As I write this, we are coming off our successful Pumpkin Patch outreach that targets the young children and their parents in the Valley to come to know and have a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You’re probably saying, “that’s a good tool to reach the children of the Valley. We need to do more of that so people will learn of Jesus.” It’s a tool that is cute and cuddly and more along the lines of what most conservative and conventional churches believe an outreach should be.
Now, we are on the eve of our radical outreach known as Hellhouse. I believe you have seen the posters all over town, some of which had to be removed as it offended some customers of the establishments that were bold enough to post them in an effort to reach out to the masses of the lost. The amazing thing is this: It wasn’t the lost who were offended but other Christians who have a misconception of what exactly Hellhouse is.
|
|
Different churches have used a variety of outreach tools and messages in order to spread the gospel. In the “Purpose Driven Church” by Rick Warren, he states a fact that we already know — “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to being fishers of men,” (p. 187)
As we know, Satan is not using just traditional attacks on the world but using things such as the media and technology against us in an attempt to lead the masses to destruction by desensitizing us and making us believe it is our own doing. So the church must use outreaches designed to inform the lost of what Satan is doing and has in store for them which is not a pretty sight.
We must also realize we are at war for souls. And any good soldier is equipped not only with ammo and physical weapons but with battle plans from knowing the enemy’s tendencies and how the enemy operates. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” New American Standard Bible (NASB). Armed with this knowledge, we are duty bound to show the how, what, when and why of Satan’s plan. Peter also tells us in 1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”(NASB).
An old saying that many people have lived by and understand is “Approach determines response.” Hellhouse is an evangelistic outreach tool designed to do as Ecclesiastes 12:14 states: “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”(NASB) As has been proven, everyone has different learning styles; some can learn by reading, some are hands-on, and still others are visual. When combined, a presentation containing all these elements can have a significant impact on everyone who experiences it because not only is the material presented in such a way that hits every learning style, but none are left to feel as if it was “too smart, preachy or churchy” for them.
Hellhouse is a series of depictions of living situations that many people who live in those bondages that they actually believe are “normal” and have the attitude that that’s just the way it is. It is a tool to expose the true nature of what is behind these “everyday” scenarios. But we stand firm on the word of God when it says in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”(NASB)
As Christians, we must not gather knowledge for ourselves and not share that knowledge with others, especially the lost. We are to be bold in our witness and speaking out against the schemes and plans that Satan has for mankind. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”(NASB) I don’t believe that Paul was speaking only to Timothy and only at that time but to all believers which includes all of us at this present time and in the future.
Hellhouse is an attempt to do just that: bold, fearless sharing of what we know about Satan and his minions and how they affect the world. The flesh is weak but the spirit can be made strong through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as the posters say, we intend to scare the hell out of you, so we can love the heaven in you.
I would ask that you, the reader, saved and unsaved, would just consider this as we prepare to do spiritual battle especially during this unholy season. The King’s Chapel congregation is not afraid and is honored to serve the community as frontline soldiers for Jesus. Praise God.
Comments
1 comment(s)Disgusted wrote on Nov 1, 2009 11:33 AM: