Do You Engage?

Yesterday, we were able to go and listen to a couple of speakers including R. Albert Mohler Jr, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Mohler has been influential not only in bringing Southern Seminary back to solid Biblical doctrine and practice, but he has been one of the most powerful voices in all evangelicalism in heralding the urgency for clarifying the gospel in an American culture whose Christianity has been increasingly muddied. (Check out www.t4g.org)

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.  President of Southern Seminary

Dr. Mohler's text was Romans 1. He stated how our current American culture is actually moving more towards the type of culture Paul was facing and engaging with in the first century when the New Testament letters were being written. The church faces a time and culture that is completely different than the church culture that has been present for the past two generations.

Younger people hear about the type of Christianity and unchurched culture their grandparents and parents were surrounded by and it sounds almost unreal. It was a different age. Think about the many complex changes in societal, familial, moral, ethical, and cultural trends that have taken place from the 1960's through the first decade of the new millennium.

He went on to say that the witness of the church among lost culture is facing a strikingly dangerous time.

Jesus said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you in power and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Those first disciples understood Him to mean, "Your lives are going to be about ME!...Everything has changed!"

The early church began to gather as "the way" to sing songs, learn from the Scriptures and teachings of Jesus, recite early creeds confirming Christological truths, baptize new believers, participate weekly in the Lord's Supper, share their belongings with those in need, serve the poor, and begin to articulate this new message (good news = gospel) to the people surrounding them. This was the church "gathered," and the church "scattered." Over the last hundred years there has been much focus in America on the church "gathered." But how have we done as the church "scattered?"

(Pastor's Conference Theme 2013)

Have we thought through what it means to "be My witnesses" in the present culture of lostness?

If you've been in the church for any length of time at all--do you have lost people in your life who you are intentionally building relationships, articulating, and clarifying the gospel with? 

When was the last time you had lost people over to your house for dinner? 

Are there areas of equipping for "the saints" that includes a strenuous press for them to now go and live and articulate the gospel to the immediate lost surrounding them? 

How many people in your church believe that the "altar call" at the end of the preaching time is really the only likely place for people to come to know Christ? 

These are some difficult questions for church leaders and congregations to think through. The answers are not simple. And change is always time-consuming and difficult. But the glory of Jesus Christ is worth it. And God's love and grace for man is still amazing.