Over the past two nights we have a service at the Methodist church here in town. They have both been packed houses, especially last night. At the service last night, the Prime Minister of Aruba showed up, and he sat in the same row as me (the first row). It was incredible to see he and his wife being so available and down to earth with all the people. The Prime Minister is also a Methodist. At one point he and his wife went forward to receive prayer, and it was a powerful moment seeing all the pastors lay hands on he and his wife as they prayed over them. I can't imagine how powerful it would have been for the Arubian people there that night, and what an example it was showing. He did not have body guards nor did he sneak in and out of the service just so he could "be seen". If it was just a political move, then he did it well because he seemed genuine and sincere.
For me personally, it was very exciting being able to share a testimony on the second night for the full house and the Prime Minister. I talked about Hannah and I's last year and a half as we've moved to Atlanta, dealt with some hardships and transition woes, but how God's faithfulness has carried us through it all. A year and a half ago I would have no idea that I would be sharing my story like that in a foreign country. It's incredible to see what God is doing.
While the services have been great, I have still been wondering the emphasis of word and deed in evangelism. When we put together a service for evangelistic activity, and the main emphasis is on the preaching in that service does that not communicate that evangelism is done mostly through word? I have been wondering if a new type of evangelistic movement should arise in churches that don't always use a worship service to emphasize evangelism. How can we balance word and deed not only in our theology but also in our practice? Because even if we say and define evangelism by word, deed, or sign, but only do that while preaching from the pulpit what are we really communicating? I've always felt that just challenging the congregation to go and live by word and deed is a cop out by the church. If we believe that our programming should reflect it. We should be doing ministry that reflects more than just a strong emphasis on word. In doing so, I believe we also help better communicate the full picture of God's kingdom to our church members. They see that it isn't just a special worship service where we sing and preach that brings people to God, but it's also in our deeds of service and outreach. Why do expect our church members to do something that we aren't willing to program and facilitate ourselves?
I feel like I've now bashed the services, but really I am not trying to do so. It was evident God's Spirit was moving each night. I don't think the services solely promoted word over deed, and in fact I do believe there was some effective evangelism by deed. It just happened after the service. Whenever we finished each night, the fellowship following the service was awesome. There were drinks and snacks and people were talking, hugging, and rejoicing. I think this community shows what it means to join the Kingdom of God. It is joining a people that truly love and value community. It is an unspoken evangelism that one experiences rather than only hears.
Some of my favorite moments have been when I realized how awesome it is that I am worshipping the same God with people very different from me, and at times, in different languages. It was amazed me when I get outside the US and experience the body worldwide. It humbles me and reminds me of how big God is. It also reminds me that God is for everyone and his story of redemption reaches all peoples. So no matter who I run into back home, it encourages me to know that God will always be able to speak into their life and context.
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