Dinner Out

How can we reach the lost for Christ?   The unchurched people in our neighbourhoods.  Our missional vision asks that each congregation consider how they can reach out to unchurched groups in their community.   Is your church thinking about this?   Suggestions are given of the kinds of people we could be reaching:  "unbelieving spouses of church members and the unchurched among single people, professional people, high rise or gated communities, ethnic communities, sports clubs, young people in shopping centres, workers in the hospitality industries, shift workers, the illiterate, young mothers, retired people, and the like;"  So how do we do this?

One thing we can do is invite people to church.  Sometimes all a person needs is an invitation.   Research in Australia reveals that 10% of people who are unchurched will come if they are asked by a close family member or friend.  But for most people crossing the threshold into a church is a huge barrier.  Church is foreign to them.  Some time ago a person asked me, "If I were to go to your church, what is the admission cost?  And where do I get tickets?"  This person has simply no clue what church was all about.  I did not go on and tell her that if she were to come she would be asked to stand up and sing.  However I did tell her there was no admission cost and my wife and I would be happy to take her along some Sunday.  Yes, we could bring unchurched people to church.  But I believe there is a better way to connect with the lost.

Rather than bringing people to church, what if we would bring the church to people?  When we look at the life of Christ and how he reached out to the lost in his day there is one characteristic that stands out.   He did not ask people to join him in temple worship.   No, Jesus went to people's homes and shared a meal with them.  To the swindler and cheat Zacchaeus, Jesus says:   "I must stay at your house today.... All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" (Luke 19:5-7)  We see this pattern over and over again throughout the life of Jesus' ministry.   He would eat with people and over dinner there bear witness to the goodness and grace of God.   He did this so often that Jesus admitted:  "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."' (Luke 7:34)  Jesus connected with "sinners" and the unchurched by sharing a meal with them.

Research in Australia tells us that while 10% will connect with the church if they were invited to a Sunday service, 54% would come to a meal if invited. What if, in order to connect with the unchurched, we as Christians bring the church to people by eating and drinking with them?   What if we allow "sinners" to be our guests at a dinner?   It might as hard for "strangers" to feel comfortable having dinner in your home as for them to go to a church service.   So what if we bring dinner to them, where they are?   Rather than having dinner in, have dinner out!  A dinner out in your neighbourhood to which you invite everyone to come.  This is what I think Jesus would do, as he suggests:  "'Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the place was filled with guests. (Matthew 22:9-10)  Share a meal and in this way bring the church to people.

This past year my wife and others witnessed to an unchurched woman in our neighbourhood who has come to know and experience new life in Christ.   Until most recently she has lived in a community housing complex where there are all kinds of people, both good and bad.  Most are doing it tough in life, and know the brokeness that sin brings.  So in the lead up to Christmas my wife and I, along with other Christian friends who we do life with, are having dinner out with the people in that neighbourhood.   Invitations have been sent out.   Many are coming.  And there in the car park we will roll out a table and fill that table with a banquet of food - a true Christmas dinner.  They will be our guests as we eat and drink with them.  We just want to follow the example of Jesus, bring the church to people, and be a friend to "sinners", to both good and bad.  My prayer guide for today was fitting:  "Pray that unsaved people will view believers as unselfish and giving.   Ask that they will be drawn to Christ as they observe selfless acts of service." (Patterns for Prayer - 16 Dec)   That is our prayer as we host this dinner out!   

What about your street corner?   Bring the church to the people in your neighbourhood.  There are many who will come.   All they need is an invite to a dinner out.