Influential Living

Scripture Reading: Psalm 99; Jeremiah 4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1

You became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. – 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10 -

I became a believer in the evangelical fervor of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Looking back, I realize that there was an atmosphere and passion for evangelism that has faded over the past few decades. Maybe that is returning. I pray so.

But during that period, it was not uncommon for churches to hold evangelistic meetings that lasted upward of two weeks. There was a whole class of preachers referred to as full-time evangelists, men who made a living traveling the country and week after week preaching repentance and faith to churches packed with members who brought friends and family to these services in hopes that they too would believe the gospel.

Say what you will about the flaws and failures of these methodologies, for a time they were used by God for the conversion of many souls. I was one who came to faith in the midst of this era of evangelism.

I long for the day of an awakening of evangelistic fervor. I don’t mean we necessarily must return to the methodologies that worked in the past. That may or may not be the answer. I simply mean that rather than create churches that attract church members and shuffle them around from one congregation to the next, that there would be a revival of the kind of Christian influence that Paul describes happened among the Thessalonian believers.

Paul, the professional evangelist, found himself unneeded, and he was happy about it. He didn’t need to say anything because the life and witness of the Thessalonian church was saying it all. The were sounding forth the word of the Lord and it was being given credibility by their lives.

It is hard to argue with a changed life, and that is what was being seen among these people who were being set free from idolatry to serve the living God. They had gone from unbelief to faith. To living in fear of the wrath to come, to waiting in hopefulness for the coming of the Son.

This was having an impact. They had become influential.

My hope and prayer for myself and for the church generally is that kind of thing would become the norm among us as well.