Out of the Comfort Zone

I have a book entitled "Out of the Comfort Zone" by Ray Comfort, a well renown evangelist who developed "The Way of the Master," along with the Living Waters School of Evangelism.

The cartoon on the cover of the book depicts a Christian sitting in a comfortable chair, located inside a protective bubble while death, destruction and mayhem run rampant outside the protective bubble. The more I observe the world around me, the more I feel like that cartoon is accurately portraying Christianity in America today.

My mind takes me back to a mission rally I once attended. A foreign missionary was there telling us how the pastors of the new churches planted in his country were being ambushed and killed, many times along with their family. In the same meeting, after that missionary had spoke, a local pastor proclaimed with glee that his church was finally getting new carpet.

We think of the drug culture existing in far away places like Compton, Calif., Brooklyn, the streets of San Francisco and the innercities of the major metro areas. The truth is, the drug culture has permeated every community in America and is destroying lives all around us. In East Texas, where I am from, meth can be found on virtually any country road, in almost any neighborhood, and in almost any apartment complex. It's devastating effects are easily observed in the children of drug addicted parents.

Having moved to West Central Texas, I have noticed that the problem is just as bad out here, even in towns of approximately 1,000 people or less. The devastating effects are also present here. I see people who have no hope, who are forgotten, and who have given up on themselves and their children.

Meanwhile, Christians sit idly by and dismiss the societal problems on this being the end times. We argue over who is going to be "in the Bride." We discuss the timing of the rapture, argue over church planting vs. mission work, go to war with each other over the KJV translation, and argue over contemporary vs. modern worship vs. blended. I like good discussions, and occasionally get involved in a few, but these discussions become destructive when they interfere with God's work.

The best way to reach the lost, we think, is to modernize our approach to the worship service, start a bus ministry so we can pack the place with kids, read a few books, implement some of their practices, and go multi-media with our presentations. I'm not advocating against this, but this will not reach the lost. Modern worship and modern presentation systems give the illusion of reaching the lost of a community because it drives numbers up. In reality, I fear all it does is attract younger Christians who want to be cooler than their grandparents church. This does lead to professions of faith, as the younger Christians may very well come to the knowledge that they made a false profession previously, but that is only if the modern presentation is backed up by solid scriptural preaching and teaching. The modern stuff is great, I may use it someday, but it is not the key to winning the lost and hopeless in our communities. Those who think so are remaining in the comfort zone.

If you desire to see the lost, hopeless and hurting reached with the Gospel, you have to take the Word to them. You have to go where the people are, and this does not involve a 3.5 million dollar facility with freeway frontage. It involves getting out and getting into the trenches. It involves door-knocking, apartment ministries, VBS, following up with those who the church has reached out to, even though it involves going to a house or neighborhood that is not in a good part of town. (Don't place yourself in unnecessary danger, but you can visit someone in the other side of town without harm if you are minding your business. Keep in mind, I'm using small-town Brownwood references here. I wouldn't advise going to Deep Ellum by yourself.)

The main factor in success in reaching the lost and hopeless, who are reachable, is the ability to connect with them one-on-one. If they know you care about them, they will follow... but you have to truly care. These people are street smart, and they can spot fake care a mile away.

So, let's get out of our comfort zones. Let's approve the coming changes to the mission policy that will give missionaries the freedom to work the fields. Let's get more courageous about mission work and begin sending out more missionaries (and quit using money as an excuse as to why we can't be a sending church). And let's get busy ourselves getting back into the trenches and doing battle for the Lord over the lost souls in our hometowns.