The Church has a responsibility to identify its gifts in order to glorify God and bless others. Each church has a unique set of gifts to offer, and through them they can become a redemptive good in their community. So what is targeted outreach?
Targeted outreach is connecting the gifts of the church to the needs of the community in a precise way. It sounds simple, but a church must be diligent, doing the hard work of identifying its gifts, equipping its saints, and sending them out to meet others face-to-face, engaging them personally in conversation, in prayer, and in Biblical teaching and preaching. Sound familiar?
If we grow in our core values, we will discover our unique identity in Christ, and through that identity we will know how best to minister to those around us. Let us pray about the days ahead, about our formation, and for how God will shape us into a church that reaches out in a confident and precise way.
The nature and function of the Church is to be ‘incarnational’, which is a fancy way of saying being present “in the flesh” in our mission and ministry. Because God saw fit to come and dwell among us (John 1.14), we as God’s Church—His representatives in the world —are to go out into the world, per His command, in order to make disciples.
In a world that is increasingly ‘online’, the Church must be increasingly ‘on foot’. We must maintain our incarnational mission to be present in all we do. Because God was really there for us, we must really be there for others. This can only happen if we are in fellowship, gathered and present so that we may bear one another’s burdens…actually.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6.2, ESV).
At Asbury, we want our growth in grace to be bone deep. We want for everyone to experience God, and not as a feeling, but really, truly from the inside, out. Let us disciple one another, face-to-face, sharing in true fellowship, being there for one another.
Christians are ‘sent’ people. We have been commissioned by Jesus Christ to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28.19, ESV). Therefore, we must have conversations that are personal, that engage others where they are so that we can walk with them to where God is calling all of us.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” —Romans 10.13-15 (ESV)
At Asbury, we want to be personal and personable—you could even say approachable. And we want to engage because we ourselves have a similar experience, that there were people who engaged us because we needed that encouragement, that push, that sometimes makes all the difference. It made a difference because people took time to invest, to care enough to say something. Let us care, let us say something, and let us do so by engaging others.
It’s no secret that God’s word has been under attack within the times we are living. To be Christian is to be a disciple, a learner and follower of Christ. There is no way for a Christian to learn or follow Christ apart from God’s word. And God’s word is exactly that, God’s word.
The Scriptures are God’s self-revelation to us. They contain within them “all that is necessary unto salvation” (to quote several orthodox catechisms over the centuries). Without His word, the preacher has nothing to preach; the teacher has nothing to teach. Therefore, if there is to be preaching, then His word is what will be preached. If there is to be teaching, then His word is what will be taught.
At Asbury Chapel, we will preach the word of God and we will teach the Scriptures in their fullness. Our very membership vows state, “Do you receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New testaments?” These reasons, and many more, are why we have Biblical Preaching & Teaching as a core value.
There is nothing that we want to do as a church apart from God. Therefore, we must commune with Him in order to be shaped and molded; in order to grow in grace; in order to know Him and His love. The Scriptures tell us in 1 Thessalonians 5.17 to “…pray without ceasing,…” (ESV). Unceasing prayer means ongoing communion with God, and so we are to be a people full of prayer and prayerful in all that we do.
John Wesley, in his book A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, said this in regards to prayer: “Whether we think of, or speak to, God, whether we act or suffer for him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than his love, and the desire of pleasing him.” God is the object of Asbury Chapel, therefore prayer is our first core value. It is one way God’s revealed grace brings us before God and keeps God ever before us.
I watch the main entrance door on Tuesdays and Thursdays with joy because it means folks are showing up for Bible Study. It is my favorite thing we do here. We dive deep, we talk it through it, and we have fun while we study. When the first person pulls up and starts getting out of their car I get excited. So much so that I forget to greet the person at the door and I rush off to grab the last few items I need before we start our time together. Because I rush around so much, I miss the blessing of the greeting, of interacting; and I miss either being a blessing through sharing my joy and “welcome”, or I miss the blessing of the one who shares their “hello” with me.
Being at the door is important, but taking advantage of embracing the one who’s at the door is where it’s at.
There’s a moment in Acts 12 that makes me laugh. A sweet girl answers the door at Ms. Mary’s house (John Mark’s mother) to find Peter the Apostle standing there. He was jailed by King Herod and the Lord freed him miraculously in order to restore him to the Church and to God’s mission.
No one could believe he was there; it was simply too good to be true. The girl, Rhoda, couldn’t believe it because she knew it was him and was excited—so excited that she ran off leaving him at the door. The people in the house couldn’t believe it because, let’s face it, who escapes the grip of King Herod? But there he was, standing at the door. How marvelous!
Whether you are Rhoda, and find yourself running away from the one at the door because of your excitement, or you are the people who just can’t believe that someone is really here, it’s important to come to the door; then to greet and welcome them with joy and embrace.
Who do you need to greet today? What joy do you need to share with those who come to the door? Will you love them enough to stay with them and let them know they are welcome? Will you believe that God is actually bringing people to the door, that they are actually there so that we can love them and show them the same change and transformation that He’s shown us?
May we stand at the door as God’s greeters—welcoming, embracing, and sharing joy.
