Kingdom Evangelism: Moving From Awkward Encounters to Kingdom Invitations

“Kingdom Evangelism”
 Message @ Jericho Ridge Community Church –Sunday, May 14, 2017
Text: Luke 19:1- // Series: Your Kingdom Come

Thanks, Ron.  Thanks Jericho for praying for us and blessing us with this. 

Happy Mother’s Day weekend everyone.  As I was thinking about what challenge from Scripture to leave you all with as we move into sabbatical focus for three months, I was drawn to a passage we had read last month in our Project 345 Bible reading and journaling.  So this Mother’s Day, I’ll be telling the story of two men and the topic will be Redeeming Evangelism.

You see, I think evangelism has fallen on hard times in many Christian circles in the contemporary western church.  I wonder if some of this is just that we have been so awkward in some of the ways that some of us have gone about it.  I can think of my own experiences, for example, of conversations that didn’t quite go the way I had planned out in my mind. 

I can remember in college being part with a street evangelism team that would go down to Robson Street on weekends in Vancouver. And we would do dramatic re-enactments of stories to spark conversations.  So some would be acting and some were to be talking to people who gathered. I can remember having butterflies when it was my turn to be the conversation starter.  I would wait and wait and someone would come and I’d wait some more. Finally, when I worked up my courage I’d say “hey. What do you think of those guys?” And if they expressed any negativity, I can remember from time to time I would chime right in “I know right? Who comes down to the streets and does that with their weekends?! What a bunch of wierdos, am I right?”  Fear would so grip my heart.  And remember, gang, I’m a raving extrovert and this is hard work for me!

I can remember another evangelism experience. We were on the campus of a university in another country doing evangelism.  We had gone through extensive training and we had a little booklet that we were to use which had a guided conversation pathway for you to explore with a person.  So I was feeling more confident.  I approached a student and asked if they had time to talk.  They said yes, so I started in with my memorized presentation: “Just as there are physical law which govern the universe, so to there are spiritual laws which govern the universe…”.  To which the person responded.  “I’m going to stop you right there.  Physical laws don’t always govern every part the universe.  I’m a post-doctoral physics student and I can give you 17 different examples of conditions where gravity doesn’t apply or laws.  This wasn’t in the script and so as soon as we went off-book, I was totally thrown and since the conversations wasn’t unfolding as I had pre-planned it, I gave up and walked away. 

Evangelism, telling other people about the good news of who God is and what He has done and is doing in the world and in your life, is hard work.  And some of the ways which we and others have gone about it have made that work even harder.  Because there is lots of baggage out there and in here from what we might call “bad evangelism”.  Bad evangelism can come in many, many forms but let’s name just a few as we launch into our time together… 

Bad Evangelism: Wrong Motive [Cartoon:

Let’s Talk about Jesus t-shirt “It guarantees me an entire seat all to myself!]

Evangelism can be more about you getting what you want than about those around you hearing what they need to hear. 

Bad Evangelism: Wrong Approach

Photo: Look at this photo of a Street preacher.  Looks kind of mean or ominous and upset.  Would you want to get yelled at by this guy?  In His grace, God can use all kinds of approaches and all kinds of people but there are approaches which seem to have run their course in our culture.  Door to door evangelism, for example.  If you go around our city, you’ll be mistaken for another group. 

We could spend all our time focused on the baggage or negative iterations of evangelism but that won’t’ help us.  One of my favorite summary quotes on evangelism is by author and apologist Timothy Keller.  He reminds us that Bad Evangelism: is often rooted in a Wrong Attitude. Keller says “Bad Evangelism Says “I’m right, you’re wrong and I would love to tell you about it.”  Ouch.

We’re in a teaching series right now at Jericho called “Your Kingdom Come” and we are spending time asking the question “what does the Kingdom of God look like?”  The Bible has SO MUCH to say on this topic that we’ll continue to trace this theme till the end of June with speakers like Lorne Epp, Sandy Young, Peter Ash, Jesse Workman, Chris Kuipers, Sylvia Nickel, James Carpenter, Mike Ryder, Wally Nickel and Ruth Ellen Crossley. 

This morning, I want us to focus for a few moments on asking the question what does Kingdom Evangelism look like?  To answer this, we want to turn to Luke 19 in your Bibles or in the Jericho App, and we’ll look at how King Jesus did evangelism.  Let me read for you this encounter, it takes place in the city of Jericho between Jesus and a man of diminutive stature named Zacchaeus.

In this passage, there are 5 observations I want us to make together and 5 lessons for us to think about applying in our own evangelism situations. 

Here’s the first Kingdom Evangelsim Observation…
1. Jesus’ ministry style at Jericho was incarnational not attractional
Many of the things that pass for evangelism in our culture are predicated on an underlying model of “if you build it, they will come.”  Especially if you build it big enough, shiny enough, market it well enough.  Something flashy to get em in the door so you can share with them.  But Jesus style here was different…  He made his way through the town.  In other words, Jesus

• He goes to where people are at instead of always expecting them to come to Him

Jesus ministry at Jericho was incarnational, not attractional.  He walked the streets; He wove himself into the pattern of life that people were living.  He didn’t show up, put on an event.  He went to where people were at – physically, spiritually and in every other way.  This was no pre-memorized script. 

There’s a Lesson here for us which might challenge our thinking on evangelism.

• Lesson: Many people may not be willing to come to a church building or event to hear the gospel… are you ready to share God’s story & your story?

 Some people are ready and the right place for them is an invitation to join you in a gathered faith community.  When life event happen, it is often a time to open that conversation again.  My folks are here today, when I was born, they looked at each other and said “we should probably get some religion in this kid – how do we do that?” So they began to seek out a church community.  But for some people, they may not be willing to come to a church building or event…  So how will they hear unless you become the messenger and tell them.  And by tell them, I simply mean “are you ready to share about the intersection of God’s Story, your story and the story of the person you are in conversation with?”  This diagram has been helpful for me because it reminds me that evangelism is not about a script… It’s about a story.  And the story of what God is doing in my heart is an ongoing story.  Are you ready to share it? Over lunch a few weeks ago, I was listening to a person share their story and they began to share how much guilt they felt.  I felt nudged to share about how because of what Jesus had done, that God had released me from guilt and shame and that this was God’s desire for them.  That moment, their story, God’s story of redemption and my story overlapped.  Are you looking for those moments?  Are you praying for opportunities?  Don’t wait for them to come to you or to church – I pray that God would give us at Jericho a heart for our city that is incarnational, not attractional.

Second Kingdom Evangelism Observation we see in Luke 19:5. 

2. Jesus’ ministry style at Jericho was invitational and personal

• He calls Zacchaeus by name; shares a meal with him

Bit of an unusual strategy, right?  Hello, I’d like to invite myself over for dinner to your place this evening to tell you about Jesus!”  That’s not the lesson for us to draw from this encounter.  The lesson, I think, is that Jesus is sensitive and clear on what the next step in his relationship with Zach is. 

The thing that Zacchaeus most needs is not an altar call, it’s a dinner party.  With him as the host and Jesus as the guest.  And so Jesus sets that up that invitation.  To a party. Hosted by a notorious sinner.  Because Jesus is interested in Zacchaeus as a person, not a notch in some evangelism belt or a jewel in some heavenly crown somewhere.  This dinner invitation is driven by Jesus’ genuine desire for relationship with this man.  I wonder sometimes “how many meaningful relationships do you and I have with people who don’t yet know Jesus?”  How many people do we have at our dinner tables or we attend theirs who are not already convinced that Jesus is who He says he is? 

One of the unique things I notice living in Pacific Northwest is that when the sun comes out, we all de-cocoon from months of hibernation in our homes and when the sun comes out (if it ever does), we actually go outside.  People are at the parks again. Front porches come alive. Back yard patios get used. Neighbours meet each other again as your kids play road hockey in the cul du sac or laneways.  This is a wonderful gift because it allows us to build genuine and caring relationships with those around us.  But remember: this is not about a script, it’s about helping people take a next step in their faith journey.   

So let me give you an evangelism lesson from this story:

• Lesson: The next step for your neighbour may not be a call to salvation; it might be a call for a BBQ!

Jesus knew that Zacchaeus was ready for a dinner party. He was not on the streets ready to make the commitment that he made later that day in his home. So be sensitive to where people around you are at.  This includes being sensitive to their objections to faith and any barriers that might exist that need to be deconstructed.  For example, would a book on reasons for the existence of God be helpful?  Would a podcast you have listened to on the wonderful agreement between faith and science be helpful for your friend?  Would a backyard BBQ to simply be together and enjoy each other’s companionship with no sneaky evangelism agenda be the next step?  Don’t’ be weird about it, just be a good neighbour!  Take opportunities this summer to be a place of hospitality.  Take the muffins over to those new people who move in and learn their names. Invite our Syrian friends down to Derby Reach for hotdogs.  Make a commitment to seeing this summer season as a season of opportunities for deepening relationships with those God has brought into your life. 

But this doesn’t always go along as planned.  Look with me at Luke 19:7.  We often skip over this verse but notice that the people of the city were displeased with Jesus.  They were more than just mildly upset.  This was a kind of deep anger and indignation.  Jesus was a respected religious leader, a rabbi, a teacher, a holy person.  And here he was going to break all kinds of rules and eat with people who collected money that fed the Roman overlord machine?! 

This Zacchaeus guy, he looks all cute in the kids’ books but he is not someone who you hang out with.  Not socially. Not ever.  It would be like inviting the Hells Angel member who lives at the end of your street to your kid’s birthday party. You just don’t do it!  But

3. Jesus is not dissuaded by the crowd’s displeasure

People are grumbling.  They are saying to their friends “you know, I used to respect that Jesus guy but have you heard about what He is up to now?!” 

Evangelism often brings you to places and into contact with people whom you would not usually be in conversation with.  When you say yes to evangelism, you are saying yes to being outside of your comfort zone.  You are entering contested ground and so there is hard work.  You’ll be the one having conversations with the parents on the baseball team that no one else wants to talk to because they are so abrasive.  You’ll be the student that sits with the kid no one else will talk to because they are new or different.  You’ll be the one who invites over that family in the complex that everyone avoids.  And so you will be the object of those funny looks and those raised eyebrows and those questions.

We often overlook this fact because some people make evangelism look so easy and natural.  So when it doesn’t’ feel that way for us, we get discouraged or tempted to give up.  But I love what Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5 “Do the Work of an evangelist”.  Let’s be frank, one of the reasons more evangelism doesn’t get done is that it is hard work. The work of an evangelist is, well, work!  And some of us are averse to hard work and averse to criticism or opposition of any kind.  So we take the safe road in our conversations and in our relationships.  We choose not to bring up controversial topics like Jesus or we choose not to hang out with controversial people like Zacchaeus.    

But there is also a Kingdom Evangelism lesson for us:

• Lesson: Evangelism is hard work that seldom results in public praise or the acclimation of the masses

So when we press into areas of faith in conversation with someone and they change to subject. Or when you offer an invitation this week to come to hear Ginalina next weekend and there is awkward silence or when you invite someone to your baptism at Derby Reach in June and they say no thank you, that’s OK.  Evangelism is hard work and it’s not always successful. But we are called to it anyway.  And incidentally, this call is for each of us, not just those who are gifted as evangelists.  We have some who have evangelism gifts here at Jericho.  Their role is to equip and model for the rest of us how to love and share and live well.  For the rest of us, this is just plain hard work, be ready for opposition.  Are you encouraged?  I’m trying to help us be realistic: if Jesus experienced opposition in this, then who are we to think it will be a cake walk?        

OK, on to Kingdom Evangelism Observation #4. Which we see in 19:6

Zacchaeus & friends have a sense of excitement and joy to engage with Jesus.  There was a sense that the arrival of Jesus into his home was a good thing.  A thing that Zach was enthusiastic about. 

Often I hear people talk about Jesus this way.  There’s openness.  A curiosity.  A desire to know more.  But I don’t often hear people talk about Christians this way.  There’s some baggage there which we have to acknowledge.  BUT friends, what if we could press in and ask God for a unique favour with people.  What if, because of the joy-bringers and life-givers that we become, when people from Jericho entered a room, there was a sense of joy.  What if when your neighbours heard that someone from Jericho Ridge was moving into their complex their thought was “fantastic news. Those people are great people!”   (?) Do people experience a sense of joy when they think about or encounter Jericho Ridge?  Not just that we are “nice” people but that we are good partners with our city in bringing hope, in solving problems, in loving the hard to love.  Let the church be known as people who serve well who come with something to offer so that there is joy and excitement when Jericho Ridge shows up. 

Let’s move to our final observation, and here I want to shift gears or perspectives for a minute.  So far, I’ve been talking about and to people who are doing evangelism.  Those who are have set their hearts on following God in the way of Jesus. Who have come to repentance and faith and salvation?  I know that not everyone who is listening today is in that category.  Not everyone who is listening is fully convinced that this Jesus character is who He says He is: the son of God that came to take away the sins of the world.  So let me talk with you for a minute.  Friend, one of the most fascinating things that I see in this story is in 19:8… Zach stands up and makes a radical statement: He gives away half of his wealth and If he has cheated anyone, he is planning on not just making amends but on paying them back 4 times as much as he stole from them.  This is radical stuff! What I see in this man is he is having a change of heart that is still in process:

5. Zacchaeus changes his behaviours before he changes his beliefs

Sometimes we as Christians give off the impression that in order to get in on this whole Jesus thing, the first thing you need is to give your head a re-orientation.  But Zacchaeus begins to experience a change is his behaviours before he experienced a change in his beliefs about Jesus.  In the modern notion of faith, the first order of importance on the bottom of the triangle is getting your beliefs about God right.  Say the prayer or the creeds.  Belief first then you can belong, then you’ll start to figure out how to behave then you can serve. 

But in the post-modern world, if you are seeking, one of the things that can be meaningful is to find a place where you feel that you belong.  Here at Jericho, you need to know that if you have questions or doubts, you are welcome here.  If you don’t’ believe everything that we sing or say, you are welcome here.  You belong here.  And as you belong, often times, what you might start to notice is that your behaviours start to shift.  You start to practice generosity in ways you didn’t before.  You give toward wheelchairs in Guatemala or your time starts to get reorganized and you come on June 3 and serve at Wagner Hills.  And over time, you come to recognize that you have shifted your beliefs about God.  Zacchaeus changed his behaviours before Jesus pronounced salvation had come to his house.  Maybe this is you here today.  We regularly give invitation to say yes to Jesus.  The reason for that is that the Bible teaches that you can believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord but you are also to confess that with your mouth.  To acknowledge and say “yes, God, I desire for you to be at the centre of my life.  Not me.  I trust you.  I believe in you.  I want to walk with you.” 

For Christians, let me remind you that people are on this journey in so many different ways.  And some of the markers may not be the markers you experienced on your own personal faith journey.  But that’s OK.  Sometimes behaviours changes before beliefs change.  So here’s the Kingdom Evangelism Lesson: Look for the markers of the Kingdom coming not necessarily the fish symbol on the car   

For the uninitiated, the fish symbol was an ancient Christian symbol they used when persecuted.  But it has stuck around persistently to this day as a marker of genuine faith (and usually poor driving habits).  What I mean by this is that the marker signs might not be the traditional ones, but the questions to ask are still the same: Is the kingdom coming?  Are the values of the kingdom being seen in this person’s life that I can encourage and affirm? 

This takes a lot of faith and courage. Because we like to control the process.  We like to set up markers and make sure people check the boxes.  But friends, when it comes to evangelism, here’s bottom line: It’s God’s job to SAVE the lost,    but it’s our job to SEEK them.  Jesus reminds us of this in Luke 19:10.  That the part of the evangelism work that He and He alone is response for is the saving part.  We don’t’ save anyone and we certainly can no save ourselves by good works or religious behaviours.  He alone saves.  But we do have a part to play.  The seeking part.  My prayer and my hope and my challenge to myself an each of us this summer is that we would do our part.  That we would be seekers and that as we become intentional and prayerful and step out into places and conversations that are uncomfortable, that HE will be faithful to be at work and to save those who are lost.  Let’s pray together as the team comes and leads us.  (Reminder re prayer team at the sides / back – you may have a friend who you want to see come to saving faith this summer, let’s join with you in prayer).