Missional Metric III

Number of people who invite me to be with their friends who don’t follow Christ.

I find this metric to be important for a couple of reasons.  One, it keeps us "kingdom-focused."  Our call is to live our lives as Jesus would if he were us.  And Jesus was constantly out among the people.  Constantly being invited into places and situations that put him in close proximity with those who did not yet believe.  The verse that rings in my mind as I read this metric is Matthew 9:11-13, "When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when He heard this, he said, "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do.  Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."  One of the major issues facing us as Christians today is what I call the "ghetto-ization" of the church.  Because of the lure of the Christian sub-culture, it is all to easy to lose touch with the world.  We withdraw and only associate with Christians, only send our kids to Christian schools, only participate in Christian activities.  Obviously, this isn't malicious, it's just what happens if we are not careful and intentional about pushing outward and making time for those in our lives who do not yet follow Christ. 

A second reason this metric is so important is that it measures the "winsomeness" of our witness.  If we are being invited into these relationships by others, then it probably is a good indication that we have presented Christ in a way that is attractive and compelling.  Let me give you a personal example.  One of my "spiritual" practices in Mobile (and now in Sun Prairie) was to play basketball at the community recreation center.  There was a regular group of guys who would play three or four times a week at lunchtime.  As I spent time with them over the course of five or six years, I found myself being invited to their homes for parties, important milestone events, and the like.  Most of these guys were not followers of Jesus and most of their friends were not followers of Jesus, but they found something in my life that was attractive.  Now that I am in Sun Prairie, I have joined yet another lunchtime basketball group.  Just yesterday, when we were playing a ball barely grazed my finger as it went out of bounds.  Now, because of the competitiveness of the games, most of the guys would deny what happened.  I immediately admitted the ball had gone off me and the reaction of the guys was pretty amazing.  Everyone stopped, looked at me, and started making comments about how they didn't realize they were playing with such an honest man.  One of the guys who I am getting to know fairly well said, "Well, Doug's probably the only guy here who goes to church."  We all laughed and the game continued.  Such a simple example and yet I know from my experience in Mobile that this is how it starts.  Pretty soon, guys will begin asking me questions about why I live the way I do, they will come to me with issues they are dealing with, and, if I am lucky, invite me to be around their friends.