he year my family bought our dream home I wanted to teach my kids that it was only on loanGod was allowing us to live in it for a time.
In my fist, I have a dollar, I said, assuming an air of Father Knows Best. I held a bill in each hand with just the edges sticking out.
If you can take this dollar out of my hand, its yours, I told them. An offer of free cash is usually high motivation for children.
They grabbed the exposed corners of the bills and yanked. The more they pulled, the harder I squeezed. The bills were almost torn in two, but I managed to hang onto them.
Wait! I said, my lawyers instincts kicking in. Ripping a dollar bill is a federal offense. Instead of going for strength, lets go for speed. Then I held my hands palms up with a new dollar resting in each.
If you can grab the money before I close my fists, its yours. My kids, with amazing speed, grabbed those two dollars from my open hands.
Guys, do you see how ugly those first dollars are? Look what I have done to them by holding them so tightly. I said. These dollars represent our house. God gave us this new home to enjoy for a while. But there may come a time when God says, Hold that with an open palm and give it back. If we squeeze a dollar with a clenched fist, it becomes ugly and detestable in the eyes of God. If we hold it with an open palm, it stays beautiful in His sight.
From courtroom lawyer to street preacher in two years, said Randy Singer, describing his recent journey of faith. Four years ago Randy left his position as a prominent lawyer in Norfolk, Virginia, and moved to Atlanta to serve with the North American Mission Board.
Two years into his new job, a downtown-witnessing encounter grew into a weekly soapbox gig. Randy believes all Christians can share their faith where they are. Thats why he had always buttoned down his collar and told his lawyer pals about Jesus. And thats why he now dons jeans and a T-shirt and heads to Atlantas Five Points plaza on Wednesday nights, pulling his wheeled trashcan pulpit, karaoke boom-box and giant speakers.
Randy has found that the needs of peoplelawyers and addicts alikeare the same. Everyone needs a relationship with Christ.
Here are some lessons he has learned that may help other on mission Christians:
1. People want to know God is real and He can meet their needs. When witnessing to his law firm colleagues, Randy tried to remove some of the intellectual barriers to belief. On the streets, his focus is more emotional and needs-driven. Some of the people he meets are on their way to getting their next drug fix. They need to hear that a loving God cares about issues like homelessness and addiction.
2. Engage your audience. Be interactive and flexible. What have you done with the claims of Christ? Randy asks, and his next words will depend on the crowds response.
3. The message is more important than the messenger. On the street, pedigree is unimportant. The Word of God has validity on its own.
4. Go beyond your comfort zone. Randy stands and preaches in an area of town that he used to bustle through in shined shoes, keeping his eyes on the ground to avoid annoying panhandlers. Now he works hard for that eye contact, and hes noticed that methods that were a stretch for him are giving him new opportunities to share Christ. Once you do it, God honors it.
5. The fear of rejection never goes away, so accept it. Randy feels it every time he sets up his microphone and begins gathering a crowd. Even when he shares the gospel one-on-one, the fear is there. It never gets comfortable. You have to choose to do it anyway.
6. Expect persecution. Whether you are shunned by well-to-do colleagues or reviled by down-and-out hecklers, if you stand and tell others about Christ, somebody isnt going to like it. A Christ-like response to persecution gives your message credibility, so welcome it as an opportunity to glorify God.
7. Dont be discouraged. In his law firm, people acted like they were listeningeven if they werent. On the street, people walk away, fall asleep, holler abuse or even shake their fists. Randy has learned not to be offended when it seems the Word is falling on deaf ears. He knows that someone out there may be hearing the life-changing message of the gospel, possibly for the first time. Randy Singer (right) shares with Craig Watson in downtown Atlanta.
8. The guy with the microphone wins! The power of the mike is an amazing phenomenon. Amid the cacophony in a bustling plaza where hundreds of pedestrians mill about, changing buses or subway trains, a person with a microphone can attract a hearing.
9. Believe you are making a difference. One evening a well-dressed man walked up to Randy and said, You dont remember me, do you? Randy admitted he didnt recognize the man but asked him his story. Three months ago, I was living on the streets, he said. I had no car, no home, no job and no money. Looking at the mans neat appearance, Randy was amazed he had come so far. I asked you what God could possibly do with a man like me. You prayed with me and I rededicated my life to the Lord, the man continued. Now, I am dried out, I have transportation, a job and a place to live.
--Connie Cavanaugh, Cochrane Alberta
When my kids looked at me, I knew Id gotten my point across.
Dad? they asked.
Yeah, guys?
Can we still keep the dollar?
I look at the challenges facing the church today as we reach out to North America with the gospel, and heres what I see:
The challenge of the pulpit is the challenge of the clenched fist holding tight to the ministry instead of allowing the ministry to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The challenge of the pew is the challenge of the clenched jaw, thinking that pastors or missionariesanyone but mewill share the gospel.
The challenge of the people groups is the challenge of the clenched arms that exclude cross-cultural fellowship with people outside our own group.
The apostles of the early church, in Acts 8, never held with a clenched fist:
The power of the Holy Spirit.
The importance of lay leadership.
The unifying potential of cross-cultural ministry.
So often in our churches we dont want to let loose the power of God because were afraid it will turn out to be a fraudlike some TV evangelists we have seen. But we cant let a few counterfeits keep us from unleashing the authentic, life-changing, transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our churches.
Were so afraid things will get out of control in our churches, John Yarbrough, vice president, Evangelization, North American Mission Board, recently said in a sermon. Were holding so tight, our fists are clenched, because we dont want to lose control. Maybe its time things got out of our control. Maybe its time the Holy Spirit took over.
Were not talking about laughter in the aisles or barking like a dog. Were not talking about charismania. Were talking about the authentic power of the Holy Spirit.
It is said that Thomas Jefferson put together his own New Testament entitled The Life and Morals of Jesus, in which he edited out all the miracles performed by Christ. In some of our churches we also cut out the miraculous because we are not willing to let loose and let God take control.
When was the last time something happened in your church that could only be explained as Gods awesome hand at work? When was the last time you tried something in your church that people thought was crazy but ended up being easy through the power of the Holy Spirit? Thats the message of Acts 8.
re we, the church, clenching the power of the Spirit so tightly in our fists that it resembles a crumpled dollar bill?
Lately Ive been studying history, specifically the time period after the Revolutionary War. The largest denomination in the colonies at that time was Congregationalist, claiming more than 20 percent of churchgoers.
Where were the Baptists? They were far behind.
My study revealed that in a 25-year period the Congregationalists declined from 20 percent to only 5 percent of churchgoers. What happened?
The Congregationalists were too satisfied with the fact that they were growing in membership, according to The Churching of America: 1776-1900 by Roger Fink and Rodney Stark (Rutgers University Press [1954] 1992). They failed to realize the general population was growing much faster than their rate of growth until the first year their membership actually declined. But by then it was too late.
The first year the membership of the Southern Baptist Convention actually declined was 1998. Are we destined to repeat history? I hope not.
What mistake did the Congrega-tionalists make so that within 25 years they fell to 5 percent and Baptists took their place of leadership? Adam Smith, in The Wealth of Nations (New York: Modern Library [1776] 1937), wrote: The clergy of an established ... religion frequently became men of learning and elegance ... But, Smith continued: All the arts of proselytizing ... are constantly on the side of the [upstarts].
In 1853 only 100 out of 2,000 Baptist clergy had been educated beyond grade school.
In short, the well-educated clergy entered a prestigious, full-time profession with a variety of career opportunities, whereas the uneducated clergy answered a call from God ... to serve the local church in saving souls, Fink and Stark reported.
Pastors, are you squeezing your calling? Is it just a career? Are you looking for a bigger church, a better opportunity? Have we, as pastors, clenched our fists around the calling of God? Are we squeezing it so tightly were no longer trying to save souls?
The second point Adam Smith made was related to this challenge: Are you holding tight or are you freeing up the lay leadership?
Among the Baptists the local preacher or farmer-preacher was often a man of local origins. It was not uncommon for more than one member of a congregation to receive Gods call. Those not selected to fill the local pulpit had to seek one elsewhere, typically by starting a new congregation. The result was a generous supply of clergy to fill any available slot. The Baptist farmer-preachers attracted the people because they were the people.
If pastors will release church members to minister, God will bless the church like Hes never blessed it before, and the Baptists will be the Baptists again!
he challenge to the pew is this: Do you have a clenched jaw? The biggest challenge for our church is that only about 10 percent of the people in the pews are actively sharing the gospel.
Weve got to unleash the other 90 percentthe silent majority. And the way we do that is to take a page out of Acts 8 and duplicate what Philip did with the Ethiopian eunuch: He took the mystery out of the gospel.
The ecclesiastical mystique, which says only pastors and missionaries are supposed to win souls, must die.
The theological mystique, which says only those with the gift of evangelism can tell others, must end.
The conformity mystique, which says we must use evangelistic formulas that others find offensive, must end. Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch right where he was.
We have to unleash the 90 percent in the pews. We must stop believing that its somebody elses job to share the gospel. We must unlock the clenched jaws of the folks in the pew.
he final challenge is that of the clenched arms of fellowship: The challenge of reaching the people groups. Where did Philip go in Acts 8? Philip the layman went to Samaria.
In biblical times Jews considered Samaritans to be despicable half-breeds. They saw a race different from their own, a race that had sold out their Jewish faith. But when Philip saw the Samaritans, he looked through the eyes of Jesus Christ. He did not see race or color. Philip went to Samaria because Samaritans needed the Lord.
We need to reach every people group in the United States. Heres the good news: ethnic churches are growing.
In a sustained effort since 1990, the number of new Hispanic Southern Baptist churches has grown one and a half times as fast as the Hispanic population.
The number of new Korean Southern Baptist churches has grown twice as fast as the Korean population of the United States.
The number of African-American Southern Baptist churches in this decade has grown six times as fast as the African-American population in the United States.
Heres the bad news. Separate but equal is not equal.
And separate but equal is not biblical. We must not only increase the number of church plants among ethnic groups, but existing churches must make every effort to become intentionally multi-cultural. Our churches must reflect the heart of Christ and the rich diversity of their local culture. If we dont unclench the arms of fellowship in Southern Baptist congregations and become cross-cultural and multi-cultural at the local church level, then we are still in the days of segregation as a denomination. If we are going to reach North America, our Samaria, thats the only way we can do it.
Randy Singer is executive vice president of the North American Mission Board.