Good News!

If “convincing people of their need” is not our first step in proclaiming good news to the poor, what is the first step? (See last post) I think that there are two answers to that.

First, I do believe that everyone needs the Gospel, and when we listen to people, sooner or later they might explain to us when and how the Gospel sounds like good news to them. I remember in a discussion in university, Don Posterski said, “Evangelism is listening.” I think that he was right: evangelism is about listening to our friends, and listening to the Spirit to hear where the Good News sounds like good news. This kind of listening is hard to do among the poor if we continue in a power-imbalanced relationship with them. We need to be with the poor to listen to them. We serve with and among the poor. We cannot listen if we are only providing a service to the poor (as "benefactors") and then stepping back again, out of relationship.

The second starting point is not just a proclamation but a demonstration of the Gospel. I’ve been musing about Paul & Silas’ interaction with the jailer in Philippi as described in Acts 16. Paul & Silas are beaten and jailed for negatively impacting some businessmen’s bottom line by freeing a slave girl from a demon. In chains, they sing praises to God. God shakes the jail so that the doors fly open. In those days, if a jailer lost his prisoners, he would suffer the sentence of the prisoner or he would be killed. Paul & Silas’ jailer sees that the doors have been opened and he pulls out his sword to kill himself rather than die at the hands of an executioner. Paul calls out, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, "Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved?" Aren’t those the words that we’d all love to hear? “What must I do to be saved?” That is when the Gospel becomes good news to the ears of the listener.

How does the jailer get to that question? He is a pagan jailer – any understanding that he might have of the One God, or of Jesus Christ, would have come through possibly hearing the content of Paul & Silas’ hymns of praise. He comes to the question because of encountering the power of God and the kindness of Christians. The only thing that he knows about the God of Paul & Silas is that He can open jail cells. The only thing that he knows about Jesus’ followers is that they just saved his life by sacrificially staying in the open prison. Knowing these two things, he wants "in" – he wants to follow, too.

I believe that if we bring our friends to a place where they can encounter the power of God & the sacrificial kindness of Christians, they are much more likely to ask that question, “What must I do to be saved?” In ministry to the poor, this means that we need to express all the gifts of the Spirit with them – God shows His power through healing, prophesy, words of wisdom and knowledge, Spirit-empowered help and encouragement. If nothing else, we can introduce people to the powerful presence of God through prayer. It also means that our kindness to the poor must go beyond charity. We must learn to “spend ourselves on behalf of the poor.” (Isaiah 58:10) Paul reminds us in Romans 2:4 that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. Most people will experience God’s kindness through the kindness of Christians.