During the North American Christian Convention, I attended a workshop about the missional nature of the church. Basically, to quote author Ed Stetzer, ?Missional means being a missionary without ever leaving your zip code. ? In other words, Christians need to be missionaries within their own culture. While the phrase ?cultural relevance ? has become a buzz word, the fact is that the Good News of God ?s forgiveness and salvation ?which is relevant to all cultures across all times ?needs to be communicated in such a way that our culture can understand its relevance.
Our culture is a know-it-all culture, and it is a ?what ?s in it for me culture. If we can ?t bridge the gap of what people think they know about God, Jesus, the Bible, the church, and Christianity in general, they will tune us out. If we can ?t show them the value of what we believe, they won ?t care enough to listen long enough to accept it.
One way to bridge the gap is to practice hospitality. At one time, evangelism in our neighborhoods was to go from door-to-door ?calling. ? The fact that many new homes and communities don ?t have sidewalks or front porches should tell us that our culture isn ?t big on that kind of connecting. However, the glut of ensemble dramas and sitcoms should show us that our culture is big on relationships. In Romans 12:10-13, Paul gives examples of how we can appeal to this desire for relationships and share the core of what we believe: ?Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…. Practice hospitality. ?
As we continue through the season of picnics and backyard barbecues, let ?s put into practice the missional act of hospitality. Let ?s start sharing God ?s always relevant love and by opening our homes and ?calling ? our neighbors to join us.