Rev Terry Cripe

March 2008

The third ABLAZE installment, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to good works.” Where do you locate evangelism/outreach/witnessing in the life of the Christian? Lutherans would put it in the area of sanctification. Good works are meant to be part of the Christian's daily, joyful response to the realization that he/she has been set free from the cursed consequences of our sins by Christ's death on the cross. The Spirit leads the believer to ask, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?” Lutherans have defined good works as those things which believers do that bring glory to God and benefit the neighbor. Witnessing certainly falls into that category.

So how do we stir one another up to be faithful witnesses? We cannot stir members to action by threat, declaring that those who don't witness are not really Christians. That puts witnessing into the area of justification. That makes one's salvation dependent upon witnessing and that is wrong. Only faith in Christ gives one good standing with God. Neither do we stir one another up by saying, “If you do not witness, you might be responsible for someone not hearing the Gospel and being consigned to hell.” While such a statement can produce a burden of guilt, it is wrong. The arm of the Lord is not shortened by our refusals. God is able to find people who will speak the saving Gospel if we refuse. But we certainly can and must use the Law to bring ourselves and fellow church members to repentance. If we have neighbors who have expressed despair, guilt, or shame, and we have spoken nothing to them of Christ, we are no better than the priest and Levite who passed by the man lying in the ditch. Some may have to repent of thinking, “Witnessing is the pastor's job.” What about the Samaritan woman at the well? It did not take seminary training for her to tell the people of her village, “I met a man who told me all about myself – could he be the Messiah?” It didn't take a great education for Andrew to say to Peter, “Come and see.” Peter did not write only to pastors to advise, “Always be prepared to give an account of the hope you have.” For failing to speak when the opportunity has arisen, repentance is necessary. And believing that Christ has forgiven our hesitating witness for Him is crucial.

We stir one another up to good works only through the Gospel. The Holy Spirit alone creates within God's people the attitude, “We cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard.” The Holy Spirit leads and encourages us to take stock of our various abilities and consider how they might play a part in local outreach activities. God designed the Body of Christ to work together, not in isolation or in opposition to itself. We can encourage each other to identify and pray for unbelieving acquaintances and neighbors, that God would give opportunity to engage them with the Gospel. Congregations set goals for their annual spending budgets, why not set quarterly or annual congregational goals for the numbers of visits made to non-members or to inactives? For the number of congregational opportunities to do various acts of mercy in the community? Why not incorporate outreach activities into the liturgical life of the congregation, as was once the case, so that Lent is once more the season for instructing catechumens prior to their baptism on Easter?

Living as we do in the third largest pagan nation, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to good works” that bring God the glory and benefit our neighbor's spiritual welfare.