God provides me with a witnessing partner!
A few weeks ago I was at a homeless feeding eating a meal. A meal which was put on by a Christian church.
As I sat there enjoying the music just before the short sermon that they give before the meal, I couldn’t help but notice a hopelessly drunk man sitting at the same table with me. He was the kind of drunk that is terrible drunk but who is so accustomed to being drunk that he can act somewhat sober even while drunk. The thing that particularly struck me about him is that he was singing along with every single song. Where he knew every word.
Here was a drunk who was most likely not even a Christian who was singing every Christian song being played by memory!
How could it be, I asked myself, that a homeless drunkard could know every word in every single Christian song being played without a corresponding life transformation occurring in his life as a result of an encounter with the living God?
The Lord impressed on my heart right then and there, so much so that I almost broke down weeping, that there was a need for Christians to come alongside one’s such as him to inquire personally and pointedly about his spiritual state and lead him to know about the demands of the Gospel on his life for a real relationship with God that was more than the mere expression of Christian words in a song.
You see I am homeless myself and have been to numerous feeds. Aside from the fact that I cannot ever recall hearing the word hell at any such feed I have hardly ever seen any attempt by any of the Christians involved in feeding the poor to come alongside of the homeless and personally and pointedly inquire as to their spiritual state one on one.
The sermons at these feeds have been mostly about the love of God (which is good) but almost entirely absent has been any mention of the need to repent, of the reality of the coming Judgement and hell, and of being deceived if one claims to be in the light while never having come to a place of unconditional surrender to God and repentence from known sin.
Right after that meal I began asking Christians if they knew of anyone who might be interested in going downtown to witness to those milling about there. Personally engaging them in conversations about their spiritual state before God.
I grew discouraged and even angry at times when it seemed that once again I would not find any Christians willing to step out in faith with me to do what He calls us as a Body to do.
This wasn’t just about the need to witness one on one. That was just the tip of the iceberg. This was also about me having the freedom to share with those who might come to know God through our efforts the fullness of what the Lord wants us to do as a Body.
The free exercise of spiritual gifts in the Body. The need for head coverings. The proper exercise of various gifts such as speaking in tongues (where multiple people in a Body are not all speaking at once with no interpreter present). Women not being in positions of authority over men within the Church. Multiplicity of elders (i.e. what we call Pastors today) having co-equal authority though not necessarily co-equal in influence.
The need to get away from what I call the Medical Missionary style of evangelism and outreach where we provide for a physical need such as for food, clothing, and medical care as a way to “love” unbelievers into the Kingdom but where we completely miss the need to share the Gospel in the power of the Spirit.
I saw no reason for us as Christians to not be able to do what Jesus did while He was on this Earth. Healings and all. I mean we are His Body are we not? And did He not say that we would be able to do greater works than He did as a result of His going to the Father and standing before the Father on our behalf? Are we not sent into this world as He was sent?
One notable miracle done today alongside the Gospel message, the full Gospel message and not this watered down, lovy dovy, feel good “Gospel” about God being your best buddy and almost begging you to come to Him pretty please (instead of a Holy and Supreme Beign whom we have offended by our rebelliousness and sin)…one notable miracle will do more to glorify God as the living God and move one’s to surrender to Him than 1000 feeds!
What we need is not more handouts and gifts to the poor!!
We need Gospel sharing in the power of the Spirit. As it was done in the New Testament.
They had no ministries to the poor as we have today. They did not have fancy Church buildings. They had no Church programs, bulletins, and great musical instruments.
Instead of building fancy buildings (our modern day Churches) to meet in they sold their lands and buildings and gave to anyone within the Church who was in need out of the proceeds. Instead of giving a pittance to the work of God while living for themselves they gave their all and shared their all with one another.
Their baptisms happened in public before all the world to see. To become a Christian then meant something and it cost everything.
We need to get back to that if we are become once again the Body the Lord meant for us to be.
As God is my witness I had pretty much determined to start witnessing by myself but the Lord was gracious in having a Christian rise to the challenge of doing this with me.
We met today and we will be heading out to start witnessing on the streets of San Diego this coming Wednesday between 10 AM and 2 PM.
If God is truly in this may He bless it for His greater honor and glory and may He teach us what we need to know to be modern day witnesses of His living reality in the power of the Spirit.
Carlos
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