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<\/a><\/p>\nDave (mark 1) is not a Christian.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t give a stuff about what you believe unless he\u2019s had a couple of beers.\u00a0 He is after-all, like most men, an expert on everything already. Sure he likes to row with you in the pub but for the most part he doesn’t really care about church stuff and its not at the top of his list of hot topics to discuss with his mates.\u00a0 Working class Dave wrote the church off years ago.<\/p>\n
So who is Dave?\u00a0 Well, Dave drinks beer, loves football (West Ham of course) and thinks that Jeremy Clarkson (if you don’t know who he is, you need to get out more) should be Prime Minister.\u00a0 He has a skilled manual labour job, only goes to church when someone gets married, drops dead or chucks water on their kids head before having a few beers and a roast dinner.\u00a0 He doesn’t care about atheism, creationism or any other ism.\u00a0 He\u2019s a bloke.<\/p>\n
Then there’s Dave (mark 2).\u00a0 Dave is a full on fired up follower of Jesus.\u00a0 He prays, tithes, has a quiet time and feels guilty when he doesn’t. He goes to the mid-week prayer meeting and a home group.\u00a0 He smiles at the little kids in the church and helps out sometimes at cr\u00e8che.\u00a0 He happily sits through long sermons and sings emotional songs to a man.\u00a0 He has embraced churchianity<\/em> and christianity.\u00a0 He is Dave redeemed, tamed and cleaned up.\u00a0 (More on the \u201ctaming of the Dave\u201d in future weeks).<\/p>\n There is however a massive problem.\u00a0 Most church evangelism starts where the church is on the diagram.\u00a0 Way too far along the scale of belief.\u00a0 To go on an Alpha course, you need to be prepared to sit and have a meal with a stranger, over a structured 10 week course, attend a Holy Spirit weekend and share your feelings.\u00a0 Alpha<\/a> is amazing as is Christianity Explored<\/a>.\u00a0 But to attend you have to be prepared to want the conversation and be fairly committed to seeing it through.\u00a0 You\u2019ve also got to be able to work through some real church sub-culture stuff and get the jargon. (More on this issue in future editions as well).\u00a0 He\u2019s also got to filter a message that tells him that he’s needy and needs a saviour.<\/p>\n Basically, it’s not going to happen is it?\u00a0 Or if it does its rare.\u00a0 Sure, someone will write to me and tell me how Dave came through but its not happening in massive numbers is it.<\/p>\n The church needs to learn how to operate in the realm and world of Dave (mark 1) and that friends, is behind enemy lines.\u00a0 At CVM<\/a> we view it as a massive victory if we move a bloke along the scale of belief.\u00a0 Get a debate going with Dave that’s not beer fueled and you’ve won a skirmish behind the lines.\u00a0 He accepts an offer of prayer and you\u2019ve neutralised a defensive shield.\u00a0 Get him to your church blokes clay pigeon shoot and bonfire and you\u2019ve taken an enemy position out.<\/p>\n Firstly of course you\u2019ve got to get behind enemy lines and to do that you\u2019ve actually got to make some mates who aren’t followers of Jesus. I kid you not when I tell you that I know evangelists who haven’t got any mates who aren’t followers of Jesus. So lets get out there.<\/p>\n Future blogs will cover:- jargon<\/em>, what is good news to a man<\/em>, church for men<\/em> and more.<\/p>\n As a final note, you\u2019ll realise that this blog is about actually telling people about Jesus. \u00a0 The UK church is swamped just now with loads of political and social justice activity.\u00a0 I\u2019m deeply involved in some of this activity.\u00a0 Its all good stuff but I appeal to you that we mustn’t lose proclamation.\u00a0 As far as I\u2019m concerned, the biggest injustice of all is that people die without knowing Jesus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This blog was first published on carlbeech.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n