How we think of “church” will impact how we view the act of sharing the Gospel. If we think of church as primarily a building, worship gatherings, and a staff then we will place emphasis on getting people to the worship gatherings as a foundational way of exposing our friends and neighbors to the Gospel. Joseph Solomon, from the YouTube channel chaseGodtv, challenges that notion in the following video.
Solomon concedes that it’s not a bad thing to invite people to your church, but we shouldn’t use an invitation to our church as our “go to line” for reaching people with the Gospel. If we are not careful, we can implicitly communicate that people will not get anywhere else what they will get if they come to your church.
One of the ways Solomon illustrates this point is the example of Jesus. It’s important to remember that some of the people who first grasped the deity of Jesus did not ask Him what synagogue he attended but simply asked: “where are you staying?” (John 1:35-39). Instead of asking them to meet him at a building that following weekend, Jesus replies with “come and you will see.”
Doesn’t this sound different than how we normally think in terms of making disciples? Solomon argues discipleship is more about sharing your life with someone—going about life and doing things you would normally be doing—than it is about inviting someone to church.
Church outreach events have their place, but sharing your life with someone is indispensable in when it comes to making disciples. It will give you more opportunities to talk about issues of faith.
Though this video has a satirical feel, the principal message is an important one to think on as we continue to grasp what the nature of the church should be and how to fulfill God’s call to discipleship.
