WE MUST CAPTURE OUR CITIES FOR CHRIST
By Jerry Falwell
The greatest challenge facing America is the cities, their masses, their crime, their homeless, their inequity, their politics, their corruption, their illegal aliens, their dwindling tax base, their crumbling streets, viaducts and sewer systems -- but the greatest problem is the vast number who are lost and have never heard a biblical presentation of the gospel. And another problem of the cities, their churches are usually high steeple morgues or some store front sect who may or may not preach the gospel.
When I talk about the cities in this message, I mean the broader areas including the inner city ghetto of Newark, N.J., the gold-coast high rise apartments of Chicago, the row houses of Baltimore and the ethnic area such as China town of Los Angeles, Korea town, and all the others. Today my challenge is the broader metropolitan area - people - as far as the eye can see.
Our example is Jesus who didn’t hide in the rural area or gravitate to just the small towns. He went to the cities, including Jerusalem.
I. THE BIBLICAL MANDATE OF THE CITIES
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” (Matthew 9:35)
“Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.” (Matthew 11:1)
After the cross, Jesus gave the Great Commission to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Note the reasons:
1. Because God loves all. . .
2. Because Jesus did all. . .
3. Therefore the Great Commission includes all. . .
When Jesus explained the geographical priority of the Great Commission, it began with the world-class city, i.e., Jerusalem. Since Jesus began with Jerusalem, you must begin with Jerusalem, i.e. your Jerusalem, which is the place or area where God has placed you.
Your Jerusalem may be a town of 30,000 or a town and county of 50,000. Your Jerusalem may be a part of a great city, such as Highland Park area or the Westside area, or all of Long Island, New York.
“But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth” ( Acts 1:8).
Note how the early church went to the cities:
1. When persecution came, Philip went “everywhere preaching the Word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them” (Acts 8:4,5).
2. The early church went to the third largest city in the Roman world - Antioch, a city much like Chicago, and they began a cross-cultural church. “Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:19-26).
3. Paul and his helpers went to major metropolitan cities to plant churches, Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus.
4. Call it “trickle down evangelism,” or “the rock making waves from the middle of the pond” but evangelism in the New Testament aimed at the largest number of people in the largest cities and flowed out to out-lying towns and rural areas. Ephesus was a major city where Paul planted a great church. Note the results of this great church in a great city, how they influenced all the surrounding small towns. “And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” Acts 19:10).
5. The aim of Paul was Rome - the center of civilization. It was the largest city in the known world. From Rome the gospel could spread to the world. When Paul wrote to the Philippians the gospel had already influenced the palace guards and from them to the world. “In the palace and in all other places” (Phil. 1:13).
I want to challenge all with the cities. (1) Don’t be afraid of them. (2) See their multitude - God loves people - He loves a lot of people.
When I preach the gospel on The Old Time Gospel Hour, I am not satisfied with a small television reception in a town like Blacksburg, VA. I want New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia. Give me the largest city, with the most powerful TV. station. It takes the same energy to preach to 100 or to 10 million people.
Today I want to give you a new vision, based on three things. First, the Biblical mandate of the city, which I have already given you. Two, statistics concerning the challenge of the city, and three, the answer for the cities.
II. THE CHALLENGE OF THE CITIES
Why are the cities so important, because what happens in the cities of America influences suburbia and the rural areas. This is not just the trickle down effect, but in our cities the following influences happen: 1) money decisions, 2) political decisions, 3) communication decisions concerning what entertainment comes from Hollywood, what information will be broadcast from the news rooms, what will be shown on our television, and what will be read in our magazines, (4) violence and lawlessness that began in the city, is creeping into suburbia and rural areas 5) anti-God influences that were once in the city are now influencing small-town America, the probation of prayers at football games has now reached the small town schools. In small towns there was a godly remnant, but they are being influenced by individuals who are “anti-Christ” in their attitudes.
We know that the cities are big, but do we know 1) who is in the cities? 2) the power of the cities? But more importantly 3) the problem of the cities.
Take greater Los Angles for an example with four and a half million Hispanics, is the second largest Hispanic city in the world.
Greater Los Angles is the second largest Chinese city outside of Asia, the second largest Japanese city outside of Japan, the largest Korean city outside of Korea, the largest Vietnamese city outside of Vietnam, and the largest Philippine city outside of the Philippines.
Greater Los Angles has a population greater than any state in the Union except California, Texas, and New York. More people live in Los Angles than in Virginia.
One hundred years ago, 82% of all immigrants to America were from Europe. Today three fourths are from Asia and Latin America; and they settle in the city.
More ethnics live in the city, than do the white population of the United States. 81% of the Blacks (African Americans) live in the city, 88% of the Hispanic (Spanish Americans) live in the city, 90% of Orientals (Asian Americans) live in the city, and 48% of Indians (Native Americans) live in the city. We always think of them as living on the Reservation. However, only 25% of White Americans live in the city and they are usually poor, aged, or of foreign origin.
Already one half of the world’s population lives in an urban center (a city of 50,000 people or more). However, in a nation that is developed like America, this is much higher, over 80% of our nation lives in our metropolitan areas.
Based on what we have heard in statistics, let me draw some conclusions. Most of our churches send missionaries from suburban churches to start suburban churches or minister in rural areas in America or outside of America. Very little missionary work is sent to the American cities. What verse could I best use to challenge the inner city, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” Romans 5:20.
Our cities have become the melting pots for people from nearly every country in the world. Our refugees go there, and these are the people who do not know Christ, or they are from other religions, and they are our greatest challenge.
While the church feels threatened by the emerging pluralism from other religions, this is a great opportunity to preach Christ to them.
The cities will continue to grow. By the year 2000 our cities will grow another 12%, while our rural areas will continue to decline and suburbia will maintain its population.
The following information is adapted from Missions USA, a Southern Baptist publication.
There are 130 million U.S. citizens attending 343,000 churches. Seventy million are Protestant, attending 300,000 churches. 49.7 million are Catholic attending 23,500 churches. 6 million are Jews attending 5,000 synagogues. 2.8 million are Mormons attending 6,900 churches. 1 million are Orthodox attending 1,600 churches. 500,000 are Jehovah Witness attending 6,000 Jehovah Witness Halls.
George Gallup the noted pollster indicates 15% of all Americans are Evangelical and that 68% of the Evangelicals attend church regularly. Therefore the people we claim are truly saved, (i.e. evangelicals) represent 35 million, or 15% of our population. Most of the evangelical churches are in suburbia and the rural areas, not in the city.
For the observation, 42 million Americans belong to churches of the National Council of Churches. 14 million are Southern Baptist, 3 million belong to the National Association of Evangelicals, 2.5 million the American Council of Christian Churches, 120,000 Independent Fundamental Council of churches, and 9.4 million belong to unaffiliated churches.
Observation about pastors from the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches - it lists 490,000 clergy in the US, 271,000 are pastoring our 343,000 churches. This means 62,000 Protestant churches are either without a pastor or have a part-time pastor. How many of these are preaching the gospel? I would hope at least half of them, but I am not sure.
Observation, if every American attended church, the average church would have 1,000 members, but yet the average is less than 75.
Observation, Edward Dayton reports in the publication Unreached Peoples that churches in America and the US are losing 2,765,000 members per year.
America is a mission field because only 15% of its population is Evangelical.
The cities are the greatest mission field in America because there are so many people there, represent so many needs, while it is difficult to reach them because they come from so many backgrounds and there are so few churches doing for too little.
Other challenges facing the church: In America there are over 45 unchurched people groups (Ethnic groups having churches to evangelize them). Most of the individuals in these groups are unevangelized.
In addition to this is the following challenge to America:
3 million Muslims
2.4 million Hindus
35 million Handicapped
10 million Alcoholics
6 million Jews
4 million Americans are prison inmates
1.4 million Native Americans or Indians
Of the 28 million Black African Americans, 30% are evangelized whereas 50% of Black Africa is Evangelized.
One million Chinese in America, yet only 5% have been touched with the Gospel.
Hispanic Americans are the second largest ethnic minority in America, and the National Spanish Television Network is connected to 3.1 million Spanish speaking households, yet less than 15% of them are Protestant and the Central American Missions claim only three to five percent are Evangelicals.
There are 6 million temporary residents in America who are neither immigrants or tourists, but they are students or workers with green cards. Where do these people live, in urban America.
When we come to the bottom line, 75% of Americans who live in the city are unevangelized and how do we label them?
1) Undesirable because they are street people, poor, illiterate, or foreign.
2) Unwanted because they are different than people in the traditional white church.
3) Unseen, because they are not what we see in our Christian literature, i.e. they not white Americans.
What can you say about the city? It is a paradox, first because it is the center of economic wealth, commercialism, and money. Yet the city is the center of poverty and want. You see the homeless in front of a large prosperous business or bank sleeping over the warm air grate in the winter time.
The second paradox is the city stands for law, order, and civilization yet in the city you see the greatest forms of evil, filth, and degradation. It is in the city where you find X-rated films, the center of prostitution, and the greatest centers of evil.
The third paradox is the church. In the city you find the greatest steeples, some of the greatest names among churches, and yet you find less evangelism, smaller congregations, less vitality for Jesus Christ and almost no soul winning where the greatest number of people are located.
III. THE ANSWER FOR THE CITIES
I began this ministry with a view of Saturation Evangelism and the first year at Liberty, I taught a class on evangelism, explaining it as, “using every available means, to reach every available person , at every available time.” The first book I wrote with Dr. Elmer towns was Church Aflame. It became a best seller because it told how I built one of the ten largest churches in America by Saturation Evangelism and Super aggressive Evangelism. It still works, if we will work it.
Illustration of a big day: Use of television, radio, newspapers, phone everyone in telephone book, flyers on posts, trees, shop windows, and cassettes.
The basis of Saturation Evangelism is God’s view of the city. “Did we not straightly command you, that you should not teach in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine” (Acts 5:28). I believe we can fill every city in America with the gospel, but television can’t do it alone.
The second book I wrote also became a best seller Capturing A Town For Christ. I still believe this is the vision for every church, to capture it’s “Jerusalem” for Christ. Money invested in the Old Time Gospel Hour and Liberty University can do more to reach our cities than any other form, because of Saturation Evangelism. We send out the gospel on television and our students go into the churches.
WILL YOU HELP LIBERTY MEET THIS CHALLENGE
I want you to write me a letter and (1) give me your insight on reaching the cities, (2) give me your ideas how we can do it, (3) tell me if I am on the right track, (4) pray for Liberty University as we try to develop a strategy to reach the city, (5) support Liberty University with your gifts or perhaps you can give a massive gift to develop a Center for Urban Studies. Here are the following questions I think we need to address: (1) Should Liberty University with Liberty Baptist Missions (our world-wide missions program) and Liberty Baptist Fellowship (our church planting arm) continue to concentrate our energies on traditional outreach to suburbia and rural areas? (2) If we should go to the city, how can we do it? Where can we do it or should we focus on the cities? (3) What is the strategy for doing it? (4) What is God’s will for revival? (5) Can our churches, especially urban churches, continue its suburban strategy and reach the city?
In a world that is rapidly changing, highly mobile, technological driven by telecommunications, recreation crazed; what form should the church have and how should it minister? To what needs should the church address itself? Obviously, there are many social needs in the church. Should the church be building houses? Providing soup lines? Work with the homosexual? Providing adoption agencies? Teach the illiterate? Minister to those who can’t speak English?
Obviously, all of these needs are pressing and imperative. One church can’t do it all. What is our strategy and how do we prioritize it? How can the evangelical church of America change its attitude? Will you help Liberty University meet this challenge? (4) What specific form of evangelism and ministry can best reach the city? Will it be planting churches? Will it be the Old-Time Gospel Hour? Will it be our radio outreach? Or will we have to develop a new strategy?
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord,
I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc.
