In January of 2012 I had the pleasure of attending a seminar presented by Bishop Edward Salmon, former Dean of Nashotah House and former bishop of South Carolina. During his episcopate Bishop Salmon had the unique distinction of having the only Episcopal diocese in the nation that was growing faster than it's general population. He came to the Diocese of Albany to pass along wisdom he had acquired about Church Growth in his tenure as bishop.
Bishop Salmon has what could be characterized as a wonderful, disarming southern charm that is a rarity in today's society. I think this gives him the unique ability to be direct without seeming confrontational.
During the conference Bishop Salmon relayed many stories from his past, among them this unforgettable one:
The bishop boarded a plane and sat down next to a well-dressed man who was obviously on a business trip. The man soon noticed the bishop's collar and said, “I believe in God”, at which time the bishop replied. “Great. So what?” Now as I mentioned before, the bishop has this disarming southern charm that I think allows him to be direct without seeming confrontational. The bishop concluded his story by saying that they had a wonderful conversation about God and Jesus. The bishop had the opportunity to explain to the man that just believing in God was not enough – he needed Jesus.
I don't necessarily recommend this “confrontational” form of evangelism for most of us. At least in our part of the country relational evangelism seems to be more effective in bringing the truth of Jesus Christ to the world.
“So What?” It sounds both challenging and confrontational, doesn't it? But Bishop Salmon's point was this: “Okay, you believe in God. What kind of difference has that made in your life? What have you done about it?” I think this is a valid question for each of us. Yes, we can say, “I'm a Christian”, but what have we done about it? So What?
In James' Epistle we read, “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18b ESV) Faith in Jesus Christ is more than just mental acquiescence; once we have received Jesus and his work on the cross we are expected to put our faith into action. Yes, we believe, but so what? What are we doing about it?
In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul writes, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Notice that Paul says we are to “continue” to work out our salvation (not being saved by works, but demonstrating our faith by our works). We are to continue to seek God in all things and allow him to work through us. We are to make a difference in the world through preaching the Gospel, through good works and letting Jesus Christ live through us.
These good works are not the basis for our faith or salvation but a demonstration of Him who lives within us. Each one of us has both the privilege and the responsibility to steward this great gift which we have been given in the person of Jesus Christ. The question is: “What difference has it made in our lives? What are we going to do about it?”
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind & straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14)
Shalom,
Pastor Jim §