Wednesday: Make it Personal
Read John 15:12-13; James 1:27; and Galatians 6:2. Together, what are they saying to us that is so crucial for any serious outreach?
Because of the massive size of urban populations, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that faith is personal. The bottom line in reaching the cities, or any other place, is individuals finding a personal relationship with Christ.
Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com
Research has shown that the vast majority of converts to the Seventh-day Adventist Church say that they joined because of a relationship with an Adventist acquaintance. And oftentimes friendships, especially in the case of outreach, involve death to self and a willingness to work for the good of others.
Plowing the ground, planting seeds, nurturing the sprouts to harvest, and preserving the harvest-all of these things work best if there is a strong relational element. We need to learn how to be friends with people; we need to learn how to listen to them; we need to learn how to love them. If these are essential elements for any outreach, how much more so in urban ministry, in which individuals can, at times, feel lost and uncared for amid the vast and teeming population?
The vital element of urban small group ministries might take the form of the “house church” as it existed in the New Testament (Acts 2:46), or it may simply be small groups within a larger congregation. Wherever there is an urban neighborhood or suburban town that does not have a local church, but where there are three or more Seventh-day Adventists, some kind of small group should be organized and begin to function in that community. (See Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, pp. 21, 22.)
This approach is essential to urban ministry for several reasons. One is the complex mosaic of cultural, ethnic, language, and socioeconomic groups to be reached within the hundreds of communities and subcultures in even medium-sized cities. Unless there are small groups targeting each of these segments, Christ’s mission will not be completed.
Small group ministries also are needed because of how difficult it is for believers to follow Jesus in the city. There are many pressures, temptations, and encounters with alternative faiths and ideologies. Some believers simply give in to the pressures and drop out of church, while others develop a hard shell to protect their feelings and become insensitive to the people around them who need a loving representation of Jesus.
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Those texts are telling us to love each other the way that Jesus loved us. So in simple terms, we have to care deeply for each other. And that is the true purpose of a Christian. The reason God places a huge emphasis on LOVE is transparent. God knows when we truly love someone it becomes easier to treat them kindly. For example, when a mother loves her child, she would naturally go all out to protect her child, to preserve her child's happiness, she rebukes her child because she wants him to go the right way. So just imagine if we all loved each other the way a good mother loves her child, this world would be a better place.
God lays down the foundation for planting. When I became an Adventist, it was the result of many years of independent incidents and encounters. Pray that God will have you share your faith with someone who is "ready" to receive.
Small groups are key to grow more intimate with other Christians especially in an Urban setting. I find that Adventists are scattered throughout and would benefit to find other Adventists to form a small group from which others can be served and ministered to.
And of course serving other believers is only one part of a small group. It also becomes a safe, non-scary place to invite neighbors and friends, who can see and participate in the love and caring and come to know the God of love.
Please let's not forget shut ins , bed ridden & those in nursing homes. They need our visits . Joyful news not gossip , glad hymns of praise & prayers. Leave your cares & woes outside and adapt a cherpie disposition . Let them know they are not forgotten. They are important.