When God gave us the mission to share the Gospel Through Music around the world about 12 years ago, it wasn't limited to the easy days; but also for challenging times such as these. As we are currently unable to do our international music mission trips, and eagerly awaiting the time when travel restrictions are lifted and we can go to many different countries and use music as a vehicle for the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ...
What is there for us to do now?
Did you know that in most places in the world, there are people who have not heard or understood the Gospel? This means that there is very likely a mission field RIGHT where YOU are!
Acts 1:8 says this: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jerusalem represented their home area (= our town/city etc); Judea and Samaria represented the larger region (=our state/country etc); and to the end of the earth is... well, literally all around the world.
Right now, we will have to focus our mission efforts closer to home. And we would love to invite YOU to take part in that! OK, that sounds great! But how?
LET’S PRAY! We encourage you to start in prayer. Bring your desire to do local music missions in your area to the Lord, and ask Him to lead the way. We believe He will do that. WHERE? There are usually numerous institutions that would be very happy to invite you in. This could be prisons, group homes, refugee housing/camps, homeless shelters etc. Or maybe you want to do something outdoors open to everyone? If so, check out the possibility of using your local parks, downtown etc.
WHAT ACTIVITIES?
There are many ways to go about this; and feel free to be creative or to contact us for more suggestions.
However, let us give you a very simple concept here that is easy to adjust as you need to:
We usually plan for our event to last 1-2 hours total, and make it as simple as absolutely possible; preferably at no cost.
We will do a concert segment, and then in-between or after the songs we have a preacher share the Gospel, and sometimes someone will also share a testimony.
After the Gospel has been presented, we usually give them an opportunity to respond to the invitation of Salvation offered through Jesus Christ. In certain situations it’s OK to give them a chance to raise their hands or stand up if they want to give their lives to Christ. Other times, it may be more suitable to give everyone a form to fill out with some questions: such as if they have any prayer requests, if they want to become a Christian, if they want to join a Bible study, etc.
So, after the event we fellowship with the people that are there. It’s may be great to bring some snacks, coffee, juice or some light food, etc. That way your team can sit down with the people around the tables there and have a chance to get to know them.
This does not require much preparation, and is easy to execute!
LET’S CREATE A TEAM! Find a team (small or big) of people that would like to be a part. This should include some artists/singers/musicians (try to adapt the style of music to the people you are ministering to). And we suggest finding a solid Bible believing preacher or evangelist who can share the gospel during the event. And it's also great to have team members that can help organize, and some that can take care of some snacks/food for the event if you wish to have that.
One suggestion in choosing a team: often older people are often overlooked for outreach events; but, the truth is, many of the older people are AMAZING at speaking to people, showing love and care, bringing food, help raise potential funding, and articulating the Gospel in a clear way. So, we encourage you to see if there are some older people in your church that you can invite to join!
Our experience is that many people are excited to say YES to join something like this! It’s amazing to be able to use your gift to share Christ with people. All Christians are called to missions, and this is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of that! SOME PRACTICAL DETAILS: It’s important with a great relationship with the institutions you want to work with. On your end that means to respect their guidelines and terms; for example, the time frame you have available, the paper work you may have to fill out and their deadlines (specifically for prisons), what to wear/not to wear, if there are any age limits, maximum number of people etc. Remember that we represent Christ even in the planning phase, and with the people that run the institutions.
Check with them what sound/instruments they may have available, and/or what you may have to bring. Usually some church will offer this for free for an outreach event. Communicate well with your team, so they know how to best prepare for the event. Plan early enough so that it will not be rushed. And if you are planning to go into a prison; the paperwork process will take some time. So, make sure you check with the prison about their deadlines. OK, so maybe some institutions have Covid-19 restrictions. Perhaps some aren’t open yet to the public, and some may have a max limit of people for their events. Let’s work around this! Ask the institutions if you can set a date for a time they think it may open back up, and that way you can plan for that, and if it is not open by then; you can just move the date, while most of the planning is already done. And, if there are currently maximum limits in place, just stay within it. Every soul matters. And sometimes the smallest events are the very best ones, as you can get to know the people there better.
JUST REMEMBER…
Show them LOVE! In a lot of institutions, many do not feel loved, and several feel alone. To experience that someone wants to love on them and make them feel special, is an amazing thing! Jesus always loved on those who did not know him. The broken, the sick, the sinners. Let us follow His example and do that as well.
If someone has not heard the Gospel before; especially if they belong to another religion; you need to be patient with them (some times for a long time), and may have to make yourself available to walk alongside them on that journey. They may have a lot of questions for you; but there are wonderful resources available online and through books. Please feel free to contact us if you need resources for anything specific.
You can not save them, only God can. So, take that pressure off yourself:)
Doctrine matters! When sharing the Gospel, make sure it’s Biblically true. It can create a lot of confusion and damage if we present a different gospel, or not the full Gospel. It doesn’t mean that everyone in the team has to know everything in the Bible, but we encourage you to find a solid preacher that can present the Good News about Jesus Christ the way it is presented in the Bible.
You don’t have to do this event as you would do a church service. This event is for those who do not know Him, and we are not obligated to bring our traditions and formats in to this.
Did we mention prayer? Well..prayer is key. So, pray through every step of the process. Mission work is a spiritual battle, and you can expect spiritual opposition. So, do not forget about the power of prayer!
