Ministry in the inner city is no big deal. It consists of talking to people, taking an interest in their lives, and planting seeds. In this atmosphere, rejection is easy to take. There is no need to be discouraged if someone you meet doesn’t really want to talk, or if they don’t want to talk to you about something in particular. God goes about convicting hearts, not us. It’s our job, especially in the city, simply to be his hands, or his feet, or maybe his mouthpiece. I love this commission that we’ve been given. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations.” In his book A Theology as Big as the City, Ray Bakke states: “The frontier of world mission is no longer geographically distant; it’s culturally distant but geographically right next door.” He doesn’t expect us to go and make converts or to go and convince. He commissioned us to go and share. Bakke tells us “It’s news!” The gospel that we have been commissioned to share is news, not advice! It changes everything! In as loving a way as we know how, we must share this news. Advice is not always needed, but if we withhold the news of Jesus Christ from those who do not know Him, we leave them in the dark. Even when the news is shared (the light is shined) the decision to follow Christ still has to be made. Let’s be bearers of good news. Not good advice.
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