Aussie Monthly 3

(Click here to view the March News Letter in color and with pictures)

Attractive

“ . . . tell them what you saw at Mangerton . . .”

We sometimes ask God, Are we doing what we need to be doing? Knock doors? Gospel meetings?

I remember a sermon by Jim Baird in the small Perkins church of Christ in Oklahoma when I was in high school. He said something like, “No scripture can make people feel guilty for not evangelizing. But lots of scripture encourages believers to walk worthily of their calling. If we do this we’ll make the Gospel attractive.”

But how do you measure how well you’re making the Gospel attractive? We don’t need a rock band or a kool-aid stand; we need discipleship to the Son of Man. We seek the kingdom of God, his reign in life, in order to become who we were created to be. But confidence in a simple no frills Gospel isn’t everything.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col 4:5-6

 . . . so that in every way [you] will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. Titus 2:10

I remember a sermon by Bob Turner at Whitestation church of Christ in Memphis. He said, “Jesus associated with and served shameful people. The motley crews liked him more than the good religious folks did. But it was not his goal simply to be liked; Jesus hung out with sinners because he wanted them to repent.” We ask God, How are we doing with that?

In Titus, Paul tells Christian slaves to try to please their masters, not to talk back, not to steal, but to show they can fully be trusted, “so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”

STORY: Monday, I began feeling like our new acquaintances are beginning to trust us more fully, for example, my supervisor Sami*. I went to a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Worskshop. Sami led eight members of the Wollongong community (including me) to practice planting a permaculture habitat for native wildlife. We walked around the park as Sami gave introduction to the wildlife in the area. “Jason, tell them what happened at Mangerton.” (She was proud of what Bob* and I had done to free a bird from a spider’s web!) I realized that Sami, though anti-religious, sees Christ in me because I genuinely care for her life’s mission.

In general, I believe Sami and others in this group would be attracted to the Gospel, but I believe it will take a long time before I can preach on spiritual things. They have too many offending experiences with so-called Christians in the past, too much skepticism. When I first met Sami, she seemed a bit put-off that I was a Christian and I don’t think anyone expected me to enjoy getting my hands dirty micro-weeding, but I can tell everyone wanted to give me a fair go. Now they really seem to appreciate my contribution.

You can’t eat salt by itself. The salt brings out flavors and nutrients that are already present. So, we can’t just dump a whole shaker of our God-beliefs on people. We shake a little now, a little later, in order to bring out the best of heaven in people.

Please pray that our conversations will be gracious, seasoned with salt, making the gospel attractive . . .

Prayer

Thank you, God! Our teammates, the Griffiths, are moving to Australia May 7th to finish the visa application process! Please let their transition be full of your grace and peace.  God, let the Good News that Jesus is both Lord and Redeemer come into and overflow out of the hearts of people in Wollongong. Let us be like Jesus, engaging people in this city while at the same time being distinctively yours in holiness. On earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Tidbits

life as aliens in the ‘Gong

Our teammate Corey has has found a new friend, Bart*, who is curious about Corey’s beliefs and our ideas for opening doors for new Christian discipleship. Bart and his wife have felt very comfortable with Corey and Emily so have had them over for dinner recently. Then, on Thursday last week, Corey and Emily had Bart and his wife and Nicole and I over for afternoon tea!

A little over a week ago Faye* joined Nicole and I for dinner. She was curious about what we do and our beliefs; we enjoyed listened to her beliefs, too. Faye sent us an encouraging thank you card.

I rock climb at Hangdog gym each week with my new climbing partners, Max* and Mack*.

Nicole’s new friend, Molly*, invited us to a barbecue this coming Saturday!

Stayed tuned into www.youtube.com/jasnic06 and our blogs.