Yesterday I had an anniversary. Ten years in fact. Notice I did not say I celebrated an anniversary. Why would I have an anniversary I do not celebrate?Ten years ago yesterday I have the surgeon’s knife open my right thigh about 28″ from my pelvic bone toward my knee. Then the surgeon’s saw cut the end off my femur which was broken and infected. Then the surgeon’s hammer drove a piece of titanium into the shaft of my femur. Finally, the surgeon’s staple gun put over 70 staples up and down my leg.Ten years ago yesterday I received an artificial hip. I have had knee operations prior to that, and they were minor surgery in comparison. I cannot complain too much, for if I were born 100 years ago and had what happened to me I would be dead now.
A hip replacement means major change. Yesterday I also preached at the Real Evangelism conference, held for years by Bailey Smith. I am indebted to Bailey for raising the money to endow a chair that I now hold, so that I cost the seminary next to nothing (which is about what I am worth).I spoke about the need to change, about REAL evangelism in our day. Most students were in class, so in addition to the podcast I will give you my message in summary. I spoke from Acts 11:19-26, when unnamed “laymen” (i.e. not the apostles) brought the gospel to the city of Antioch. Seven points from the text were laid out, and I made the point that many of these are simply not the subjects covered in many of our evangelism conferences (I am speaking at conferences in 5 states in the next few months and do that often–it is an honor and they do much good, but sometimes we miss some things).
1. Real Evangelism focused on urban church planting (19-21–went to Antioch).Paul’s missionary journeys took him to the cities. If we will be real in our witness today we will have a renewed focus on the great cities. What if our churches in the South took the money for our next building project and instead of investing more in our physical plants we gave the money to help urban church plants? Only 25% of SBC churches are where 63% of the population is, in great metro areas. We never seem to talk about reaching the cities in our conferences.
2. Real Evangelism spreads spontaneously and sacrificially (20-21). Persecution drove them out in their witness. They did not draw up a plan to reach Antioch, they just found a receptive city as they spread. We must recapture the idea of the church as advancing a movement, not maintaining our institutions.
3. Real Evangelism reaches new people and new people groups (20). For the first time we read that great numbers of Gentiles are reached. They are fulfilling Acts 1:8–are we? They reached a new generation. We have the largest number of youth in US history, but we never seem to talk about reaching them.
4. Real Evangelism has effective leaders (22-25). Look at the marks of the leader of this church, Barnabas: He saw God at work (because he was looking for God to work); he encouraged them; he was a disciple-maker; he had integrity; he was Spirit-filled; he was a mentor to young Saul. When I look at the great men of God in history used in great awakenings I see those qualities as well. They are needed today.5. Real Evangelism involves missional living (20, 24). These believers simply lived and shared the gospel as missionaries to the culture. Missional means to take the posture of a missionary in the U.S. Michael Green commented on the early church’s witness:
“They . . . went everywhere preaching the good news which had brought joy, release and a new life to themselves. This must often have been not formal preaching, but the informal chattering to friends and chance acquaintences, in homes and wine shops, on walkes, and around market stalls. They went everywhere gossiping the gospel; they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing.”
I told the audience that so many younger ministers I know believe in an inerrant Bible. They have done what we taught them to do: take the Word seriously and live by it. They have simply come to different conclusions on some issues than some of us who are several years their senior. Jack Welch said, “If you want to succeed, find out how they keep score, and then score.” Example: church membership was once a big scoring measurement. We would have men introduced with their large membership–5,000, maybe 10,000. But younger ministers are less impressed by such numbers when only 20% of that number actually attend. How do young ministers keep score?
–Baptisms still matter, but disciples matter to them more than decisions
–Church growth matters, but a growing church includes growing by extension (church planting) as much or more than by growing the one main church
–Influence matters, but they measure influence more by the impact their church makes on the culture around them than by how many invites they get on the preaching circuit;
–Their heroes are not people who know how to talk it, but how to live it.
6. Real Evangelism changes the culture (26). The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. They did not have a marketing team come up with the coolest name. The names that have stuck in the history of the church have normally been given by outsiders: Protestants, Baptists, Methodists, and even, Christians. If your church vanished from the community today would there be an outcry?
7. Real Evangelism has a global vision (Acts 13:1-3). When the Spirit set apart the first formal missionaries to take the gospel globally, He did so not in Jerusalem, but in Antioch. And, He sent out their very best, Barnabas and Saul (i.e. the Apostle Paul).Antioch was the fourth largest city in the Empire. From there missionary expansion took the gospel across the Empire. The U.S. is the fourth largest nation in terms of lostness on earth. Perhaps we can yet take the gospel across the globe. But it will require great sacrifice and great wisdom. And it will take change.
A few days after I had my hip replacement I realized something. It suddenly hit me that I would never play tackle football with Josh or ever be able once again to wrestle with Josh or Hannah. I sat in a chair in my living room and wept bitterly. I was angry, hurt, sad, and frustrated. But I am happy to say that my children have never focused on what I cannot do. They have always appreciated what I could do in sports: coach their teams, throw a ball, shoot hoops (carefully), and cheer for them like a fool. Change is hard. It is hard for someone who loves Southern Gospel music to realize that in the urban setting another style may be more effective. It is hard to realize that not everyone who has been through witness training may actually become active sharing their faith, but there may be others ways than a training class to get them to do so. It is hard to realize that the institutionalism of the church and our obsession with getting people to a building may interfere with a focus on getting the gospel to people where they live (after all, Jesus went to Samaria, he did not have a “Samaritan night” at the synagogue). Change is hard, but for the sake of the gospel, we can and must change.
Some things do not change. My heart and lungs and most other bones in my body work pretty well, like they always have. We always need a conviction about Scripture, a passion for Jesus, and a heart for the lost. But when something is broken, like my hip was, we need to change. And when we see how ineffective we are today at reaching America with the gospel, it is time to change.
Dr. Reid,
It’s hard to believe it has been ten years. As one of your students, I remember vividly what you were going through at the time. I have never forgotten what you shared (after a time of recovery) with our class. Especially the part about playing with the kids. It has always reminded me not to take one thing for granted with my children. I thought of you last night when I was thinking how I’m going to manage to spend time outside with my kids now that we’re in the city.
Good, biblical points about evangelism in the here and now. We should be taking the gospel to the cities.
Grace In Christ,
Travis Hilton