Help wanted! Feedback needed! — We want to set up an opportunity where non-Christians can gather to engage the message of Jesus. My own experience is with Alpha, and that has been good! I am looking for advice from anyone – and preferably from non-Christians who may happen upon this site (it happens!).
What are the things that are helpful for non-Christians? What are the hindrances that drive non-Christians away? How can we provide a safe place for anyone to discuss Jesus, or God, or the Bible?
Ok, this is what happens when we try to think up things on our own …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2avUWppuDg
Heaven help us Lord – may your Spirit lead us and not the spirit of this world.
I agree with all your statements and ideas. I just fear the ability to ‘create’ or ‘manipulate’ such an enviornment or that ‘perfect’ atmosphere. Too often the ‘stage’ is set but it’s just a play with lots of props and fictional characters. The audience is captivated and drawn in however, when the ‘audience’ attempts to enter the scene, everything is exposed for what it is…..
We have become very good at ‘playing’ and this hurts everyone.
If we are being ‘real’ in our own walk with God the Holy Spirit will be alive and well in us, convicting us of anything less than His love, His truth, anything that is being masked, faked or played at.
The question to ask ourselves is “Are we meeting unbelievers where they are at or are we trying to draw them into our ‘setting’? I believe we need to meet them on the street, in the grocery or hardware store, in the work place, in settings of recreation such as the hockey arena, the gym, while out for dinner and a movie etc…..
Building relationships outside of the ‘church’ setting is meeting them where they are at. Who we are on their setting, should be the person(s) they will meet in our churches. Would that not be the safest? There should be no surprises. If we can’t love them on their terms are we really being Jesus? Are we really following the model Jesus laid out so clearly for us? I wonder…..
Thanks Karen,
I also see “prayer and living our faith 24/7 as the very key elements”, but we need to spell out further what “living our faith” means? Love, compassion, humility, kindness… practically worked out in specific ways, these are examples of living our faith.
To me, the application of love is the most important thing, in reliance on God’s power and direction through prayer. Not just generic love but specific love. The “safe place” is what we do to show love and sensitivity to others. Good signs, a warm welcome, avoiding churchy language, etc, are all ways of showing that we love them enough to be sensitive to their point of view.
“It can’t be about us. It has to be about Him!” Its actually about all of us, in partnership, each doing our part.
Ah, communicating the message… It can’t be just about the telling of this wonderful message – it has to be so rooted in our own hearts that it is a 24/7 lifestyle. We have to live this message daily in and through all circumstances or situations or it has no credibilty. Of course, we are not perfect so being able to confess, seek forgiveness, admitting our mistakes is a must…..
Prayer – a must. We cannot make anyone have a personal encounter with Christ only God can do that in and through His Holy Spirit. We all know that God moves mightily in and through our prayers……He delights in answering our prayers. We must be willing to invest time and energy to pray. Do we care enough to pray? Do we sense the urgency to pray? Do we desperately want others to have what we have found in Him?
I see prayer and living our faith 24/7 as the very key elements. When these things are very much a part of who we are, as natural to us as breathing, we are in tune with God and what He is doing. We are letting Him work in and through us – He will take care of the rest. We will be sensitive to His workings and everything else should fall into place. It’s like ‘seek first the Kingdom of God and all these others things will be added…..’
We cannot do what only the Holy Spirit can….. If we live our faith openly, passionately and in/ with the power of His love the Holy Spirit will draw unbelievers to Him in and through us…… We are but the vessels that He uses to carry and pour out His love and yes it is okay that we are cracked vessels so that His love can spill out as we go along, revealing His powerful and redemptive love.
It can’t be about us. It has to be about Him!
Last night we talked a about how we can remove unnecessary obstacles for non-Christians, to create a safe environment for them to engage the message of Jesus. We’re not talking about changing the message, but how we communicate the message. Some ideas were:
1) Prayer: No amount of cosmetic changes or adjustments can open the heart of a person. We need to pray persistently for the Lord to soften their hearts, and make them hungry for hope, help and Jesus.
2) “Church talk”: Avoid talking about church, expect when asked. Don’t refer to gatherings or events that the guests will not know about or feel excluded from. No in-house jokes or humour, which also make people feel on the outside.
3) Welcoming: Make sure someone is always ready to say ‘hi’, to show them around or answer their questions. We may know the ‘drill’ (what’s happening, what’s expected, where to go, what to do) but guests will have no idea, and will imagine all kinds of things based on their mis-information.
4) Location: An industrial unit is not necessarily the best place to invite people. Especially at night when the lighting is poor. Maybe a community center, a public place.
5) Environment: Is it well-lit, comfortable, open enough so that people do not feel claustrophobic? Welcome signs are great, if the people are as welcoming as the signs suggest!
6) No pressure: No sales tactics, no pressure to give or respond, and no being dropped if we do decline the offer. We need to respect peoples’ responses, and allow the Lord to work in their hearts in His time.
We’re open for more feedback!!!
If I wanted to know more about being a Muslim or a Buddhist, I probably would not walk into a mosque or temple by myself. I would feel that it was not my place to just walk in – perhaps the same feeling that you don’t just walk into someone’s house – you would need an invitation.
Then also, the seed of wanting to learn about Christianity would have to be there.
For me, the first step is in reading stories about others. If there is a seed of wanting to know more, the least obtrusive method for me is to not get involved in relationship but to read about it – but not just theoretical reading, but reading about their lives, their stories, getting to know them in their relationships with others.
I think of books like “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry and another “The book of Negroes” by Lawrence Hill. These stories give me the first steps to drawing closer to an unknown culture. From them, the seed of relationship with others continues to grow.
So, what about having a bookclub that allows people to learn about the lives of Christians through their stories, through the stories of their lives?