One of the biggest challenges faced by churches today is the fear of change. Whether it is the hesitation of those being evangelized to take hold of the teaching of Christianity and make changes in the way they think and act, or the fear of an established congregation to affect change within the church to maintain its relevance, this fear of change can have a paralyzing effect on everyone involved. For those contemplating a move towards acceptance of God, the knowledge that their newfound faith will change them on the inside can be daunting. The Bible is very clear that such a change will indeed happen:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
How does a church deal with the challenge of overcoming this huge dilemma? After all, nowhere in the Bible is the new Christian promised that things get easier. In fact, being a Christian is hard work. In a society where needs are met and convenience is king, how do you convince somebody that they need to make their life even more challenging?
Prior to my own salvation, I liked who I was and enjoyed much of the life that I had carved out for myself. I was very comfortable in the real world and enjoying all of the creature comforts I could afford. If I had not fallen to the lowest point in my life, I never would have considered making any changes to my being. I never would have seen the need to alter a thing if life was good. It is only in retrospect that I am able to see the many elements of that life that needed to be altered in order to draw myself closer to God. And yet, everything that I have accomplished as a born again Christian and the successes in my life since my salvation is a direct result of the inner changes I underwent and my belief that God is in charge of it all. The change had to become routine for me and I had make these changes at the pace God laid out for me.
Today's society is structured in such a way that trying to convince somebody that they need to walk away from it to see the wonders of God is next to impossible. Why would somebody that is totally immersed in cellphones and cable TV and all kinds of night clubs just walk away from their perfect little world? I can wake from a sound sleep at 2am, simply mumble, "Sliderzzzzzzzzzzz" and the adventure is on to find the nearest White Castle. I can do anything 24 hours a day. We want folks to leave this nirvana?
And into this world of perceived perfection walks the Christian friend. We all had at least one growing up. They were the quiet kid that didn't dress in the trendiest clothes. In the early years of our collective childhood, they were typically the "rat" of the bunch, always telling us when we were straying from the rules and pointing out what God would want us to do. The only time we valued their opinion was when we really messed up and needed a voice of reason to help us figure a way out of the jam we found ourselves in. As we grew older, that opinion started making sense. Not enough sense to be cool, but enough to create the early faith conversations of our time. Over a period of time, the seed had been planted and was now waiting to be cared for and harvested.
Many times, that seed lies dormant, unable to grow and blossom because it receives little or no nutrition. As I have mentioned before, I regularly attended church as a child. The seed was planted in me during that time. I wasn't on fire for God at that point in my life, but I was smart enough to realize that He existed and was responsible for everything around me. But it went dormant during my twenties and for much of my thirties, as I drew away from the church and lived my life as a regular member of society (as too many do at that age). I never rejected God; I just didn't make Him anything even close to a priority in my life. I was "easy pickings" when I finally accepted Christ as my Savior at thirty seven, because I was already familiar with the teachings. It was typical for people of my generation that are coming to accept the Lord into our lives, because most of us were exposed to some level of instruction as children. But there are new generations that aren't so easy.
We recently had a nineteen year old visit our church. When approached after the service and asked how she enjoyed her morning with us, she gleefully and enthusiastically responded, "This has been so much fun. I've never been to church before!" When I heard this story, a knot developed in my stomach. How can it be that someone can live so long and never step foot in a church? Of course, I'm not naïve enough to think that everyone has been to church, but the real life experience of this story drove home the point- we are ministering to people that have never given God a second thought. No religion. No Faith. No familiarity.
So how do we minister to those that have no experience with God? It is accomplished by not only sharing The Word with them, but by showing them through your words and actions that life with Christ is indeed better than the selfish "me" culture we live in. Show them that the person on the outside can have fun and live life to its fullest, enjoying every second the Lord provides to us. Show them that you can have a nice home and enjoy the things that God provides for you. Express the outrage for everything you believe is wrong in the world. And as you are doing all of this, start showing them the person on the inside. Show them how God has changed you inner being. Share the inner peace that God has placed in your heart. Share the love that only He can provide.
It sounds easy doesn't it? Well, there is more that needs to be done. In addition to sharing all of the good in our lives, we need to be willing to share the struggles we all face. We have to show them that the outside person still struggles with financial difficulties and relationship issues, that we still get frustrated with some of the decisions our children make, that we still have to fit the oil change in with the son's soccer game and dinner with friends. More importantly, we have to share our inner struggles as well. Tell them how difficult it can be to handle of the difficulties and frustrations that show on the outside. Tell them how difficult it is to avoid parts of an old vocabulary or to avoid old habits that do not glorify God. And as you are telling them all of the difficulties, make sure that you tell that the load is lighter because you place all of your faith in God to provide the answers for you. By giving a very frank and realistic portrayal of the good and the bad in your life, they get to see the full picture. And by showing and sharing your faith in God, you give them the missing piece of the puzzle.
There are some basic requirements for this approach to work that force us to do some pretty serious self-analysis. Is your walk with God strong enough to show on the outside? Do your actions in everyday life reflect the tenets of your faith? Are you willing to share your struggles to show that your life is not perfect? Can you admit to your faults and talk about them honestly? Do you truly give all of your cares and worries to The Lord? If you hesitate in answering any of these questions, it shows that you need to strengthen your faith. If you are silently ashamed of an answer, it means that you need to get right with God. And no matter what your answers are to these questions, you have to be willing to share them as well. If you are strong in your faith, it will show and make your case for God even stronger. If you are struggling, the honest admission of that as a part of your testimony shows that you are indeed human. It is even more powerful if you go to God for the solution to that struggle.
It can be so easy to focus on all of the positives that God places in our lives. After all, by sharing the good, we show folks how God provides for us. However, it is far more effective to paint the complete picture. By doing so, we allow them to see the humanity of our faith. For many, the first approach is going to seem like a scripted sales pitch. If you are strong enough to share the bad with the good, people are going to put a lot more stock in the accuracy of your story. They will also understand that their own struggles are a part of the game as they start exploring the possibilities of a life in obedience to God.
Be honest. Be truthful. Be human.
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