His earthly ministry: the tax collectors, the harlots,
the lepers, the culturally rejected. It is our duty
to reach out to them and love them, because
Jesus did. Jesus
does
.
Fourth, we need to build relationships with those
around us. While this is true of our churches, this
is something that should be considered by every
Seventh Day Baptist. If you desire to share the
hope you have found in Jesus with folks, you
should build up genuine friendships with them.
Do things with them. Enjoy being around them.
Mean it.
Fifth, (don’t worry, I’m almost done) we need to
be thinking about
being
the church rather than
going to
or
doing
church. What this means is that
we must think less about ritual and connect our-
selves with the needs of our community. We can
show our community what it means to love Jesus
by feeding the hungry, being a cultural center,
and otherwise contributing to our neighborhoods.
Several years ago, I preached at an old church,
telling them that their building was an idol to
them and that it was really a temporary heap of
bricks. In retrospect, I’m lucky I got out of there
alive. But I stand by those words. Too often our
buildings become comfortable prisons for a
church that needs to be moving among the com-
munity, making a deep impact. Here’s the tough
question we must all face:
“if my church were to
close its doors, would anyone in the community
notice — or care???”
Finally, contextualization. This ten-dollar word is
“an attempt to present the Gospel in a culturally
relevant way.” In other words, it means to change
the way we present the Gospel but not to change
anything about the Gospel itself. Remember that
many of the things that we do in church are not
appealing to folks on the outside. This is difficult
for many of us who have spent our whole lives in
church, but for me it means being willing to trade
some of the traditions that I love for the opportu-
nity to win souls. I want to be able to invite in the
lost and tell them about my sweet Savior. I am
willing to even be uncomfortable in church if I
can more easily lead someone to Jesus. Aren’t
you? I’m not interested in cowboy church or
heavy-metal church, but if that’s what reaches
the population, I’m in.
So much information. Most of it was crammed
into one very long day!
And it was worth it. Being challenged about my
plans and my assumptions is what I needed.
Hearing about the unbelievable way the lost are
being reached is a comfort to my soul and I want
to do this too. I know that the other men and
women at the conference feel that way too. For
us, it’s not just about creating more SDBs —
although that is a lesser goal — it’s about bringing
our hope to the lost.
“We need hands.” From a practical standpoint, it
is our simple truth in Lexington, SC. More than
that, though, we need to make a difference. We
have the tools to make this go and the heart, too.
Now we worship and wait on the Spirit to move.
The Multiply Conference was an inspiration and
an encouragement to all of us that attended. For
those among us in the denomination who are
looking for a place to help, give, and pray, this is
it. Brothers and sisters, the fields are white.
Let’s go.
— Pastor Chuck Meathrell
Jacob’s Well SDB Church
Lexington, SC
SR • January 2016
13
SR
