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A man named Phil Cooke wrote, “I find it interesting (and somewhat sad) that pastors and evangelists have exaggerated so much for so long, that people have actually created a term for it: “evangelistically speaking.” He is right. It’s sad that the people who are entrusted with a message as important as the gospel would use deceptive practices to enhance their image. The subject of evangelism has been taught, maligned, practiced and misused. We really need to return to the simple definition of the word; to evangelize means to proclaim good news.

Anywhere. When a person has taken on the character of Christ, every situation, location and vocation is a place to serve. Servants are willing to put others first, willing to help, willing to lend a hand, to go the extra mile if need arises. Servants are not overly concerned with what they get, they serve. There is a difference between those who serve and those who are servants.

When we were children, we wanted our bodies to grow. At some point as an adult, we’d like the growth of our bodies to stop! I like donuts as much now as I did when I was a child but their effect on me is far worse. Instead of burning those calories off, that donut lands and lingers. We measure physical growth in inches and pounds but there is another kind of growth that is slightly harder to measure. I’m referring to spiritual growth. It’s not always clear how well or poorly that kind of growth is going.

It’s a pretty big deal when two people get engaged to be married. Usually there are rings, pictures, tears of joy, celebrations, congratulations and planning. Binding ourselves to the one we love for the rest of our lives is thrilling! Eventually we realize it also takes a lot of work. Our initial infatuation is challenged with the realities of merging two personalities, two wills, two families and two different paradigms into one life.

Why does the church exist? What is our essential work? Is it social? Is it political? Is it theological? Is it educational? Are we a community center? If we try to answer the question from the culture “at large,” we’ll end up with a lot of different answers. If we try to do everything that everyone thinks we should be doing, we’ll get tired and distracted. If we think about the two beginnings mentioned in the Bible, it will be easier to summarize our essential work.