We can take Jericho

How do we penetrate the walls of cultural, social, and economic separation while facing the giants of philosophical, educational, and religious incompatibility with Christianity?

Timothy P. Nixon, DMin, serves as associate chaplain, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel had finally reached the borders of the Promised Land. But standing before them was what seemed an insurmountable obstacle: the fortified city of Jericho. The challenge seemed overwhelming, but God had promised Joshua, “ ‘I have given Jericho into your hand, with its kings and valiant warriors’ ” (Josh. 6:2, NASB). The task appeared formidable. A walled city and inhabitants who seemed like giants immobilized the Israelites with apprehension. The 40-year-old “evil report” from the majority of spies sent by Moses still seemed to stand in Israel’s way. And after 40 years the giants had bred more giants. The city of Jericho seemed impenetrable; defeating its inhabitants, impossible. How would Israel overthrow this great city?

What is our Jericho?

God’s modern people, like Israel, stand at the borders of the heavenly Promised Land with a mandate from Jesus to make disciples of every nation. But, like Israel, insurmountable challenges stand before us as well.

Today, statistics tell us that the largest percentage of the human population lives in cities.

Seventy-four percent of the population from developed nations and 44 percent of residents of developing countries live in urban areas. It is expected that 70 percent of the world population will be urban by 2050 and that the most urban growth will occur in developing countries.1Thus, cities must be where the church focuses its attention on if we are to fulfill the Great Commission. But the challenge seems so immense and the inhabitants too great. So, what are the walls and giants we face in reaching the cities of the world and its inhabitants with the gospel? 

The walls we face

The United States, like many other countries, has made significant strides toward racial equality. But the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen. The Pew Research finds that the rich are living near the rich, while the poor are packed together in large sections of the nation’s biggest metropolitan areas.2

Public schools are more segregated in urban areas today than during the 1960s.But America is not alone with these challenges. Income inequality worldwide has reached its highest levels ever. The top 1 percent control 40 percent of the world’s income, while the bottom half of the population share 1.1 percent of the world’s wealth.Cities exhibit these disparities worldwide. 

Today’s cities are the most cosmopolitan areas of the world, with the greatest cross section of residence—culturally, socially, religiously, economically, and racially. Some cities are visibly divided into various cultural enclaves that are monolithic racially, culturally, or religiously. Some have higher unemployment and unskilled workers in their community, with weak educational systems and high illiteracy.

Others are highly sophisticated with residents who are well to do, well educated, professional, and used to the finer things of life. The recent governmental shifts brought on by the “Arab Spring,” have exposed many of these disparities. Social media has connected the world’s major cities with instant information and access to many views, ideologies, and philosophies that are opposed to Christianity. The neighborhoods, villages, and hovels where many Christians reside have seen a complete ethnic, cultural, religious, and economic change. How do we face these diverse and burgeoning challenges?

The giants we face

In the West, Christianity no longer has the universal appeal it once enjoyed. For many decades, the church had what one author called “a home-court advantage,”especially in America. “The average person held values that were marginally JudeoChristian, had never met a Buddhist or a Muslim, and didn’t question whether truth existed or could be known.”6In the twenty-first century, this is no longer true. Basic elementary biblical knowledge can no longer be assumed. Some years ago, two football fans saw a large sign with the inscription John 3:16 printed in bold colors. They did not recognize it as a biblical text but instead thought this sign was an advertisement for a new restaurant. The belief and understanding of God is conceptualized through many religious and philosophical lenses other than Christianity. The West is quickly becoming “ ‘post-Christian,’ and the tenets of postmodern thinking which once were fringe have trickled into our culture and become normal.”7

As in the case of Israel, we, too, have some giants of our own creation. While our church is growing rapidly around the world, in the West, the church is atrophying. Of the more than 17 million members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, only 8 percent come from North America8 and even less from other parts of the Western world.

We also are becoming culturally detached from the neighborhoods where our churches reside. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America and other parts of the Western world is rapidly becoming an immigrant church with an immigrant membership growing faster than the native-born membership in the cities where their churches reside.9 This creates a gulf between the members of the church and the native-born citizens of many major cities, and makes the church irrelevant to city dwellers.

Breaking down walls while facing those giants

How do we penetrate the walls of cultural, social, and economic separation while facing the giants of philosophical, educational, and reli­gious incompatibility with Christianity? The following four suggestions may be a good start.

Jesus Christ is the foundation. First, our foundation rests in Jesus Christ. We must believe that Jesus Christ is able to draw all people unto Him (see John 12:32). This means believing that Jesus is able to break down any of the walls and all of the giants that we face in the cities of the world. The indispensible ingredient that Jesus Christ manifested to humanity was His love. John 3:16 remains at the heart of God’s appeal to all humanity and remains the greatest universal power in the entire world. Howard Belben writes, “The love of Jesus for men and women was so different from the love as men usually understand it. Most amazing of all is the love Jesus showed on the cross for those who put Him to death. There was nothing ‘put on’ about love like that ... He really loved people, even those who hated and killed Him.”10 Reflecting Christ and showing genuine Christian love for all will break down any barriers that separate us from others.

Be incarnational. In order for Jesus to save us, He had to become like us (see Phil. 2:7; John 1:14). Through the Incarnation, He took upon Himself human flesh and experienced life as we do. He identified Himself with the people He came to save and understood their concerns. Ellen White says, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour min­gled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’ ”11 Belben writes, “Jesus had a mis­sion to lonely, unwanted people, and so must His Church.”12

Too often Christians try to force non-Christians into their religious mold while remaining comfortable themselves. But, as Christ’s disciples, we are called to move beyond our comfort zone and reach the masses where they are. The apostle Paul understood that reaching unbelievers required him to “become all things to all people” (1 Cor. 9:22, NIV). This will mean thinking differently about how we present the gospel. Gibbs writes, “As Western churches increas­ingly engage . . . the pluralistic makeup of their societies, they are recognizing the need to gain fresh insights and learn new skills.”13 The gospel must be contextualized to reach the communities and neighborhoods where city dwellers live. Christ’s method of reaching people will still work if Christians would try it themselves.

Be socially engaged. Poverty, illit­eracy, discrimination, and crime are still growing problems in many urban areas. Christians must involve themselves in the daily issues that many city dwellers face. During the first century, one of the most important activities that helped grow the Christian movement was the engagement of the churches in the social problems of the Roman popula­tion. Derrel Watkins writes, “Christian missionaries . . . demonstrated Christ’s love by their concern for every person’s need as they encountered him or her. This compassion for suffering humanity . . . led to the rapid spread of the gospel throughout all the then-known world during the first three centuries.”14 Christians must become engaged in the social concerns that cities face. We should be actively involved in addressing the issues of poverty, distress, and justice that burden so many people. Ray Bakke observes that we do not need new technologies to reach the city for Christ; we only need to rediscover His vision, energy, and compassion.15

In 1996, responding to a sermon series on God’s passion for our cities, a group of Andrews University students were inspired to minister in the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan. They began knocking on doors and praying for the residents every week. As the weeks passed, the students realized that there was a need for a children’s ministry. This idea became, The Benton Harbor Street Ministry, a weekly outreach program focused on children. The ministry served as the foundation for an evangelistic series eight years later in the fall of 2004. As a result of the consistent social involvement in the community, 41 people were baptized, and a new church began in the city. As it has been said: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Be technologically savvy. Tech­nology has turned our world into a global neighborhood. The information superhighway made communication with distant parts of the world almost instantaneous. Facebook has become a worldwide tool of communication that everyday people use to make and develop “friends.” There are six bil­lion active cell phone subscriptions in the world today and five billion come from developing countries. Last year alone, mobile users downloaded more than 30 billion apps.16 Social networks reach 82 percent of the world’s online population, representing 1.2 billion people worldwide. In October 2011, Social Networking ranked as the most popular content category in worldwide engagement, accounting for 19 percent of all the time spent online.17

Christians must use this vital global means of communication to reach the people in cities around the world. All Christian churches and organizations should have Web pages, blogs, Facebook pages, podcasts, apps, and every other social networking tool available to reach city dwellers who spend their lives on the Internet in growing numbers. The Millennial generation was raised using social media and we must be engaged and active in using this means of communication to reach the next generation. At New Life Fellowship, where I pastor young adults, we have found that when we encourage our worshipers to text their friends during our services, they instantly advertise our services to their friends and then come to church. We also encourage worshipers to tweet portions of the music and sermons while we worship. Presently we average 70-80 tweets per Sabbath, and have seen those who follow others’ Twitter accounts join us for worship the next Sabbath. I encourage you to try it, if you think this type of ministry will work in your church also.

A heart for the city

Just prior to Israel’s Babylonian exile, God instructed Jeremiah to tell the soon captive Hebrews to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jer. 29:7, TNIV). As God’s followers, we must believe that this is not an accident but our destiny to live in a time when the population of cit­ies is on the rise. Cities have the greatest resources with unlimited potential and opportunities if we are willing to meet the challenge.

Our greatest weapon

The greatest weapon Christians have in facing the seeming insurmount­able challenges that cities present is our faith; faith in God’s commission, God’s power, and God’s promise. What God did with the twelve untrained, under­educated commoners at the beginning of the Christian era, He can do with us today. He is no respecter of persons. Jesus promised, “All who have faith in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12, TNIV).

So, what are we waiting for? We can take Jericho!

References:

1 Population Reference Bureau, “Human Population: Urbanization,” www.prb.org 2009.

Business Insider, “Maps of Extreme Income Segregation in US Cities,” August 1, 2012.

The Atlantic, “Schools Are More Segregated Today Than During the Late 1960s,” June 11, 2012.

4 Eduardo Porter, “Study Finds Wealth Inequality is Widening Worldwide,” The New York Times, December 6, 2006 www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/business/worldbusiness/06wealth .html.

5 Tim Morey, Emboding Our Faith: Becoming a Living, Sharing, Practicing Church (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009), 23.

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 Monte Sahlin, Adventist Congregations Today: New Evidence for Equipping Healthy Churches (Center for Creative Ministry, 2003), 71.

9 Paul Richardson and Monte Sahlin, Demographic Survey Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, 2007-2008, www.creativeministry.org, 2008.

10 Howard Belben, The Mission of Jesus (NavPress, 1985), 15, 16.

11 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1942), 143.

12 Belben19.

13 Eddie Gibbs, Church Morph: How Megatrends are Reshaping Christian Communities (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2009), 133.

14 Derrel Watkins, Christian Social Ministry: An Introduction (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 8.

15 Ray Bakke with Jim Hart, The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today’s Urban World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 83.

16 Alex Fitzpatrick, “75% of the World Has Access to Cell Phones,” Mashable US & World, July 18, 2012. mashable.com.

17 “People Spent 6.7 Billion Hours on Social Networks in October,” January 4, 2012. www.comscoredatamine.com/2012/01/people-spent-6-7-billion-hours-on-social-networks-in-october/


Ministry reserves the right to approve, disapprove, and delete comments at our discretion and will not be able to respond to inquiries about these comments. Please ensure that your words are respectful, courteous, and relevant.

comments powered by Disqus

Timothy P. Nixon, DMin, serves as associate chaplain, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States

May 2013

Download PDF
Ministry Cover

More Articles In This Issue

Treading Urban Ground Like Jesus

Learn how the author defines “treading the ground” as Jesus did—an important concept!

Lifelong learners

How can we reach the teaming masses with the good news about Jesus?

Atheism? Or eternal life?

From our special revival and reformation series.

Re-imagining evangelism in a postmodern culture

Who are postmoderns, what do they believe, and how can we reach them?

A church for the city

With urban growth staggering, this poses a formidable challenge to the proclamation of God’s Word.

The Gateway Experience

Read how “Mission to the cities” describes a call to proclaim the everlasting gospel to more than 650 cities worldwide.

Revived to witness

Thoughts on revival and reformation.

People or projects: Lessons on connecting with missing members

Many pastors and members wonder how to better handle the hurdles of connecting with those who were once part of the church family. Not all doors are closed, some open up.

American Saint: Francis Asbury and the Methodists

As a pastor, when I read this book, I was inspired by his life. His struggles with health, church conflict, and even depression give me hope.

“We just buried him, but he was healed”

One of the greatest robbers of joy and peace can bethe unwillingness to forgive or be forgiven.

View All Issue Contents

Digital delivery

If you're a print subscriber, we'll complement your print copy of Ministry with an electronic version.

Sign up
Advertisement - SermonView - Medium Rect (300x250)

Recent issues

See All