00:01
- The mantra of those
who have sought to equip
00:05
and inspire us and encourage
us in evangelism for years
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has been that, "Mission
starts on our doorstep."
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But now, we're only
allowed out of our house
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for certain reasons,
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so what does mission
look like in lockdown?
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Well first of all, churches
have responded amazingly.
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Looking out for the vulnerable,
helping the isolated,
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Christians delivering leaflets
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to their streets offering help.
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Food banks have been
ramping up their efforts,
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churches have been
livestreaming their services
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like it's going out of fashion.
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I wish I had shares in Zoom.
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But this is also a moment
for us to think about
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how we might share our
faith with our friends
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at this time for three
really good reasons.
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First of all, the sands are
shifting beneath people's feet.
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Cultural guru, Mark Sayers, says that
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in moments of transition
people are way more open
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to the Gospel than other moments.
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This is a moment for us to
be a non-anxious presence
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and to take the opportunities
to share our faith
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Secondly, we will never have
more time, for many of us,
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on our hands to be able to do so.
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I don't know about you,
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but I spend so much time with church rotas
01:20
and traveling to and from work
01:22
and suddenly there's a vacuum in my diary.
01:25
What would it look like
if we invested that time
01:27
growing and deepening
relationship with our friends,
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and our friends who don't know Jesus?
01:34
Thirdly, the technology is amazing.
01:37
Can you imagine coronavirus
in a time just 30 years ago
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via fax machines and pages,
01:44
instead of video conferencing
and social media?
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What would it look like for us to run
01:50
Christianity explored
programs, alpha courses online,
01:54
and invite those who might
never do those courses
01:56
if they took place in a church building?
01:59
Paul writes in Colossians 4,
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"Devote yourselves to prayer.
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"Be watchful and thankful
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"and pray for us, too,
that God may open a door
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I, like many others, pray
that prayer regularly
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for an opportunity to share
my faith with my friends.
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What if this is that moment?
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Let's make the most of the opportunity.
