Organic Outreach Encouragement

I knew I would see poverty while in El Salvador and Honduras, but I learned something about the breadth of poverty.  I was invited into one-room shacks with no running water, no electricity, and no toilet.  I saw people who live with nothing and have no anticipation of their economic condition changing.  I looked into the eyes of parents who can’t feed their own children yet love them as much as I love my sons.  I knew I would encounter this kind of poverty and I was still deeply moved.

What I had not prepared for was the other kinds of poverty.  There is a poverty of hope and spirit that comes when 50-60% of the people are unemployed and see no real sign of the situation changing.  There is a poverty of encouragement that crushes little children who never hear their father or mother tell them they are beautiful, handsome, or have a future.  There is a poverty of spiritual food in places where gangs rule, drugs are prevalent, armed guards stand at the doors of stores and hotels.  In these places, demonic darkness hangs in the air so thick you can feel and taste it.  There are many kinds of poverty and they all have one thing in common.  The only hope to overcome any of them is Jesus.

I am more convinced than ever that this world needs Jesus Christ.  When His people, the Church, mobilize in His power and Name, children will be fed, the gospel will be preached, the hopeless will see light, strongholds will fall, social structures will be transformed, and the presence of Jesus will be so radiant that the darkest of places will begin to shine.

This is not some silly and immature dream, but a reality that is already happening.  I believe, in deeper ways than ever before, that the gospel, the person of Jesus, and His people being the church in the world is the one and only hope for true and lasting transformation.

I have seen three reminders of this reality in the past weeks.  I hope you look at these ministries and learn from what God is doing.

Compassion International (http://www.compassion.com/ )

Community Transformation Honduras (http://cthonduras.wordpress.com/ )

Community Outreach at Shoreline Church (http://www.shorelinechurch.org/ministries/outreach/community-outreach/ )

At the 2012 Organic Outreach Conference we heard from two speakers who are gifted and skilled apologists. Both Mark Mittelberg and Nabeel Qureshi are trained in apologetics and are highly skilled at defending the Christian faith with sound and wise argument.  In a panel discussion with Mark, Nabeel, and me, we talked about the meaning of 1 Peter 3:15 where Peter writes, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.”

We looked at the need for followers of Jesus to study the Bible, history, and other disciplines so that we can give a logical and sensible response to the many questions non-believers ask.  We heard a challenge to dig into the Bible and know what it says.  We celebrated the goodness of faith and confidence in what we believe, but were reminded that the world will be changed as Christians learn to put their faith into words.

In addition, we talked about the final words of 1 Peter 3:15 that often are not discussed and quoted.  Peter ends his exhortation with these words, “But do this with gentleness and respect.”  We need to be ready to defend the faith with sound reason, deep passion, and convincing words.  But, we need to have humble hearts and gentleness in our speech.  Our goal is not to win an argument, but to win people to Jesus.  If we use our words to defeat people with razor sharp verbiage, we have not won anything.

Let’s sharpen our minds, let God’s Word grow deep in our hearts, increase our ability to defend the faith, use our intellect, and give a clear and bold defense for the faith.  And, let’s do this with deep humility, a gentle spirit, and respect for each person we encounter.

 

When it comes to new outreach ideas, events, and programs, many pastors and their church boards can get nervous about taking risks.

We tried that back in 1964 and it did not work.  We’re never trying that again.

If we do that, it could mess us the church building and the custodian would get upset.

What if we try that and no one shows up, it could be a waste of money.

And, the list of excuses goes on and on!

Can I make a suggestion?  Try something!  Do something new that can help connect non-churches people to Jesus, to your church, or to Christians from your congregation.  Take a risk, take a chance, and try something.  If it works out, God gets the glory!  If it does not, no big deal…Just try something else.

If you are not sure what to try, here are three suggestions for places to find great ideas:

1)   Outreach Magazine (http://www.outreachmagazine.com/)

2)   Other churches and their website.  Feel free to borrow successful ideas from other churches in your community and around the world.  Just spend 30 minutes online looking at churches that do outreach well and you can discover lots of new ideas. Get started here: (http://www.shorelinechurch.org/)

3)   Old Faithful- Try something that worked in the past but has not been used for a long time.  Sometimes retro comes back in style!

Get trained in sharing your faith naturally.  Here are two ways to get started:

Come to the Organic Outreach Conference this November in Monterey California: http://www.organicoutreach.com/

Read one of the Organic Outreach books: Organic Outreach for Ordinary People, Organic Outreach for Churches, or Organic Outreach for Families.

Many years ago, the founding pastor of Shoreline Community Church, Howie Hugo, decided to pray for one local church every week.  But, this went beyond his personal times of prayer…he did it in the weekend worship services!

I have been pastor of Shoreline Church for almost three years now and we still do this, every week.  We actually call one church early in the week, tell them we want to lift them up during our service, and ask for specific prayer needs.  In most cases, they are glad to share a need or two.

In our weekend services we pray for their needs and ask God to use their congregation as a beacon of God’s light in our community.  We thank God for our partnership with this church in the work of Jesus in our community.

I would encourage you to consider doing this at your church.  We are a family and need to act that way.  As you begin praying, God might even inspire you to work together to be the presence of Jesus right where he has placed you.

Get trained in sharing your faith naturally.  Here are two ways to get started:

• Come to the Organic Outreach Conference this November in Monterey California
• Read one of the Organic Outreach books: Organic Outreach for Ordinary People, Organic Outreach for Churches, or Organic Outreach for Families.

Pray for Someone

Next time you are in a restaurant, let your server know that you will be saying a prayer for your meal when it comes.  Tell him or her that you would be honored to lift up any prayer they might have as you pray for your meal.  Let them know that when the food comes they can share a personal need or a need for someone they care about…if they want to.  No pressure!

You will be amazed at how many servers are willing to share a need, and often a very personal one!  Pray for them by name when you meal comes, if they share a need.  The next time you dine at that restaurant, ask to be in their section, ask about the specific need, and invite them to share a new need.  Often some very natural spiritual conversations will grow from your prayers and growing friendship.

Get trained in sharing your faith naturally.  Here are two ways to get started:

Come to the Organic Outreach Conference this November in Monterey California

Read one of the Organic Outreach books: Organic Outreach for Ordinary People, Organic Outreach for Churches, or Organic Outreach for Families.

Over the past twenty-two years my wife Sherry and I have had the opportunity and privilege of writing over seventy small group studies in partnership with some amazing pastors and leaders.  These cover topics such as Parenting, Marriage, The Sermon on the Mount, Prayer, Community, Perseverance, Outreach, and many more.

Every three months we get a report that tells us how many copies of each study have been purchased worldwide.  Here is the sad reality, almost every quarter of the year, the small group study that focuses on reaching out to people who are far from God, and sharing faith naturally, is one of the worst selling studies.  Even though every church and Christian in the world says, “We believe in outreach and want to share the love and message of Jesus with the world,” most are still afraid to be equipped and sent out with the message and truth of Jesus.  We believe in the gospel, but don’t know how to shine the light of Jesus in this dark world.

Evangelism, Faith-Sharing, Organic Outreach…call it what you want.  This is the most important thing that most of us tend to avoid!

I want to challenge you to stop avoiding it and begin to be trained.  Here are two ways to get started:

Come to the Organic Outreach Conference this November in Monterey California: OOC

Read one of the Organic Outreach books: Organic Outreach for Ordinary People, Organic Outreach for Churches, or Organic Outreach for Families.  Organic Outreach Books

Take a step, this week, and focus on something that matters more than we dream and makes an impact for eternity…reaching out with the good news of Jesus!