In Matthew 5, Jesus says this (verses 14-16):
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
In the last post I looked at different ways a group focused inwards can become more missional. Let me tell you a story about how one group did this. I've told it before in this blog, but it bears repeating:
In a city about an hour from us, a network of simple/organic churches had a men's prayer meeting that met on a Monday night in one of their home. As they prayed about becoming more missional in outlook, one of them suggested that rather than meet hidden from sight in a home, they could move out into the harvest. So they started meeting at a local Starbucks.
The first week, one of the other customers saw them praying and asked for prayer for a situation he was facing. He became a Christian the following week. In the year or so since then, around 25 customers at that coffee house have become Christians, just because they moved from a home into the harvest. Two churches now meet at that venue.
Obviously you cannot conduct a prayer meeting in the same way if you are meeting in public. You behave in a way that is more normal for that kind of location. But your light is no longer hidden behind the four walls of a home, and people will take notice.
