Pastor's Peace
March, 2010
In the great commission, Jesus told his followers to make disciples of all the nations. The phrase in Greek is "pante ta ethne." Pante means "all" and ethne is the word from which we get the word ethnic in English. When Jesus spoke these words, the idea he was conveying was not national states like Saudi Arabia, or Canada, but "people groups". Jesus was saying that the gospel must be shared with every language, culture, and world view. In a country such as the United States people are divided into many subgroups based on race, country of origin, home language, even socioeconomic groups. Immigrant groups are not rapidly blending in as they have in the past. The world view of our Cambodian neighbors steeped in Buddhism is not the same as Franco-Americans from Quebec steeped in Roman Catholicism. The world view of people living on Brook Street or Riverview Court is not the same as people living in the neighborhood around Farview Drive. We need to discover how to reach these very different people with the Gospel of Christ in the ways they will hear it best. This will take hard work but is necessary if we are to fulfill our duty to the Great Commission.
We then cannot assume that people who come to Christ will easily fit into our style of worship. It may be that first people will need to become part of small group Bible studies that lead them into an understanding of the Scriptures before they can appreciate the content of a worship service. That has been happening in some of the women's Bible studies that we currently have. We may need to start a new worship service that speaks clearly to teens and twenty somethings, just as worship on the mission field is adapted to speak to local culture. We may need to start a ministry to our Cambodian neighbors led by someone who speaks their language.
Most of all, we need to recognize that in this day most people who come to Christ come through the influence of a family member, friend, or neighbor who has taken the time to develop a relationship with them, lives a life that is an example to them, and can give them an answer for the "hope that is in them" (1 Peter 3:15). The gospel will be preached from our pulpit, but the field needs to be plowed and harrowed before the seed is planted. There is no canned program that can accomplish as much as one sincere, solid, and loving Christian.
Pastor Dennis
March, 2010
Last month I ended the Pastor's Peace with these words. "We need to become a seeking church which prepares people for true worship and service." What did I mean by that? Let me give you a brief description of what I mean by seeking and preparing.
In the great commission, Jesus told his followers to make disciples of all the nations. The phrase in Greek is "pante ta ethne." Pante means "all" and ethne is the word from which we get the word ethnic in English. When Jesus spoke these words, the idea he was conveying was not national states like Saudi Arabia, or Canada, but "people groups". Jesus was saying that the gospel must be shared with every language, culture, and world view. In a country such as the United States people are divided into many subgroups based on race, country of origin, home language, even socioeconomic groups. Immigrant groups are not rapidly blending in as they have in the past. The world view of our Cambodian neighbors steeped in Buddhism is not the same as Franco-Americans from Quebec steeped in Roman Catholicism. The world view of people living on Brook Street or Riverview Court is not the same as people living in the neighborhood around Farview Drive. We need to discover how to reach these very different people with the Gospel of Christ in the ways they will hear it best. This will take hard work but is necessary if we are to fulfill our duty to the Great Commission.
We then cannot assume that people who come to Christ will easily fit into our style of worship. It may be that first people will need to become part of small group Bible studies that lead them into an understanding of the Scriptures before they can appreciate the content of a worship service. That has been happening in some of the women's Bible studies that we currently have. We may need to start a new worship service that speaks clearly to teens and twenty somethings, just as worship on the mission field is adapted to speak to local culture. We may need to start a ministry to our Cambodian neighbors led by someone who speaks their language.
Most of all, we need to recognize that in this day most people who come to Christ come through the influence of a family member, friend, or neighbor who has taken the time to develop a relationship with them, lives a life that is an example to them, and can give them an answer for the "hope that is in them" (1 Peter 3:15). The gospel will be preached from our pulpit, but the field needs to be plowed and harrowed before the seed is planted. There is no canned program that can accomplish as much as one sincere, solid, and loving Christian.
Pastor Dennis
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