Note (01 February 2005, 2:55 PM): I originally posted this when I was first starting blogging and I had a blog at DiaryLand.com (not to be confused with DairyLand.com, Dairyland Electrical Industries). I am moving the post over here for the sake of having it with the rest of my blog posts.

It's Sunday, and today's sermon was on the "Parable of the Sower" (Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23; NASB).

After church, I thought of this saying (I may have heard this somewhere, or it may be a mixing of several ideas): "Christianity is NOT a spectator sport." You may wonder what that means.

Football is definitely a spectator sport. We build huge stadiums holding tens of thousands of people (for college and pro) so that these people may watch football. Most of us lack the physical stamina and strength to play football, and therefore, our enjoyment of the game is purely on the spectator level.

Hiking on the other hand, is definitely not a spectator sport. We don't set up bleachers along a hiking trail. We don't shout "Go #14, you can make that ridge!" It's a participatory sport. If you enjoy hiking, you enjoy doing the sport of hiking. If you don't, you don't do it. It's not something you watch.

Being a Christian is the same way. God didn't intend it to be a spectator sport. However, some of us have turned it into that. We sit in our nice air conditioned churches, and wait on our preacher/evangelist/other church member to reach the lost. IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. Jesus told us to be salt and light (Matthew 5:14-16; NASB). He said salt. Salt in Jesus' time was used not only to flavor the food, but to retard spoilage. Also, salt makes us thirsty. It's not a coincidence you want a big glass of water (or other beverage) after you eat pretzels. So as "salt", Christians should flavor their world, prevent spoilage (read that sin), and create thirst for "living water." (This line of teaching on salt really originated with Mark Mittelberg, and I am just paraphrasing.)

If we look at the "Parable of the Sower," we notice that the first thing the sower does is gets out of the house to plant seeds. It's the exact example Jesus gave us. He left his home and comfort zone to reach lost souls. We should be doing this! Leaving our comfort zones to reach lost people. Acts 1:8 (NASB) gives us a pattern for evangelism: Jerusalem, Judah, Samaria, the remotest corners of the earth. Jerusalem was the first disciple's back yard, and then the mission field expanded outward. Therefore, why don't we start in our own back yard?

(Yes, your preacher wants to see lost souls saved, but if he came from another area, you know the locals better than he does. Get out there!)