To celebrate this Christmas season our Program Staff braved a rainy day in Lancaster City for a scavenger hunt. Teams bonded while creatively photographing their team in a random fashion at sights around the city.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
How can we speak to the dead in such a way that they will hear?
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins … “(Ephesians 2:1)
Pastor Doug spoke from Ephesians 2 a while back and highlighted verse 1 where Paul reminds the Christians at Ephesus of their past:
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins …”
And his challenge to us was this:
“We need to learn how to speak to the dead in such a way that they will understand.”
How easy it is to disregard the audience when our only consideration is whether we are ‘preaching the truth!’ Have you ever asked a ministry worker: ‘How did the lesson (or sermon) go?’ And have you received a reply similar to this: ‘Well there were three good points with a nice illustration and I ended with a tear-jerker of a story so it seemed like things went well.’ But the real question is this: “Have the people heard?”
Think of it. When a missionary immerses himself in an unfamiliar society, he will spend time learning the cultural intricacies, the language, and the value system and world view of the host culture. And why does the missionary do this? He does so in order to effectively communicate the truth of the gospel in a way that can be understood and received by those who don’t yet know Jesus. He wants to know the audience with whom he is speaking. And he wants to know how to connect with them in a way that develops trust and merits being heard.
How different things would be as I interact with the men and the women at the mission if I understood what they value, how they communicate, what their priorities are, and how they view the world! What would a ‘dead man’ want to hear and how could I communicate with him in a way so that he could receive the gospel for real?
“Lord, help me to listen well.”
- Steve Brubaker, Residential Ministries
Pastor Doug spoke from Ephesians 2 a while back and highlighted verse 1 where Paul reminds the Christians at Ephesus of their past:
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins …”
And his challenge to us was this:
“We need to learn how to speak to the dead in such a way that they will understand.”
How easy it is to disregard the audience when our only consideration is whether we are ‘preaching the truth!’ Have you ever asked a ministry worker: ‘How did the lesson (or sermon) go?’ And have you received a reply similar to this: ‘Well there were three good points with a nice illustration and I ended with a tear-jerker of a story so it seemed like things went well.’ But the real question is this: “Have the people heard?”
Think of it. When a missionary immerses himself in an unfamiliar society, he will spend time learning the cultural intricacies, the language, and the value system and world view of the host culture. And why does the missionary do this? He does so in order to effectively communicate the truth of the gospel in a way that can be understood and received by those who don’t yet know Jesus. He wants to know the audience with whom he is speaking. And he wants to know how to connect with them in a way that develops trust and merits being heard.
How different things would be as I interact with the men and the women at the mission if I understood what they value, how they communicate, what their priorities are, and how they view the world! What would a ‘dead man’ want to hear and how could I communicate with him in a way so that he could receive the gospel for real?
“Lord, help me to listen well.”
- Steve Brubaker, Residential Ministries
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
A message of hope
At the Lydia Center, Water Street Rescue Mission’s long-term recovery program for women, God Box Moments describe the little miracles that happen every day. Here’s one from a client named Nicole:
As a recovering heroin addict, I had been told that the veins in my arm were shot from using intravenously. So whenever I have needed blood work, the nurse would take it from my hand instead of my arm. When I went in most recently to have blood taken, the phlebotomist pricked my hand twice and couldn’t get anything.
She sent for another nurse who came in and immediately grabbed for my arm. I resisted and told her that my veins were shot. She asked why, and I explained about my addiction. She asked if she could check anyway, saying that sometimes the veins come back. Doubting her, I said yes... and then she said something that blew my mind.
She proceeded to tell me that she had also been a heroin addict, but she got sober when she was 21 and has been sober ever since. I’m guessing she was in her late forties or early fifties.
There are many lessons God showed me through this interaction. First, when He says you are a new creation in Christ, he means it! My veins are healed! He also sent me a message of hope through this vessel of a woman. He said, “How much more than sobriety can you have if you follow me!”
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