A dialogue with the deaf

When people don't respond to the gospel, it's easy for us to hide behind the powerful truths of 2 Corinthians 4 v 4:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

We should not let ourselves off so lightly.

Last week I was involved in three superb conferences. The Evangelists' Conference in London and Manchester, and then to Southampton for the first of our Growing Young Disciples conferences for those involved in youth and children's ministry. Both conferences were addressing the same issue from a different direction. How can we present the gospel in a way that means people really hear it?

The Evangelists' Conference focussed on how we revive the practice of one-to-one Bible reading with those who are not Christians. Growing Young Disciples focussed on how to tell the story of Jesus to children and young people whose lives are filled with other, more attractive, stories. But the central issue is the same. It is very easy for people to discount the good news about Jesus.

Dan Strange's opening talk at GYD told us why. Our evangelism, he said, is too often a dialogue with the deaf – but for the wrong reason. Not because of their spiritual deafness, but because of our failure to speak the gospel in a way they can readily hear. The Gospel confronts our modern mindset in all kinds of ways. Most people do not see beyond the superficial confrontation of issues like suffering, homosexuality or other religions. And because they react to the confrontation, they are not able to see the way it connects to the deepest things we are looking for. The cross of Jesus is the answer to our hunger for love, security, significance and meaning.

Yes, the God of this age has blinded their minds. But it is no excuse for us to walk away without appealing to people to sit with us and consider the teaching and life of Jesus as we open the BIble together. And it is no excuse for presenting the story of the Bible in Sunday schools and youth groups in a way that is dull and lifeless.

Growing Young Disciples is running again at All Souls in London on November 23rd, and in Nottingham next year on March 1st. And you can tie in to some brilliant one-to-one training given by Rebecca Manly Pippert at training days around the country.

The message of the gospel is magnificent. Let's make sure people hear it properly, carefully, engagingly.