A good January

January came and went, but it was not without its blessings. I had yet another chance to preach this month, and God opened up the door for us to share the Gospel with people. In truth, it was a month that I would hope would be like every month. I enjoy teaching and preaching, and I love the opportunity to share with people I meet the good news of Jesus Christ.

A few weeks ago, I spoke at the Youth Group in Wuppertal, and told them the short amount of time I have left with them. Although the months will go by fast, I wanted to stress my desire to encourage and see them grow. I said, "it is my aim in these last few months to encourage each of you to start or grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ." Two weeks later, Ette and I led a discussion time about alcohol. I shared from Eph. 5:18, and asked them why drunkenness and "being filled with the Holy Spirit" are in opposition of one another. It was a great discussion, and Ette closed the evening with a short encouragement from Galatians. The point stressed, was that if we are filled with the Spirit, then Christ is at the center of who we are and what we do. If he is the center, there is no more room for the corruption of the flesh. Afterwards, many of the kids thanked us, and we could tell God was working in hearts. We continue to pray for this group.

While in a cafe last week, Chris and I met a couple ladies who were meeting for lunch. We struck up a conversation about the elections and our new president (I would like to personally thank our new President for coming to Germany during the election. It has opened up so many opportunities for me). Through this time, we were able to share what we were doing in Germany, and I was able to have a conversation with one of them about the simple message of the Gospel. Although we did not have a lot of time with them, it was long enough to share the truth of Jesus Christ. It is the small moments like this one that get me excited.

February is just a few days away, and I am praying for more opportunities to teach and more opportunities to meet new people.

The prayer that I shared at the end of my message, and the prayer that I shared to and for the youth group comes from Ephesians 3:14-21. And so I share it with all who read this blog,

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

simplicity

This Sunday I am preaching in Mettmann. The title of my sermon is “die Einfachkeit der Gute Nachricht” (the simplicity of the Good News). This will be the first time that I preach in German without having typed every word of my sermon out, and having it corrected and edited. I have an outline of what I want to say, and I trust the Holy Spirit to work through me. My German is not perfect. I will probably make a lot of mistakes, but I believe God desires to work in spite of my shortcomings. I believe he will glorify Himself in my weakness.

This theme is something that has been on my mind for a while now. We are bombarded with programs and strategies to get the word out to people. We can go to seminars and conferences that teach how to do church and how to implement new ways of reaching people and making the un-churched feel warm and welcomed. I am not speaking against these things, but I am saying that they can take over our thought, and complicate things when we do not keep the main thing the main thing.

Recently, I read a blog that taught how to be “missional” in how we dress. I won’t go into details, but it basically gave a step by step tutorial on how to shop for the right clothes (and how they should fit) so that you can better reach the post-modern society. I am not against dressing for the times, but again, I just see this as something else that complicates and distracts us from what we are really about. Futher, I don’t believe anything we wear is going to make the message of the Gospel seem cooler or easier to accept. Just be yourself. God made you just the way you are for a reason.

Frankly, I believe the reason we try so hard to find new ways to make the Gospel "attractive" is because we are ashamed. Ashamed of who we are, and ashamed at the simplicity of our faith. Maybe it’s fear, but in reality, I think shame is just fear’s shy, self-centered little cousin. We don’t believe that the simple story of Jesus is enough to reach people, so we have to “do” things to up our chances at seeing someone converted. When are we going to figure out, that it is not our job, nor is it within our ability to convince people to become Christians. We plead the cross with them, yes. We must always be ready "to give an account for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15), but we do not have the power or the ability to convince someone they are a sinner and in need of a Savior. Only God is able to change a heart (Eph 2).
We can’t convince anyone. No model or program we apply to ministry will be the missing link to revival. All we can do, is give the simple message of the Gospel. In 1 Cor. 15:1-5, Paul writes,
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received in which also you stand, by which you are also being saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

Paul calls the Gospel, “the power of God unto salvation”(Rom 1:16). That’s it. Is it possible for us to just love people, and share the simple message of the Gospel? Is this all it takes for God to change a heart. Yes. Not only is it enough, but it is the only thing that will open the eyes of an unbeliever to their lost condition. God never promises to bless the model, or the program, or the outfit. He promises to bless his Word.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21)