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A death we all need

There is a death in this life, which, if experienced by every Christian would be the means of reaching millions more unsaved people with the gospel. It is, simply, death to our own reputation.

Perhaps I'm being unfair, but it seems the church in the West will do almost anything to reach unbelievers as long as we can keep our dignity and respectability, and not appear in any way 'uncool'. How far we have wandered from that bunch of nobodies we fondly call 'the early church'.

Speaking about the amazing growth and impact of that group of Spirit-filled, world-denying unknowns, James Montgomery Boice writes (in his commentary on Acts): 'Humanly speaking, it had nothing going for it. It had no money, no proven leaders, no technological tools for propagating the gospel. And it faced enormous obstacles.

'It was utterly new, it taught truths that were incredible to an unregenerate world. It was subject to the most intense hatreds and persecutions. Yet, as Luke records its growth in Acts, it spread from Jerusalem, an obscure corner of the world, to Rome, the world's capital - all within the lifetime of the first generation of believers.'

Don't misunderstand me. I'm convinced of the absolute necessity of seeking to be culturally relevant and innovative in our evangelism. Yet it seems that the modern church shies away from the simplest and most effective way of reaching large numbers of totally (yes, totally) unchurched people - open-air work.

Yes, it's old hat (in fact as old as the Scriptures) and we do see some dreadful examples of 'how not to do it'. But can it be that God, after all these centuries, has abandoned this method? If only groups of God's people from each local church would go out into their town centres and joyfully, lovingly and earnestly - by written and spoken word - make Christ known. Just think how many more lives would be touched.

'If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first', warned our Saviour (John 15.18). The apostle Paul was not ashamed to admit that for Christ's sake he had become 'the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world' (1 Corinthians 4.13). Sadly, today we are too image-conscious for that kind of faith.

Mike Mellor, Open-Air Mission