"This new reality(the result of the work of Messiah), this new presence (the mighty Spirit of God) creates a moment of crisis wherever it appears. It provokes questions which call for answers and which, if the true answer is not accepted, lead to false answers. This happens where there is a community whose members are deeply rooted in Christ as their absolute Lord and Savior. Where there is such a community, there will be a challenge by word and behavior to the ruling powers. As a result there will be conflict and suffering for the Church. Out of that conflict and suffering will arise the questioning which the world puts to the Church. This is why St. Paul in his letters does not find it necessary to urge his readers to be active in evangelism but does find it necessary to warn them against any compromise with the rulers of this age....That is why, according to Luke's account, he (Jesus) told them that it would be the coming of the Holy Spirit that would make them witnesses, because the Spirit is the presence in foretaste of the kingdom."
All that is to say that when the Church spends so much energy on what we usually call "evangelism" and so little energy on developing lives that are immersed in the life of the Spirit (which primarily involves putting on the character of Jesus Christ), it undermines the very power for witness it needs to proclaim the good news.
It is increasingly becoming my conviction that if we focus our efforts on putting on the character of Jesus Christ (both individually and collectively) the "outreach" will flow out from who we are instead of some artificial(?) attempt to 'convince someone else that we are right and they are wrong.' It will not be our words that convince them. It will not be our words alone that prove our orthodoxy. It will be our lives, lived under the ruling and reigning of God and reflecting the character of Christ that will convince others that this "Way" is good and wise and right.
In addition to this, it is increasingly becoming my conviction that we must become less anxious about 'converting' people while at the same time becoming more intentional about living lives that proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God. We must become less anxious because ultimately, it is the Spirit of Jesus that draws people into the life of God--and that means that God is and has been at work in ways and times that we may never comprehend.
We must become more intentional about how we live our lives because right now, honestly, most of our lives do not provide a compelling alternative to the people 'out there'. Perhaps our best efforts at 'evangelism' will be for us to simply live as strangers and aliens to the systems and values of our culture, thus providing a compelling alternative "Way" of life. What will this look like? It will not look like weird clothes, weird words, or weird music. It will look like weird generosity that gives without expecting to be repayed. It will look like weird love that never gives up, is not proud, is not rude, is not self seeking... It will look like weird peace that is actually able to "rest" and take a true Sabbath (rather than the truly weird ideas about Sabbath that most people around here have).
I am convinced that that is the direction in which we must move or risk losing (or continuing to lose) our power for witness in our culture.
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