One hand IN One hand OUT


A new command I give you:Loveoneanother. As I haveloved you, so you mustloveoneanother

John 13:34

5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone

Colossians 4: 5-6

No man is an island, entire of itself...

John Donne, Meditation XVII, 1624

We can only relate to about ten people at any one time ...so let’s have one hand into our church community and one hand out to those outside our church community

Gary Best, National Director AVC Canada

1.Building healthy relationships

  • Relationships are essential for our personal health
  • Healthy relationships are essential for community life

a.Who are we closest to?

  • Our spouse if married
  • Our children
  • Our parental family
  • Our wider family
  • Our church family
  • Our neighbours and friends outside the church
  • Our work colleagues

Take some time to discuss in small groups:

  • Who do we like to be with?
  • Who do we spend most time with?
  • Does time always indicate quality of relationship?
  • Are our relationships driven by activity together or by something else?

2. Where do healthy relationships begin?

The Water Butt example

  • IN - rain in (God’s refreshing devotionally and also through the ministry of others)
  • OUT - outflow to water plants (giving out to others – both those in the church so that they can be fruitful, and those outside of church so that they can become fruitful AND come to know Jesus)
  • If no rain goes IN, we have nothing to give OUT
  • If we never give OUT, the water becomes stagnant

a.Relationships grow as we are replenished ourselves

b.If we are dried out we tend to retreat inwardly

c.Time spent with God is vital to us

vi⋅tal[vahyt-l]–adjective

1. / Of or pertaining to life:vital processes.
2. / Having remarkable energy, liveliness, or force of personality:a vital leader.
3. / Being the seat or source of life:the vital organs.
4. / Necessary to life:vital fluids.
5. / Necessary to the existence, continuance, or well-being of something; indispensable; essential:vital for a healthy society.
6. / Affecting the existence, well-being, truth, etc., of something: a vital error.

d. Time spent with God may be

  • alone
  • in mid-week groups
  • at Sunday celebrations

Take some time to discuss in small groups something...

  • you do in your personal devotional life that is helpful
  • in your personal devotional life that you find difficult

3.One hand IN

a. Where do we build relationships within the church?

  • As we attend Kinship Groups
  • As we serve on Ministry Teams
  • As we enjoy social events
  • As we meet thoseat a similar age or interest

b. What attitudes encourage deeper relationships?

  • Transparency in our life
  • Real sharing in words and works
  • Humility
  • Vulnerability
  • Empathy
  • Silence

c. Go for five...think about...and write down

  • Who?
  • What?
  • Where?
  • When?

Take some time to discuss in small groups:

  • What personal growth step might bring encouragement to others within your church context (e.g. to begin ministering, joining a team, becoming a facilitator etc.)
  • What attitudesdo you think are the most important and what might you seek to develop as a personal growth area (from 3b) within your church community?

4. How do we make a start in reaching OUT to others?

a. Recognise how VERY far we have to reach!An example

b.People are in very different places – not the same place!

c.“Evangelism is like a garden” Blaine Cook

  • there is always something to be done – small things matter
  • there are different things to do for different plants
  • there are different things to be done in different seasons – sowing, watering, harvesting

d. The Engel Scale

Communication: The Complete Process

“Making disciples”

Original

Engel Scale

Stage 1 / Ignorance of Christ
May be exposed but pays no attention / - 10
- 9
Stage 2 / Awareness of Christ
Sees Christ as an option / - 8
- 7
Stage 3 / Understanding of Christ
what knowing Christ means / -6
-5
Stage 4 / Personal Involvement with Christ
what Christ could do for me / -4
-3
Stage 5 / Decision (verdict) for Christ
I want, or I don’t want Christ / -2
-1
Stage 6 / Regeneration
Disciple making – theologically / 0
+1
Stage 7 / Incorporation into body of Christ
disciple counted strategically / +2
Stage II
Training disciples / +3
Stage 8 / Witnessing for Christ / etc

“Recognising where people are…..”

  • Ask ‘Which direction is our society moving in’?

5.One hand OUT

a.Jesus never encouraged his disciples to live in a religious ghetto

b.Many people lose their outside relationships as they find Christian community – is this inevitable or desirable?

c. The most successful form of evangelism is through existing relationships rather than something like ‘door to door’ leafleting

d. We must go for ‘relationship’ rather than ‘targeting’ to both retain our integrity and to hear the Lord’s heartbeat for the lost

e. Do you have any family or friends who are not Christians?

f.Consider an organised way you could encounter those who are not Christians (e.g. Healing in the Streets, Servant projects, Helping Hands Projects, Social events). Is God putting anything on your heart to do?

Take some time to discuss in small groups:

  • Firstly, think of 5 people you know that are not Christians. Write down their names. Commit to praying for opportunities to draw them towards Jesus.
  • In what arenas do you meet people who are not Christians? (e.g. work, school, interest groups)
  • If you can’t think of five....are there NEW arenas where you could naturally get to make NEW friends?
  • Discuss ways you can impact the strangers you meet daily.
  • Are there small things that can help us to begin?

6.How can we stay the course and make reaching out our lifestyle-as some have done?

  • Love people (if this is difficult,ask the Lord)
  • Be around people
  • Befriend people
  • Resolve to fulfil your calling 2 Tim 4:2
  • Guard your calling - each day Eph 6

Be strong in the Lord (v10)

Put on the full armour of God (v11)

Take your stand (v11)

Put on the belt ...breastplate ...shoes ...shield ...helmet ...sword (v 14 – 17)

Pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer

(v 18)

7.A personal testimony

Note down the things that encourage you personally or prompt you to take action yourself......

Appendix
Post modernism and its implications
  1. The world is changing - How?

2,500 BCAD 500AD1500AD2000

Pre-historyAncientMedievalModernPost-modern

WorldWorld WorldWorld

Examples of the transition at AD1500 REDand parallel transitions in 2000BLUE

New communication technologies, affecting how people learn, think and live

The printing Press revolutionises human culture
Radio and television, the computer and the Internet revolutionise human culture

New scientific worldview, with staggering implications for humanity

Copernicus asserts the earth is not the centre of the universe, toppling the medieval universe model

Post Einsteinian theories of relativity, quantum mechanics, indeterminacy, and the expanding universe unsettle the stable mechanistic worldview of modern science; psychology, psychiatry, neuropsychology, and psychopharmacology create new ways of seeing ourselves and new crises in epistemology

A new intellectual elite emerges, challenging church authority and introducing new epistemology (way of knowing)

Galileo, Newton, Bacon and others give birth to modern science

Postmodern philosophy challenges all existing elites and deconstructs existing epistemologies

New transportation technologies increase the interaction of world cultures around the globe making the world seem smaller

The development of the caravel (sailing ship) for long voyages makes possible the explorations of the late 13C – early 16C.

The development of air travel leads to the trivialisation of national borders and intensifies the interaction of world cultures

Decay of old economic system and rise of a new one

Market capitalism replaces feudalism

The global economy transforms both communism and capitalism, and the development of ecommerce suggests further market revolution

New military technology

Development of modern guns, leads to the development of the modern infantry and rise of the nation state

Air warfare and nuclear weapons change the face of warfare, and the new threats of terrorism (especially chemical and biological), power-grid sabotage, and cyber crime begin to revolutionise the role of governments in keeping the peace

New attack on dominant authorities, with defensive reaction

Protestant reformation denies the authority of the Roman Catholic Church; Counter Reformation develops in response

Secularism, materialism, and urbanism, contribute to the decline of institutional religion worldwide; fundamentalist movements arise in reaction and self-defence

(Acknowledgement: This chart is taken from ‘A New Kind of Christian’ - Brian D. McLaren 2001)

  1. What does this mean today for people seeking God in this generation?
  1. Christendom - the interlocking of powerful institutional and philosophical structures in church and state is finally passing away - re-exposing the church to isolation
  1. There is little appreciation of institutions - people are looking for relationship
  1. There is little trust in absolute truth - truth is often seen as ‘relative’
  1. There is a new interest in spiritual things but a suspicion of absolutes
  1. The modern world where we can ‘know and fix everything’ is passing away
  1. There is little personal biblical background for seekers after God to build on
  1. There is a desire for an experience of God rather than knowledge about God
  1. There is a suspicion, if not a rejection, of neat formulas or philosophical solutions
  1. There is less concern about denominationalism or the complex theological and ecclesiological arguments that spring from them - as they seem to be part of an old world where we could know and understand everything
  1. Offering a ‘modern’ model instead of a ‘medieval’ model of Christianity may only temporarily be an effective evangelistic solution for the newer ‘house’ churches. It will be important to make sure that our gospel is a ‘biblical’ version rather than just a ‘modern’ version
  1. What will be the important factors in sharing Jesus in this new world?
  1. The Relational Factor:Count conversations as well as conversions
  1. The Narrative Factor: Listen to their story, share yours, and share God’s
  1. The Communal Factor: Expect conversion in the context of authentic Christian Community not just in the context of information
  1. The Journey Factor: see disciple making as a journey with conversion at its heart
  1. The Holy Spirit Factor: Believe that God is at work “out there” not just “in here” in church
  1. The Learning Factor: See evangelism as part of your own discipleship not just the other person’s
  1. The Missional Factor:See evangelism, as recruiting people for God’s mission on earth, not just people for heaven
  1. The Service Factor: See evangelism as one facet of our identity as servants of all

(Acknowledgement: The above categories have been modified from

‘More Ready than You Realise - Evangelism as Dance in the post modern matrix’ by Brian D. McLaren)

People come to church for many reasons but

they stay for one...relationship

John Wimber

Books mentioned on sale today at the NLC 2011 Book Stall

A New Kind of Christian’ - Brian D. McLaren 2001 (ISBN 0-7879-5599-X)

‘More Ready than You Realise - Evangelism as Dance in the post modern matrix’ - Brian D. McLaren (ISBN 0-310-23964-8)

‘Becoming a Contagious Christian’- Bill Hybels & Mark Mittelberg (ISBN 1-898938-06-7)

‘Just walk across the room’ – Bill Hybels ISBN -13 (ISBN: 978-0-310-27218-2 ; ISBN -10: 0-310-27218-1)

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