Please read: Acts 17:6-7
“When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus’”
It's about the "Acts 6 church". But is it about organized religion, or the active Spirit of evangelism?
A fossil is a preserved remains, impression, or trace of a once-living thing. Is the western church "once-living"?
Quick answer: If your church or you, are not evangelizing, sooner or later you and your church will fossilize.
It occurs to me I should define or explain what it means to evangelize. We all who are "in Christ" (disciples) are all called to share the gospel and witness to his resurrection. And that also means making other disciples that make other disciples. It is an on going process, and it takes place throughout every day and everywhere the Lord's Spirit leads us. It is our worship in Spirit and in truth, fulfilling Christ's command.
Friends,
You have heard it said that this isn't about religion it's about relationship. And yet typically you discover not long after hearing this that it is in fact mainly religion in its nature. You're invited to come to church and support that institution. You've got church temples for worship. You've got 45 minute to one hour ritualized religious productions once a week. You've got church temple business programs throughout the week. You've got church temple community committees, temple production practices, temple service and prayer ministries, and of course temple maintenance ministries. A lot of very ritualistic religious human temple business activities. And sometimes, somewhere, in and amongst all of that religion, is a hope that there is a relationship with The Holy Spirit.
What is often missing among all that temple religion is an evangelist action plan. And the result is a once-living thing becomes a fossil and finds itself in a museum built to maintain that collection of fossils.
The church that’s not interested in evangelism and soul-winning is not worthy of the ground it occupies. The gospel is the greatest message on the face of this earth: the salvation of lost souls. The Holy Spirit is the greatest messenger on the earth. Our Master is the greatest Master, Jesus Christ Himself. Our church business is to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to every LOST human creature on the planet. And yet today we do so little with so much.
The first Christians didn’t have Christian colleges, seminaries, radio and TV stations, or printing presses and social media. They had no finances, no prestige, no popularity.
They went out to tell the message of God's Son, the Messiah (a humble carpenter's son), who was crucified, died and was buried, and who rose again from the grave. These evangelists did this against the imperial might of Rome, the intellectual sophistry of Greece, and the stiff-necked resistance of the Jewish leaders. In fact it was said of them, “These people turned the world upside down.”
Christians are disciples of Christ. That is, we are "learners" students of Jesus. We seek to learn from what He taught and did and we strive to be like Him. And we strive and we fail Him often. We usually end up importing and blending what we know about Jesus' teachings with intellectualism, philosophy, spiritualism, self expression, materialism, virtue-signaling, ritualism, asceticism, astrology, sexuality, political identity, and various other wool-pulling-over-our-eyes traditions. All this "religion" trends and tends to water down the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul sums this all up in one small and simple phrase, and it's this human trait that likewise explains WHY the church neglects His Spirit of evangelism.
"Not according to Christ"
Colossians 2:8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, not according to Christ.
The modern church neglects evangelism because that gospel message offends many in the world. It offends them because they are "not according to Christ". And the demonic powers and principalities of this world will work on the hearts and hardheaded minds of those lukewarm Christian churches in order to bind and enslave them back again into who they were before they received Christ.
Friends, church, beware and be careful. Faith doesn't creep up on you. It's not passed on by osmosis. In fact demonic influencers use those grooming methods to destroy faith. Being in Christ Jesus you were given grace before the world was created. 2 Timothy 1:9, “He gave us grace in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” Before they built the first cathedral church, established the first church choir, and set up the first committee meeting, there was our Lord and God Jesus Christ and he seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and Truth. THAT'S relationship! Don't loose sight of Him as you seek every sort of organized earth bound religious expression under the sun. Seek Him first in all these things. Guard your heart and your relationship first. In Christ Jesus you were chosen by God before creation. Ephesians 1:4, “[God] chose us [in Christ] before the foundation of the world.” [In Christ Jesus] you are loved by God with an inseparable love. Romans 8:38–39 [In Christ Jesus] you were redeemed and forgiven for all your sins. Ephesians 1:7 [In Christ Jesus] you are justified before God and the righteousness of God in Christ is imputed to you. 2 Corinthians 5:21 In Christ Jesus you have become a new creation and a son of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17
All this is the gospel truth and message that you and me and every Christian is commanded to preach and teach to all the world. THAT is our mission above all else. And if our communities of faith are neglecting or even suppressing these truths, according to Christ, in order to go along and get along, then you need to transform and be transformed in your mind and in your church.
The sure cure for a lukewarm church is an active "in Christ" Acts 6 church, focused first and foremost upon evangelism.
I pray that you will never grow weary of exploring and exulting in the inexhaustible privilege of being “in Christ Jesus.”