The
book is a wake-up call for Christians to seriously work hard at
fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus. Matthew 5.13 and 14 that we
are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. How can we bring preserving flavor and light to our world? Henderson
points out that because our culture has changed, the days of
door-to-door evangelism, cold-turkey witnessing and leaving tracts in
restaurants are behind us. Americans are individualistic; and they tend
to be isolated from others.
Henderson writes, “Our
brazen preoccupation with self ripples through every tributary of our
culture. It shapes how we do business, how we teach, how we parent, how
we vote, how we marry. Not surprisingly, our individualism and
self-concern wash over into the way we approach matters of faith. In a
supreme act of self-reliance, we decide for God what is true about him
and his intentions for us” (pg. 97).
Thus,
if each person decides what is “true” about God, then they will have
little time or tolerance for those who claim to have the ultimate truth
about a relationship with God. Back in the mid 1970’s when I was in high
school; some of us after youth group would sometimes drive to the
Westroads Mall (in Omaha here) and witness to strangers using “The Four Spiritual Laws”. We found out that most people were willing to listen to us as we nervously shared from the tract.
Now that we are in the 21st
century, many people may not be as open for a total stranger to talk to
them about their need for a savior. The problem just isn’t with the
Christians sharing about Jesus. Self-absorbed individualism has allowed
people to isolate themselves. Thus, the building of meaningful
relationships becomes more and more difficult. As a matter of fact, many
Americans are not very connected at all with other people. Three out of
four Americans do not know the people who live next door to them. One
out of seven people do not even know the name of their neighbors (pg.
103).
Henderson puts it this way: “Contrary to what you might see on a map of the United States, America is a land of islands. Disconnected and alone, we have forgotten the benefits of mutuality and life shared” (pg.
103). Of course, there are many “islands” in the church as well. We can
see this with the superficiality of relationships and the lack of
desire for many to be part of small group of fellow believers. No doubt,
being part of a small group can be intimidating, but once relationships
are formed and trust is found, then that is when authentic church life
can begin.
So
how do we communicate God’s truth and love to others? Well, there can
still be a place for using a gospel tract, but only after a relationship
has been established with people. And this requires the investment of
work and time. Henderson
writes that we must bridge the islands. Pastors must do that on Sunday
mornings in the way they communicate God’s Word, and all Christians must
do it in the way they form relationships with people who need Jesus.
Henderson urges Christians to put a premium on friendships and relationships. He writes, “A guarded, get-lost society requires that we approach people with the gospel in the context of a relationship” (pg.
113). How are we doing in the relationship building department? As
followers of Jesus, we are to work hard at attaining loving and edifying
relationships with our brothers and sisters within the church. Plus, we
are to establish relationships with the people that God has put into
our lives. I will close with one more quote from David Henderson:
“…it
is crucial that we befriend non-Christians, winning our way into their
distracted hearts and busy schedules. That means spending the kind of
time with them that lets us get to know each
other; having them over for a cookout, watching their kids play in a
high school game; feeding their fish and collecting their mail while
they’re on vacation, all while waiting and praying for the opportunity
to comfortably and naturally talk about our faith” (pg. 114).Source: Reaching People for Jesus
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