among people, making the best use of the time....I want you to sow the kingdom of God effectively--and here's how. Pick one. Meaning, pick one unbeliever in your life. If you pray for opportunities, God will give you opportunities to sow broadly in your community. I'm not saying be quiet and not sow broadly. But what I am saying is sow strategically in a friend. Pursue genuine friendships--don't make them your mission, make them your friend. Love, care, and serve them. You must enjoy them as a friend."

What is Paul saying in this passage? Your conduct must match your message. "We must live among the culture, but we must have a distinctly different life," he said. "Brothers and sisters, make sure that they get a glimpse of Jesus when they are around you."

Eric reminded us that our holiness and the fruit of the Spirit that is working in our lives is one of the most strategic and effective tools in evangelism. "Love, joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control, all these things will provoke people who are watching," he said. "But yeah, Eric, what about being relevant? That's a term that gets thrown around a lot in our generation. Truth is essential. Relevance is just a nice package. Godliness and fruit of the Spirit are much more important than being relevant."

To underscore that point, he pulled out the package his original iPod came in. He's had this package for more than three years, but he can't part with it. Lovingly and carefully, he showed us the great design he appreciates so much. Then he honed in on his point.

"Packaging is important, but if the people around you start opening the package and see nothing in you that's different, that's compromise," he said. "So how can you be an effective missionary? Have conversations with people about Jesus. But these conversations need to be marked by something. They need to be gracious conversations, not arrogant conversations. What is Paul saying in this passage? 'I want people to understand grace by the way you talk to them.'"

I wish I could tell all the great illustrations Eric used tonight. But I don't want to steal his thunder. Just get the message when it becomes available shortly. The stories about sharing Jesus in a saloon in Colorado and Michael Hartnett's response to a gamer's threat to "eat his soul" are priceless. We laughed, we cheered, we admired the boldness of God's servants in these stories. And we have the opportunity to do the same ourselves.

"Tonight we represent 218 churches, 38 states, and four continents. This represents a vast number of communities," he said. "And you get to represent a part in God's kingdom as a missionary with this incredible message of good news to a dying world. Isn't that incredible?"

The session closed with everyone breaking down in small groups to pray for ourselves, for our boldness to share the word, for opportunities to do so, and for the salvation of those we know. Then we sung "Your Great Renown," an appropriate response to such an inspiring message.

(This photo is from the New Attitude blog.)

Comments

[Amy]

thanks for the live-blogging--this is great stuff! :)

[Ara Hamby]

Carolyn,
Thank you for a great message on Monday afternoon. I had not had the pleasure of hearing you speak before and I was blessed. Being an older single (just three years younger than your "36"), it gave me encouragement to see how you are walking through this time in your life and to hear that you struggle at times too. I am eagerly looking forward to reading your book. Thank you again for ministering to us.
Ara