A marketing mentality and a consumer mind-set have no business in the church of Jesus Christ. By that I mean, Jesus is NOT a brand . . . human thinking does NOT guide God’s work . . . and the church is NOT a corporation. The church of Jesus Christ is a spiritual entity, guided by the Lord through the precepts of His Word.

If we sacrifice the essentials of teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer on the altar of strategy, creativity, entertainment, and “relevancy,” we have abandoned the main reasons the church exists.

We should build on those essentials, not attempt to replace them.

Building on the Essentials with Grace

In his second letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul underscored the principles of a contagious church. He began chapter two with a command that provides a church environment that is both biblical and attractive:

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)

From the verb, be strong, we glean this distinctive for a contagious church: It is always necessary to be strong in grace. That sounds simple, but it will be one of the most difficult principles to apply in a consumerist culture.

Where does the application of this principle begin? With church leaders. Paul could write this command because he himself exemplified it.

• He proclaimed grace.
• He promoted grace.
• His message was the gospel of grace.
• He modeled grace.
• He relied on grace.

Paul never forgot the importance of God’s unmerited favor in his own life . . . and it permeated his entire ministry (Romans 3:23–25; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 3:4–7).

The Impact of Grace

Isn’t it amazing that this former legalistic Pharisee—this violent man whose life was once characterized by making sure that Christians were wiped out—was stopped in his tracks by grace? As I’ve studied the life of Paul, I find grace woven like a silver thread through the colorful tapestry of his ministry. Paul became the preeminent spokesman for grace.

Paul’s message offers the good news of grace to the lost. Imagine the impact our churches would have on our communities if each Christian were firmly committed to sharing the gospel of God’s great grace once a week with someone who expresses a need. The lost need to hear how they can cross the bridge from a life filled with emptiness and guilt and shame to a life flowing with mercy and peace and forgiveness . . . all because of His grace.

We help build this bridge when we lovingly and patiently communicate the gospel. How?

• You don’t need a seminary degree.
• You don’t have to know a lot of the religious vocabulary or even the nuances of theology.
• In your own authentic, honest, and unguarded manner, simply share with people what Christ has done for you.

Who knows? It may not be long before you will know the joy of leading a lost person from a dark dungeon of death across the bridge to the liberating hope of new life in Christ.

How exciting . . . how contagious!