It's been awhile since I added on to this series, but it has recently burdened my heart that I personally have forgotten the most important thing when it comes to being missional. I fear too that my experience is probably not unique and that many of my brothers and sisters have a similar experience. Motivated by fear and having convinced ourselves that we had it all figured out, I'm convinced many Christian gamers don't do the one paramount thing to being missional:
Actually sharing the Gospel verbally.
Preposterous! How can something so core and fundamental to our mission as Christians be lacking? All I can say is that I asked that question and I expressed the same reaction the first time the thought came. However, after really thinking it over and praying about it, I've come to the conclusion that it's all too true: Christian gamers are not sharing the Gospel. I'm not sharing the Gospel. We live out our Christianity in front of our lost gamer friends, we love on them when life gets hard, we even pray for them; but we never actually get around to expressing the Good News with words.
That's not to downplay the importance of those other things. They're great. They're essential. They also don't matter if the Gospel being presented isn't the core intentionality behind them.
Nobody becomes a Christian without hearing the Gospel. Nobody in history has been prayed into heaven without someone telling them the Gospel message.
So why don't I do it? How come in all the Christian clans and groups I've been in I've never heard the Gospel message expressed to a non-believer? If we got every Christian gamer into a room, gave them truth serum, and asked them if they had ever shared the Gospel with a lost gamer friend; why do I have the feeling the overwhelming answer would be "no"?
I think the sad truth is that we all fall into two camps. Most of us probably fall into one or the other (or both), but I think it's either fear or distraction.
Fear is always the number one enemy to sharing the Gospel. Fear is the greatest weapon of the enemy. If e can get us to be scared to share the Gospel, then chances are we won't. The funny thing is, everything we tell ourselves or that the enemy tells us to make us fearful IS A LIE. There is no fear to be found in sharing the Gospel. In reality, we should be MUCH more fearful of NOT sharing the Gospel. People who don't hear or respond to the message of the Gospel spend eternity in Hell. THAT should scare us. The whispered lies that "no one will like us", "no one will want to play with you anymore", and that "no one will ever accept it anyways"? LIES. We never do anything alone. The Holy Spirit lives within us, Jesus walks beside us, God the Father watches over us, and our brothers and sisters live alongside us. You will never be alone. Gamer, golfer, or whatever you are. Will most accept? No. But if we shared the Gospel as often as we should and in the context of Christly love will some accept? There's no reason to think otherwise. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16). The Gospel WILL save people. IF we are faithful to share it in love.
If we're not fearful, then we're distracted. Look, I get it. Trying to love people and share the Gospel in the context of gaming is tough. The games themselves may be our biggest tool, but they are also our biggest obstacle. The games want to push our message out of the way. They want to be in the forefront. That's what they're designed to do. We can't let them win. We can't let the games become the focus of what we're doing. they can't be the primary reason we game. We surrendered that when we gave our lives to Christ. Christ becomes the primary reason we do anything. Christ is first, supreme, whatever other synonym you can think of. However, we let the games come first and in the process, we lose our primary intention and reason for playing games in the first place.
We have to recover the Gospel. We MUST share the Gospel with our lost gamer friends. They're spiritual future hangs in the balance. Our obedience to the Gospel is at stake. Our own salvation brought into question. It all starts with me. I must share the Gospel. I must see that there is no fear to be had. I must stop being distracted and recover the right reason to game. It all starts with me, but will you join me?
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