One of the unavoidable calls we have as Christians is to spread the Good News of Christ's saving grace. The fact of the matter is that you and I have to be in the business of sharing Christ and inviting others to the Kingdom of God or else we are making the statement that our baptism, our acceptance of the grace of God - indeed, the very existence of our faith - really means very little for it did not call us to tell others about the joy we have discovered.
Harsh? Maybe. However, as we continue putting the final touches on the preparation for our Vacation Bible School this week, I cannot get out of my mind the images of parents and children who will be in our midst next week, and wondering what it all means in the long run.
There is no question in my mind that VBS is of the utmost importance; it's one of the reasons I am proud that we have expanded our support for it over the past few years. Some of the most memorable moments of my Christian formation came during the times I participated in VBS as a child and later on as a volunteer. We must be about the business of spreading the Gospel to the next generation.
On the other hand, however, there is something about the evangelistic side of VBS that we must guard against, and in all actuality this is not just a VBS issue. It can be very tempting for the church (on a local as well as institutional level) to look for programs and events to handle reaching others for Christ. There is a place for these things, but far too often I believe we can delude ourselves into thinking that if we just engage in certain church activities, we've done our part to 'evangelize.'
People ask me a lot, "Preacher, what can we do to grow our church?" In a world of 30-second attention spans and fad-oriented pre-packaged ministry programs where we just want to be handed something in a 'turn-key' fashion without investing ourselves too much, I hate to be the bearer of an answer we all may not want to hear from time to time, but it is the most accurate. The answer to the question is simply this: "Invest yourself in making sure that those whom you come in contact with know the importance of your faith by your example of thought, word, and deed. Take time to develop relationships with those who are not of the faith, growing to a point where you do share with them the joy of Christ's salvation. Realize there is no 'get-rich-quick' scheme involved - it takes time and intentionality."
If each one of us were to take seriously this mandate to share the faith and invite others to experience this life of Christ, I think we then start to capture the essence of how to grow a church.
Personally, I thank God for each and every one who participates in our Vacation Bible School ministry. Those who are putting sweat equity on the line, those who are attending, those who support this congregation with their tithes and offerings - these all play a vital role in this evangelism event. Let's not dishonor this week by using it as a cop-out to say we've done enough, but as an inspiration to do more.
If you haven't already, make sure you tell someone about our Vacation Bible School program, and offer to get them here if needed. You never know what conversations may result and what God is ready to do through you. Attached is a registration form if you need a conversation starter.
See You Sunday!
Lamar
