Lighting Up Our City Video 8: Creating a Culture of EvangelismSample

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer…Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42, 46-47).

When I was growing up, dinner was typically the one meal we ate together as a family. My mom would try to have a “meal” most nights, but some nights, it was simply a “feeding.” And on rare occasions, it was GYOOS (get your own or starve).

So, what is the difference between a meal and a feeding? With the latter, people receive food to eat for sustenance—basic but filling food—but not a whole lot more. In contrast, when we had a meal, the table was set, food was on platters and in bowls, and we gathered around the table not only to feed our bodies but also to feed our hearts.

With a meal, we shared stories of our day. Sometimes, we asked questions—about life or about homework—anything was safe to ask. We laughed and listened and loved. No one was left out of the conversation.

When we approach the idea of evangelism, what kind of food are we offering people—a meal, a feeding, or GYOOS? We need to assess ourselves and our churches to discern how we are feeding people, particularly those who are hungry and seeking.

If we look at the early church, we see a model for living together and sharing meals: they ate together, prayed together, studied together, and worshipped together. And God grew the church.

Yes, we need to devote ourselves to worshipping and learning in our churches, but we also need to break bread together, joyfully share a meal together, and engage others with humble and sincere hearts. God will use our time to bring people to believe and grow in Him.

We need to be offering people a meal, a place at the table specifically set and prepared for them where we can share our stories and our questions.

So, will you invite others to join you for a meal around your table?

By Teresa Baumbach