A City of Worship
Everyone worships something, it’s just a matter of what.
What do we worship?
Yesterday I decided to hit the town. We’re still on the hunt for a location, we had some things fall through last minute. However, if God can bring dead men back to life, a place for His church to gather and worship is pretty small potatoes. So I was scoping out what is available in our neighborhood and taking photos.
One of the great things about taking photos is that it makes you slow down and look at your environment. That probably sounds obvious, but in a world of craning necks and smart phones I think it’s less obvious than one would assume. I strongly recommend walking your neighborhood and watering holes in your city. It gets you out of your bubble and helps you see what others see everyday. This can be enormously helpful for considering the people you want to witness and minister to.
“not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:10
I’m far from being a pragmatist, but it’s clear we are to be in the world. We are to mingle, to shop, to participate, to engage with those where God has placed us. We are stewards of the message of the Gospel and God has surrounded us with those who desperately need that resurrection message.
One of the most well-tread examples of this was Paul at the Areopagus in Acts 17. He wandered into a place full of people who were searching for all the wrong gods and engaged them on their turf. He made thoughtful and provoking remarks and then segued into the Truth. His eyes were open to where he was both physically but also culturally and religiously.
So on my walk I was keenly aware of trying to decipher what our city worships. Springfield and Eugene are deeply religious and spiritual. Granted, this is true everywhere. Mankind was made to worship. They’re gonna worship. However, our variety takes on a more spiritual mystical quality than, say, the Midwest might.
Religious icons litter downtown Springfield. From native murals, rainbow flags, “wellness” centers, affirmations of love and inclusion, self-expression, yoga, and more Simpsons than you can shake a stick at.
It seems at first glance one of our gods here isn’t so much a single deity so much as it is mystical self-expression. Our people want to live and be left alone. The great antithesis is an open rebuke. I suppose it could be either pantheism or polytheism to a degree, certainly religious and cultural pluralism, (How’s that for alliteration!). Everyone gets free and uninhibited choice to believe in whatever form of spirituality they desire without any regulation. That’s post-modernism, Patrick! I had to get one more “p” word in there. Sorry, not sorry.
Admittedly, this is a superficial observation, I can already hear people saying, “Not everyone is like that”. Which only confirms my observations. Nevertheless, what does this mean for Christians? How do we witness faithfully, engage with shrewdness and conviction, without compromising the message? Let me offer three ways that might be helpful.
1 | ASK QUESTIONS
Don’t assume you’re speaking the same language. Don’t assume their worldview is cohesive or consistent, or even self-examined. Just because someone affirms a higher power doesn’t mean it’s the same as yours. One benefit we have in living in a spiritually vibrant (though utterly darkened in their understanding) city is that people are interested in the mystical, our job is to offer the true supernatural instead of the pagan. Ask questions like:
What do you mean by that?
What kind of value does that bring to your life?
How do you reconcile that with __________?
What do you think the root of humanity’s problems are?
You can even introduce a question by saying, “I believe a worthy life is a self-examined life…” Nobody wants to feel like they are living blindly, even though most are. Show sincere interest. We should always want to get to the Gospel, and we will get better at it as time goes. But, we might not always get to it. Consider one of the main goals of spiritual conversations as recon. You’re learning more about the myriad worldviews in our city. This means you are better equipped to have more conversations next time. That’s a win!
2 | INTRODUCE A BETTER OPTION
We have to be careful not to offer Christ, the King, Savior, and Sustainer of the world as simply one choice among many. However, if we are able to offer Christ we MUST do so affectionately. We must first believe that He is more beautiful, more lovely, more powerful, more just, more true, more good, more radiant, more pure than the gods this world serves. When the Ark of the Covenant was placed next to the idol of Dagon it toppled. Dare I say in an even more metal fashion, it was decapitated and its hands cut off by the power of God. That belongs on a Christian metal t-shirt.
We must present Christ in such a way of honor that any idol compared to Him is left headless, limbless, and worthless. We serve and herald the risen King who has already accomplished victory and conquered.
3 | DON’T STOP THERE
This step is important. We can talk a lot about God, without calling others to respond. This is the uncomfortable part. The confrontational part. The part the world, and our local culture, hates. If what we say is true then Jesus is not simply one more god on the menu. He demands all to repent and believe. Here is where the rubber hits the road.
I know previously I said that we might not always get to the Gospel. That’s true. But, when God provides an opportunity we need to take it. We need to offer it like their soul depends on it, because it does. The one thing we can’t do, and this is important, we cannot convert a person. We cannot raise them from the dead. We share the message, God is the one who gives new life. So we give confidently that whether or not a person believes and repents or remains dead in their sins, we have done our job.
Springfield Canvasing
We created a Facebook event to make it easy for anyone to sign-up to help us canvas and spread the word about the church plant. Please consider joining us, we need you!
Location
As I mentioned before we are still on the hunt for at least a temporary gathering place. I’ve reached out to a variety of places just to see what our options are, but maybe you can help us! Here are some doors we’ve knocked on so far:
First Baptist Church Springfield
Springfield School District
Willamalane Parks and Rec
Ebbert UMC
Buell Funeral Home
Eugene-Springfield Chinese Christian Church
I’m praying, and ask you to pray as well, for our Lord to make the right opportunity available to us. Cost is all over the board and we want to be good stewards of what God has given us. Furthermore, we recognize that we would not agree with all of the prospective locations theologically. We’re wrestling through that.
God can certainly provide!
Prayer Requests
Check out our prayer guide for the WVBA churches here!
Pray for our family as we navigate the final month at Riviera Baptist Church. It’s going to be really difficult to say goodbye and leap into the unknown.
Pray for fertile ground when we canvas. That we can find people of peace who will receive the information about the church and the Gospel eagerly.
Pray for the Lord to provide a location for our Sunday gathering.
