-Colossians 4:6
In an effort to reach our ultimate goal of starting a church in the southwest corner of Paris, my team and I have launched some initial projects in our neighborhoods to find out what are some of the existing social networks & areas of "pull" through which we can plant seeds for the Gospel.
One event my teammate Mark and I started last month is a bilingual discussion group that meets at a café in the 15th arrondissement (my district). God has been doing some pretty awesome things through this "petit groupe" that has formed over just a month ago.
A theme that we used as a topic of discussion recently is that of marriage & relationships. Many French people struggle in their marriages and relationships; and a lack of deep community and loneliness are known well by many Parisians. Mark printed out lyrics to two songs - "One More Day" by Diamond Rio and "Who Knew" by Pink! - that speak of heartache and pain. Using these songs as a springboard for discussion, I asked the group the following questions:
- What do you think causes couples to separate?
- How can we love others selflessly?
- How can we be whole and stable inside so we can love better?
- Is it possible?
Through these guided discussions, God is also giving Mark and I opportunity to share our perspective on this topic as believers in Christ. Mark got to share about how his faith in God helps him in his relationship with his wife and their marriage. We also talked about the existence of evil spirits. "Do you believe in ghosts and demons? Have you ever experienced them?", they asked me and Mark, after someone shared a story about their friend experiencing something of this nature.
This is what I shared:
"I have never experienced or seen these myself, but I do know for sure that there are evil spirits out there, sure. And that there is an unseen spiritual realm that, though is invisible, indeed exists, and that it involves both good and evil, fighting against each other. It is because of the existence of evil that we, too, are unable to be whole inside, and why we are so prone to not loving each other. In fact, I believe that it is impossible for man to really be able to love someone truly on his own because we are broken inside."
No one came to know the Lord that night. I didn't get to share the Gospel. Partly because of time running out and partly because I wanted to leave things hanging so they would want to come back to hear more. Despite this, I know that by being honest about the bad side of things, I am hopefully preparing them for the really good news of Christ. I am hoping that Mark and/or I will be able to "reprendre" the dialogue, that is, take it up again in the future where we would be able to share more about our lives and the Hope we have.
We went into this project not sure how it was going to turn out. It has been going a lot better than we expected in that people are wanting to meet and hang out. Could it be that this Café Discussion Group is giving us a taste of the work of apologetics? That is, the work of humbly leading and preparing our friends for a reception of the Gospel through the sharing and defense of faith? We are learning a lot from our friends and we hope to continue to learn a lot more.
Whatever it is, we know that God is indeed at work.
Due to my leaving for the States soon, Mark and I are not sure at this time how long we will keep on hosting these café discussion groups. It may be that we will continue through the end of this month and then not resume meeting again until the Fall. But regardless of how this will continue,
Please pray....
- That any conversations we have going forward continue to be seasoned with salt, and that Mark and I would know how to give an answer for the hope we have with gentleness, respect and courage.
- Please pray for the Holy Spirit to give our friends the desire for Truth, leading them to the humbling realization of their need for Our Savior.
- Pray for more opportunities to share the hope of Christ and His Word with our friends.
Beyond just being an area of "pull", Mark and I are gaining new friends through these themed discussion group times, friends whom we hope and pray someday will come to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Pray that the Holy Spirit give our friends who attend a longing and thirst for God and that they would want to know Him, the Truth, the Way and the Life. (John 14:6)
