I’m a sauce fanatic when it comes to food. Steak, chicken, pork chops, hamburger… you name it and I’ll probably put some kind of sauce on it. That’s just the way I am.Some people, however, don’t like a lot of sauce. They would rather eat the meat for the taste of the meat. If you’re one of those people, then this recap is just for you – no sauce, just meat.
The God of This City series was driven by the song of the same name that Chris Tomlin sings on the Passion cd… of the same name. V3.1 initiated the thought that a simple survey of any American city might disagree with the title, God of This City; however I believe God is the God of This City and it is the followers of Jesus’ job to transmit that. The Apostle Paul expresses the same sentiment:
11Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this--heart and soul--will ever regret it." 12It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. 13"Everyone who calls, "Help, God!' gets help."
14But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? 15And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims,
A sight to take your breath away!
Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God! (Romans 10:11-15, The Message)
The conclusion: God wants to save all, but God has put His people in charge to tell The Message.
In v3.2 I began defining the two types of people… those we do know personally and those we don’t know personally. V3.2 dealt with the former – our own circles of influence, and asked the question, “What if we made God the God of the people we come in personal contact with on a regular basis. Again, our good friend Paul gave us some advice:
19bI have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ. 20When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. 21When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, F47 I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. 22When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. 23I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.
I Corinthians 9:19b-23 (NLT)
The conclusion: If God is to be the God of This City, then we have to first make Him the God of the people we come in contact with on a regular basis. Before this city is changed, our circle of influence must be changed.
V3.3 deals with our response to being intentional by dealing with the people we do not already know and made the statement, “evangelism was never designed to be accidental.” In v3.3 we explored the principle that Jesus was the originator of intentional evangelism, as is demonstrated in John chapter 4:
3 He (Jesus) left Judea and went away again into Galilee. 4 And He had to pass through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6 and Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, `Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." 11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?" 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw." 16 He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, `I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." 19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." (John 4:3-26, NASV)
The conclusion: We need to be taking Jesus with us wherever we go, building intentional relationships once we are there, and then intentionally sharing the love that Jesus has to offer with those people.
In brief, the God of This City series has been an introductory primer to personal evangelism. It is the role of each Christ Follower to reach out to those who don’t know Jesus. Again, Romans 10:14-15 explains it best:
14But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? 15And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?
For God to be The God of This City, His Followers must share the Good News.
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