This past Monday I had the unique opportunity to help my brother unload 100,000 brand new baby chickens into the chicken houses on our family farm. It’s quite the job and I always forget how hard it is until my muscles are aching in pain. My brother, on the other hand, has no problem with the workload because he’s done it so many times. His body is used to the difficult labor.
I believe the same scenario is true with evangelism. The more we share the Gospel with others the easier it becomes. Don’t get me wrong, the flesh is still battling inside us, but the more we speak of Christ the sharper and clearer we become at presenting the Good News of salvation.
Mark McCloskey says,“I firmly believe that witnessing is a learned talent. God burdens our hearts to reach the lost, but we must get out there and start practicing those conversations. The funny thing is, though, the more you practice, the easier it becomes.”
So, let’s stay in shape by stepping out of our comfort zones and sharing the gospel with our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, family members, friends and those with whom we come into contact on a daily basis. As we invite people into our homes, to church and to Alpha, they will hear about our Savior. May we love them so much that we want them to hear the most important news their ears will ever hear.
Here’s another great quote by Mark McCloskey: “For most of us, evangelism is not a comfortable activity. Here we often face the ‘chicken and the egg’ dilemma. We reason, ‘I don’t want to do evangelism unless it feels natural.’ This feeling is quite understandable. But what we really are saying is, ‘I’ll do it when it’s in my comfort zone.’ And how does any activity get to the point where it ‘feels natural?’ You guessed it, by doing it. Only personal experience broadens the boundaries of our comfort zone.”
Hey Kurt,
Thanks for the admonition to work out my evangelism muscles. I am one of those people who definitely has a “fear” of evangelizing. You would think that sharing the Gospel with a stranger would be easy, for, if they reject what we say, the chances of running into that person ever again are slim to none. Instead, I always succumb to this sinful premonition that I don’t want them to think I’m some sort of spiritual whacko Jesus freak. I have an unsaved friend who is very open and receptive to talking about spiritual matters. This week the Spirit was putting him on my heart, specifically to challenge him in love about some of the errors he holds on to. I prayed that the Lord would use me to engage him in meaningful conversation about the true nature of God and His gospel for salvation. Because of our close friendship I was able to speak to him in an inoffensive way that really challenged him to view his life through the eyes of the Bible. He came to a lot of wonderful conclusions and even admitted that the only way to salvation is believing that we are sinners and our need for the atonement for sin through Christ’s sacrifice. However, he did not make a commitment to repent and believe. I pray that the seeds that were planted will one day take root in rich soil that will bring forth much fruit. For now, the seeds have been planted. I found it very easy to talk to my friend and share the Gospel with him. It gave me a sense of strength and desire to want to be able to share this easily with everyone. Maybe if someone else out there struggles with evangelism the way a lot of us do you could start by witnessing to someone you already have a relationship with. This creates a sense of ease and freedom to speak candidly about the sinful condition we all are in and the amazing grace that can save us. Don’t fear the rejection that we think may come. After all, they aren’t rejecting us, they are rejecting God. I still don’t have the comfort level to just stand on a corner and preach the Gospel, but at least, because of this experience with my friend, I feel that I could now step out in faith to speak to my neighbors or family members who do not know the Lord.
Scott