Talking About Jesus

My favorite thing about the Foyer is giving a brief history of Cities Church. Why are we here and how did we start? 

The few minutes I spend sharing about this history then leads, naturally, into a closer look at our mission and vision. I get to share what Jesus is calling us to, and where it’s all going, by his grace. I’ve taught this over 20 times in the past seven years, and every time I do, I walk away more compelled by it than before. 

Look, there are countless things I do not know. There are whole blocks of human knowledge that I know absolutely nothing about. There are even things in theology that I couldn’t begin to explain to you. I feel small and insufficient most of the time, which makes sense. But I’m staking everything I’ve got on the gospel that Jesus saves sinners, and that he’s real, and that we’re not meant to be scratching our heads about what he wants us to do, because he tells us (see Matthew 28:18–20). 

This might be the only thing I know, but I’m running with it as hard as I can until I see his face. What “got me into this” is what keeps me in it, and I get to rehearse that again and again at the Foyer. I’ve been thinking about these beginnings recently, and it brought to memory the influence of Jeff Vanderstelt.

What’s with Evangelism?

In the those early years of our church, back before we even launched, one of the biggest influences on me was Jeff Vanderstelt. Jeff served as a planter and pastor in the Pacific Northwest, and inspired hundreds of aspiring church planters like me. What was most refreshing about Jeff, though, was his simple return to the heart of the gospel. When so much about planting can be complex and daunting, Jeff spoke so clearly about Jesus. He reminded me of my first love.

In God’s providence, because I worked for desiringGod.org in those years, we were able to bring Jeff out to the Cities for some conferences and other events. I got to connect with him and get his counsel, all of which still stands as solid and enduring. One such time included the interview below. On the other side of the camera, out of sight in this video, we had asked Jeff to help us figure out evangelism. What can we do to improve our evangelism?

I remember asking the question because I’m asking it still. And I remembered Jeff’s answer, which is as timely now as ever: