As a follower of Jesus, I have been called to share the good news that he is alive and that he is Lord. This makes me just like you! But how?

One (and only one) way is described in this verse: Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. (Acts 16:25 NLT)

The full story here is that Paul and Silas were in the deepest part of the prison after having been thrown there for nothing more than freeing a girl from that which held her captive. In other words, they did the right thing and as a result were arrested, beaten severely, and chained in a dungeon. So how did they share the good news here? They simply attested to the faithfulness of the Lord, through their prayers and hymns, even in the midst of their unjust circumstance. As they did this, people listened and God moved.

One of the things I'm learning is that holding to and sharing about the faithfulness of God to when your life isn't going well is something that people pay attention to. We all go through tough times. We all wonder why certain things are happening to us that seem unjust, or at the very least sad to the full. In the midst of this we must remember: no matter what, God is faithful. Remember that, share from that, and you will have people wondering about this God who is with you in your circumstance. Perhaps the most powerful time we have to share our faith is when the world is crashing down around us. It is at that time that a faithful witness to God's faithfulness is something that people will listen to.

If you're having a rough go of it right now, remember that you're not alone: God is with you and many, many others who trust in him have been in troubled times as well. In these times, we have the unique opportunity to trust more deeply, and share of that trust with those who need to know the One in whom we find comfort.

I’ve lost many things in my life, most of which I can’t even remember because they held little meaning to me. I suppose I’ve lost a few socks in the wash (how does that happen anyway and where is the world’s repository of lost socks?). I’ve probably even dropped a few dollars on the ground from time-to-time. But really, I only remember those times vaguely. The occasional lost sock or lost five dollar bill isn’t a big deal. I didn’t call for an all-out search when I discovered these things were missing. I might have glanced around, but little energy was expended overall. Now contrast that with what any parent would do if they suddenly discovered that their young daughter had wandered off. At first, they might yell out her name, but if that didn’t yield results, everything would be dropped: neighbors would be called, the police would be called, and the search would ensue. The interesting thing about the situation which I just described is that the child may not feel as though she was lost at all. Perhaps she was just exploring, as children are prone to do. Regardless of whether the child felt lost or not, we know what she will feel when found: sought out and loved. When she is reunited with her parents, this child will suddenly discover that heaven and earth were moved to find her. She will discover that her parents love her greatly and that she is missed when she is not around. And finally, she will discover the great joy that her parents have in being reunited with her. In the end, she will have the experience of being sought out. Don’t you think that she will smile, reflecting back her parent’s joy? Jesus lived a life that proved, if nothing else, that every person who has ever lived and every person that will ever live is of immeasurable value to God; each person is sought out. Take, for instance, his words as recorded by Luke:

“If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. When you arrived, you would call together your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” Luke 15:4-7 (NLT)

Jesus spoke these words to those who were known to be “notorious sinners.” What must it have felt like for those people, people who had been rejected by the religiously inclined in their community, to have been sought out by Jesus? Did they feel lost? Not likely. Instead they probably felt that they were doing their best and that they knew where they were. And if you really think about it, it is not so much that these people were lost, as in being in an unknown location or state, to God. Nobody is in an unknown state or location as far as God is concerned; he knows our location and experiences at every moment. Instead, they were lost to a full relationship with God, through Christ. And that is something they might have realized, if only deep down somewhere in the unspoken thoughts of the heart. Because God so very much wants to share all life with us, he seeks us out, all the time, whether we are Christians or not, “good” or not, or whether we have a sense that we are lost or not. This is why I prefer the concept of “Sought Out Ones” in the place of “Lost Ones” – it more readily applies to us all…we are all “Sought Out Ones” all the time. So how did those listening to Jesus feel about his words? I imagine that they felt much like the child we discussed in the first paragraphs of this article: they felt a sense of joy in being looked for, searched for, loved. They might even have wondered: “Was I really lost? And why do I matter so much? Whatever the reason, I’m glad I do.” As followers of Jesus, we are to be seekers of those who are sought out by God. Sometimes these “Sought Out Ones” will not feel as though they are wandering. That is okay, it is our joy to help them discover the One who is on an all out search for them anyway. At other times, those who are found will indeed feel as if they’ve been lost, and find incredible peace in being found. Either way, our job is to seek them out and to celebrate with God when they are found. Our job is to understand that no person matters little to God and therefore no person can matter little to us.

I had a unique experience last Friday: I left a "Leadership Summit processing lunch" a very troubled man. I’m not at all used to that because typically I'm flying high after our team discusses what we learned! So why was I so troubled? First, because I didn’t effectively manage that particular meeting. Poor execution really bugs me and there was nobody to blame but myself. Second, because of a theme that emerged from a conversation we had about inviting others to our corporate worship gathering. We as a group of leaders seemed to flounder, even to the point of (apparent) division, over the issue of whether or not every one of us should invite the unchurched to our corporate worship gathering. As I left the meeting this observation came to mind (an observation that I hold to tentatively and then only to help me think): Many, maybe most, Columbia Ridgers experience little or no impulse to invite the unchurched to weekend worship; some, maybe many, may actually have an impulse not to invite thinking that it isn't their role or that it may be detrimental because it sends the wrong message. [NOTE: I don't believe that this is because Columbia Ridgers just don't care... I think there are other reasons for this that I'll explore here and in an additional post.] Others will have to assess for themselves the validity of the observation. I won’t argue with any who disagree because I’m only raising it to show how this particular ball got rolling in my mind. True or not, I’m glad I had the thought because it caused me to think more deeply about the entire issue. As Pastor of this exceptional church family, I am called to pay careful attention to the theology that shapes my own life and our local church, a church I have been called to nurture toward maturity (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 4:16; Ephesians 4:11-13). Thus, I reflected... and in reflection this question came to mind: Have I left us with an inadequate theology of worship? Just having to ask the question gave me a sinking feeling. I’m not sure that we understand that authentic worship in a healthy church is simultaneously an act of grace for those in Christ and a witness to those who are not. Paul dealt with an issue in the Corinthian church that points to this fact.

²³If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? ²⁴But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, ²⁵the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. ²⁶What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 1 Corinthians 14:23-26 (ESV)

Notice several important things here:

1. Paul expects that unbelievers (those opposed the gospel) and outsiders (the uninitiated, not opposed to the gospel, yet not accepting it to that point) will be in attendance at the regular worship gathering of this local church (v23).
2. Paul claims that an unbelievers/outsiders will be drawn toward God if the believers gathered together enter into authentic worship in an orderly, understandable, and orderly manner (v25: “…he will worship God and declare that God is really among you”).
3. Each believer of the body will have a special role in the worship gathering as they share the light that God has given to them (v26). This doesn’t happen exclusively on the platform, it happens as we move with each other in fabric of community before, during and after the ‘service’.
4. The end result of this will satisfy Paul’s command: “Let all things be done for building up” (v26).

Bottom line: We must understand that we are missing out on something remarkable if we rely solely on ourselves to witness to unbelievers: the power of the Holy Spirit moving in the gathered local church. The healthy church, gathering for corporate worship, is perhaps the strongest witness we could offer to someone. Because of this, it may actually be unkind not to do everything we can to bring our unbelieving friends to our weekly gathering (and once there, we can let God be God and do what he will with his word and the fellowship and worship he empowers). While I can always identify things that I wish we had done with greater excellence during a corporate gathering, I cannot think of any service that I didn’t wish that all of my unbelieving friends were in attendance. I can’t think of a single one because I have seen how God works in and through our congregation when we gather. I can’t think of a single one because the Christian life is a hollow shell apart from the local church, at least for me. I can’t think of one because I believe God’s word doesn’t return void (Isaiah 55:11). I can’t think of a single one because apart from the gift I’ve received in being part of our worship gathering week in and week out I most likely wouldn’t have a living faith at all today. Together we are, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9 “…a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” With regard to worship is he recalling passages in the Psalms that called believing Israel to gather in worship as a witness to unbelieving nations (e.g., Psalm 105:1-2)? Whether he is or not, we must remember that we have been given an incredible gift in being the Lord’s gathered and gathering people. It is a gift to receive his word and to proclaim his praises in such a way that it glorifies him, builds us up in the faith, and witnesses to the unbeliever. I'll have more thoughts that I’ll post soon. Until then I look forward to your comments.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21