Loving the Church Visitor
by Jim DeGolyer (from the GO Report [Gospel Outreach, Box 1022, Eureka, CA 95502, (707) 445-2135] Jim DeGolyer oversees the Verbo Church in Quito, Ecuador, which has recently grown to over 3000.)
When a non-Christian first attends a church he is usually uncomfortable. He is among people that he doesn’t know, with customs and attitudes toward life that he finds somewhat strange. A new person’s discomfort is especially heightened if the people of the church are not accustomed to welcoming new people with love and acceptance. The beginning of evangelizing is often the personal contact of a friend or a relative. But its continuation involves the new person becoming a part of the fellowship. The church must be a place where the new person feels at home and accepted.
How do you tell if a church is open or closed, especially toward new members? One warning signal is the length of time the church has been in existence. The older the group, the easier it is to become closed. As people develop closer relationships within the group, they lose the desire to get to know new people. They find satisfaction in their existing relationships. While they don’t outright reject a new person, they are so happy in their current friendships that they don’t realize that the new person is there.
As a result, the visiting new person finds himself alone in a very happy group. Few new people will be interested in continuing to come to a closed group. This is fatal for the growth of a church. It is very common for all of us to become bottled up in our own interests. To really walk in the love of Jesus, we have to learn not just to follow what comes easiest for us. We need to make the decision to do the Lord’s will in each situation. This requires sensitivity to the needs of others, especially in the group setting. It is especially important to love and befriend people we are not naturally attracted to or who are just different from us.
Some people have customs we don’t like, or their appearance is repulsive. They might come to a home group with five unmanageable children. Many Christians wish that the people who come to their church would arrive with clean and ordered lives. It would be like a fisherman expecting the fish that he is catching to be cleaned, prepared, and ready to be cooked.
We are called to love and extend ourselves to those who are difficult to love, to bear with them, and to help them enter the kingdom of heaven, in the same way we would help someone we naturally liked. By learning to be more conscious of the needs of every person in the church, we can discover many ways to help them to feel at home. Eventually, with our help, they will make the transition from being visitors to becoming family.
For example, in a home group, helping a new person during worship by finding him a song book and showing him the song that is being sung will make him feel welcome. Discuss with your church or home group how each one felt when they first attended a church. Did they feel well received? What problems were there? What made them want to become a part of the group? How could we change so that all new people feel welcome and want to stay?
Studies show that friendship between Christians and non-Christians is a very important element in evangelism. One study showed that of the people involved in the church, 70-80% were invited by friends or relatives! The relationships we have with relatives, neighbors, friends and people on the job–and especially with the new people who come to our churches or home groups–are bridges that help these people to take the step of entering into a relationship with Jesus and His family.
It is important that Christians develop and maintain good relationships with people who do not know Jesus. And nothing could be more important than loving and befriending the stranger who walks into our midst. They came in looking for something. And we know the One they need.
What Will You Do in ’92?
Christmas is a great time to witness, as people seem to be most open to the gospel at this time of year. They are looking for the “Christmas spirit.” What they need is the Spirit of God, the true Christmas spirit. While New Year’s Eve is a time of drunkenness, New Year’s Day is a time for resolutions and self-examination about where our lives are heading. This can also be a great opportunity to witness. One year I witnessed at a New Year’s Eve party and prayed with a young man to receive Christ as the clock struck twelve.
As we approach a new millennium, we are seeing world events change at an amazing rate. In October, Israel and its Arab neighbors began a Mideast Peace Conference. This is the first time Israeli officials have spoken directly and shaken hands with Palestinian and Arab leaders. But the United States is wavering from its support for Israel. In his desire to see a New World Order, President Bush may ask the United Nations to put pressure on Israel and even use military force to get Israel to give up land. The Arabs say that Israel’s possession of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is the barrier to peace.
We should remember that Israel now possesses that land only because it defended itself when attacked on its holiest day by its Arab neighbors whose goal was to destroy Israel.
Here in Oakland, the biggest wildfire in our nation’s history destroyed 3000 homes, killing 25 and causing almost $2 billion in damage–three miles from our house. The Berkeley fire chief commented that if the wind had not died down Sunday night, only the San Francisco Bay would have stopped the fire–the cities of Oakland and Berkeley could have been wiped out! One secular newscaster, commenting on the fire, said it was “almost like a Biblical judgment.” As I walked through the area, it looked like a nuclear bomb had struck an area once known for million dollar homes. Truly it was a warning not to trust in earthly wealth.
Two years earlier in October, an earthquake caused a 1 1/2 mile section of a double-decker Oakland freeway to collapse, killing 52. Again, God’s mercy was shown as many hundreds could have died in that freeway collapse.
During the past year, we have seen dramatic changes in the world as the Soviet Union appears to be unraveling. While this is giving us a temporary opportunity to preach the gospel freely, the U.S.S.R. still possesses all its nuclear weapons. The potential breakup into republics and the poor economic conditions make the nation very unstable and could lead to war. Here in the U.S., our economy is better but we also have a heavy national debt, heavy taxation, and high unemployment. Many banks have gone bankrupt, and now insurance companies are facing bankruptcy.
Jesus Christ is returning soon. We need to redeem the time, for the days are evil. As we enter a new year, each of us should give ourselves to prayer that God will give us clear direction for our lives. Let’s not get caught up in the cares of this life, but give ourselves to the preaching of the gospel this next year, even more than we have in past years.
Street Action
A month ago, we were witnessing on Haight St. I noticed a young man standing by the worship group, listening to the music. I started talking with him and he shared how a former girlfriend had been telling him about Jesus. I sensed that he was ready for salvation so I prayed with him to receive Christ. He stayed with us all night, and I gave him the address of a local church. I called him the next week, and he told me he had bought a Bible that day and was reading it as I called. He had attended that church and a home fellowship. Last week, he learned that his father died and went to New York for the funeral. Please pray for Jim, that God will strengthen him at this difficult time, that he will find a job, and that he will continue to grow spiritually.
Two weeks ago, we were witnessing on Polk St. It was raining, but we talked with several people who were receptive to the gospel. One young man (Frank) was particularly despondent, having had a fight with his roommate that day, so we took him home. He had some Christian background, and he seemed receptive to the gospel, but we were not sure if he was ready to give up his old life. He left the next day and had not called us since then. Last week, George Nakayama went to the Tenderloin to witness. Before leaving, he felt led to witness in a gay bar on Polk St. There was Frank, who was amazed to see George! They went to a coffee shop and George ministered to him.
My friend Glen Dunning shared this testimony in his ministry newsletter: He met a young black student on the Berkeley campus (Bruce) who told him “Two years ago I used to laugh at you with the hecklers, but after a while what you were saying began to make sense and I gave my heart to the Lord!”
Finally, a Chinese man from San Francisco wrote us, “I asked Jesus to save me and I really need help from Him at this moment.” There is much more I could share, but I hope these testimonies will encourage you that people are getting saved in San Francisco and Berkeley.
A Final Word
I have put together a video of last summer’s SOS-San Francisco outreach. There is a 45 minute version followed by a 15 minute version for use in churches. The video shows a wide variety of ministry–outdoor worship rallies, King’s Kids ministry, the New Zealand team, Ray Comfort preaching at Berkeley, the outreach to Hispanics at La Raza park with music, food and clowns, Set Free and the Revelation Revue drama group at Washington Square, and the march through San Francisco. The video is not professional quality but does give a picture of SOS-San Francisco is like.
Our Tape of the Month is “Praise, Worship and Spiritual Warfare” by Chuck Girard. This tape outlines a strategy for reaching our cities through concerted prayer, worship and evangelism. Finally, the real spirit of Christmas is that God gave us His Son to be our Savior. In the same way, we should give ourselves to letting others know the real meaning of Christmas. We get too busy buying Christmas presents. Let’s set aside time telling others about Jesus. Come join us for one of our special Christmas outreaches on Saturday December 14 or 21 (see information below). I pray that each of you will have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
