“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16)
It won’t be too very long before your church will be touting it “Friend Day” or “High Attendance Sunday. The names may vary, but you get the point. It’s the one or two designated Sundays during the year when your church asks you to invite someone who is unchurched.
“Make a difference,” they will tell you. “Be a real friend and help Jesus change a life.”
Sadly, many of us let that challenge go through one ear and right out the other. “That’s going a little too far,” we say to ourselves. “Our church shouldn’t make us feel like we have to bring someone else. Lord knows, it’s hard enough just to get my own family in the pews on Sunday mornings.”
Well it wasn’t the church that was the first to suggest that we need to get to know our neighbors and give them a chance to get to know us. The truth is Jesus was the first to challenge us to witness to those who live and work around us. No, Jesus didn’t ask us to bring a friend on High Attendance Sunday. He commanded us to go to them and share the gospel. Listen to him: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Paul Harvey once said, “Too many Christians are no longer fishers of men but keepers of the aquarium.” He’s right, but he wasn’t the first to come up with that idea either. Jesus said the same thing during his Sermon on the Mount, except he analogized the stale or reluctant Christian to salt that had lost its flavor.
Jesus told believers that day, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (Matthew 5:13)
Those present understood exactly what Christ meant. The roads leading to the place where he preached were littered with salt that had once been used to help retain heat in massive outdoor ovens. However, the chemical reaction that took place rendered it useless, except to gravel roads and other travelways in the immediate vicinity.
Christ makes two extremely important points in Matthew 5:13-16 about Christian witnessing.
First and foremost, our lives should always reflect the difference that Christ made. “You are the light of the world,” he told us. “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
Jesus also told us that we should be willing to talk about the difference that he has made, and he warned us that our continued failure to tell others about him may not just limit our effectiveness as Christian witnesses, but may also damage our relationship with him. “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything…” (Matthew 5:13)
When you look at your church bulletin this weekend, think about what you are going to do on your next High Attendance Sunday. And remember, there’s a false teaching at work in this world that says we can be evangelical without being evangelistic. All we have to do is believe that we “go” to church and forget that we “are” the church.
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