The Invisible Church

Certain religious groups can easily be identified by their distinct attire. However, several decades ago, a cultural shift occurred within some traditionally conservative evangelical groups. In an effort to move away from rigid legalism and place a higher value on faith, strict dress codes were relaxed, and church members were allowed to wear more contemporary clothes in line with fashion trends among the general public.  As a result, many Christ followers can no longer be identified by the type of clothing they wear and can effectively blend in with society. In his book, “Quest for Piety and Obedience,” Carlton Wittinger referred to this shift as a transition from being the “visible church” to the “invisible church.” This raises an important question: How can an invisible church have a positive influence and make a Godly impact on the world?

Scripture provides a clear answer. A logical inference that can be drawn from James 2:14-26 is that our faith in Christ must be tangibly and visibly manifested in our actions.  Likewise, in his first epistle, Peter encourages believers to manifest their faith through Godly living, regardless of the consequences. When our outward appearance no longer sets us apart there is a risk of blending in with society. Consequently, there is a great responsibility to ensure that our lifestyle and conduct clearly reflect our faith in Christ. When we follow Jesus, he leads us to approach life and respond to circumstances in ways that are obviously different from a secular mindset. When that difference is noticed, 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us to always be prepared to explain our faith in Christ and why we adamantly hold fast to our Christian values in all circumstances.  

Living a transformed life and expecting people to ask about our practices and values is a passive form of evangelism that has some merit, but falls short of the expectations expressed by Jesus in some of the last words he spoke to his disciples as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-48 and Acts 1:8. These scriptures provide a very clear mandate to actively engage in sharing the gospel. In Christian circles we often refer to this mandate as ‘The Great Commission.’ Hudson Taylor, who spent more than 50 years ministering the Gospel in China and founded the China Inland Mission, is often credited as coining the phrase, “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”

The Tide ministry is devoted to obeying Jesus’ command and we are convinced that God has directed us to focus most of our resources and efforts on sharing the gospel and making disciples in communities around the world where the general population has limited access to the gospel. God has tasked The Tide ministry with spreading the Good News of Jesus via gospel broadcast media such as radio and television. With a current portfolio of programs in over 30 languages, reaching people in multiple countries across three continents, thousands of lives are being impacted as people hear the Gospel in their own heart language, or the language they were born to speak.  

However, we are also concerned about the spiritual welfare of people in our own communities where the gospel is readily available but often ignored. This is why we launched The Tide “Have You Heard?” challenge. Much of American society seems to be moving further away from God and The Tide “Have You Heard?” challenge is intended to promote spiritual redirection by encouraging believers to actively look for opportunities to share their faith. 

The challenge is simple : commit to asking at least 10 people over the next year, “Have you heard what Jesus has done for you?” If the response is no, you can tell them about the love of Christ. If they are already a believer, you can rejoice in meeting another redeemed child of God and invite them to join you in boldly engaging unbelievers in spiritual conversations!

The Tide “Have You Heard?” challenge is open to all believers, and The Tide encourages individual participation, or cooperatively by families, churches, Bible study small groups, youth groups, women’s and men’s ministries, and other Christ-focused groups. By accepting the “Have You Heard?” challenge, you will be making a commitment to deliberately share Jesus with the people you encounter through your daily activities. 

The prevailing secular mindset promotes the misconception that religion, especially Christian faith, is strictly a private matter to be internalized and only practiced in the confines of church buildings and religious gatherings. Consequently, our public interactions and conversations revolve around all other aspects of life such as work, family, sports, entertainment and many other topics, but fall short of including any spiritual element or expression of faith in Christ.  This is the risk of being the truly invisible church. 

Scripture makes it clear that our faith in Christ should permeate every aspect of our lives and that believers are to be very intentional about not only living out their faith but also connecting unbelievers with Jesus. The Tide “Have You Heard?” challenge is just one small step towards boldly bringing our faith to the forefront, unashamed to publicly follow Jesus, live out Christian values, and invite others to join us in experiencing God’s incredible grace and love. Together we become an increasing number of ‘living stones’ that are the visible edifice of the otherwise invisible church.