The Big Scary "E" Word

  Well let's see. Today is Tuesday the 20th of July, and while I've only been in the Sunshine Coast for 3 weeks, it literally feels like years. I will just start with what I've been learning and what God has been doing since my last blog.


  For our 1st week of lectures, we talked about Evangelism. I know that is the big scary "E" word that no one really likes to talk about because it makes people uncomfortable; yet it is also unavoidable because we are ALL called to "go and make disciples". What was taught was a lot of the same things we have been taught over the years from church and Cru and what not, but there was something different about it. Something that made me take a step back and say "Ah ha...that makes so much sense". I wanted to share that with you guys.

  We all know that sharing our faith can be something that is scary, uncomfortable, sometimes overwhelming when forced, and often times we feel nervous or unprepared. When most people think about Evangelism, they think BIG EVENT...with a Bill Bright, John Piper, revival preacher (or at least I do). In reality, it should be a simple casual conversation with someone else about Jesus. Did you know that 85% of people come to know Christ because a regular person introduced them to Jesus-through a normal conversation, reading a book or the Bible? It is truly the little things that have a great impact.

  I was also reminded of some helpful steps, such as: Take the initiative, Be ready for a challenge, Be prepared and finally Know your style. We can be effective at evangelism because we have the Holy Spirit, for God is truly what allows us to be "fishers of men". Think about it; if we are constantly following Jesus and He is pursuing people, how can we not take the initiative? I love how Bill Bright describes effective evangelism: "Taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Spirit, and leaving the results up to God." If we are not responsible for the results then why are we so tempted to hide Jesus in our conversations?

  I think for me personally, I fear man. The truth is that the Gospel is abrasive. It is not just a story but it requires a response. You either reject it or you lay your life down for it. I remember that Jesus reminded us in John 15:18-22 that we should expect judgment, persecution and rejection in advance. What a weight it lifts off my shoulders to know that I will probably be rejected and that is okay. We are persecuted, rejected and some places hated because Jesus was first. So here is the crux of it, if we find our identity in Christ, it lessens our need for the acceptance of our peers...and fear of the Lord combats our fear of others.

  I think sometimes I forget the power of prayer and faith in God and his Holy Word (the Bible). It is so important to know the Word of God because that is our source of truth when sharing the Gospel with people. If you think of Mark 2 and the story of the 4 men who took their paralyzed friend and lowered him in through the ceiling so that Jesus could heal him. If you read that story closely you'll see (as I did) that the man had no faith that Jesus could heal him...he had been paralyzed his entire life. But his friends had complete faith that if they could just get him before Jesus, he would be healed. Before Jesus healed this man and commanded him to walk, Jesus forgave his sins, which was unheard of during that time because they still adhered to the Scribes way of doing things (sacrificing for forgiveness).
Sometimes I find myself feeling like the friends; full of faith that God is going to do something amazing and great. Other times I find myself more like the paralytic, just discouraged, beat up, tired, and struggling to be in communication with God. But regardless my present circumstance, Jesus still saves people and God will still be glorified!

  I highly advise people to read the book “Becoming a Contagious Christian” (I am going to read it soon), but from what I’ve heard, this book lays out simply our different styles of evangelism. Some people are direct like Peter in Acts 2 and 1 Peter, some take Paul’s intellectual approach like in Romans, other like the blind man in John 9 who just gives his testimony without knowing a lot about Jesus, the 4th style is Matthew’s interpersonal approach (relationship based), then there is the Samaritan woman’s invitational approach and finally Tabitha’s service approach. We all fall somewhere into these categories and it so beneficial to know your style of evangelism. How much better would it be if we could talk about Jesus our savior and also my best friend if we felt natural and in our element…versus some big crazy ordeal where we feel like we have to perform? I’ll take the coffee date conversation any day!