GO WHERE THE FISH ARE
GO WHERE THE FISH ARE
[4] CATCH FISH ON THEIR TERMS
This is the heart of M.I.C. Assembly’s evangelism strategy: We must be willing to catch fish on their own terms. Successful fishing often requires doing things that are uncomfortable in order to get to the fish.
Did you know the average fishermen never ventures farther than a half mile from the paved road? Serious fishermen, however, will go to any length to catch fish.
What kind of fishermen are you? Do you put up a sign that says, “Here’s our church. If you want to come, show up at our time and our place and wear our clothes and sing our songs.” Or are you going to go where the fish are? Out where you might have to get in the mud, where it’s uncomfortable and it’s dirty and stinky. You have to stand in the sun or freeze at night in order to catch that fish. We have this “take it or leave it” attitude about fishing and that’s the way a lot of churches feel.
How serious are you about Christ's commission? How serious are you about God's Kingdom & Church? Are you willing to go to any length and be uncomfortable in order to lead people to Christ?
Understanding and adapting to their culture without being mix in it
Jesus told the disciples,
"And into whatsoever city ye [all of you] enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you." (Luke 10:8).
In saying, Jesus was giving more than dietary advice; He was commanding them to be sensitive to local culture. He was telling them to fit in with those they wanted to reach. They were to adapt to local customs and culture when IT DIDN'T VIOLATE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE.
Learn to eat what is set before you. You don't have to like everything you taste, but you need to love the people showing you hospitality, because you want to lead them to Christ. So adapt to their ways.
We ask the world to adapt to us and then act arrogantly if they won’t. Jesus said we go to serve. Eat what is set before you. Are you willing to adapt and do the uncomfortable to reach the unchurched?
Too often we let cultural difference between believers and non-believers become barriers to getting the Message out. Christ has broken down that wall. Paul says,
"Wherefore remember, that ye [all of you] being in time past Gentiles [whether black, Spanish, white, Asian] in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision [non-believers] by that [them, the Jews] which is called the Circumcision [God's people] in the flesh made by hands; that at that time [back in the days] ye [all of you] were without Christ [or outside Christ], being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the [many] covenants of promise [under the Old Covenant], having no hope, and without God in the world: BUT NOW IN CHRIST JESUS [under the NEW Covenant] ye [all of you] who sometimes were far off are MADE NIGH [MADE NEAR] BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. For He [CHRIST] is our [insiders and outsiders] peace, [Jesus] who hath made both [insider's and outsider's] one [unified in Christ], and [CHRIST] HATH BROKEN DOEN THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION [Gk: 'INCLOSING BARRIER'] BETWEEN US [insiders and outsiders]; [CHRIST] HAVING ABOLISHED IN HIS FLESH THE ENMITY [BEEF AND HATRED], even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain [two people] one [unified] new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity [BEEF AND HATRED] thereby: and [CHRIST] came and preached peace to you [non-believing outsiders] which were afar off, and to them [Jewish believing insiders] that were nigh [near]. For through Him [CHRIST] we [insiders and outsiders] both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye [all of you, insiders and outsiders] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens [Gk: 'FELLOW CHRISTIANS'] with the saints [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel, the Jewish apostles and early Jewish Christians], and of the household [CHURCH] of God; and are built upon the foundation [TEACHINGS OF CHRIST TAUGHT] of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone [the most important stone at the TOP of the temple that hold the whole building together]; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in [Christ] whom ye [all of you, insiders and outsiders] also are builded together for an habitation [living place for or ...] of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:11-22).
For some Christians, any talk of "adapting to their culture" sounds like theological liberalism or a license to sin--that you’re selling out, you’re compromising, you’re a chameleon, you’re a cop out, you’re a hypocrite, you’re watering down the gospel, you’re caving into culture. This is not a new fear. In fact, it was the reason the apostles and elders held the Jerusalem conference in Acts Chapter 15. In those days the issue was, "Do Gentile believers have to follow Jewish (church) customs and culture to be considered true Christians?"
"And CERTAIN MEN which came down from Judea taught the brethren [they taught the New Christians], and said,
'Except ye [all of you NON-Jewish New Christians] be circumcised after the manner of Moses [the OLD Covenant], ye [all of you] CANNOT BE SAVED.'
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension [uproar] and disputation [dispute] with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up CERTAIN OF THE SECT OF THE PHARISEES WHICH BELIEVED [YES, there were Christian Pharisees], saying,
'That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses [the OLD Covenant, including the 10 commandments (Ex. 34:28, Duet. 4:13)].
And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter." (Acts 15:1-2, 4-6).
The apostles and elders answered with a clear "NO WAY!"
"And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them,
'Men and brethren, ye [ALL OF YOU] KNOW how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles [New non-Jewish Christians] by my mouth should hear the Word of the gospel [the Gospel of the kingdom of God], AND BELIEVE. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and [GOD] put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts BY FAITH.
Now therefore why tempt ye [all of you JEWISH/PHARISEE CHRISTIANS] God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they [SHALL BE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST].
And to this agree the words of the prophets [in the Old Covenant/Testament]; as it is written ...
Wherefore [for this reason] my sentence [judgment, decree] is, that we trouble not them [New non-Jewish Christians], which from among the Gentiles ARE TURNED [REPENTED] TO GOD: but [THESE ARE THE ONLY RULES FROM THE OLD COVENANT] that we write unto them, that they
[1] abstain from pollutions of idols,
and [2] from fornication,
and [3] from things strangled,
and [4] from blood.
For it SEEMED GOOD to the Holy Ghost, and to us, TO LAY UPON YOU NO GREATER BURDEN THAN THESE NECESSARY THINGS; that ye [all of you]
[1] abstain from meats offered to idols,
and [2] from blood,
and [3] from things strangled,
and [4] from fornication:
from which if ye keep [guard] yourselves, YE SHALL DO WELL. Fare ye well.
So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle [letter]: which when they [New non-Jewish Christians] had read, THEY REJOICED for the consolation [COMFORT, ENTREATY, ENCOURAGEMENT]." (Acts 15:7-11, 15, 19-20, 28-31).
From that point on the Church began to adapt to each new culture as it spread around the world. God loves variety. He created all of it.
The Gospel is always communicated in the terms of some culture. The only question is, which one? No church can be culturally neutral. It will express some culture because it is composed of human beings.
The church began growing among the Jews and then it began to spread among the Gentiles and then it became a big issue. Does a Gentile have to become a Jew in order to become a Christian? So there was a big conference in Jerusalem, as described in Acts 15. The question was, “Do you have to adopt all the Jewish customs such as eating kosher in order to become a Christian?" The answer that came back from the Apostles was a resounding, “No!”
Thank God for that council. Because of that decision, Christianity spread around the globe to every culture and every crevice of the world. For 2,000 years Christianity has adapted itself to one culture after another. If it hadn't adapted, we'd still be a sect within Judaism!
We still have Judaizers in the church today more interested in purity than in people. Jesus died for people. He said tares and wheat will grow up together. Don’t worry about the tares. Jesus will pull them out at the end. You’re not to be a tare picker. That’s not your job. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job. Let the tares and the wheat grow together, because you want to reach the wheat and harvest it.
We are ignoring 2,000 years of church history when we insist that our own cultural expression of faith is better or more biblical than any other.
If you've ever notice that when fishermen are fishing the fish don't automatically jump into the boat or throw themselves up onto the shore for them. Their culture (underwater, the sea) is very different from ours (air, in heaven). Here's the Scriptures on this truth.
MANY WATERS
"Mystery Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth"
sits upon "many waters" we are told in Rev. 17:1. Anciently God also referred to the nation of Babylon as, "O thou that dwells upon MANY WATERS…" (Jeremiah 51:13). And these many waters are explained in Rev. 17:15 as:
"The WATERS which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
Since all of Revelation is symbolic and metaphorical language, the "sea" represents the vast sea of humanity, not the watery oceans of our planet. It is fitting that if ancient Babylon dwelled upon "many waters" that the end-time Mystery Babylon would also sit upon "waters" which are clearly defined as "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
And just where are we told that the beast that carries the great whore comes from?
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a [wild] beast rise up OUT OF THE SEA [the vast sea of humanity]" (Rev. 13:1).
THE SEA
God uses "waters" and "sea" interchangeably in the Scriptures. Babylon was:
"O thou that dwells upon many WATERS…" (Jeremiah 51:13).
Notice that Babylon’s "…waves do roar like great waters…" (Ver. 55). But then in verse 36 we read this:
"Therefore thus says the Lord; Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will DRY UP HER SEA…"
Anyone who followed the war in Iraq knows that there is no sea in Iraq. This is not speaking of a large body of water, but of PEOPLE!
Notice further proof in verses 42-43:
"The SEA is come up upon Babylon, she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. Her cities are desolation A DRY land, and a wilderness…"
After the establishment of Babylon as a nation, it was never entirely flooded by a literal sea of water. Besides, if a land were "flooded" it could hardly be called "a DRY land," could it? Notice what the "sea" and the "waters" represent:
"And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of her mouth that which he has swallowed up: and THE NATIONS [the waters of ‘peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues’ Rev. 17:15] shall not flow [like waters] together any more unto him, and the wall of Babylon shall fall" (Verse 44).
It is the wicked that are generally associated with "the sea." In Jude 4 we read of
"…certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, UNGODLY MEN, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
In verse 13 these same ungodly men are called, "RAGING WAVES OF THE SEA…"
"When THE ENEMY SHALL COME LIKE A FLOOD, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19).
"When the WAVES of death compassed me, THE FLOODS OF UNGODLY MEN made me afraid [like Peter when he was walking on the water with Jesus]." (2nd Samuel 22:5, Psalms 18:4).
"Come hither; I will show you unto you the judgment of the great whore that sits UPON MANY WATERS."
And the "many waters" are defined as,
"The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
The whore is a great church, and it sits on a wild beast (a great political system), and John, "…saw a wild beast rise up OUT OF THE SEA (Rev. 13:1). This beast does not rise up out of one particular sea, that is one particular nation or people or multitude or tongue, but out of ALL OF THEM.
"And the great dragon [Gk: 'SEA-serpent'] was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives THE WHOLE WORLD…" (Rev. 12:5).
And the waters on which the whore sits are called, "…peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." In other words, the whore sits upon ALL THE SEA; ALL THE PEOPLES AND MULTITUDES AND LANGUAGES AND NATIONS OF THE ENTIRE EARTH! And she RIDES the wild beast that came up out of this same great and vast sea of humanity.
THE HEAVENS
Those who have the very mind of Christ are those who dwell in heaven.
"Therefore rejoice, ye [all of you that SPIRITUALLY dwell or inhabit the] HEAVENS [no this is NOT A "RAPTURE," these are not angels either, these are those who have 'the mind of Christ,' God's very elect, the few chosen], and ye [ALL OF YOU] THAT DWELL [Gk#4637: from 4636 (an encampment, i.e. {figuratively OR SPIRITUALLY} the Temple (AS GOD'S RESIDENCE), the body {as a tenement for the soul}:--tabernacle) 'to tent or encamp, i.e. (figuratively OR SPIRITUALLY) to occupy (as a mansion) or (specifically) to reside (as God did in the Tabernacle of old, a symbol or symbolic of protection and communion'] IN THEM [IN THE HEAVENS]." (Revelation 12:12).
"Even when we were [past tense] dead in sins, hath [past tense] quickened [made us SPIRITUALLY alive] us TOGETHER WITH CHRIST, (by grace ye [ALL OF YOU] are saved;) and hath [past tense] RAISED US UP TOGETHER [WITH CHRIST], AND MADE US [YOU HAVE NO CHOICE OR SAY IN THIS MATTER. GOD HAS 'MADE US'] SIT TOGETHER IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS." (Ephesians 2:5-6).
"If ye [all of you in Christ] then be risen with Christ, seek those things WHICH ARE ABOVE, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on THINGS ABOVE, not on things on the earth. For ye [all of you in Christ] are dead, and YOUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD [And where would that be? IN HEAVEN!]. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall YE [all of you] ALSO APPEAR WITH HIM IN GLORY." (Colossians 3:1:4).
"For our conversation [Gk: 'A COMMUNITY, i.e. (abstractly) CITIZENSHIP (figuratively OR SPIRITUALLY)'] IS IN HEAVEN; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3:20-21).
"But WE [WORSHIPPERS IN 'SPIRIT AND TRUTH', John 4:23] ARE COME [RIGHT NOW AS YOUR ARE READING THIS] unto [HEAVENLY, SPIRITUAL] MOUNT ZION, and unto THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD [WHO IS SPIRIT, John 4:24], the HEAVENLY [SPIRITUAL, NEW] Jerusalem [THAT IS ABOVE, Gal: 4:26], and to an innumerable company of angels [WHO ARE ALSO SPIRITS, Heb. 1:7 & Ps. 104:4)], to the general [SPIRITUAL] assembly [Heb: 10:25 & 2 Thes. 2:1] and [SPIRITUAL] CHURCH OF THE [SPIRITUALLY] FIRSTBORN [John 3:5-6, 8 & Gal. 4:29], which are written in heaven [SPIRIT, 2 Cor. 3:3], and to God the Judge of all [ALL SPIRITS, Heb. 12:5-11 & 25-29], and to the SPIRITS of just men made perfect and to Jesus [JESUS WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, 2 Cor. 3:17] the mediator of the NEW [SPIRITUAL] COVENANT [2 Cor. 3:6], and to the [SPIRITUAL] blood of sprinkling [Heb. 9:14, 1 Pet. 1:2, & 1 John 5:8], that [SPIRITUAL] speaks better things than that of Abel [John 6:63 & 1 Cor. 2:13]" (Heb. 12:22-24).
God has a heaven. It is a SPIRIT REALM. It is where God lives and has His Being. Men too have a heaven. It is likewise, the REALM where they live and have their being—they spiritually live in their own minds, their own heavens.
Notice Proverbs 23:7, "For as he THINKS in his heart, SO IS HE." The ‘heart’ is the innermost seat of our deepest emotions, but it is accessed through the MIND. It is what one thinks that determines what one is. When the king of Babylon THOUGHT that he had ascended into heaven in his mind, then that is where HE WAS, "so IS he." But ... BUT, it was man’s heaven and not God’s. No ‘man,’ no ‘carnal man’ has ever ascended into God’s heaven of spirit,
"And NO MAN has ascended up to heaven [God’s heaven], but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man WHICH IS IN HEAVEN [right at the very time He was speaking these words JESUS WAS IN HEAVEN IN THE SPIRIT but physically preaching on earth]" (John 3:13).
Jesus could live "on earth" and "in heaven" at the same time! But carnal men live in the heaven of their minds all the time. Man’s heaven is a place of spiritual delusion; whereas God’s heaven is a place of spiritual enlightenment.
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the EARTH [of man] and the HEAVEN [of man] fled away; and there was found NO PLACE FOR THEM… And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And I saw a NEW heaven and a NEW earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." (Rev. 20:11, 16 & 21:1).
It would be mind-boggling enough to think that the entire UNIVERSE could "flee away," but it would be quite another to then suggest that, "there was found NO PLACE FOR THEM." That would be absurd if taken literally. ALL THESE THINGS ARE SPIRITUAL! In the white throne judgment there will be no more a place for the flesh, for the carnal mind, for man’s heaven. There will truly be no place found for them. They will be annihilated in God’s "CONSUMING FIRE" (Heb. 12:29 & I Cor. 3:15)!
NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER
In Hebrews 10:25 were are admonished as follows:
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching."
That this is speaking of believers congregating together to worship and study God’s Word, there can be no doubt. However, there is a much deeper meaning to this "assembling" that few have ever seen. I never saw it myself until I read a paper by J. Preston Eby, entitled: "FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING."
Greek#1997: EPI-SUNAGOGE, 'a complete collection; specially a Christian meeting (for worship):—assembling (gathering) together.'
I will quote an excerpt or two from his paper:
"The Greek word for ‘assembling’ is EPISUNAGOGE. The word, literally, is a verb meaning to synagogue. It is a compound of the Greek prefix EPI with the word SUNAGOGE from which we get our transliterated English word Synagogue. EPI means super – imposition – that which is above, higher than, highest, upon. SUNAGOGE means a meeting, assembly, or gathering. Putting these two words together, EPI-SUNAGOGE means THE ABOVE SYNAGOGUE, THE HIGHER MEETING, THE HIGHEST ASSEMBLY, THE HIGHER-THAN-ALL-GATHERINGS!
It bespeaks of something far greater than merely collecting so many breathing bodies together in one place.
It is a meeting in a higher realm, on a higher plane, in the high places of the Spirit, and in the heights of Truth. It is a gathering together in a dimension above. It indicates an assembling IN THE SPIRIT…"
(All Caps belong to Mr. Eby).
This Greek word episunagoge is used only one other time in Scripture, and that is in 2nd Thessalonians 2:1:
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together [Gk: episunagoge] unto Him."
In Hebrews 10 we are admonished to "assemble" in a high meeting, a meeting in the SPIRIT! In 2nd Thessalonians 2 this meeting in the Spirit will become a literal meeting with our Lord.
And so, back to our question once more: Which denomination should we join? Where should we go to Church? Where should we "forsake not the assembling of ourselves together?" In a physical building of some physical denomination? No. WE are to episunagoge (assemble) on a higher plane, in a higher realm, in a spiritual assembly, IN THE SPIRIT!
This is not something new. This is exactly what Jesus Christ taught regarding where and how we are to (go to church) worship God.
"The [Samaritan] woman said unto Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain [in this church or denomination]; and ye [all the Jews] say, that in Jerusalem [in that church or denomination] is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus said unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour comes, when ye [all of you Samaritans and Jews; Baptist and Pentecostals] shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem [in this church or that church], worship the Father. Ye [ALL OF YOU] worship ye [ALL OF YOU] KNOW NOT what: WE [TRUE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST AND CHILDREN OF GOD] KNOW what we worship for salvation is of the Jews [symbolic for from the few chosen, God's elect]. But the hour comes, AND NOW IS [at this very moment], when the TRUE worshippers [Gk: 'adorer'] shall worship [Gk: '(mean. to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand), to fawn (flatter) or crouch (bow) to, i.e. (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore)'] the Father in SPIRIT [Gk: 'pneumatkos, ALWAYS connotes the ideas of INVISIBILITY and of POWER, Of, relating in, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; NOT TANGIBLE OR MATERIAL, supernatural, regenerated, NON-CARNAL, i.e. (humanly) ethereal (unearthly, otherworldly, airy), or (divinely) supernatural, regenerate, religious:--spiritual, which is the higher or renovated nature; NOT LITERAL OR PHYSICAL, mature, complete in character, manifesting the fruits OF THE SPIRIT'] AND IN TRUTH [Gk: 'true (as not concealing), to be true (in doctrine {teaching} and profession {acknowledgement, confession, to assent, i.e. covenant, give thanks, praise}), speak (tell) the truth']: for the Father SEEKS [Gk: 'to seek (literally or figuratively); specifically (by Hebrew) to worship (God):--be (go) about, desire, endeavor, inquire (for), require, (× will) seek (after, for, means)'] such to worship Him. GOD IS SPIRIT: and they that worship Him MUST worship in SPIRIT AND TRUTH" (John 4:19-24).
We have got to get out of the depths of Satan if we are to worship God in Spirit and Truth. The Church is filled with the depths of Satan. That is not the place to go to worship God in spirit and truth. Did Jesus go to the synagogues to worship His God?
"And when He [Jesus] had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart [Gk: ‘by Himself’] to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone" (Matt. 14:23).
Amazing, isn’t it. Jesus "assembled [Gk: episunagoge]" with His Father BY HIMSELF, ALONE. We can do the same. Not just on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, with a crowd, in a building, but on every day of the week, and we can do it while we are ALONE.
"... because as He [JESUS] IS [RIGHT NOW IN HEAVEN], SO ARE WE [IN HEAVEN SPIRITUALLY, WHILE STILL] in this world." (1st John 4:17).
I have noticed when I go fishing that fish don’t automatically jump into my boat. When I'm on land they don’t just flop up and say, “Catch me! Catch me!” If I'm going to catch fish, I have to go to their environment to get them, to reach them. My environment–air–is very different than their environment–water.
So you see they are underwater "in the sea," and we are above "in the heavens" which in the Greek is also translated "air." It takes intentional effort on our part to make contact with fish. That's why Jesus came and told His disciples that He would make them fishers of men. So, somehow we must figure out how to get the bait right in front of their nose in their culture (in the sea).
But they’re not going to come to my environment. I’ve got to go to theirs to reach them. And I’ve got to put that bait right in front of their nose. You have to make intentional contact with them. Churches that expect the unchurched to show up simply because they build a building and hang a "We're Open" sign are deluding themselves. People don't voluntarily jump into your boat. You must penetrate their culture.
To penetrate any culture you must be willing to make small concessions in matters of style in order to gain a hearing. Jesus jumped into our culture by coming the way we came -- by being birth. Had He came on chariots out of the sky, He'd probably scare all the people and they would have never heard Him. So He came in a non-threatening way -- as a baby. Another example, M.I.C. Assembly will adopt the hip hop informal style of dress code to identify with the hip hop community we will minister in. So we will also design our services to reflect.
Here’s the point. You don’t expect unbelievers to act like believers until they are.
Letting your target determine your approach
Catching fish on their terms means letting your target determine your approach. When fishermen go fishing, do they use the same bait for every kind of fish? Of course not. Do they use the same size of hook for every kind of fish? No. You must use the bait and hook that best matches the fish you want to catch.
Paul always allowed his target to determine his approach. He describes his strategy in 1st Corinthians:
"For though I [Paul] be [spiritually] free [that's liberty] from all men [mankind], yet [STILL] have I [Paul] made myself [physically a] SERVANT unto all [humanity], that I [Paul] might gain the more [BY SERVING]. And unto the Jews ['But he IS a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.' (Rom. 2:29)] I [Paul] became as a [SERVANT] Jew [Paul didn't become a Jew, Paul was already a Jew. 'I (Paul) am verily (truthfully) a man which am a Jew ...' (Acts 22:3)], that I [Paul] might gain the Jews; to them [the literal/physical children of Israel] that are under the law [of Moses], [have I (Paul) made myself a SERVANT] as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law [of Moses]; to them [the Greeks, Gentile nations, the rest of the World] that are without [the literal or spirit] law [of God by Moses or of God by Christ], as without law, (BEING WITHOUT LAW TO GOD, BUT UNDER THE LAW OF CHRIST ['For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free (that's liberty again) from the law of sin and death.' (Rom. 8:2)],) [have I (Paul) made myself SERVANT] that I [Paul] might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, [have I (Paul) made myself SERVANT] that I might gain the weak: I am made [myself a SERVANT] ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN [MANKIND, HUMANITY, that I might by [SERVING] all means save some [some. not many but THE FEW ALREADY CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED BY CHRIST TO BE SAVED IN THIS LIFE. (Rom. 8:28-30)]." (1st Corinthians 9:19-22).
Wherever Paul was, he play to the crowd. When He was around the Jews, he became a Jew to save some Jews and this was the result:
"As THEY LISTENED TO HIM [Paul], THEY GAVE GLORY TO GOD and then said to him, “You see, brother [Paul], how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they all remain zealous for the Law [of Moses]. But they [the Jews] have been informed about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from [the Law of] Moses [called the Old Covenant], telling them not to circumcise their children, neither to observe the ancestral customs. Now, how about it? For they will learn that you have arrived. So then, do as we tell you. We have here four men who have taken a vow. Take them along, be purified with them and take care of their expenses so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will realize that there is no basis for the reports about you, but that you yourself order your life in observance of the Law [They told Paul to act like a Jew]. “With regard to Gentile believers, we have issued the resolution that they shall abstain from food offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled meat and from unchastity.” The following day Paul took the men along and, after undergoing the purification ritual with them, he entered the temple to announce the completion of the purification period, which would be when an offering had been made for each of them. But when the seven days were about completed, the Jews from Asia who had noticed him in the temple ... " (Acts 21:20-27, Modern Language Bible).
When we was arrested listen to what Paul said:
"And saw Him [JESUS IN THE SPIRIT] saying unto me [Paul], Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning Me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And He [Jesus] said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they [the non-believing Gentiles] gave him [Paul] audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live [they wanted to kill Paul]. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, the chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by [listen to what Paul said], Is it lawful for you to scourge a man THAT IS ROMAN [he didn't use his Christian label he used his SECULAR CITIZENSHIP like we use secular beats to reach the non-believers], and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for THIS MAN IS A ROMAN." (Acts 22:18-26).
Are you getting the reason why I dropped 'Disciple' off my name and 'God's Armor" off my personal ministry's name? He wanted to be effective for Christ, not a hindrance to the Gospel by using HOLY TAGS! Here's another time he used something SECULAR OR WORLDLY instead of Kingdom credential:
"So the whole city became agitated; there was a rushing together of the people and, seizing Paul, they dragged him outside the temple, and instantly the doors were shut. They were trying to kill him, when the report reached the commander of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. At once he marched soldiers and their officer’s double-quick down to the mob which, on seeing the commander and the soldiers, stopped pummeling Paul. The commander then advanced, took charge of him, ordered him bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done. Among the mob some shouted this and others that; so, unable to get at the facts because of the tumult, he ordered him taken to the barracks. But when Paul got as far as the steps he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; for the multitude of people followed him, shouting, “Away with him!” At the point of being brought into the fortress, Paul said [not in his natural language, but IN GREEK] to the commander, “Am I permitted to have a word with you?” He [the commander] said, “DO YOU KNOW GREEK? Are not you the Egyptian who recently stirred up the rebellion and led out four thousand cutthroats into the wilderness? [He thought Paul was Egyptian]” But Paul replied, “I AM A JEW [WHO CAN SPEAK GREEK] FROM TARSUS [A CITY] of Cilicia [IN ASIA MINOR, not ISREAL where Jews come from], a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg of you, please let me speak to the people.” With his permission Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people and, when all of them were quiet, he addressed them IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE in these words: “Brother and fathers, listen to the defense I now make to you.” As soon as they heard him address them IN HEBREW, THEY WERE STILL QUIETER, so he proceeded, “I AM A JEW, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I have been educated with exacting care in OUR ancestral Law [OF MOSES], with a zeal for God such as you all have today. “As such I persecuted this Way [JESUS AND THE BODY OF CHRIST] to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me out. For from them I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, where I was going, to bring the believers there back as prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment." (Acts 21:30-40 & 22:1-5, Modern Language Bible).
Did you pick up that? He used all kind of natural SECULAR TOOLS to witness to the non-believing. He spoke two languages in this section alone to get on their level. Then he used his HOLY TAGS to prove he was on their side at one time. This next one he used HOLY TAGS to identify with a certain crowd:
"And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren [Even in chains he address them as family], I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law [of Moses], and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist [knew] not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I AM A PHARISEE, THE SON OF A PHARISEE: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension [A DIVISION OF THE COUNCIL] between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both." (Acts 23:1-8).
Some critics might say Paul was being a chameleon, that by acting differently with different groups he was being hypocritical in his ministry. Not so. Paul was being strategic. His motivation was his desire to see all people saved. Here's the Living Bible paraphrase of 1st Corinthians 9:22-23:
"Yes, whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him. I do this to get the Gospel to them and also for the blessing I myself receive when I see them come to Christ."
Notice Paul says, “When I'm with one group of people I become like them–when I'm with Jews I become like a Jew. When I'm with Gentiles I become like a Gentile. When I'm in Corinth, I become like a Corinthian.” Today he’d say, “When I'm in Florida, I become like a Florid ian to reach Californians. When I'm in Texas, I become like a Texan to reach Texans. When I'm in the urban center, I become like the urbanite to reach the urban center.”
People say, “He’s being a chameleon.” No, he’s being strategic. The message must never change. It is “…the faith once delivered for the saints.” We don’t have a right to change it. But the methods have to change for every target. So you need to know who your target is so you can develop the methods to go after that target. You reach farmers in a different way than you reach doctors. You reach young rappers in a different way than you reach students. Executives in another way. Just different ways. Like that great theologian, Sly Stone said, “Different strokes for different folks.” That’s a principle right out of the book of Matthew. You go and eat what is set before you.
Paul said,
“Whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 (LB)
That’s being strategic. That’s catching fish where they are.
What was Jesus’ standard approach to evangelism? I once read through the gospels to find out how did Jesus win people? Did He use the Four Spiritual Laws? The Roman Road? What was His tool?
His standard approach was this,
Jesus’ Standard Approach: hE DIDN’T HAVE ONE
If you read through the four gospels in order to discover the standard approach Jesus used in evangelism. What I, myself learned was that He didn't have one! He had no standard approach in witnessing. He simply started wherever people were. When He was with the woman at the well, He talked about living water; when He was with fishermen, He talked about catching fish; when He was with farmers, He talked about sowing seed.
Beginning with the felt needs of the unchurched
Whenever Jesus encountered a person He's began with their hurts, needs, and interests. When He sent His disciples out He told them to do the same:
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8).
Notice the total emphasis on felt needs and hurts. When you're in pain, either physically or emotionally, you aren't interested in the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words. You just want to get well. People are tired of hearing. They want to see.
I believe that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his heart.
Anyone can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his heart.
And the key to his heart are his felt needs, his hurts and his interests.
THE KEY: Felt needs
Nobody ever becomes a Christian until first he recognizes a need. Every man is an island and you establish a beachhead in his life by meeting a felt need.
Before you can share the Good News, you must first capture their attention.
I move about the city of Orlando as people are passing me all the time, and I pray constantly, “God, how do I get these people to slow down long enough just to get them to listen?” The Good News is only good news if it gets there in time.
In the past, this was no problem. The church was the biggest building in the community, the pastor was the most prominent and usually the most educated person in the community. He was the pastor or parson, which means “person of the community”. The church program was the social calendar of society.
None of that is true anymore. Today, the church buildings are dwarfed by skyscrapers. You can have a church building next to a freeway where 100,000 people pass by every day and they don’t even know it’s there. In terms of status, pastors are rated low on the status “totem pole” compared to celebrities, movie stars, athletes. On television, pastors are almost always portrayed as crooks, wimps or perverts. For most of us in ministry it’s “guilty until proven innocent.” It’s not so much people saying, “Is the Bible true?” They want to know “Are you credible?” They want to know that before they’ll even listen. And then the church competes with anything and everything on the social calendar and community.
The apostle Paul wrote,
"So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye [all of you] were dear unto us." (1st Thessalonians 2:8).
He understood the importance of "telling" the Good News--"we were delighted to share ... the gospel." (1st Thessalonians 2:8, NIV). This is proclamation. He also understood the importance of "showing" the Good News--"we were delighted to share ... our lives as well." This is incarnation.
Proclamation: "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
Incarnation: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another. By this [love] shall all men know that you are My disciples.” (Matthew 13:34-35).
Result of both proclamation & incarnation: "If ye abide in Me [Jesus], and My Words [the Truth of the Gospel] abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is [This is how] My Father [is] glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments [Truths of God's Words], ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, That ye love one another, AS I [JESUS] HAVE LOVED YOU. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:7-13).
Proclamation and incarnation. In a word-saturated world people are saying more and more, "First show me. Then, when I have come to trust you, you can tell me." A man's receptivity to what we "proclaim" will rarely exceed the authenticity of how we actually live.
Jesus always ministered to people's needs and hurts. When a leper came to Jesus, Jesus didn't launch into a long discourse on the cleansing laws of Leviticus. he just healed the man! When He encountered the sick, the demon-possessed, or disturbed, He dealt with them at their point of pain. He didn't say, "I'm sorry, that doesn't fit My preaching schedule. Today we're continuing our series through the book of Deuteronomy."
The Secret of Success: Meeting needs
Ponder that old statement, “Find a need and fill it.”
Your church will never grow beyond its capacity to meet needs.
What are the needs of the unchurched in your area? I don’t know. You’ve got to conduct survey to find out. Are there any universal needs? Yes there are.
The felt needs of the unchurched are primarily:
emotional and RELATIONAL
I’ve been around the world and have seen many different cultures and many different needs, but there are some universal needs. Everybody needs love. Everybody needs acceptance. Everybody wants meaning in their life. Everybody needs purpose. Everybody needs forgiveness. Everybody needs self-esteem. Everybody needs to know that their life matters. Everybody needs to know how to have their past forgiven, a purpose for living and a home in God's Kingdom. Those are universal needs.
Jesus never lacked an audience because He dealt with these major themes that I just mentioned.
You can use anything as a “felt need” to reach people. I know of a church in the California area that went out years ago door-to-door and found out that the biggest need in their area was young couples needing to potty train their children. So they had a potty training seminar. They brought in a Christian doctor, a Christian psychologist, and a pastor. They talked about how to build a family, how to train their kids to use the toilet and then how to build a Christian home. They had over 500 couples show up for that potty training seminar. Many of them kept coming to the church after that. I teased them later and said, “I’ll bet your theme verse is Proverbs 22:6 ‘Train up a child in the way he should go …’” The needs of unbelievers determine our programs.
If M.I.C. Assembly is going to be serious about reaching the unchurched, we must be willing to put up with people who have a lot of problems. Fishing is often messy and smelly. Many churches want the fish they catch to be already scaled (spiritually circumcised), gutted, (sanctified), cleaned (purified), and cook (purged and set on fire by God's presence and Spirit). That is why they never reach anyone.
THE MIND-SET OF UNBELIEVERS DETERMINES OUR strategy
Understanding and responding to the hang-ups of the unchurched
At M.I.C. Assembly we will take the hang-ups of the unchurched very seriously, even when they are based on ignorance. Non-believers have hang-ups about churches asking them for money, about churches that use guilt and fear to motivate, about churches that expect them to attend every meeting the church holds, and about churches that make visitors stand up and introduce themselves.
For instance, if people have a hang-up about financial appeals, we tell visitors “Don’t give. Only the members give.” If people have a hang-up about denominational labels we choose a generic name. We’re a Baptist Church but didn’t put “Baptist” in the name. That’s not a theological compromise; that’s an evangelistic strategy. Did I get criticized? What do you think? I decided a long time ago that I was more interested in impressing the unchurched of this area than theological seminary professors.
Luke 16:8 says;
"And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light."
“Be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves!” Matthew 10:16 (KJV)
That means that the average McDonald’s owner knows more about human behavior than the average pastor. The culture of unbelievers determines our style. We’re “live and explosive” in Orlando, Florida and we have a energetic, energizing, but informal style. The church is full of hip hoppers, generation x-er's and MySpace heads, so we use hip hop music.
Our strategy is to counteract these hang-ups as quickly as possible. For instance, in our surveys of the unchurched we found that denominational labels or just the word "church" carried a lot of negative baggage for many of the unchurched. This caused us to choose the neutral name "M.I.C. Assembly."
The word "CHURCH" in the Strong’s Greek Dictionary, #1577. ekklesia, "a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): — ASSEMBLY, church." Choosing a neutral name Or using "assembly" rather than the word "church" was an evangelism strategy, not a theological compromise.
In 1988, a Gallup poll revealed that 33 percent of all Protestants had changed denominational affiliations during their lifetime. I'm sure the number is greater now. Given the increasing popularity of generic products, it's obvious that today's generation has very little "brand" loyalty. For most people, value is a greater draw. Few people choose a church on the basis of the denominational label. They choose the church that best ministers to their needs.
THE CULTURE OF UNBELIEVERS DETERMINES OUR style
Let me say this: regardless of the style you choose for evangelism you’re going to be criticized. No matter what style you use. Traditional, contemporary, off the chart, avant-garde, you’re going to be criticized. So the wrong style is the one you choose just because you like it. The right style is what’s the most effective for this area? If I were in another city, I wouldn’t be doing a lot of the style we’re doing here at MIC Assembly. I would be adaptive. You are a cross-cultural missionary in America. You must find your culture that you’re reaching and adapt to them.
The key question is,
Key question: Who are we trying to impress?
Change methods whenever necessary
If you've ever fished for an entire day, you know that sometimes you have to change bait as the day wears on. What fish were biting on in the morning they seem to ignore in the afternoon. The problem with many churches today is they are trying to use bait and hooks from the 1950s in the 1990s -- and the fish are no longer biting. The greatest enemy to our success in the future is often the success of our past.
[4] CATCH FISH ON THEIR TERMS
This is the heart of M.I.C. Assembly’s evangelism strategy: We must be willing to catch fish on their own terms. Successful fishing often requires doing things that are uncomfortable in order to get to the fish.
Did you know the average fishermen never ventures farther than a half mile from the paved road? Serious fishermen, however, will go to any length to catch fish.
What kind of fishermen are you? Do you put up a sign that says, “Here’s our church. If you want to come, show up at our time and our place and wear our clothes and sing our songs.” Or are you going to go where the fish are? Out where you might have to get in the mud, where it’s uncomfortable and it’s dirty and stinky. You have to stand in the sun or freeze at night in order to catch that fish. We have this “take it or leave it” attitude about fishing and that’s the way a lot of churches feel.
How serious are you about Christ's commission? How serious are you about God's Kingdom & Church? Are you willing to go to any length and be uncomfortable in order to lead people to Christ?
Understanding and adapting to their culture without being mix in it
Jesus told the disciples,
"And into whatsoever city ye [all of you] enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you." (Luke 10:8).
In saying, Jesus was giving more than dietary advice; He was commanding them to be sensitive to local culture. He was telling them to fit in with those they wanted to reach. They were to adapt to local customs and culture when IT DIDN'T VIOLATE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE.
Learn to eat what is set before you. You don't have to like everything you taste, but you need to love the people showing you hospitality, because you want to lead them to Christ. So adapt to their ways.
We ask the world to adapt to us and then act arrogantly if they won’t. Jesus said we go to serve. Eat what is set before you. Are you willing to adapt and do the uncomfortable to reach the unchurched?
Too often we let cultural difference between believers and non-believers become barriers to getting the Message out. Christ has broken down that wall. Paul says,
"Wherefore remember, that ye [all of you] being in time past Gentiles [whether black, Spanish, white, Asian] in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision [non-believers] by that [them, the Jews] which is called the Circumcision [God's people] in the flesh made by hands; that at that time [back in the days] ye [all of you] were without Christ [or outside Christ], being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the [many] covenants of promise [under the Old Covenant], having no hope, and without God in the world: BUT NOW IN CHRIST JESUS [under the NEW Covenant] ye [all of you] who sometimes were far off are MADE NIGH [MADE NEAR] BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. For He [CHRIST] is our [insiders and outsiders] peace, [Jesus] who hath made both [insider's and outsider's] one [unified in Christ], and [CHRIST] HATH BROKEN DOEN THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION [Gk: 'INCLOSING BARRIER'] BETWEEN US [insiders and outsiders]; [CHRIST] HAVING ABOLISHED IN HIS FLESH THE ENMITY [BEEF AND HATRED], even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain [two people] one [unified] new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity [BEEF AND HATRED] thereby: and [CHRIST] came and preached peace to you [non-believing outsiders] which were afar off, and to them [Jewish believing insiders] that were nigh [near]. For through Him [CHRIST] we [insiders and outsiders] both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye [all of you, insiders and outsiders] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens [Gk: 'FELLOW CHRISTIANS'] with the saints [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel, the Jewish apostles and early Jewish Christians], and of the household [CHURCH] of God; and are built upon the foundation [TEACHINGS OF CHRIST TAUGHT] of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone [the most important stone at the TOP of the temple that hold the whole building together]; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in [Christ] whom ye [all of you, insiders and outsiders] also are builded together for an habitation [living place for or ...] of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:11-22).
For some Christians, any talk of "adapting to their culture" sounds like theological liberalism or a license to sin--that you’re selling out, you’re compromising, you’re a chameleon, you’re a cop out, you’re a hypocrite, you’re watering down the gospel, you’re caving into culture. This is not a new fear. In fact, it was the reason the apostles and elders held the Jerusalem conference in Acts Chapter 15. In those days the issue was, "Do Gentile believers have to follow Jewish (church) customs and culture to be considered true Christians?"
"And CERTAIN MEN which came down from Judea taught the brethren [they taught the New Christians], and said,
'Except ye [all of you NON-Jewish New Christians] be circumcised after the manner of Moses [the OLD Covenant], ye [all of you] CANNOT BE SAVED.'
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension [uproar] and disputation [dispute] with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up CERTAIN OF THE SECT OF THE PHARISEES WHICH BELIEVED [YES, there were Christian Pharisees], saying,
'That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses [the OLD Covenant, including the 10 commandments (Ex. 34:28, Duet. 4:13)].
And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter." (Acts 15:1-2, 4-6).
The apostles and elders answered with a clear "NO WAY!"
"And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them,
'Men and brethren, ye [ALL OF YOU] KNOW how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles [New non-Jewish Christians] by my mouth should hear the Word of the gospel [the Gospel of the kingdom of God], AND BELIEVE. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and [GOD] put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts BY FAITH.
Now therefore why tempt ye [all of you JEWISH/PHARISEE CHRISTIANS] God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they [SHALL BE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST].
And to this agree the words of the prophets [in the Old Covenant/Testament]; as it is written ...
Wherefore [for this reason] my sentence [judgment, decree] is, that we trouble not them [New non-Jewish Christians], which from among the Gentiles ARE TURNED [REPENTED] TO GOD: but [THESE ARE THE ONLY RULES FROM THE OLD COVENANT] that we write unto them, that they
[1] abstain from pollutions of idols,
and [2] from fornication,
and [3] from things strangled,
and [4] from blood.
For it SEEMED GOOD to the Holy Ghost, and to us, TO LAY UPON YOU NO GREATER BURDEN THAN THESE NECESSARY THINGS; that ye [all of you]
[1] abstain from meats offered to idols,
and [2] from blood,
and [3] from things strangled,
and [4] from fornication:
from which if ye keep [guard] yourselves, YE SHALL DO WELL. Fare ye well.
So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle [letter]: which when they [New non-Jewish Christians] had read, THEY REJOICED for the consolation [COMFORT, ENTREATY, ENCOURAGEMENT]." (Acts 15:7-11, 15, 19-20, 28-31).
From that point on the Church began to adapt to each new culture as it spread around the world. God loves variety. He created all of it.
The Gospel is always communicated in the terms of some culture. The only question is, which one? No church can be culturally neutral. It will express some culture because it is composed of human beings.
The church began growing among the Jews and then it began to spread among the Gentiles and then it became a big issue. Does a Gentile have to become a Jew in order to become a Christian? So there was a big conference in Jerusalem, as described in Acts 15. The question was, “Do you have to adopt all the Jewish customs such as eating kosher in order to become a Christian?" The answer that came back from the Apostles was a resounding, “No!”
Thank God for that council. Because of that decision, Christianity spread around the globe to every culture and every crevice of the world. For 2,000 years Christianity has adapted itself to one culture after another. If it hadn't adapted, we'd still be a sect within Judaism!
We still have Judaizers in the church today more interested in purity than in people. Jesus died for people. He said tares and wheat will grow up together. Don’t worry about the tares. Jesus will pull them out at the end. You’re not to be a tare picker. That’s not your job. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job. Let the tares and the wheat grow together, because you want to reach the wheat and harvest it.
We are ignoring 2,000 years of church history when we insist that our own cultural expression of faith is better or more biblical than any other.
If you've ever notice that when fishermen are fishing the fish don't automatically jump into the boat or throw themselves up onto the shore for them. Their culture (underwater, the sea) is very different from ours (air, in heaven). Here's the Scriptures on this truth.
MANY WATERS
"Mystery Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth"
sits upon "many waters" we are told in Rev. 17:1. Anciently God also referred to the nation of Babylon as, "O thou that dwells upon MANY WATERS…" (Jeremiah 51:13). And these many waters are explained in Rev. 17:15 as:
"The WATERS which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
Since all of Revelation is symbolic and metaphorical language, the "sea" represents the vast sea of humanity, not the watery oceans of our planet. It is fitting that if ancient Babylon dwelled upon "many waters" that the end-time Mystery Babylon would also sit upon "waters" which are clearly defined as "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
And just where are we told that the beast that carries the great whore comes from?
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a [wild] beast rise up OUT OF THE SEA [the vast sea of humanity]" (Rev. 13:1).
THE SEA
God uses "waters" and "sea" interchangeably in the Scriptures. Babylon was:
"O thou that dwells upon many WATERS…" (Jeremiah 51:13).
Notice that Babylon’s "…waves do roar like great waters…" (Ver. 55). But then in verse 36 we read this:
"Therefore thus says the Lord; Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will DRY UP HER SEA…"
Anyone who followed the war in Iraq knows that there is no sea in Iraq. This is not speaking of a large body of water, but of PEOPLE!
Notice further proof in verses 42-43:
"The SEA is come up upon Babylon, she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. Her cities are desolation A DRY land, and a wilderness…"
After the establishment of Babylon as a nation, it was never entirely flooded by a literal sea of water. Besides, if a land were "flooded" it could hardly be called "a DRY land," could it? Notice what the "sea" and the "waters" represent:
"And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of her mouth that which he has swallowed up: and THE NATIONS [the waters of ‘peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues’ Rev. 17:15] shall not flow [like waters] together any more unto him, and the wall of Babylon shall fall" (Verse 44).
It is the wicked that are generally associated with "the sea." In Jude 4 we read of
"…certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, UNGODLY MEN, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
In verse 13 these same ungodly men are called, "RAGING WAVES OF THE SEA…"
"When THE ENEMY SHALL COME LIKE A FLOOD, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19).
"When the WAVES of death compassed me, THE FLOODS OF UNGODLY MEN made me afraid [like Peter when he was walking on the water with Jesus]." (2nd Samuel 22:5, Psalms 18:4).
"Come hither; I will show you unto you the judgment of the great whore that sits UPON MANY WATERS."
And the "many waters" are defined as,
"The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
The whore is a great church, and it sits on a wild beast (a great political system), and John, "…saw a wild beast rise up OUT OF THE SEA (Rev. 13:1). This beast does not rise up out of one particular sea, that is one particular nation or people or multitude or tongue, but out of ALL OF THEM.
"And the great dragon [Gk: 'SEA-serpent'] was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives THE WHOLE WORLD…" (Rev. 12:5).
And the waters on which the whore sits are called, "…peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." In other words, the whore sits upon ALL THE SEA; ALL THE PEOPLES AND MULTITUDES AND LANGUAGES AND NATIONS OF THE ENTIRE EARTH! And she RIDES the wild beast that came up out of this same great and vast sea of humanity.
THE HEAVENS
Those who have the very mind of Christ are those who dwell in heaven.
"Therefore rejoice, ye [all of you that SPIRITUALLY dwell or inhabit the] HEAVENS [no this is NOT A "RAPTURE," these are not angels either, these are those who have 'the mind of Christ,' God's very elect, the few chosen], and ye [ALL OF YOU] THAT DWELL [Gk#4637: from 4636 (an encampment, i.e. {figuratively OR SPIRITUALLY} the Temple (AS GOD'S RESIDENCE), the body {as a tenement for the soul}:--tabernacle) 'to tent or encamp, i.e. (figuratively OR SPIRITUALLY) to occupy (as a mansion) or (specifically) to reside (as God did in the Tabernacle of old, a symbol or symbolic of protection and communion'] IN THEM [IN THE HEAVENS]." (Revelation 12:12).
"Even when we were [past tense] dead in sins, hath [past tense] quickened [made us SPIRITUALLY alive] us TOGETHER WITH CHRIST, (by grace ye [ALL OF YOU] are saved;) and hath [past tense] RAISED US UP TOGETHER [WITH CHRIST], AND MADE US [YOU HAVE NO CHOICE OR SAY IN THIS MATTER. GOD HAS 'MADE US'] SIT TOGETHER IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS." (Ephesians 2:5-6).
"If ye [all of you in Christ] then be risen with Christ, seek those things WHICH ARE ABOVE, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on THINGS ABOVE, not on things on the earth. For ye [all of you in Christ] are dead, and YOUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD [And where would that be? IN HEAVEN!]. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall YE [all of you] ALSO APPEAR WITH HIM IN GLORY." (Colossians 3:1:4).
"For our conversation [Gk: 'A COMMUNITY, i.e. (abstractly) CITIZENSHIP (figuratively OR SPIRITUALLY)'] IS IN HEAVEN; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3:20-21).
"But WE [WORSHIPPERS IN 'SPIRIT AND TRUTH', John 4:23] ARE COME [RIGHT NOW AS YOUR ARE READING THIS] unto [HEAVENLY, SPIRITUAL] MOUNT ZION, and unto THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD [WHO IS SPIRIT, John 4:24], the HEAVENLY [SPIRITUAL, NEW] Jerusalem [THAT IS ABOVE, Gal: 4:26], and to an innumerable company of angels [WHO ARE ALSO SPIRITS, Heb. 1:7 & Ps. 104:4)], to the general [SPIRITUAL] assembly [Heb: 10:25 & 2 Thes. 2:1] and [SPIRITUAL] CHURCH OF THE [SPIRITUALLY] FIRSTBORN [John 3:5-6, 8 & Gal. 4:29], which are written in heaven [SPIRIT, 2 Cor. 3:3], and to God the Judge of all [ALL SPIRITS, Heb. 12:5-11 & 25-29], and to the SPIRITS of just men made perfect and to Jesus [JESUS WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, 2 Cor. 3:17] the mediator of the NEW [SPIRITUAL] COVENANT [2 Cor. 3:6], and to the [SPIRITUAL] blood of sprinkling [Heb. 9:14, 1 Pet. 1:2, & 1 John 5:8], that [SPIRITUAL] speaks better things than that of Abel [John 6:63 & 1 Cor. 2:13]" (Heb. 12:22-24).
God has a heaven. It is a SPIRIT REALM. It is where God lives and has His Being. Men too have a heaven. It is likewise, the REALM where they live and have their being—they spiritually live in their own minds, their own heavens.
Notice Proverbs 23:7, "For as he THINKS in his heart, SO IS HE." The ‘heart’ is the innermost seat of our deepest emotions, but it is accessed through the MIND. It is what one thinks that determines what one is. When the king of Babylon THOUGHT that he had ascended into heaven in his mind, then that is where HE WAS, "so IS he." But ... BUT, it was man’s heaven and not God’s. No ‘man,’ no ‘carnal man’ has ever ascended into God’s heaven of spirit,
"And NO MAN has ascended up to heaven [God’s heaven], but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man WHICH IS IN HEAVEN [right at the very time He was speaking these words JESUS WAS IN HEAVEN IN THE SPIRIT but physically preaching on earth]" (John 3:13).
Jesus could live "on earth" and "in heaven" at the same time! But carnal men live in the heaven of their minds all the time. Man’s heaven is a place of spiritual delusion; whereas God’s heaven is a place of spiritual enlightenment.
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the EARTH [of man] and the HEAVEN [of man] fled away; and there was found NO PLACE FOR THEM… And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And I saw a NEW heaven and a NEW earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." (Rev. 20:11, 16 & 21:1).
It would be mind-boggling enough to think that the entire UNIVERSE could "flee away," but it would be quite another to then suggest that, "there was found NO PLACE FOR THEM." That would be absurd if taken literally. ALL THESE THINGS ARE SPIRITUAL! In the white throne judgment there will be no more a place for the flesh, for the carnal mind, for man’s heaven. There will truly be no place found for them. They will be annihilated in God’s "CONSUMING FIRE" (Heb. 12:29 & I Cor. 3:15)!
NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER
In Hebrews 10:25 were are admonished as follows:
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching."
That this is speaking of believers congregating together to worship and study God’s Word, there can be no doubt. However, there is a much deeper meaning to this "assembling" that few have ever seen. I never saw it myself until I read a paper by J. Preston Eby, entitled: "FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING."
Greek#1997: EPI-SUNAGOGE, 'a complete collection; specially a Christian meeting (for worship):—assembling (gathering) together.'
I will quote an excerpt or two from his paper:
"The Greek word for ‘assembling’ is EPISUNAGOGE. The word, literally, is a verb meaning to synagogue. It is a compound of the Greek prefix EPI with the word SUNAGOGE from which we get our transliterated English word Synagogue. EPI means super – imposition – that which is above, higher than, highest, upon. SUNAGOGE means a meeting, assembly, or gathering. Putting these two words together, EPI-SUNAGOGE means THE ABOVE SYNAGOGUE, THE HIGHER MEETING, THE HIGHEST ASSEMBLY, THE HIGHER-THAN-ALL-GATHERINGS!
It bespeaks of something far greater than merely collecting so many breathing bodies together in one place.
It is a meeting in a higher realm, on a higher plane, in the high places of the Spirit, and in the heights of Truth. It is a gathering together in a dimension above. It indicates an assembling IN THE SPIRIT…"
(All Caps belong to Mr. Eby).
This Greek word episunagoge is used only one other time in Scripture, and that is in 2nd Thessalonians 2:1:
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together [Gk: episunagoge] unto Him."
In Hebrews 10 we are admonished to "assemble" in a high meeting, a meeting in the SPIRIT! In 2nd Thessalonians 2 this meeting in the Spirit will become a literal meeting with our Lord.
And so, back to our question once more: Which denomination should we join? Where should we go to Church? Where should we "forsake not the assembling of ourselves together?" In a physical building of some physical denomination? No. WE are to episunagoge (assemble) on a higher plane, in a higher realm, in a spiritual assembly, IN THE SPIRIT!
This is not something new. This is exactly what Jesus Christ taught regarding where and how we are to (go to church) worship God.
"The [Samaritan] woman said unto Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain [in this church or denomination]; and ye [all the Jews] say, that in Jerusalem [in that church or denomination] is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus said unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour comes, when ye [all of you Samaritans and Jews; Baptist and Pentecostals] shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem [in this church or that church], worship the Father. Ye [ALL OF YOU] worship ye [ALL OF YOU] KNOW NOT what: WE [TRUE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST AND CHILDREN OF GOD] KNOW what we worship for salvation is of the Jews [symbolic for from the few chosen, God's elect]. But the hour comes, AND NOW IS [at this very moment], when the TRUE worshippers [Gk: 'adorer'] shall worship [Gk: '(mean. to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand), to fawn (flatter) or crouch (bow) to, i.e. (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore)'] the Father in SPIRIT [Gk: 'pneumatkos, ALWAYS connotes the ideas of INVISIBILITY and of POWER, Of, relating in, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; NOT TANGIBLE OR MATERIAL, supernatural, regenerated, NON-CARNAL, i.e. (humanly) ethereal (unearthly, otherworldly, airy), or (divinely) supernatural, regenerate, religious:--spiritual, which is the higher or renovated nature; NOT LITERAL OR PHYSICAL, mature, complete in character, manifesting the fruits OF THE SPIRIT'] AND IN TRUTH [Gk: 'true (as not concealing), to be true (in doctrine {teaching} and profession {acknowledgement, confession, to assent, i.e. covenant, give thanks, praise}), speak (tell) the truth']: for the Father SEEKS [Gk: 'to seek (literally or figuratively); specifically (by Hebrew) to worship (God):--be (go) about, desire, endeavor, inquire (for), require, (× will) seek (after, for, means)'] such to worship Him. GOD IS SPIRIT: and they that worship Him MUST worship in SPIRIT AND TRUTH" (John 4:19-24).
We have got to get out of the depths of Satan if we are to worship God in Spirit and Truth. The Church is filled with the depths of Satan. That is not the place to go to worship God in spirit and truth. Did Jesus go to the synagogues to worship His God?
"And when He [Jesus] had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart [Gk: ‘by Himself’] to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone" (Matt. 14:23).
Amazing, isn’t it. Jesus "assembled [Gk: episunagoge]" with His Father BY HIMSELF, ALONE. We can do the same. Not just on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, with a crowd, in a building, but on every day of the week, and we can do it while we are ALONE.
"... because as He [JESUS] IS [RIGHT NOW IN HEAVEN], SO ARE WE [IN HEAVEN SPIRITUALLY, WHILE STILL] in this world." (1st John 4:17).
I have noticed when I go fishing that fish don’t automatically jump into my boat. When I'm on land they don’t just flop up and say, “Catch me! Catch me!” If I'm going to catch fish, I have to go to their environment to get them, to reach them. My environment–air–is very different than their environment–water.
So you see they are underwater "in the sea," and we are above "in the heavens" which in the Greek is also translated "air." It takes intentional effort on our part to make contact with fish. That's why Jesus came and told His disciples that He would make them fishers of men. So, somehow we must figure out how to get the bait right in front of their nose in their culture (in the sea).
But they’re not going to come to my environment. I’ve got to go to theirs to reach them. And I’ve got to put that bait right in front of their nose. You have to make intentional contact with them. Churches that expect the unchurched to show up simply because they build a building and hang a "We're Open" sign are deluding themselves. People don't voluntarily jump into your boat. You must penetrate their culture.
To penetrate any culture you must be willing to make small concessions in matters of style in order to gain a hearing. Jesus jumped into our culture by coming the way we came -- by being birth. Had He came on chariots out of the sky, He'd probably scare all the people and they would have never heard Him. So He came in a non-threatening way -- as a baby. Another example, M.I.C. Assembly will adopt the hip hop informal style of dress code to identify with the hip hop community we will minister in. So we will also design our services to reflect.
Here’s the point. You don’t expect unbelievers to act like believers until they are.
Letting your target determine your approach
Catching fish on their terms means letting your target determine your approach. When fishermen go fishing, do they use the same bait for every kind of fish? Of course not. Do they use the same size of hook for every kind of fish? No. You must use the bait and hook that best matches the fish you want to catch.
Paul always allowed his target to determine his approach. He describes his strategy in 1st Corinthians:
"For though I [Paul] be [spiritually] free [that's liberty] from all men [mankind], yet [STILL] have I [Paul] made myself [physically a] SERVANT unto all [humanity], that I [Paul] might gain the more [BY SERVING]. And unto the Jews ['But he IS a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.' (Rom. 2:29)] I [Paul] became as a [SERVANT] Jew [Paul didn't become a Jew, Paul was already a Jew. 'I (Paul) am verily (truthfully) a man which am a Jew ...' (Acts 22:3)], that I [Paul] might gain the Jews; to them [the literal/physical children of Israel] that are under the law [of Moses], [have I (Paul) made myself a SERVANT] as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law [of Moses]; to them [the Greeks, Gentile nations, the rest of the World] that are without [the literal or spirit] law [of God by Moses or of God by Christ], as without law, (BEING WITHOUT LAW TO GOD, BUT UNDER THE LAW OF CHRIST ['For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free (that's liberty again) from the law of sin and death.' (Rom. 8:2)],) [have I (Paul) made myself SERVANT] that I [Paul] might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, [have I (Paul) made myself SERVANT] that I might gain the weak: I am made [myself a SERVANT] ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN [MANKIND, HUMANITY, that I might by [SERVING] all means save some [some. not many but THE FEW ALREADY CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED BY CHRIST TO BE SAVED IN THIS LIFE. (Rom. 8:28-30)]." (1st Corinthians 9:19-22).
Wherever Paul was, he play to the crowd. When He was around the Jews, he became a Jew to save some Jews and this was the result:
"As THEY LISTENED TO HIM [Paul], THEY GAVE GLORY TO GOD and then said to him, “You see, brother [Paul], how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they all remain zealous for the Law [of Moses]. But they [the Jews] have been informed about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from [the Law of] Moses [called the Old Covenant], telling them not to circumcise their children, neither to observe the ancestral customs. Now, how about it? For they will learn that you have arrived. So then, do as we tell you. We have here four men who have taken a vow. Take them along, be purified with them and take care of their expenses so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will realize that there is no basis for the reports about you, but that you yourself order your life in observance of the Law [They told Paul to act like a Jew]. “With regard to Gentile believers, we have issued the resolution that they shall abstain from food offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled meat and from unchastity.” The following day Paul took the men along and, after undergoing the purification ritual with them, he entered the temple to announce the completion of the purification period, which would be when an offering had been made for each of them. But when the seven days were about completed, the Jews from Asia who had noticed him in the temple ... " (Acts 21:20-27, Modern Language Bible).
When we was arrested listen to what Paul said:
"And saw Him [JESUS IN THE SPIRIT] saying unto me [Paul], Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning Me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And He [Jesus] said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they [the non-believing Gentiles] gave him [Paul] audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live [they wanted to kill Paul]. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, the chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by [listen to what Paul said], Is it lawful for you to scourge a man THAT IS ROMAN [he didn't use his Christian label he used his SECULAR CITIZENSHIP like we use secular beats to reach the non-believers], and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for THIS MAN IS A ROMAN." (Acts 22:18-26).
Are you getting the reason why I dropped 'Disciple' off my name and 'God's Armor" off my personal ministry's name? He wanted to be effective for Christ, not a hindrance to the Gospel by using HOLY TAGS! Here's another time he used something SECULAR OR WORLDLY instead of Kingdom credential:
"So the whole city became agitated; there was a rushing together of the people and, seizing Paul, they dragged him outside the temple, and instantly the doors were shut. They were trying to kill him, when the report reached the commander of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. At once he marched soldiers and their officer’s double-quick down to the mob which, on seeing the commander and the soldiers, stopped pummeling Paul. The commander then advanced, took charge of him, ordered him bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done. Among the mob some shouted this and others that; so, unable to get at the facts because of the tumult, he ordered him taken to the barracks. But when Paul got as far as the steps he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; for the multitude of people followed him, shouting, “Away with him!” At the point of being brought into the fortress, Paul said [not in his natural language, but IN GREEK] to the commander, “Am I permitted to have a word with you?” He [the commander] said, “DO YOU KNOW GREEK? Are not you the Egyptian who recently stirred up the rebellion and led out four thousand cutthroats into the wilderness? [He thought Paul was Egyptian]” But Paul replied, “I AM A JEW [WHO CAN SPEAK GREEK] FROM TARSUS [A CITY] of Cilicia [IN ASIA MINOR, not ISREAL where Jews come from], a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg of you, please let me speak to the people.” With his permission Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people and, when all of them were quiet, he addressed them IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE in these words: “Brother and fathers, listen to the defense I now make to you.” As soon as they heard him address them IN HEBREW, THEY WERE STILL QUIETER, so he proceeded, “I AM A JEW, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I have been educated with exacting care in OUR ancestral Law [OF MOSES], with a zeal for God such as you all have today. “As such I persecuted this Way [JESUS AND THE BODY OF CHRIST] to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me out. For from them I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, where I was going, to bring the believers there back as prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment." (Acts 21:30-40 & 22:1-5, Modern Language Bible).
Did you pick up that? He used all kind of natural SECULAR TOOLS to witness to the non-believing. He spoke two languages in this section alone to get on their level. Then he used his HOLY TAGS to prove he was on their side at one time. This next one he used HOLY TAGS to identify with a certain crowd:
"And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren [Even in chains he address them as family], I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law [of Moses], and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist [knew] not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I AM A PHARISEE, THE SON OF A PHARISEE: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension [A DIVISION OF THE COUNCIL] between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both." (Acts 23:1-8).
Some critics might say Paul was being a chameleon, that by acting differently with different groups he was being hypocritical in his ministry. Not so. Paul was being strategic. His motivation was his desire to see all people saved. Here's the Living Bible paraphrase of 1st Corinthians 9:22-23:
"Yes, whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him. I do this to get the Gospel to them and also for the blessing I myself receive when I see them come to Christ."
Notice Paul says, “When I'm with one group of people I become like them–when I'm with Jews I become like a Jew. When I'm with Gentiles I become like a Gentile. When I'm in Corinth, I become like a Corinthian.” Today he’d say, “When I'm in Florida, I become like a Florid ian to reach Californians. When I'm in Texas, I become like a Texan to reach Texans. When I'm in the urban center, I become like the urbanite to reach the urban center.”
People say, “He’s being a chameleon.” No, he’s being strategic. The message must never change. It is “…the faith once delivered for the saints.” We don’t have a right to change it. But the methods have to change for every target. So you need to know who your target is so you can develop the methods to go after that target. You reach farmers in a different way than you reach doctors. You reach young rappers in a different way than you reach students. Executives in another way. Just different ways. Like that great theologian, Sly Stone said, “Different strokes for different folks.” That’s a principle right out of the book of Matthew. You go and eat what is set before you.
Paul said,
“Whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 (LB)
That’s being strategic. That’s catching fish where they are.
What was Jesus’ standard approach to evangelism? I once read through the gospels to find out how did Jesus win people? Did He use the Four Spiritual Laws? The Roman Road? What was His tool?
His standard approach was this,
Jesus’ Standard Approach: hE DIDN’T HAVE ONE
If you read through the four gospels in order to discover the standard approach Jesus used in evangelism. What I, myself learned was that He didn't have one! He had no standard approach in witnessing. He simply started wherever people were. When He was with the woman at the well, He talked about living water; when He was with fishermen, He talked about catching fish; when He was with farmers, He talked about sowing seed.
Beginning with the felt needs of the unchurched
Whenever Jesus encountered a person He's began with their hurts, needs, and interests. When He sent His disciples out He told them to do the same:
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8).
Notice the total emphasis on felt needs and hurts. When you're in pain, either physically or emotionally, you aren't interested in the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words. You just want to get well. People are tired of hearing. They want to see.
I believe that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his heart.
Anyone can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his heart.
And the key to his heart are his felt needs, his hurts and his interests.
THE KEY: Felt needs
Nobody ever becomes a Christian until first he recognizes a need. Every man is an island and you establish a beachhead in his life by meeting a felt need.
Before you can share the Good News, you must first capture their attention.
I move about the city of Orlando as people are passing me all the time, and I pray constantly, “God, how do I get these people to slow down long enough just to get them to listen?” The Good News is only good news if it gets there in time.
In the past, this was no problem. The church was the biggest building in the community, the pastor was the most prominent and usually the most educated person in the community. He was the pastor or parson, which means “person of the community”. The church program was the social calendar of society.
None of that is true anymore. Today, the church buildings are dwarfed by skyscrapers. You can have a church building next to a freeway where 100,000 people pass by every day and they don’t even know it’s there. In terms of status, pastors are rated low on the status “totem pole” compared to celebrities, movie stars, athletes. On television, pastors are almost always portrayed as crooks, wimps or perverts. For most of us in ministry it’s “guilty until proven innocent.” It’s not so much people saying, “Is the Bible true?” They want to know “Are you credible?” They want to know that before they’ll even listen. And then the church competes with anything and everything on the social calendar and community.
The apostle Paul wrote,
"So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye [all of you] were dear unto us." (1st Thessalonians 2:8).
He understood the importance of "telling" the Good News--"we were delighted to share ... the gospel." (1st Thessalonians 2:8, NIV). This is proclamation. He also understood the importance of "showing" the Good News--"we were delighted to share ... our lives as well." This is incarnation.
Proclamation: "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
Incarnation: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another. By this [love] shall all men know that you are My disciples.” (Matthew 13:34-35).
Result of both proclamation & incarnation: "If ye abide in Me [Jesus], and My Words [the Truth of the Gospel] abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is [This is how] My Father [is] glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments [Truths of God's Words], ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, That ye love one another, AS I [JESUS] HAVE LOVED YOU. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:7-13).
Proclamation and incarnation. In a word-saturated world people are saying more and more, "First show me. Then, when I have come to trust you, you can tell me." A man's receptivity to what we "proclaim" will rarely exceed the authenticity of how we actually live.
Jesus always ministered to people's needs and hurts. When a leper came to Jesus, Jesus didn't launch into a long discourse on the cleansing laws of Leviticus. he just healed the man! When He encountered the sick, the demon-possessed, or disturbed, He dealt with them at their point of pain. He didn't say, "I'm sorry, that doesn't fit My preaching schedule. Today we're continuing our series through the book of Deuteronomy."
The Secret of Success: Meeting needs
Ponder that old statement, “Find a need and fill it.”
Your church will never grow beyond its capacity to meet needs.
What are the needs of the unchurched in your area? I don’t know. You’ve got to conduct survey to find out. Are there any universal needs? Yes there are.
The felt needs of the unchurched are primarily:
emotional and RELATIONAL
I’ve been around the world and have seen many different cultures and many different needs, but there are some universal needs. Everybody needs love. Everybody needs acceptance. Everybody wants meaning in their life. Everybody needs purpose. Everybody needs forgiveness. Everybody needs self-esteem. Everybody needs to know that their life matters. Everybody needs to know how to have their past forgiven, a purpose for living and a home in God's Kingdom. Those are universal needs.
Jesus never lacked an audience because He dealt with these major themes that I just mentioned.
You can use anything as a “felt need” to reach people. I know of a church in the California area that went out years ago door-to-door and found out that the biggest need in their area was young couples needing to potty train their children. So they had a potty training seminar. They brought in a Christian doctor, a Christian psychologist, and a pastor. They talked about how to build a family, how to train their kids to use the toilet and then how to build a Christian home. They had over 500 couples show up for that potty training seminar. Many of them kept coming to the church after that. I teased them later and said, “I’ll bet your theme verse is Proverbs 22:6 ‘Train up a child in the way he should go …’” The needs of unbelievers determine our programs.
If M.I.C. Assembly is going to be serious about reaching the unchurched, we must be willing to put up with people who have a lot of problems. Fishing is often messy and smelly. Many churches want the fish they catch to be already scaled (spiritually circumcised), gutted, (sanctified), cleaned (purified), and cook (purged and set on fire by God's presence and Spirit). That is why they never reach anyone.
THE MIND-SET OF UNBELIEVERS DETERMINES OUR strategy
Understanding and responding to the hang-ups of the unchurched
At M.I.C. Assembly we will take the hang-ups of the unchurched very seriously, even when they are based on ignorance. Non-believers have hang-ups about churches asking them for money, about churches that use guilt and fear to motivate, about churches that expect them to attend every meeting the church holds, and about churches that make visitors stand up and introduce themselves.
For instance, if people have a hang-up about financial appeals, we tell visitors “Don’t give. Only the members give.” If people have a hang-up about denominational labels we choose a generic name. We’re a Baptist Church but didn’t put “Baptist” in the name. That’s not a theological compromise; that’s an evangelistic strategy. Did I get criticized? What do you think? I decided a long time ago that I was more interested in impressing the unchurched of this area than theological seminary professors.
Luke 16:8 says;
"And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light."
“Be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves!” Matthew 10:16 (KJV)
That means that the average McDonald’s owner knows more about human behavior than the average pastor. The culture of unbelievers determines our style. We’re “live and explosive” in Orlando, Florida and we have a energetic, energizing, but informal style. The church is full of hip hoppers, generation x-er's and MySpace heads, so we use hip hop music.
Our strategy is to counteract these hang-ups as quickly as possible. For instance, in our surveys of the unchurched we found that denominational labels or just the word "church" carried a lot of negative baggage for many of the unchurched. This caused us to choose the neutral name "M.I.C. Assembly."
The word "CHURCH" in the Strong’s Greek Dictionary, #1577. ekklesia, "a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): — ASSEMBLY, church." Choosing a neutral name Or using "assembly" rather than the word "church" was an evangelism strategy, not a theological compromise.
In 1988, a Gallup poll revealed that 33 percent of all Protestants had changed denominational affiliations during their lifetime. I'm sure the number is greater now. Given the increasing popularity of generic products, it's obvious that today's generation has very little "brand" loyalty. For most people, value is a greater draw. Few people choose a church on the basis of the denominational label. They choose the church that best ministers to their needs.
THE CULTURE OF UNBELIEVERS DETERMINES OUR style
Let me say this: regardless of the style you choose for evangelism you’re going to be criticized. No matter what style you use. Traditional, contemporary, off the chart, avant-garde, you’re going to be criticized. So the wrong style is the one you choose just because you like it. The right style is what’s the most effective for this area? If I were in another city, I wouldn’t be doing a lot of the style we’re doing here at MIC Assembly. I would be adaptive. You are a cross-cultural missionary in America. You must find your culture that you’re reaching and adapt to them.
The key question is,
Key question: Who are we trying to impress?
Change methods whenever necessary
If you've ever fished for an entire day, you know that sometimes you have to change bait as the day wears on. What fish were biting on in the morning they seem to ignore in the afternoon. The problem with many churches today is they are trying to use bait and hooks from the 1950s in the 1990s -- and the fish are no longer biting. The greatest enemy to our success in the future is often the success of our past.
Comment
© 2024 Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..
Powered by
You need to be a member of Black Preaching Network to add comments!
Join Black Preaching Network