Training

Church: How to Reach Any Generation with the Gospel? [VIDEO]

About

It’s a great question to ask at any time, “How to reach any generation with the gospel?” But the answer is equally if not more important for Christian churches (people) and pastors. The answer leads in various directions, and we will either be going God’s direction or not. There’s a lot of resources to answer and clarify to ensure we are going in the right direction, as this one video below of Francis Chan in August 2019 — highlighting again the critical importance to God and his word as the central answer. Instead of looking beyond God and his word, rather, we narrowly dig deep which then (in God’s design) affects the wide world.

By this, Francis Chan provides the profoundly simple, historical, and biblical way to reach any generation with the gospel while also challenging the consistent and ever-changing tactics seemingly “needed” in each generation. Every generation has its issues and challenges, and the temptation becomes following culture issues vs. sound, long-lasting command exemplified in Jesus and the Bible’s New Testament. Chan also provides examples of difficulties in life and ministry, mentioning some friends and personal issues, that show the shortness of life and the importance of God’s word for every generation. Either we become burdened or learn from God and the past to address the current culture the right way — with Jesus.

There’s a few lines in particular that we have consistently shared that Chan highlights:

Just be so careful you can get caught up in just the way things are done right now well everyone does this so we're gonna do it and and you're old you don't know how to reach this generation and that that's the way we all thought even back then like you know like like this is the way we're gonna get the people in and we're gonna get this celebrity to talk and we're gonna get this person because he has so many followers and he's gonna speak and that's really gonna grab people as hard if we get someone famous or we get someone brilliant at this this is this and let's do Church this way because this will grab more people and get more people here and and we just didn't we didn't I didn't take the time to really look deeply in the word and not be tainted by the world and go how did Jesus do it what did he care about what was most important to him and to speak directly to people

Why didn’t I say something? … Why didn’t you shoot them straight?

Read through the Book of Jeremiah man where he's just saying they're going in everywhere literally everyone hates me [Jeremiah] yet even the church we value people by the number of followers … he could have very easily been loved if he wasn't truthful …

We affirm that God loves the world and that God does want ‘numbers’ of people, however, he wants them by his way. What is his way? It is himself.

Hence why “Telos Center is a training resources to train people in truth and love” and “Telos Church(es) are people inspired by truth and love to make life, disciples, and churches all about Jesus.” God’s plan was and is for people to trust in Jesus with the entirety of their life, which then connects them to God the Father and that’s where God the Spirit is at work in the world and hearts. He is the ultimate truth and love to learn.

If we use earthly examples of this, like in a wedding ceremony context, then we don’t see a man coming to the wedding ceremony altar to marry a dress, makeup, flowers, the bridesmaids, her family, pretty hair, communication skills, etc. We witness a groom entering the wedding altar to lovingly and truthfully marry his bride — the woman, person, her, she, etc. because of who she is and not what she has or comes with. Therefore, the people of the world are to look upon God for who he is as well as what he wants and commands all of us to believe and do. Therefore, we “shoot people straight” with God’s word because he inspires us in truth and love.

Video

Church: 1 is Better than 1,000?

Church: 1 is Better than 1,000?

Why is 1 better than 1,000? It depends on the context and situation. In the context of money, $1,000 income seems better than $1, especially if you need that to pay rent, mortgage, or for food unless you are being paid to do something evil! In the context of friendship, 1,000 friends seems better than just 1, unless those are 1,000 enemies who are imposter friends!

For Christian pastors, they need to process the question in the context of a local church. Is it better to have 1 or 1,000 people attending and participating together? It seems 1,000 would be, but what if that’s a false premise to even begin asking from? What if Christian pastors are to think differently that 1 truly is better than any since it depends on what the 1 is, or rather, who the 1 is. To a Christian pastor, God is to always be the most important one they serve, receive instruction, and be guided by.

If not, then what or who does a Christian pastor follow in leading a local church among an area of people? It has been proven, even over the recent history of 100 years, that local churches and pastors can be misguided and misguiding to people. When pastors begin to make church life and their life about the numbers of attendees to a church service, they then misalign the tasks associated to pastoring and reveal their underlying motivations lack God and make themselves or others a god.

So, this question is not mean to compare pastors and people to God but rather provide distinction for Christian pastors to discern motivations, methods, message, and mission. The important distinction helps determine and decide what direction they will go in serving among local churches and areas. Christian pastors will be tempted and trained in all various ways (goods, bads, and uglies), and more often than not, Christian pastors are trained or intrinsically concerned for the numbers of people attending church services on a regular basis.

Attendance, in countless Christian pastors’ minds and memory, has a direct impact on them, their schedule, the church organization, income, and overall influence (i.e. more the better). Numbers then become ‘a’ or ‘the’ goal for Christian pastoral leadership and exponentially multiples into priority while sinking into the mind and motivations for Christian pastors, influencing conversations, counsel, teaching, preaching, visits, relationships, ‘ministry jobs,’ and any other pastoral tasks and opportunities.

Training People in Truth and Love

Training People in Truth and Love

We have slowly but surely been developing out the life contexts in which we train people in truth and love. And as a result, people are then to be inspired (internal, heart transformation) by this truth and love to make life, disciples, and churches all about Jesus.

This is God's pattern, promise, and perpetual mission that a people worship him with the entirety of their being from the inside-out, and this includes seeking him for forgiveness and spiritual healing when we've sinned or experiencing the world's brokenness (i.e. we are not perfect but trust he is). And by nailing this, we avoid the pitfalls, discern the temptations, repent of sins, maintain holding fast to doctrine (teachings), and begin to truly understand what it means to be trained and training others to trust him with our livelihood for his glory and name's sake.