Tell the Great News of This Banquet!

Out of His grace, God has provided us this Great Banquet! It’s a banquet beyond compare! What we have here – in this church, at this altar, is miraculous! It’s unbelievable! Just think about what happens here in this room, week in and week out. Jesus comes down from heaven to serve us.  He stoops down from His place of power and greatness, to humble Himself here to serve us a feast! Jesus serves a banquet feast of forgiveness, just like He did for the disciples on Maundy Thursday. He freely distributes the feast of victory over sin, death, and devil through His body and blood! And it’s given freely here through bread and wine! It’s given to sinners here without any merit or worthiness in them! It’s given freely by God’s grace and mercy! What we receive here is a foretaste of the great banquet which is to come in heaven! Everything is set for us by our Savior that we may come in and enjoy freedom from sin, and a life with God that we have the privilege to share RIGHT NOW! How great and incredible is this!

God has invited all people to share in this gift. Some have rejected this feast, because they reject the host of the feast, Jesus. The excuses in the Gospel lesson show their rejection – they had more important earthly things to do than to go to a banquet they were invited to long ago. They have their jobs, their daily lives, and other little things that they prioritize over the generosity of the host. As a result, this is the sad part: there’s still room here at the table. There’s still room for people in these pews. There’s still room for people to enjoy this feast!

So, Jesus sends out his servants to gather people to fill the spots at the table! And here’s where you fit into the parable. You’re the servants who already enjoy the benefits of this banquet feast. But there’s still room for people out there to come enjoy this great banquet! And so, Jesus tells you, just like He told the servants: “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” After bringing in that group, there’s still more room! The master says, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled!”

Herein lies your duty as a servant of Christ: Evangelize! Be the servant who’s compelled to go out and bring people in to enjoy the feast of victory through Christ, just like you do! Unfortunately, in Lutheran churches, evangelism can be often under-emphasized as a vital part of a Christian’s sanctified and holy living. However, the Christian church cannot become insular and self-serving! Rather, the Christian church must go out that she may bring in those who need to be healed by the Gospel through the gifts of Christ. By proclaiming this healing work of Christ, they are prepared to sit at heaven’s table and enjoy the gifts of this gracious host for eternity.

Now, evangelism doesn’t have to be particularly hard, difficult, or calculated. It’s as simple as talking about something you love! Just as you may talk to someone about the latest sports game, TV Show, or hobby that you’re really excited and passionate about, sharing the Gospel is really no different! That’s just what people do! They talk about and share things they love! It can come off as fake if you talk about Jesus like its some rehearsed speech that you have in your back pocket. People aren’t interested in the insincere. They’re less likely to listen. But if you talk about how great it is that God comes down to you in this service to freely give you lifesaving gifts and lays out a feast for the forgiveness of sins. And this is for you too! You gotta come check it out! People are more apt to listen to that.

A common question that people have within the church is: “how do I talk about my faith with unchurched people?” Teens, adults, and experienced Christians have this question. There’s a certain level of fear that exists with engaging in evangelism, or just talking about your faith. You may fear that you’ll be labeled as “that” kind of Christian. Or you may fear that you’ll close off any communication because you talked about your faith to someone who doesn’t really want to hear it. Don’t fear. The perfect love we receive in Christ casts out fear of rejection. There’s nothing to fear – for the Lord is with you, equipping you for the task. Simply, follow in the gifts He gives, and go where He leads. Fear is an obstacle, nonetheless. But it’s one that can be overcome by confession and prayer.

There’s an art to Christian witness. A lot of it lies in being led by the Spirit to know how and when to invite the poor, crippled, and lame. In the early church, they called the art of the Christian witness ‘protreptics’. Essentially, this was the act of leading someone to see Christ for who He is through the reading of the Scriptures. The chief example of this in Scriptures is Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8. The Holy Spirit led Phillip to walk up next to the Ethiopian Eunuch who was reading from the scroll of Isaiah. The Ethiopian didn’t understand the Scriptures until Phillip told him what the Scriptures pointed to. Of course, all the Scriptures lead to Christ. So, Phillip led him to an understanding of Christ by walking with him where he was, and spending time to peel back the Scriptures that he may see the saving work of Christ!

But here’s some practical tips to remember when engaging in evangelism. First, be steeped in the Scriptures and prayer. Engaging in regular study of the Scriptures means that you’re growing in your sanctification, increasing your knowledge, so that when others ask questions, you’re equipped by the Spirit to give an answer. Like Phillip, you’re able to lead and guide the spiritually blind to see Christ.

Second, pray that the Lord would put opportunities in front of you for witness. Being willing to be engaged in spiritual conversations is necessary. Hard heartedness to witness is something that needs to be confessed and find forgiveness in the blood of Christ.  And as you pray for your opportunities to witness, you’ll be led to see all the opportunities that God has already put in front of you. Whether that be as simple as people in your own family, extended family, or co-workers. You don’t need to stand on a street corner to evangelize. God provides evangelism opportunities in your normal everyday life. In this every-day evangelism, your Christian character and conduct will be what people see first and it will open their ears to hear about the faith you have. The facts alone won’t convince someone to be a Christian – your Christian actions matter.

Third, listen before you speak. Listen to your neighbor to see what sins are hurting and harming them, and apply the Good News of freedom from sin through the victory of Christ when they need an answer to their despair. Simply said, listen to them in their life, and rightly divide between Law and Gospel for their spiritual needs.

Fourth, communicate wisely and with patience. It’s not as if you can tell someone about Jesus once, and that’s what leads to their conversion. Not every conversion to Christianity will be like St. Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. Actually, VERY few will be instantaneous like that! Evangelism must be taken on patiently, with the understanding that YOU’RE not the one converting them. God is. For as we as Lutherans confess in the third article of the Creed – “I cannot by my own reason or strength come to Jesus Christ or know him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened with His gifts, sanctified and kept in the true faith.” Only the Holy Spirit can bring the gifts of Christ to someone – not you and your rhetoric. As St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3 – “I planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the growth.” You’ll have opportunities where you may only witness to someone once, and not see them for a while. But trust that any seed planted will be brought growth by God.

So, be patient in your witness. Look for opportunities to witness to people you encounter regularly by building relationships with them. Have a ‘long-haul’ view of your witness to folks. That way, they know you don’t see them as just some “project” but there’s real interest in them as a person. But work patiently, knowing that it may take them years to stop rejecting the Holy Spirit who comes through the preached word. If you ask most Christians who converted as adults, they don’t have a singular moment in their mind when they started to become “Christian”. It was a bunch of little moments and conversations built up over time until eventually, the faith begins to click for them. So, be patient in your witness, and let God work.

There is much more to be said about evangelism. But the simplicity of it is this: talk about the things you love. Talk to others how you love to receive the gifts of Christ’s forgiveness week in, week out. Talk about how God provides this wonderful banquet feast, and everyone is invited. Now “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that His house may be filled!”

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston