The Message In the Marketplace
By Zach Lucas
A lead pastor in Oregon City, Oregon
"Then Paul stood in the
midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men
of Athens, I perceive that in all things you
are very religious;
for as I was passing through and considering
the objects of your worship, I even found an
altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN
GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without
knowing, Him I proclaim to you:"
*Acts 17:22-23 – NKJV – emphasis
added*
During my sermon prep, I have
overheard conversations about sex, broken relationships,
drug deals, and parties of drunken stupor. These
topics were heavily seasoned with profanities
and an array of bad attitudes as well.
Where do I overhear conversations of this nature
while preparing the Word? A local community
college is a missional focus of our church.
I am present on campus one day a week as an
expression my commitment. During my time on
campus, I prepare messages.
Prior to this wild environment, I abided in
my sterile office—free from any defilement
from secular culture. My time on the campus
has taught me a lot:
• My eyes were closed – I did not
realize how lost most of society is. The average
person is striving for earthly passions. God
is not in their sight.
• I cannot reach my current culture unless
I am engaged in it – Most of my contact
has been with Christians. Because of this, I
have become naive to the world, and have lost
my ability to engage with the lost.
• They won’t come to me, so I must
go to them – I am currently writing this
article on campus. The group of students socializing
behind me won’t come to my church—in
fact, going to a church building is not on their
minds. They don’t need a church building,
they need the Church.
• My church setting is irrelevant to their
lives – My church service is a foreign
world compared to the campus, home, and place
of recreation they know. The message of Christ
is foreign to them—yes, this is understandable.
But does my church culture deter them from Christ?
May their only stumbling block be the foolish
message of Christ (1 Cor 1:23).
One day, while on campus, I was preparing a
message on trust. As my Word document was filling
with words my bladder was likewise, but I had
too much equipment on the cafeteria table to
pack up. About this time, I put the next point
in my message outline, “Sometimes you
have to extent trust to people you do not know.”
I soon looked behind me and saw a student studying.
I asked them if they could watch my lap top
and brief case while I used the restroom. They
replied, “So, you trust me?” Realizing
the irony of the moment, I replied with a big
grin, “Well, I am writing about trust
right now. I guess I’ll just have to practice
what I preach!”
…And there, I left my valuables in the
hand of a stranger who probably did not know
Christ. That moment taught me a lot. The message
of Christ is not information but incarnation
(“in-carnivore”, or, “in-flesh”).
I am not an expert in understanding and reaching
our culture, but I do know this - my blinders
are being removed and I am at a better starting
point. The apostle Paul was able to reach some
of the Men of Athens because he first walked
through their city. He then gave them the message
of Christ relevant to their culture.
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