Core Value: Sharing Jesus
Nearly 50% of today's Open Arms family never understood how to have a relationship with Christ before they got here. We want our whole community to know His love, grace, and peace.
Some of us may have been brought up in fairly strict families where we were told what to do and what not do, but rarely were told why. “We don’t do that in this house.” And if you dared to ask “But why?”, it was often taken as a sign of disrespect – instead of as a sign of curiosity or a desire for understanding and knowledge. “In this house, we don’t eat dessert until all the dishes are cleaned and put away … ask “why not” one more time, and you won’t get dessert at all!”
We often hear television evangelists exhort the crowd to “Turn to Jesus.” Billboards tell us to “Try Jesus.” Bumper stickers inform other drivers “My boss is a Jewish carpenter.” Some churches close out a service by inviting those in attendance to walk down the aisle and “ask Jesus into their heart.” At Open Arms, while we understand these may be legitimate ways to raise awareness that the person and work of Jesus demands a personal response, we are convinced that our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and Sunday service guests are often asking internal “But why?” questions, and they ought to have answers. We are called Christ’s ambassadors, and an ambassador’s main job is to share clearly, calmly, and consistently the contents of the treaty offered by their king or leader, the one whom they represent and who established the treaty in the first place. As Paul explains in his letter to the Corinthians, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead: 'Come back to God!' For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NLT).
Serving as an ambassador on Christ’s behalf is a serious matter for sure, but it shouldn’t be carried out with harshness, manipulation, or the expectation that the nuances of the treaty are understood. The majority of people that make up Open Arms Church today are people who may have heard the name “Jesus” growing up but were otherwise ignorant of the “mystery of Christ.” The “mystery” is the very personal plan of God’s love, grace, and mercy extended toward us by Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross. That intentional work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit provides redemption, pardon, and forgiveness for the sin of mankind, yet is experienced only by those who receive Christ by faith and believe personally in Him.
Church growth research indicates that it is very unusual for a church to have so many come to personal faith in Jesus as adults, but each year at Open Arms we see men and women from their twenties to seventies who hear and come to understand the good news of “why Jesus,” and believe in Him by faith alone. We can only say that it is the mysterious work of God’s grace that draws people to Himself. We look to be intentional and have our spiritual antennae up to see who He is drawing to Himself as we come and go throughout our day. We are mindful to be praying for those around us, speaking and living in ways that honor Christ, and - with patience - answer from the Bible (God’s Word) whatever “why” questions are posed to us. This core value of why and how we share Jesus with those in our midst flows from Colossians 4:2-6: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation always be gracious and uplifting so that you will have the opportunity to give the right response to everyone who asks you.” (NLT)
P.S. There are also some families who say, “Jesus is coming soon, so eat dessert first!”
Some of us may have been brought up in fairly strict families where we were told what to do and what not do, but rarely were told why. “We don’t do that in this house.” And if you dared to ask “But why?”, it was often taken as a sign of disrespect – instead of as a sign of curiosity or a desire for understanding and knowledge. “In this house, we don’t eat dessert until all the dishes are cleaned and put away … ask “why not” one more time, and you won’t get dessert at all!”
We often hear television evangelists exhort the crowd to “Turn to Jesus.” Billboards tell us to “Try Jesus.” Bumper stickers inform other drivers “My boss is a Jewish carpenter.” Some churches close out a service by inviting those in attendance to walk down the aisle and “ask Jesus into their heart.” At Open Arms, while we understand these may be legitimate ways to raise awareness that the person and work of Jesus demands a personal response, we are convinced that our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and Sunday service guests are often asking internal “But why?” questions, and they ought to have answers. We are called Christ’s ambassadors, and an ambassador’s main job is to share clearly, calmly, and consistently the contents of the treaty offered by their king or leader, the one whom they represent and who established the treaty in the first place. As Paul explains in his letter to the Corinthians, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead: 'Come back to God!' For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NLT).
Serving as an ambassador on Christ’s behalf is a serious matter for sure, but it shouldn’t be carried out with harshness, manipulation, or the expectation that the nuances of the treaty are understood. The majority of people that make up Open Arms Church today are people who may have heard the name “Jesus” growing up but were otherwise ignorant of the “mystery of Christ.” The “mystery” is the very personal plan of God’s love, grace, and mercy extended toward us by Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross. That intentional work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit provides redemption, pardon, and forgiveness for the sin of mankind, yet is experienced only by those who receive Christ by faith and believe personally in Him.
Church growth research indicates that it is very unusual for a church to have so many come to personal faith in Jesus as adults, but each year at Open Arms we see men and women from their twenties to seventies who hear and come to understand the good news of “why Jesus,” and believe in Him by faith alone. We can only say that it is the mysterious work of God’s grace that draws people to Himself. We look to be intentional and have our spiritual antennae up to see who He is drawing to Himself as we come and go throughout our day. We are mindful to be praying for those around us, speaking and living in ways that honor Christ, and - with patience - answer from the Bible (God’s Word) whatever “why” questions are posed to us. This core value of why and how we share Jesus with those in our midst flows from Colossians 4:2-6: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation always be gracious and uplifting so that you will have the opportunity to give the right response to everyone who asks you.” (NLT)
P.S. There are also some families who say, “Jesus is coming soon, so eat dessert first!”