To preach or not to preach? that is the question

It was St Francis of Assisi that said "Go out and preach the gospel and if necessary use words."
Interesting quote.  As I spent the morning having coffee with a client today I recalled this sentence as I bore witness to this very idea plays out.

While sipping on my mocha the young waitress came to our table and started a conversation.  She had obviously seen me over recent weeks with clients and this particular coffee shop is a regular visit on the salvo entertainment list for the local chaplain.  She asked who I was and after introducing myself I explained that I was on placement and in training to be a minister.  This opened up a whole conversation and she spent the next few minutes explaining how even though she was not a christian per se she did believe in God.  She had been watching the chaplain ministering to these men from the hostel for quite a while.  She also seemed unaware (as most people are) that the Salvation Army is actually a church and not just a welfare organisation.  She proceeded to tell me that she had a great appreciation for the Army and was impressed by how unlike many other churches, we dont push the religion card and that we work in a way that is non-threatening. I explained to her that the way that the Salvation Army works is simply just an outworking of our faith.

It did get me thinking though.  If people are obviously being influenced by what we do (even when we think we are not being an influence at all), does it really matter if we don't go around driving home the point that we need to go to church.  Who is the church anyway??  Quite simply the church is people.

When I think of what Jesus did in his lifetime he simply made time for people.  Yes He spoke the truth when it was needed, he rebuked and disciplined those who needed it, but for the most part Jesus just spent time taking an interest in people.  It was this interest in a person, this availability that transformed lives. (oh and the Holy Spirit did his bit too :-) )  Once people knew how much he cared, that his interest in them was genuine, it was then that they listened to what he had to say.

So to for us.  It seems to me that sometimes we can get so caught up in trying to teach and preach that we forget that more importantly we need to just simply be.  My prayer is that God will give us the wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent and just be.  May he grant us each wisdom to know the difference.

Being rather than doing

So placement has started in the past week and what a truly amazing week it has been.  My social placement is at The Salvation Army men's hostel called the Anchorage.  Wow what an eye opener.

One of the difficulties for me on this placement is simply just being rather than doing.  During the day I have felt that I am not doing anything (I am such a 'J').  It feels as though I am just taking up space but over the past few days I have discovered that I don't actually have to DO anything to be affective.  Isn't it interesting that we always have to feel that in order to be doing anything worthwhile we need to be busy?

When I think of Jesus' ministry I am reminded that He didn't always do anything.  Rather, He interacted with people, just being available and listening to their stories.  I am finding that as I spend time with the guys at the Anchorage I notice that I am actually making a difference in their day.  Lately for some they seem to come alive as they interact with someone who just wants to hear their stories.  I am learning so much about people and God.  I think if Jesus was here He wouldn't be trying to fix a problem per se but rather, He would be just sitting with them; listening to the people He was with.

Being Jesus to another person does not mean that you necessarily need to do anything other than just be yourself and just being available.  So am I doing anything during my day?  Absolutely!!  Investing time in another human beings life is probably the best thing you can ever do.  I think in many circumstances it is that availability and genuine interest in a person (even the ones who annoy you to no end) that makes the biggest difference in a life.  The things you can learn about another when you just give them some time is truly life changing.  It is the ones that society would generally brush aside that can teach us the most amazing things about life and about our God.

Wanna be Jesus?  Be available.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.  So that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but would receive eternal life. - John 3:16