Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.

  - Acts 16.32, 33

At the time when Saint Columba passed some days in the province of the Picts, a certain layman with his whole household heard and believed the word of life, through an interpreter, at the preaching of the holy man; and believing, was baptized, the husband, with his wife and children, and his servants.

  - Adomnán, Vita Columbae, Irish, 7th century[1]

Churches in the evangelical tradition today are eager to attract people. They will do whatever they can think of and afford to try to make their neighbors feel welcome.

Changes in liturgy, lighting, music, programming, staffing, and even facilities are undertaken, often at considerable expense, to attract “seekers” to the morning service or some other activity, in the hope they’ll find something they like and come back.

Many churches have adopted some forms of contemporary pop or casual culture so that people who may wander in will feel more at home.

The competition among local churches to be the most attractive to the community can sometimes appear like an ecclesiastical beauty contest, each church vying to be hipper, spiffier, or more relevant than the others. But as long as the beholder we are trying to please is the tainted eye of the unbelieving world, rather than the exalted King of Heaven, the form we present will, I believe, look less like the Psalm 45 Bride of the Lord and more like the bride of Hosea.

Where did we get the idea that to win the world we had to attract the world to our buildings? After all, the Lord did not command the world to go to church; He commanded the Church to go to the world.

This is not how the Lord expects us to win the lost for His Kingdom. We have become a generation of non-evangelistic evangelicals, and we have a lot to learn from our forebears concerning how people come to Christ.

The “all things to all people” mentality of the modern Church represents a misapplication of Paul’s 1 Corinthians 9 philosophy of evangelism, that compromises worship and church life, and leaves the responsibility for getting saved on those who don’t even know they need it.

Rather than working so hard to attract people to our churches, we should be looking for ways into their lives and homes, insinuating ourselves through loving service and genuine concern into the circles of neighbors, friends, and associates. And once we have become established as caring friends and companions, we will spare no effort to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God by every means in every season.

We should be working our Personal Mission Fields, sowing, cultivating, tending, and reaping as the Lord leads and enables. But most of us are not. We are content to let the lost find their way to us. Jesus came to seek the lost (Lk. 19.11); we try to convince the lost to seek Him by coming to our church.

When will this change? When each of us takes up the challenge of making disciples as we are going about in the everyday places and activities of our lives. As Jesus was sent to the world, full of grace and truth, to bring near the Kingdom of God, so He has sent us to our world to bring the joy of Christ and the blessings of His promises to those who are lost and without hope (Jn. 20.21).

Pray, brethren, that God will renew our burden for the mission of making all the nations disciples, seeking the lost as we are going, not when – or if – they find their way to us.

Psalm 107.1-3 (Faithfulness: Great is Thy Faithfulness)
Lord, You are good, we give thanks and we praise You!
Your steadfast love will forever endure.
Let the redeemed who from trouble You rescue,
Gather and say that Your mercy is sure!
  Lord for Your wondrous works, and for Your steadfast love,
  We give You thanks, we exalt Your great Name!
  We who from east and west, north and south gather,
  Boldly redemption in Christ we proclaim!

Lord, with Jesus’ help, let me be bold to speak of the salvation I have in You, because of Your grace. Adapted from Columbanus, Sermon I

Joy to Your World!
Jesus the Bringer of Joy has appointed us as joy-bringers to the world. We are to be the seekers, not our lost friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Our book Joy to Your World! can show you how to get started bringing the Good News of Jesus to the people you see each day. Order your copy by clicking here.

Mission Partners Outreach
Get busy identifying, praying for, and working your Personal Mission Field. Find a friend and sign up for our Mission Partners Outreach (click here for more information). This six-month, stay-at-home missions project will launch you into a life of making disciples wherever you are, whomever you’re with, whatever else you may be doing. And it’s free.

Thank you for your prayers and support.
Susie and I give thanks for you each day, but especially this time of the year, our hearts overflow with gratitude for your friendship, support, and collaboration in this work. God supplies our needs as we look to Him day by day, and He may be pleased to do so, at least in part, through you. Please seek Him in prayer concerning this matter. You can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction VT 05452.

T. M. Moore
Principal
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.