In his book, When God Builds A Church, Bob Russell tells this story:
A little over thirty years ago, the number one, drive-time, radio disk-jockey in Detroit was a woman – Liz Curtis. They called her “Motor City Mama.” She wasn’t exactly a modern “shock jock” on air, but her day to day life was so wild that Howard Stern once told her: “Liz, you’ve got to clean up your act.”
In 1981, Liz moved to Louisville, Kentucky and a new radio station where she became known as the “Big Blonde.” Later, at another station, she met Tim and Evelyn Kelly, also morning radio hosts. Tim and Evelyn invited Liz to go to church with them and Liz, lonely in a new town and mainly looking forward to going out to eat with the couple after services, went. It’s occasions like that which keep preachers up at night. Here was an unchurched person coming for the first time. Shouldn’t the message be tailored to try and meet that person where they are and lead them to Christ?
Shouldn’t every message be that way?
I can tell you that while we all wrestle with this, the answer is “no.”Such a technique is simply impossible.Too many new people. Too many divergent needs, and you never know who is coming or what those needs are.
The preacher that day was preaching through Ephesians and was covering chapter 5 about wives and husbands. Liz squirmed at the notion of being “submissive” to a man – any man. But then, the preacher said that husbands are called to be like Christ – to sacrifice for their wives and even lay down their lives for them.
Liz leaned over to Evelyn and said: “If I ever met a man who would die for me, I’d marry him in a minute.” Evelyn whispered back: “Liz, a man has already died for you.”
Each week the Kellys invited Liz to go to church with them, and Liz accepted. She found a way to plug in to the congregation and get involved – but she still wasn’t a Christian. Several months passed, and one Sunday morning, as the invitation song was being sung, she stepped out into the aisle and walked to the front of the church building.They were singing “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” And that’s what she told the preacher.
She was baptized that day and later wrote: “I was delivered, body and soul, from one location to another – from the gates of Hell to the gates of Heaven.”
On my shelves of “books to be read” is one entitled: “Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn From Them.” I bought it because it sounded like a great title for a sermon series (and when I preach that series one day, you’ll know where it came from). It was written by Liz Curtis – now Higgs – and now the author of nearly thirty books.Her life began to be changed – infinitely for the better – when someone invited her to church.
You have friends. People you work with, go to school with, eat with. Lost people who need Jesus. All it might take to begin making a difference in their lives is to invite them to worship with you. You’ll never know unless you ask. You could go out to eat afterward.
Mike Tune
The Church of Christ in Falls Church, Virginia
– Truth For Today Daily Devotionals
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