If I told you to go and preach the gospel, what comes to your mind?
A man on the streets, on his soap box, exclaiming how the world will be ravaged by fire and sorcery unless we repent? Perhaps a kindly pastor handing out for a guest service? Then again, you might be having a ‘light party’ at your local church and are inviting the local youth to come along.
Whilst these may not necessarily be bad ideas (except, you know, fire and sorcery), these aren’t exactly the most original or even likely to reap the most reward.
A Popular parable describes sowing the message across a variety of people and explains about the different types, and how they hear it. Some will hear and be saved. Hallelujah! But then there are those who the message skips entirely, or have the heart to hear but soon become enveloped in the world again. Does this mean we should leave them out in the cold? Should we keep throwing the same message at them again and again in the vain hope that at some point if we throw that seed hard enough it will break through their skull and lodge in their brain?
Albert Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and still expecting different results. Truth be told, he is right.
Jesus told us to be the salt and light of the earth. He told us to be the light that shines in the darkness. Do you know what that means? That means actually venturing into the darkness. If you were to eat a teaspoon of salt what would you do? Throw up probably. If a light was to shine in an already lit room, would you notice it?
It is time to buck the trend and revolutionise how we bring this light into the world.
How? Do something non-Christian.
There, I said it.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but go out to the pub, see that film your mates want to see, go paintballing. Mingle. Instead of inviting your non-Christian friends to church, invite your Christian friends out with your mates or colleagues. It sounds daunting doesn’t it?
How is this preaching the gospel? Salt is a subtle flavouring. You notice new flavours once it is added, and once it is gone, you realise what you were missing. You want to add that salt back to the meal. Doesn’t the world seem a little darker once a small light is suddenly extinguished?
Go out and do something non-Christian orientated. Don’t instigate the ‘Jesus chat’. Don’t slap them in the face with the whole ‘Jesus says I shouldn’t’. You will be surprised how quickly just being yourself and letting God shine through your actions will instigate questions from your friends.
Show them something they have been missing from Christianity, and religion as a whole. Simply a friend, a confident and a family. Somewhere they feel they belong.
You will be surprised at the difference you can make.
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