Feast Evangelism: Confidence in Flesh or Spirit?
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14) “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son4 from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Introduction
Recently, Donna and I attended a local outreach meeting. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was highly pleasant. As an overtly Christian meeting on church property, it unapologetically began with saying “grace” before dinner (Acts 27:35; 1 Tim 4:4-5). All this was positive, yet today’s prophetic teaching raises subjects to avoid for God-blessed mission. The gauge of any event is not numerical increase, but Christ likeness, and, on this point, the entire Western Church needs kingdom modification (Luke 14:12-14). At our local meeting, several people were, one with serious mental illness, left alone on the fringe of the gathering whilst the more lucid members engaged in vital conversations. Jesus, being the true Shepherd, always includes “the last, the lost and the least”. This contrasts with the modern church growth movement’s focus on target groups who share the same social values as their, usually middle-class, missionaries. (https://sb.rfpa.org/a-critique-of-modern-church-growth-evangelism-introduction/). If Jesus is the lens through which we must view everything, the more our “target group” conform to us the “last/lost/least” the greater will be our dependency on Jesus’ supernatural power. Perhaps “like is known by like” (Empedocles), but the Church’s trinitarian and Incarnational framework of being changes everything! Let me start with some simple dynamics.
Varieties of the Hearing the Word
Being committed to “the rich variety” of the wisdom of the Word (Eph 3:10; 1 Pet 4:10-11) I advocate for the use of public painting, poetry and other creative arts for the manifestation of the glory of creation through the exalted Son (Col 1:16). On this outreach occasion many pieces of fine art were on open display, the background music was unobtrusive and pleasant, and a beautiful poem was read to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation to Mary (https://www.journeywithjesus.net/poemsandprayers/2434-annunciation). Mary was inspired by hearing the angelic voice: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). Whilst Protestants tend to be anti-Marian, in relation to the Incarnation of the Word (John 1:14), Mary is blessed to be “the mother of God”/theotokos/ Θεοτόκος”. Even great pioneering saints, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Wesley taught this was so. Marian devotion is not our missional problem, our ego is!
Ego Crucified
Whereas the Eve affirmed the devilish suggestion in Eden (Gen 3:1ff), Mary’s obedience: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) sets a pattern perfected in Jesus on our behalf (https://cross-connect.net.au/vicarious-humanity/). To destroy our fleshly nature, Jesus had to be “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15). His whole earthly life was one continuous holy steadfast overcoming of temptation, physical and relational (Matt 4:2; 19:3etc.). “during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race.” (Heidelberg Catechism). Paul teaches decisively: “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:3-5). Our fallen inner disposition to put oneself first and others second has been dealt with on the cross. Why then do we find it so hard to live like Jesus commanded at our festive celebrations (Luke 14:12-14)? Let me zero in on a few issues that deeply grieved me at our recent outreach celebration.
Ego self-resurrected (Politics vs Kingdom Rule)
Young males are born with some problems women lack, firstly the issue of testosterone competitiveness, then there is the learned, especially in our woke-times, of male passivity. (An issue strongly intensified by the issue of online pornography.) These factors can manifest themselves in ways that seem unrelated. The old proverb that religion and politics must be avoided for polite conversation is true, but in an unexpected way. Jesus is neither an ordinary political nor religious figure. All usual arguments on these issues can be traced back to the strong projection, however unconscious, of fallen self-righteousness (see Jonathan Haight’s books). It was shared Roman political and Jewish religious self-righteousness that saw Jesus innocently crucified (John 18:35; 19:7). Whereas politics and religion grieve/quench the Spirit of Jesus like nothing else can (Eph 4:30), the Lord decisively declared: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36). Politics and religion are naturally divisive, so should wisely not be practiced all dinner events with Christ-centred evangelistic intent.
Growing Up
Anyone who says it is an easy to grow as a Christian is either deluded or a con-artist. Remember the apostolic exhortation: ““We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,”” (Acts 14:22). Whether, you are a natural introvert, as I am, or a natural extrovert, it makes no foundational difference. “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal 5:24 cf. Phil 3:3) When exactly did we do this? With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can revisit the time and place when you first gave your life to Jesus and you will remember that you surrendered everything to him for his Lordship. “whoever does not have them (self control, godliness etc.) is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Pet 1:9)
Conclusion
The Lord is overjoyed by every effort to communicate the riches of Christ, through dinner evangelism, to those who have yet to know him (John 17:3). Whereas first efforts are readily forgivable, bad habits will be strongly disciplined by the holy Lamb on the throne (Rev 5:6). This promise and warning unite in our shared missional future in Perth: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life” (2 Cor 2:14-16).