When my son, Andrew, was 5 years old, my wife and I read The Message for Kids from cover to cover with him. It’s a fantastic children’s Bible, and we all found ourselves looking forward to each day’s reading. Right about the time we closed the final chapter in that Bible, we found ourselves at a special worship service where families were encouraged to take communion together.
Having just read the Bible and feeling confident in his knowledge of God, Andrew couldn’t wait! So, on this particular Sunday, we stood in a small circle and I explained how the piece of bread reminds us about Jesus’ body on the cross. He was nodding along, listening intently, and I was sure I was making a lifelong impact on his young mind. Next, I picked up the cup of juice and began explaining how it reminds us of Jesus’ blood that was shed for the forgiveness of sins.
With his eyes focused on the bread and juice, Andrew reached out, picked them up and quietly studied them for a moment. My heart was jumping for joy! He got it! We had read the Bible, and we were gathering for communion, and my little boy was all in!
Then he put the bread and cup back on the table with a scowl on his face. Looking me squarely in the eye, he spoke with all the sincerity he could muster. “This doesn’t help me at all. Just eating and drinking ‘normal stuff’ doesn’t make me think about Jesus.”
And that was the end. We walked away, continued the worship service, went home, and I beat myself up. Why didn’t he get it? Did I mess it up that much? Will he ever see Jesus the way I do?
“This doesn’t help me at all. Just eating and drinking ‘normal stuff’ doesn’t make me think about Jesus.”
I spent way too long beating myself up before eventually coming to the conclusion that Andrew was onto something more than I realized.
1. We worship the God of “normal things.”
Sure, He can do miracles. He has done miracles. And He will do miracles in the future. But we can’t miss the fact that God more often works through normal things than through miracles.
We don’t have to leap through a bunch of crazy hoops to worship Him. We don’t have to complete a series of complex rituals. We don’t have to endure any confusing processes. We have a God who lets us worship Him with all of our “normal stuff.”
From that moment on, I made it my mission to help my son learn to see and to worship God in the normal things of life. He learned that worship music doesn’t have to be old songs written in a hymnal. He learned that prayer doesn’t have to be uttered in lofty King James-style verbiage. He learned that preaching doesn’t have to be saturated with massive theological terms.
“I made it my mission to help my son learn to see and to worship God in the normal things of life.”
2. We share the gospel by beginning with normal conversations.
When we read through the book of Acts, so much of what happened began with a simple and normal conversation. Peter asked a lame man to “Look at us!” Philip asked the Ethiopian, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” Lydia said to Paul, “Come and stay at my house.” Paul told a jailer, “We’re still here!” He reasoned with the people in Athens and later told the elders in Ephesus, “You know how I lived among you.” Even when the exact words are not recorded, it isn’t difficult to imagine everyday conversations that paved the way for renewed life in Jesus.
Consider the possibilities if you commit to generously talking to the people you see. A simple “Are you ready for this weekend?” or “What’s been the best part of your week?” have a way of positioning you in places where you can introduce people to Jesus.
Once I discovered the power of normal conversations, I committed to speaking to everyone I see and I’ve learned two things: First, some people don’t welcome it, and things can get awkward (but those moments provide great fodder for future sermon illustrations). Second, once someone begins talking to you about literally anything, it’s not that difficult to maneuver into a position where you can pray for them and encourage them with the hope of the kingdom of heaven.
“Once someone begins talking to you about literally anything, it’s not that difficult to maneuver into a position where you can pray for them.”
3. We care for struggling families by spending normal dollars.
At my church, we have a Benevolence Fund just like most churches. With this fund, we budget a portion of our offerings to be used to help people who are in need. But what really mobilized our people to help those in need was when we launched a ministry we called simply “People Helping People.”
I never would’ve guessed what would happen as people took the label seriously! People began volunteering to give rides, cook meals, work on homes, amid a variety of services. I was recently reading through the end of Acts 2 and paused on this statement: “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” This is what it looks like to use normal dollars, normal vehicles, and normal resources to care for hurting people.
4. We invite people to Jesus through normal friendships.
In Corinth, Paul joined with Aquila and Priscilla, setting up and working in the marketplace with them. This past summer, I was walking through a marketplace in Mexico City and found myself considering this aspect of Paul’s ministry. As I watched the various vendors in the market treating each other as family, watching over each other’s shops, and caring for their neighbor’s kids, I felt as though I had a glimpse of the fertile soil of relationship that Paul had discovered.
Churches have long invested in evangelism programs, printers have published evangelistic tracts, and Christians have waited for broken people to show up in their sanctuaries—when God has already given us a powerful roadmap for sharing the gospel. Hang out in normal marketplaces. Have normal conversations. Use normal resources. And submit normal friendships to the work of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s stop waiting for extraordinary moments and start serving the God of normal things.
