relevant

One of my biggest passions is that many churches have managed to make the relevant Jesus seem irrelevant. This is one of my heartcries that makes me shout out to God and seek to confront irrelevancy and needless tradition in churches all the time. Many times we have built unnecessary barriers to people hearing about Jesus or even wanting to set foot in a church. Many Christians continue to struggle in church.

Here we look at a few reasons why and a few things we can do about it. This is Biblically based, isn't in the slightest bit controversial to me but it may be to you. But please check it. Thanks to Joe P for his help with this talk.

CULTURALLY CUTTING IT

Too many times, church becomes a club for insiders. To join you have to follow the rules and know the game. Too often, church isn't accessible to many people - it does strange things and has weird rules.

All this is fine as there are things that church must do that may seem strange to people - but many things done are unnecessary or merely a historical legacy that needs re-writing or trashing.

You see, we can have a church like the left hand picture - but what we should have is the right hand one, or a combination of both pictures - or a left hand picture that leads to the right hand picture. But too often we don't. Yet Jesus has commanded us to go into all the world and make disciples. (Matthew 28.19)

BIBLE EXAMPLES

Let's look at some Biblical examples of how people in the Bible reached into people's lives.

1. Paul – did all things to all men for the sake of the gospel, 1 Corinthians 9.19-24. Here's a summary from verse 22:

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

So did Paul become a prostitute to win the prostitutes - or a drug addict to reach the drug addicts? No of course not. But he related to people in their way and their level. If someone was weak, he spoke to them gently and kindly. If people were under the law, he talked to them in 'law type' terms, using the Old Testament as a way in.

The key is that Paul did what was necessary (within the Biblical framework) to reach people for Jesus - and so must we.

The flipside is that we must relate to as many people as possible. This means deconstructing barriers put up in churches to keep people out and start welcoming people in. This means setting aside things traditional and revered that are a hindrance to people meeting Jesus.

If Paul deliberately kept himself in prison to spread the Gospel (as he did) then surely, there are non essential aspects of your church life that need to be thrown out.

QUESTION - What are there in your church life or building that are a hindrance to people's faith?

The ministry team wearing funny hats - not allowing people to wear baseball hats - making women wear hats??? I don't know. You make a list of all the strange and wonderful things your church does:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

STORY - Told by my last youth pastor who went into church one day with a homeless guy. The sermon (as all too often) was fairly boring and the homeless guy went to sleep. The church service then moved through to communion and the bread was passed around. When it reached the homeless guy, he woke up, said 'thanks very much' and ate all the bread - much to the horror of the church gathered. The wine went the other way round the room.

MORAL - Of course the guy ate the bread, he was hungry and didn't know 'the rules'. This story is such an awesome illustration - you figure out the moral.

2. Jesus – woman at the well and relating to women, John 4.

Jesus knew how to reach this lady. He crossed over every social boundary - talked to a woman, a non Jewish woman, a woman who'd had various partners - and asked her to get a drink of milk for him! It'd be like wandering up to the prostitutes in your local hood and asking them to come for a coffee and meal, saying you'll pay, no questions asked, no dodginess, just to minister to them. Imagine the problems you could have. Imagine the things Jesus could have been accused of.

Jesus chatted with the woman gently, his way in to talk was to ask for a drink. Jesus saw potential in this woman. Sometimes God will prompt you to go talk to someone, do something, give someone money. I don't know. But be sensitive because relating to people means being aware to the Holy Spirit's leading.

At the foot of this talk, there is an exercise on spreading the gospel. Jesus is our example. He asked for a drink from the well, and then turned this to say, 'if only you the free gift of God.. of living water.' This approach intrigued the woman and she asked Jesus for more. Clever way of just chatting and turning a conversation to God.

There was something in the nature of Jesus that attracted this woman to him and his message. This is a lesson for us to be right with God and be comfortable with ourselves. The woman at the well opened up to Jesus and allowed Jesus to say things to her that others may have taken very badly. She was searching for truth and for meaning and had some spiritual awareness ('I can see that you are a prophet..' verse 19).

Jesus had the answer, presented it beautifully and transformed a woman's damaged life. Let's have more of this, Jesus working through us. Word.

3. David – served purpose of God in his generation – Acts 13

As we've looked at elsewhere on this site, David is recorded as having his priorities straight. He served God, he fulfilled the purpose for his life and he did it in the way that fitted and related to his generation.

You can serve God but be irrelevant. You can serve God but miss your life's purpose. You can relate to your generation and miss God's call. You can relate but not serve God. All have some validity. But it is only when we put all 3 factors together like David did (despite his failings - despite our failings) that we can truly be said to have done the God walk well.

4. Paul – Acts 17 Athens and Acts 22 Jews

In music, we find that a chorus is often called a 'hook.' When people are fishing and catch a fish they usually do so with a 'hook.' So, when we spread the good news, we can look for a hook to relate the gospel, the message into people's lives. So when I was in school and found it hard to reach certain individuals or found them hard to talk to, I looked for and asked God for ways into their lives. I watched them, listened, saw what they were into and then asked them about it another time. More than often this really worked - so I carried on talking to them about it, genuinely interested in them..

In Acts 17 we see a great example of relating well to the people around you. See, if you live in a project and are one of few white people, I'd guess that using skating music won't be the best tool to relate to people around you. If you live in a UK coastal town that is mainly white and middle class, I'd guess that skating music is one of the best ways to relate musically.

In this chapter, Paul visited Athens (the place of the 2004 Olympics). Have you ever wondered how to relate to people maybe some people are hard to reach - wonder how to connect? Paul did too. In verse 16, Paul saw that the city was full of idols. 'Aha!' he thought, 'here's the hook into bringing these people Jesus'. So from verse 23 we see his technique. He started off by saying 'I see this is a very religious city.. I even see you have an altar to an unknown god.. so let me tell you about this god who is in fact the true God, the true way..'

Yes, it brought him a bunch of trouble - but he connected using ideology, examples, terms the people could relate to. And he used it well.

In Acts 22 we see Paul preaching in Jerusalem. So a new device, a new technique, a new 'hook' was needed. So, much as I relate my testimony to people who are into bad things (God brought me through and re-envisioned me with a true purpose), so Paul related his past as a Jew and how Jesus met with him on the Damascus Road and transformed his life. Paul used the names, the places and recounted the events in detail. He even spoke of how he was there when the first martyr, Stephen, was killed.

He once again caused a load of trouble for himself - but Paul was fulfilling part of the prophecy made in Matthew 11.12, which says:

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

What about you?

We don't have to have a hook and we don't have to find a connecting point with people to spread love, spread God. But is one way, one technique that can seriously help.

5. Paul & Barnabas – set apart for work to Gentiles in Acts 13

Have you felt really called by God to do something to a specific group of people - a specific age - gender - race - culture? I have. God has called me to work with young people - to work within hip hop culture - and in other specific ways like media, video. But are these things valid? Have there been people who have hated on you, given you grief, not believed in you? Very likely. Probably from within your family or church fam.

Let's go see Acts 13. Out of a specific period of worship and fasting came the calling of the Holy Spirit to set apart Paul and Barnabas to do a specific work - to reach the Gentiles. Up until this point, only Jews had been reached by the apostles. The people worshipping continued to worship and fast until the end of the period - and then laid hands on the guys and sent them.

So many lessons from this passage but we'll concentrate on just the one. 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do a special work for which I have chosen them.'

Taking a close scrutiny at this we see a few things. First, these guys were set apart. Second they were specifically named. Third they were to do a special work. Fourth, this work had been chosen for them to do by God.

Some ministry in the church will be general - say for example being a pastor of a 'regular' church. But some ministries are very specific. We see evidence of God according equal value here of 2 kinds of ministries - the general and the specific. If we look at the body of apostles, preachers, teachers, we'll see that the majority were and are called to the general ministry. But there are those called to specific targeted work. So your call may be to prostitutes, to prayer for Israel, to Muslims, to the hip hop generation. It's all good and it's all accredited by God as much as any other ministry!

We also see the start of God calling his people to reach out in a new way. This time, they were off out seeking a target group - the Gentiles - a people that hadn't been actively reached up until now. So this was the start of the 'outside - in' model of ministry, bringing people in to God's Kingdom by going out, finding them, talking to them in their language and terms, and bringing Jesus.

Don't let anyone ever disrespect the call of God on your life. When Peter tried to stop Jesus in his ministry by telling him that he wouldn't let Jesus suffer and then be killed, Jesus turned to him and said 'get behind me satan.' (Matthew 16.23) Peter was standing in the way of Jesus' mission, purpose (to save humanity by dying on the cross, to give people the chance to turn to him). If people try to stand in the way of your divinely (God-given) appointed ministry, then you have the right to say to them, 'get behind me, get out of my way.' You see, it's possible for us as Christians to the the work of the evil one, even unwittingly. Today, make sure you don't stand in the way of God's work through to others.

Finally, Paul did preach and reach out to the Gentiles, but he also reached the Jews (as we've seen in Acts 22). Don't be so wrapped up in your call that you miss other opps to spread the message. And don't hate on the general ministry or think your specific ministry is somehow 'better.' It's not. We are all equal in God's Kingdom.

6. Jesus choosing disciples – Luke 5, fishermen so one of reasons why Jesus said ‘fish 4 men’ - JOE

In Matthew 5, Jesus is recorded as choosing some of his disciples. When he did, he spoke to them simply, directly and in terms they understand. Yes, there was special significance in saying to the guys, 'Come and be fishers of men' but as ever with Jesus, his words were well chosen. He said to 2 fishermen, 'come be fishers of men.' He didn't say, 'Yey verily unto thee oh gentlemen of the extrication of the Gadus morhua invertebrate.' No, because that would have been more effective to a scholar of learning. And because it wouldn't have made sense.

Please let this be a lesson to you in your ministry and church. If you use words like 'righteousness' explain what they mean as many people don't know. Churchy words are useful but don't let them be a barrier. The clergy in the ye olde english days liked to spout on in words no-one understood to create a distance between themselves and the 'mere peasants'. As if somehow they were better or like God was impressed (I don't think so, God HATES pride). Don't be like this. You don't reach out to the Chokwe tribe in Congo by speaking English. You honour God and do the Kingdom work a favour in a massive way when you reach out to people by speaking in language and ways they understand.

BUT

1 Corinthians 13 – love is key, loving God, loving others. We don't have to be totally relevant. There is a ministry of a 60 year-old male on the streets on a US city who just hangs out, cares for and loves young people - and they love him. He has no money, isn't a young person, doesn't know the latest fashions or trends - but he loves God, loves young people and brings Jesus to them through his actions, words and life.

Don't get so hung up on relevancy that you forget that God is all-powerful, uses all people in all kinds of ways. Just as you don't have to be cool and funky to be a youth worker, so you don't always have to be something to reach that group. It may help, it may hinder. But God's love in you, God's love through you, can break even the hardest heart.

Exercise

OK so the exercise it to share the gospel with someone else in your group in pairs. Cut up the names below onto bits of paper, fold them up and put them into a hat. People have to get into pairs, decide who is person 1 and who is person 2. Ask person 2 to put their hand up. Then walk round with the hat and get person 2 to pick a piece of paper out of the hat. Then person 1 is told that they must share the gospel to person 2, who plays the part of the name in the hat.

Here are the names to go into the hat:

Fisherman - Person with poor English - Person who is hard of hearing - Person who has never heard of Jesus - Person who used to go to church as a child - Person who thinks all Christians are sad - Person who believes all people go to heaven - A Muslim - An atheist - A person who believes all religions have the same God - A person who thinks God is irrelevant - etc.

CLIP

This is from the Flavor Fest 2003 DVD from the hip hop church, Crossover Community Church in Tampa, Florida, USA. The clip goes on for a while so may need editing. But the key part is how they are reaching hip hop culture. Tell the group, even if you don't like hip hop, forget that and learn the principles of what the pastor, Tommy Kyllonen (Urban D) says.

The DVD is priced at £14.99 and is available from Spirit Music - the clip you need is on DVD 2.

What is modern day culture?

A question: what is modern day culture? What does it believe? How does it act?

Don't spend too long on this but if you step back, look at what it is and how it functions, it may give you clues into reaching out.