Gentle Evangelism

Earlier this year, NBA player Jaden Ivey was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Chicago Bulls. Shortly thereafter, he was dismissed for “conduct detrimental to the team.”[i] This is not unheard of, but it is rare because he’ll get paid whatever is remaining in his contract. The Bulls were so fed up with Ivey, they fired him, with pay. Normally, if he was not in their future plans, they would either try to trade him, or let him play out his contract and then not offer a new one. What did Ivey do that was so odious, that Chicago was willing to pay him $10 million just to walk away? He talked about Jesus.

            Of course, this is too simplistic of an explanation, but it is how Ivey justifies his actions that led to his dismissal from the team. What Ivey actually did was post videos on Instagram. Sitting in his car, he made a series of statements deemed to anti-LGBTQ+ by many in the media. Instagram is there for the world to watch. The NBA’s official stance is to welcome all fans. As a part of this effort, the league officially celebrates LGBTQ+ pride month. Ivey sees this as sinful and contrary to scripture. In his attempt to tell the good news of Jesus Christ, he condemns the LGBTQ+ community and any who support them.

            I need to establish a few things. This column I am writing is not a statement about the LGBTQ+ community. I know Christians whose faith I deeply respect who believe that people in same-sex marriages can follow Jesus and honor him in their marriages. I know other Christians, also people I respect, whose faith is essentially like Ivey’s. They vehemently condemn anything outside of Cisgender and heterosexual, monogamous marriage on what they believe to be Biblical grounds. And, I know people who fall between these extremes. For me, the biggest question is how do we share our faith effectively and lovingly?

            The other thing I need to assert is that if Ivey was scoring over 20 points a game and leading his team into the playoffs, they would have gladly tolerated his rhetoric. Professional sports teams tolerate a lot from star athletes. Ivey is a good enough that the Bulls traded for him, but not good enough to be a distraction.

            On the night before Easter, after the Bulls had cut him, he was near Auburn University. He with a number of other street preachers. His presentation of the gospel included judgment and Hell for those who reject the gospel. Is that approach effective? Is that the approach Jesus took? Jesus’ preaching definitely included fiery images of condemnation. Matthew 13:42 and 13:50 are but a few of many examples of this. Moreover, repentance was a key message that he preached (Mark 1:15, 38). However, often today’s street preachers and hard-core fundamentalists sound notes more condemnatory than those offered by Jesus. Whatever your LGBTQ+ theology is and whatever your thoughts about judgment and Hell are, you don’t want to be more extreme than Jesus was.

 Jesus loves all people – gay or straight, short or tall, male or female – all people. Jesus doesn’t want anyone going to Hell. I think, in our time and place in history, the best way to help people pay honest attention to Jesus is to walk with them in their pain and listen to their stories. Someone will only trust you with their pain and their stories if they think you are safe. Our pain makes us fragile and our stories expose us. We need to be handled gently.

Jaden Ivey claimed that on Judgement Day, he’s going to be judged for how he represented Christ, not how well he played basketball. He’s right. However, I don’t think his approach is safe enough to draw in broken, vulnerable people. My vision for the way we do evangelism at Hillside Church is based on the qualities Paul refers to as the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Note what’s included in that virtue list – patience, kindness, generosity, and gentleness.

I believe that when we embody these qualities, it will put others at ease. It will be a gospel gift to them, because the world rarely gives these qualities. In a state of emotional relief and spiritual rest, they will then feel free to reveal their true selves. At that point, we don’t have to point out their sin. They’ll see it already. They’ll acknowledge it and repent. If they don’t have language for repentance, then we can step in and read Mark 1 with them. Zacchaeus was a “chief tax collector,” which meant that he was a professional, state-sanctioned swindler. Jesus did not condemn him. He just joined him for dinner.  He made Zacchaeus feel seen and welcomed. After that, Zacchaeus did all the confessing unprompted (Luke 19:8), and Jesus pronounced him saved (19:9).

I shared the account of Jaden Ivey as a cautionary tale. I urge all Hillside members to be evangelistic. Share the gospel in the world. However, do it in a way that is patient, kind, generous, and gentle. Enter people’s pain and listen to their stories. As you do, the Holy Spirit will reveal that moment when it is time to help them see how their lives are a part of God’s story and they need Jesus. That’s our approach to evangelism.

 

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[i] Cody Benjamin, Christianity Today (volume LXX, no. 4, July/August 2026), p.68-73.

Pause for the Prophet

 

               If you worship at Hillside Church or watch our services on YouTube or Facebook, you are reading this in August, 2026, and you know we’re in the middle of a series of sermons from 1 Peter. This will run through the rest of August. After that, we will turn our attention to some prophetic moments in the Old Testament. We’ll hear from Deborah, King Saul (who was briefly filled with God’s prophetic spirit), Gad, Obadiah, Micaiah, Huldah, and Oded. If these are unfamiliar names, that’s the point. We know about Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and other “big names” among the prophets. In the Bible, God say things we need to hear. Often the message is embedded in familiar stories, but just as often, God speaks his word through people Bible we might not know as well.

               Walter Brueggemann notes a recurring theme in prophetic literature: the prophet’s word both “plucks up and tears down,” and “plants and builds up” (Like Fire in the Bones, p.9). When God speaks through the prophets we must listen and align our lives with the message. Sometimes this leads us to radically changes our lives. Michael Fishbane says “God’s living voice [is] experienced as a caesural implosion on human consciousness” (Sacred Attunement, p.163). In poetry, a caesura is a built-in pause. The reader of the poem pauses at the caesura and takes a breath as she digests the words. Taking a pause to hear and understand God’s voice is necessary for all who take their faith seriously.

               I am calling the church to open the Bible, sit in quiet awe before the words we read and hear in it, and pause; we must read with enough honesty vulnerability that we feel ourselves plucked up and torn down as God implodes our consciousness. Then, just as we, in our sin, feel unmade in the presence of the holy God, that same God plants us and builds us up, or as Paul puts it, makes us new (2 Corinthians 5:17). If we breeze through Bible reading too quickly, failing to slow down and pay attentions, we might miss the ways God wants to go to work on us and in us.

               So, for the next 4 weeks, take a caesura. Pause with me, as we sit before 1 Peter. Then over the course of the two months after that, walk with me through the stories of lesser known but extraordinarily important prophets. Along the way, we’ll pause as needed. Reading closely and attentively and vulnerably, we find that the word of the Lord is not always easy to take, but even so, when we read in faith, we meet God and this revives the soul (Psalm 19:7).  From now through the end of October, who will join me in pausing and receiving revival from the living God?

An Impartial God?

                In my sermon on June 28, 2026, I insisted that no one will go to eternal damnation without having had the opportunity to respond to God’s grace. Salvation is offered to all. I believe this because if God did otherwise – randomly save some and randomly reject others – it would mean God is arbitrary. I believe God is intentional in God’s oversight of the universe. I also believe God is just and generous. So, God offers salvation to all.

               In this assertion, I am referring to God’s character. One of many verses that I believe indicates this generous character of God is 1 Peter 1:17: “If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.” In the sermon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QlVnHUkcYY , beginning at the 40:30 mark), I explain what Peter means in calling the church members “exiles.” As followers of Christ, we belong to the Kingdom of God, so we are strangers in the kingdoms of the world. However, we are here, in the world, to draw the world to Christ. We are in this strange world for God’s purposes.

               As exiles, people outside the mainstream, we will suffer because of our allegiance to Christ. Peter tells us that when that happens, we are to “live in reverent fear.” We are to know God’s ways and live by God’s ethics. The world says that if someone hits me, I ought to hit back, harder. Jesus says, “turn the other cheek.” The world says, seek your own self-interest. Jesus says, “love your neighbor as yourself.” In a world that doesn’t show any regard for Jesus, we are to live by the ethical standard he set, knowing it will put us out of step with the world.

               This reverent fear 1 Peter speaks of means we give absolute respect and deference to a God who judges impartially. It is a relief to think of God as a judge who puts everyone on equal footing. God doesn’t favor one person over another. It should also terrify us that God is impartial because everyone, including each one of us, is a sinner who has offended God with our rejection of his authority. If God were to judge the people of the world with pure impartiality, we would all deserve punishment and separation from his kingdom.

               Here is where the work of Christ on the cross mitigates God’s impartial judgment. God’s impartiality means every person has access to God. It also means, because all have sinned, that every person will come under condemnation. The work of Christ on the cross means our sins are covered. The condemnation is removed. His resurrection means our death has been defeated. We are bound for eternal life in God’s Kingdom. God’s impartiality means this grace is open to all. I believe it is extended to all, which means no person will enter eternity without having had the opportunity to put their faith in Jesus.

               Notice, I have not described God as “fair.” It’s the wrong word. If God were fair, Jesus would have not died on the cross. He didn’t deserve that. His death is a result of human sin. God allowed it because God loves us. God is not fair. God is generous. I also would not call God impartial. God judges impartially, but God gives grace extravagantly. “Gracious” is a more apt epithet for God than “impartial.” As you read 1 Peter this summer, keep in mind that the God we meet in this work is one who welcomes you with love and grace. Put your faith in that God.

A Summer Discussion of Everyday Church (beginning June 17)

 

            In an effort to help our members grow as disciples, I will be leading a summer book study. We’ll be looking at the book Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission. Authors Tim Chester and Steve Timms read the New Testament book of 1 Peter and several other Biblical texts as a foundation for evangelism. The intent is to attract people to Jesus. How we function as a church is in itself an expression of the gospel. And, how we relate to our unchurched neighbors is an expression of the gospel.

This group is meant to equip us. We will use this work and, more importantly, 1 Peter and other New Testament passages, to become a more evangelistic church. Studying this work in community will help each participant as we learn from each other, from the Bible, from Chester & Timms, and most importantly from the Holy Spirit.

            I hope you can participate in this group. If you are interested, I recommend ordering your copy of the book begin reading it now. It is out of print, but used copies can be found on the following sites: Ebay, Amazon, AbeBooks.com, World of Books, Thriftbooks.com, Biblestore.com, HalfPriceBook (HPB.com), HighDiscountBooks.com, & Biblio.com. Order the book now, begin reading it, and write down your own thoughts and questions about evangelism.

            The small group will be a Zoom book discussion group meeting on Wednesday nights, 7:00-8:00PM. The first meeting will be June 17, and the group will conclude on September 2. If there is enough interest for an in-person group, that will be held Tuesdays from 11AM-Noon.

            Please email Karen Taylor or Me to let me know you’ll be joining the group.

-        Pastor Rob (Robert.j.tennant70@gmail.com)

 

 

Witness (May 2026)

            On May 4, 2026, our associate minister, Kim Koonts, and I attended an informal gathering of leaders and pastors from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina. Our sole purpose was to discuss how Cooperative Baptists practice evangelism. We want to make the practice of sharing our faith a bigger emphasis in the CBF. At Hillside church, we want evangelistic efforts to define us as a people.

After the resurrection, Jesus met with his disciples. He told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). What did they witness? They stood with Jesus after that had seen him die with their own eyes. They were witnesses of the resurrection.

            What have we witnessed? Having received forgiveness and having been filled with the Holy Spirit, we have seen that the testimony handed down to us by those original disciples is true. Jesus is the Savior. He indeed did die for our sins. He was raised from the dead. All who turn to him in faith, confess their sins, receive forgiveness, and entrust their lives to him will be saved. That’s our testimony. Like the original followers of Jesus, we are disciples and we are witnesses God has sent to testify.

            What’s the point of bearing witness? After being raised from the dead, the resurrected Jesus met with his disciples and told them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We tell our faith stories as a step in our work of sharing Christ with the world. We want to help go from being lost, cut off from God in sin, to being saved. We want to help our neighbors the people we meet become disciples of Jesus.

            How do you and I, the people of the Hillside Church congregation, answer this call from our Lord? How do we practice evangelism and disciple-making in a way that’s faithful to the words of Jesus and true to our church’s culture and personality? We’re going to spend much of the rest of 2026, attending to these questions.

            We’ve already become members of the National Association of Evangelicals. I encourage you to read up on their organization (https://www.nae.org/). This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with sharing Jesus with the world. I also ask that you pray. Ask God to help the Hillside elders lead our church to be more energetic in our efforts to share Jesus with lost, unchurched people. Ask God to show how to best take up this work. Ask God to help you personally grow in your own walk with Christ.

            Ultimately, I believe that the closer we get to God in our relationship with God in Christ, the more natural it will be to tell others about him. I have no trouble talking to people about my wife or my kids. They’re always on my mind. It can be this way with Jesus. We grow closer and closer to him, and he becomes the center of our thought. Our identity in him is such that our lives wouldn’t make sense apart from who we are in Christ.

            How do we impart this understanding to the people of Hillside? How do we guide the people of Hillside to live lives centered on Jesus? Working to know Christ and share Christ is what Hillside will strive to do as a church. I encourage you to seek to understand your role in this.

           

Ephesians: A Call to Discipleship

 

            “We are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (2:10). This is one of my favorite verses from one of my favorite Biblical books, Ephesians. It is classified as an epistle or letter, but really, it’s more of a theological treatise. This work from Paul shows us who God is and who we are, when we define ourselves in terms of our relationship with Jesus. We are created in Christ.

            This is what I encourage you to do. Read through Ephesians. You could read through the entire book every day for a week. It’s only 6 chapters, but those short chapters are packed with spiritual insight. After you’ve read through the letter a few times, answer the following questions. What verse or passage speaks deeply to you? This would be what motivates or inspires you. What section do you find confusing? This would be what you have trouble understanding. What teaching in this epistle do you find to be most challenging? This would be what you understand perfectly well but are hesitant to apply to your own life.

            When you’ve thought about these three questions, share with me your answers to each. For several Sundays after Easter, the sermons will be based on Ephesians. You’ll get the most out of Sunday mornings if you come to worship with thoughts of your own. Read Ephesians as the word of God for you. Read it and then live out the message.

A Wartime Prayer (3/3/2026)

 

 

When Jesus walked the earth (approximately 6BC – 30AD), God in human flesh, one empire was more powerful than the rest and imposed its will on other nations, disregarding their sovereignty. That was Rome. The country that does that today, the 21^st century equivalent of the Roman Empire, is the United States of America. The U.S.A forced a regime change in Venezuela in January of this year, now in March, the U.S.A is in the process of doing it again, this time in Iran. The United States can do this because it is bigger and stronger than other nations.

In the first century, Jesus was of the people dominated by the imperial power. The contemporary of example if Israel’s powerlessness in the face of Roman might would be Venezuela or Iran or any other nation we choose to crush. This is not a value statement or a moral statement. It’s an observation.

The spiritual assertion, backed by passages like Luke 1:52, is that God favors the victim and the vanquished when the powerful exert their power. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. Also, consider Jesus’ own words. The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me … to bring good news to the poor (Luke 4:18). This is not to say God is thoroughly against America and for Iran and Venezuela. That would be an absurd statement. God is for people, and especially for poor people.

There are many poor people in Iran and Venezuela, and maybe someday, they will be helped by a regime change, but that rarely comes about from a foreign invasion. Ask the people of Afghanistan or Iraq or Vietnam of America’s invasion of their nations brought uplift and prosperity. It did not. When we pray in wartime, if we are disciples of Jesus, are prayers are to be motivated by what motivated him during his earthly ministry.

So …

A Wartime Prayer

Lord of the Universe, bring the war to an end … before it begins.

Protect the peasants who live near the facilities targeted for bombing.

Reach into the psyche of the fighter jet pilots; forgive them for taking lives, convict their hearts of their part in the violence, and then heal their souls whenever the remorse comes.

Effect a course correction in the minds of leaders whose decisions bring about death and destruction.

Prepare the world for the ripple effects: rising fuel costs; travel bans; unstable markets; distrust between nations.

Put in the hearts of the people of your church a longing for your kingdom; may that longing overpower illusions of lost greatness.

 Take from us our misguided nationalism and toxic patriotism and replace these with true faith, hope, and love.

Yours, AND ONLY YOURS, is the kingdom and the power and glory, forever and ever.

Forgive us Lord.

AMEN