How, then, should they be invoking One in Whom they do not believe? Yet how should they be believing One of Whom they do not hear? Yet how should they be hearing apart from one heralding? Yet how should they be heralding if ever they should not be commissioned? According as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those bringing an evangel of good?
Romans 10: 14-15, Concordant New Testament
A friend recently shared a quote by the author J Preston Eby which proclaims that the scriptures never show us the right way in which to minister to the Lords creation. We do find that Jesus Himself called upon His followers to make disciples (followers) of all the nations {Matthew 28:19-20}. Yet is this the correct way to minister to those in the world around us? Those within the institutional church might agree that it is. I recall many ministry programs while I was actively involved in the church. However, the majority of these ministry pop up groups were nothing more than gatherings for those already in the church. Very seldom did I see a church sanctioned ministry group branch out into the community and proclaim the truth of Christ Jesus. It simply wasn't done. So, at the end of the day, all that we were left with were a few extra classes to fill space on a Sunday morning. Were we making disciples? Perhaps, but I'd say no. This begs another question, how is it that a world desperate to hear the words of the gospel of Christ Jesus ever hear of Him? I suggest that the world will never hear of the Lord Jesus through a church sanctioned ministry class. It goes much deeper than that. The apostle Paul lays it out for us in Romans. How should someone believe in Him Whom they do not hear {Romans 10:14}? How is it that someone can be hearing apart from one heralding {Romans 10:14}? I believe that what the apostle is attempting to say here is that the evangel of good will come from those who know it, who have experienced it first hand. Who else could explain the wonders of the realization of Christ in us but someone who themselves have experienced it? Who better to proclaim the truth of Christ than one who in whom that realization has been revealed? Some years ago, I could not have spoken to the truth I had found in Jesus because I had yet to experience it for myself. So it is that the world will come to know the truth of Christ Jesus through the words of those who truly know Him. Could this be why so many people are abandoning the mainstream church? They came seeking Jesus but were disappointed that He could not be found within the walls of their local church. Sadly, this is the misconception many people follow. The idea that Jesus will be found in the brick and mortar buildings of the church. Now, that's not to say that many have not been led to accept Christ in the church, but we're talking here about knowing the truth of Christ as the Father desires {John 17:21}. This Jesus will not be proclaimed in any church.
The God who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord inherent of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made with hands, neither is He attended by human hands, as if requiring anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all. Besides, He makes out of one every nation of mankind, to be dwelling on all the surface of the earth, specifying the setting of the seasons and the bounds of their dwelling, for them to be seeking God, if, consequently, they may surely grope for Him and may be finding Him, though to be sure, not far from each one of us is He inherent, for in Him we are living and moving and are, as some poets of yours also have declared, 'for that race also are we.'
Acts 17: 24-28, Concordant New Testament
You will never find a ministry class which teaches the correct way to speak the truth of Christ Jesus. They simply do not exist. So, how is it that one will bring the evangel of good unto the world? First off, it needs to come from our own realization which the Father has revealed in us. I did not learn of the truth of Christ in me from a ministry class. No, I was introduced to this truth through conversations with a dear friend of mine. This will be how the world comes to know the truth of Jesus, from those of us who know Him intimately. For there are many Christians out there who know OF Jesus yet do not truly know Him. Jesus is more than a few stories in the bible. A good friend once described the bible to me as the Fathers love letter to His children. I agree. For from the pages of scripture we see the Fathers ever present love for us described in detail. How He loved us enough to dispatch His Son that He would take upon Himself our sin burden {2 Corinthians 5:21}. He loved us enough to proclaim us as sons {1 John 3:1}. I never learned of the truth of Christ Jesus in any ministry class I ever attended. Traditional ministry, as we've always been taught, does not apply here. Jesus proclaimed to His disciples to make followers of all the nations. Who better to speak this evangel of good than from those who knew Him so well?
Lo! I stand at the door and am knocking. If ever anyone should be hearing My voice and opening the door, I will also be coming in to Him and dining with Him, and him with Me.
The Unveiling Of Jesus Christ 3: 20, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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