Do you think of evangelism as getting the people you meet to go to your church? This reverses the direction of evangelism. The Great Commission begins with the word “Go”. It concludes with making disciples of all nations. But the initiative and first action is for you to go to those who need the gospel message. You cannot expect them to come to you. Do you understand that going to them involves more than a change of location for you? If you want to be effective it involves more than meeting them as an outsider. Paul became all things to all people that he may save some.

Have you ever heard some outsider complain that the church is full of hypocrites? This isn’t true. There is room for them too. How many people do you know that live a life that fully expresses their comprehension of virtue? Most people, both inside and outside churches, don’t live as well as they know how. Is the answer to abandon all concepts of virtue? Holding values that you strive for provides an incentive for you to improve. It doesn’t make you a hypocrite to affirm virtues that you do not yet manifest.

Do you give to the poor? Do you consider it a virtue to be generous? Consider the generous people you know. Do they become poor by being generous? Don’t they seem to have an abundance from which to give? They can’t arbitrarily increase their resources from which to give, but I can. Some people can’t be trusted with money even from the perspective of personal integrity, but others can be trusted with the resources of heaven. If you regard what you have as a gift from me then it is easier to give it away to someone else in turn.

Do you belong to a tribe? You may consider this to be a quaint and antiquated concept, but ancient Israel was divided into tribes, and the same impulse is present today even if you use different terminology. Do you think of your denomination as a tribe? Does it give you a unique sense of identity and belonging? Do you see your group as separate and distinct from others? Do those outside your group see it this way even if you do not? There is great value in associating with and living as a part of a faith community.