Good morning Jesus, let et reaching out to you in desperation lead me to outreach to those in desperation today.
The NFL playoff games are over and in two weeks the 49ers and the Chiefs will play on Super Bowl Sunday. It is a day when millions of people will gather in homes and taverns to watch football, party, laugh, cheer, connect and share life together. It is one of the few days of the year that you have an excuse to invite people into your home, or accept an invitation into another home, and share stories and life together. Super Bowl Sunday is a pre-made missional outreach day that every Christian should participate in. Everyone needs to preferably host a Super Bowl Party and if not, then attend one. If you were looking for an excuse to invite your neighbors, co-workers, work-out friends, classmates, and others over to your house, Super Bowl Sunday offers that excuse. It is also an excuse to accept an invitation into another’s home, or yes Pub, for their gathering. I do not care if you do not like football! Watch the commercials, eat the food, whatever. It is an opportunity to encounter and enter into people’s lives in a real way. Here is why.
“Storytelling is powerful because it has the ability to touch human beings at the most personal level. While facts are viewed from the lens of a microscope, stories are viewed from the lens of the soul. Stories address us on every level. They speak to the mind, the body, the emotions, the spirit, and the will. In a story a person can identify with situations he or she has never been in. The individual’s imagination is unlocked to dream what was previously unimaginable.“
– Mark Miller
“Story telling is powerful.” Corporations know this. Obviously Budweiser has picked up on this in the last few years with their Super Bowl commercials. They moved from the comedic frogs of Bud-weis-er to the now infamous stories of their heritage and horses. Those are always popular each year.
The reason is not merely because people love stories, which they do, but because stories hit a people’s hearts and not merely their heads. And, because advertizers know that the Super Bowl is a story on the biggest stage, and if they can develop a story within the story, they’ll win the rigorous marketing wars between companies vying for your attention.
And, if they hit your heart, that’s what causes action. We can all watch commercials that have facts about how this pill has caused people to lose weight, or how many dentists recommend this toothpaste, but that doesn’t move us…what moves us, is the story, because it hits us deep in the heart. This is why the Super Bowl is important, and this is what the Super Bowl is about. And the great news is that we as Christians have the most amazing story to tell in all the world to tell and share, The Gospel of Jesus Christ! And we need to tell it and the Super Bowl gives us an opportunity to share it.
This Super Bowl…like all others is filled with storys and everyone wants to be part of it, talk about it, be around it because as football players will say, “The game is bigger than all of us.” Everyone wants to be part of a larger story, let’s use this opportunity as a door opener to the largest story ever told. How can we use the Super Bowl to simply point to the larger story of God ?
1. Throw a Party
For our family, we’d rather throw a party than merely attend one. The reason is that it gives us plenty of ways to bless people and have them in our house. I feel I can be like the Apostle Matthew and invite other tax collectors and sinners like me: my fiends, co-workers, neighbors to my party to encounter belonging in that my Jesus.
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (Matthew 9:9-12)
When you invite others, you get to choose the crowd you hang with. Usually, for Christians, this is a bad thing as we over filter who we invite. But notice who was at Matthew’s party: Scum, Jesus, and disciples. All mixed, partying like it’s 31AD. The more we get this crowd of Jesus, followers and not yet followers to hang out together, the better. Jesus gave us this example of connecting people to His salvation of grace, and He used this type of gathering over and over to reach people. We are called to use it as well.
2. Encourage Story
Encourage story with everyone. Walk around asking people “story” questions. Get your guests talking and listen. You learn so much about them during these stories. Be the story encourager at your party. Ask questions like:
1 How did you and your spouse meet?
2 Why did you choose your career?
3 Who is your favorite NFL team and why??
4 What do you like most about living here?
Really, any open ended question will work. It’s not to bait and switch them so you can talk about how unless you eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood you can never be one of his followers. It’s so you can actually get to know them and their story so that when the opportunity comes, you know where their story needs redemption and who or what is their functional savior so you can point to the one and only Saviour who brings eternal redemption, now and forever. You’ll know how to serve them, love them and show them Jesus in the ways that will tell a story that will hit their heart.
3. Go Overboard with Food
You ever been to a party where there isn’t much food? It sucks. Don’t be that party…be a party that points to the Great Wedding Feast. Not only that, but take into consideration who is coming. Ask if any have allergies, or a special diet. When you take others into consideration, it shows you actually care and desire for them to be comfortable in your house. It also gives you yet another connection point to their story.
Don’t supply all the food though. Have people bring food. We are having people bring their favorite football food. The reason is their dish usually has a story behind it. Either of how they grew up, who taught them how to make it, or why they like it. But I usually simply ask, “Does this dish have any significance to you?” You’d be surprised how much story can come from chicken salad.
4. Ask the Spirit For Guidance
Who has God currently placed in your path for forming a relationship? Ask the Spirit to show you these people. Maybe for you it is your CrossFit gym. Invite all 400 members. You know that 95% of them aren’t going to come, but it gives you an open to invite them into a relationship with you, and is a personal invite.
Ask the Spirit for time a time when you can invite them personally. It means so much more to me when I don’t merely get the Facebook invite, but when someone looks me in the eyes, ask me if I would come to an even and tell’s me personally it’d be so great if I did. Almost everyone I have been given by the Spirit in prayer to ask, and I’ve asked personally to come, everyone one of them comes. It’s awesome, even if one of them is a fan of my opposing team.
But, don’t stop there.
Ask the Spirit for guidance on listening to their story at the party and what you should say, or how you should listen or how to encourage further relationship. Remember, this isn’t about a football game, this whole day is wrapped up in story, so use this to learn other’s stories. Maybe you do get into a deep spiritual conversation, but maybe you don’t. Don’t beat yourself up. The Spirit will tell you when to speak, when to listen, when to keep it surface level and when to go deep. Just because you don’t present all of the Romans’ Road to them doesn’t mean you should feel guilted and shamed. The Spirit doesn’t guilt and shame you, that’s the devil’s game.
The more the devil can guilt and shame you the more you’ll have an agenda instead of listening to the Spirit on how to show off Jesus in the ways of Jesus in the power of the Spirit. Sometimes silence is the loudest witness. Don’t let the devil fool you into thinking you have to convert someone to Jesus at every party for it to be a “successful” party. But, always be thinking, “How can I make this party be a shadow of our celebratory God that wants everyone invited to His party?”
Take some time this week to begin planning your party and asking the Holy Spirit who you should invite to your party. Listen, then obey what the Spirit gives you.
If you do that…no matter what happens, your gathering will have happened by the power of the Spirit to connect people so they might know more about the only story line that ultimately matters. And who knows…maybe he’ll show you even more about “His Story” and how much He loves and wants to connect with you.
Please share your thoughts, reflections, and maybe other examples of what you use to invite other people into your story with us in the comment box below.
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Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
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