Preached February 7, 2010         
 from Luke 5:1-11         

"Bring in people instead of fish."  "Tend my sheep."  "Make disciples."  "Gather in the harvest."  "Gathering," some people refer to this process as "evangelism." 

But we sometimes have a very negative view of evangelism, and sometimes for good reason.  When I was in college, there was a young man who would get permission each year (under campus freedom of speech rules) to preach on the library steps.  He was awful.  He would tell the students that they were all going to hell.  He would point at typical female students and accuse them of being promiscuous only he would use bad names to say it.  He would say that their clothing proved it.  He would point at male students and call them names too.  He would tell everyone that they were terrible and were going to suffer for eternity if they didn't repent of all the sins he was accusing them of. In my memory, he was everything that is wrong when people try to evangelize without love.

Many of those people may have had a very sincere and deep desire to show others what they had found in Jesus Christ, but the way they went about it seemed to me to have nothing to do with Jesus.  It was uncomfortable, awkward, embarrassing, and annoying.

So what IS it that Jesus wants us to do when he tells us to fish for people, make disciples, feed his sheep, or gather in the harvest?  Well, I picture open arms embracing others, gathering people into community.  Christian evangelism is supposed to mean telling others the good news, the gospel message.  But the fellow in front of the library didn't tell us any good news.

In fact, the term evangelical has become in the minds of some, a synonym for intolerant or fundamentalist (which is another word that started out positive but had been hijacked).  Once upon a time, being a fundamentalist meant that you focused on the basic fundamentals of Christian faith, and didn't add things like church structure, denominational practices, or agreement with specific creeds to the requirement for membership.  The term fundamentalist may have gotten too far away from its original meaning to be reclaimed, but I think we in the mainline churches should try to reclaim the term evangelical for ourselves. It's a biblical term, and who doesn't like to tell others good news?

 We all love to tell people our good news.  Do you keep silent when you get engaged, or you are expecting a baby (or grandbaby)?   What about when you land that great promotion or find the exact house you've been looking for at a really good price.  You get excited and you let people know. And if your good news is something others could share, we share.  If I find a restaurant I like, I tell people.  If I see a good movie or I find a great sale, I tell people.  That's evangelism, bringing messages to others. 

In the church, the term refers to telling people why we follow Jesus Christ, why we meet together as a community, and what our relationship with Jesus and with each other means to us.  But, even if we can't get past all the negative connotations of the term, we need to do it, whatever we call it.  Otherwise, we're actually being incredibly selfish.

Because Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death, there is hope for all of us.  But what does this mean for you?  Is God real for you?  Has there been a time in your life when you knew that what had happened had been "a God thing,"  Have you ever dealt with a problem that you know you could not have dealt with without God?  I've recently had the opportunity to visit with some of the homebound saints of this church.  More than once, one of them has told me that it was their personal relationship with Jesus that sustained them, that helped them deal with pain. It was that relationship that gave them comfort when they were lonely, or helped them cope with the loss of a loved one.  This is evangelism, telling what Jesus has done for them.

Why do you come to church?  What is it that this community means to you?  What does your relationship with Jesus Christ mean to you? Are you part of this community because it gives you opportunities to serve Christ through serving others?  Tell people that.  They may be longing for that opportunity too.

Tell about the book. Over a hundred regular people contributed.  Each told one simple story about something special God had done for them.  One experience they had had where Jesus Christ made his love clear to them.  When I read it, I cry.   This is evangelism.

Most people in our city, our state, our nation, and our world do not attend church. They may believe in God, or even in Jesus, but they are missing out the fullness of Christian community.  Churches are imperfect, because they are made up of imperfect people, but with Christ at the center, they are a community like no other.  Each of us is here today for a reason. Following Christ, learning about Christ is valuable to us. We should want to share that reason with others, and tell other people what it is we have found. 

Evangelism doesn't mean that we convince people to come our particular church. It means that we tell them how we have experienced God through Jesus.  If they then begin to know God and want to follow Christ, God will lead them to the church they need to become a part of. 

Evangelism isn't about numbers or conquests or making people say particular words.  It is simply telling people our own personal, special, individual "good news."  It is opening up our arms as a follower of Jesus Christ and offering to bring them into the boat with us and Jesus.

The good news is that Jesus will help all who call on him.  This is wonderful, but as we read in Romans 10:14 "But how can they call on him to help them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?"

But there may be people here who do not have a relationship with Christ.  If you haven't entered into a relationship with Christ because you think you are too tough, or too intelligent, or too sophisticated, or too sinful, or for any reason, you are missing out on love, on life.

Remember what we talked about last week?  If you don't have love, nothing else matters, because everything will pass away except love.  Jesus Christ is the embodiment of Love.  Pray that God will help you know this Love.  Maybe it's time for you to climb into the boat with Jesus and row out into the deep water. 

Let's share with others what God has done for us. AMEN