Weʼve all been there, the conversation is going fine – and somehow, someway the conversation turns to Jesus. While the conversation was on the last topic, you were fine, you were laughing, you were yourself, you were having fun… but suddenly when it turns to Jesus, you get weird. You get tongue-tied, cottonmouth, you start breathing heavy, you get very serious – almost cold. Any hint of joy is gone from your demeanor, and you begin to talk to them about the Greatest News Ever.
Do you see the contradiction? When talking about anything else youʼre fine. But when you talk about the Gospel, your demeanor betrays your message. The Apostle Peter instructs the early Christians in their conversations with those outside the faith, by saying, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). Do you see what he said there? In your hearts, regard the Christ the Lord as holy; always be prepared to make a defense… always. We always need to be ready to talk about the hope that is in the gospel. You never know when the Holy Spirit is going to give you that moment. You need to be prepared. Usually that is the issue why you get weird; youʼre not prepared. Start by preaching the Gospel to yourself. Read passages about the Gospel. Listen to how your Pastor talks about the Gospel, and be ready. Even if you donʼt have all the answers to their questions, you can say something like “Iʼm not sure, Iʼll have to look into that.”
Donʼt get weird, donʼt get defensive, and donʼt get frustrated. If the Gospel is true, and of course we believe it is, then we should have no insecurities talking about it, just like we would talk about anything else that is true. This passage tells us Christ is Lord. The one with the power to draw people is the Lord of your conversations and interactions with those who donʼt believe the gospel. Relax.
Some of this purely comes down to reps. The more you talk about Jesus, the more comfortable you are going to be with these types of conversations. The Apostle Peter begins this instruction by saying, “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as Holy”. In your hearts, always lift up Christ, always submit the conversation to Him, and trust Him! Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up. When you do it, “do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience (1 Peter 3:15-16). After the conversation is over, trust Jesus for the effects of the conversation. Ultimately you are the messenger of the Gospel, not the Message. God is the one who ultimately evangelizes them.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
People are More than Projects
The reason why we sometimes fail in evangelism is because people can detect that we see them more as a project than a person. This is true in the context of preaching and one-on-one. People perceive we have an agenda that doesn't have anything to do with them; it's just something to get out of them or something to get them to do. Our job is to communicate the gospel, the good news of a perfect Savior who died in the place of sinners, resurrected from the dead, and will one day return. We get to tell people this glorious news, and as we do it, the Apostle Paul gives us insight as to how this is to be communicated.
Colossians 4:6 tell us, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." This gives us three concepts to work with: be gracious, be interesting, and be interested.
Colossians 4:6 tell us, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." This gives us three concepts to work with: be gracious, be interesting, and be interested.
1. Be Gracious
Communicate the gospel of grace with the grace that you have received from God and the grace that will be required for them to receive your words. Be kind, be friendly. Don't get frustrated if they argue, don't get angry if they don't believe. "Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). If they have real questions about Christianity, see it as an opportunity to instruct and not an argument to deconstruct. God can use their contentions with Christianity and the gospel to be the very things that bring them back to Jesus. So, be gracious.
2. Be Interesting
Paul also instructs us that our speech should be "seasoned with salt." There should some flavor in your conversation. We use salt on food to bring out the flavor of the food, and likewise, we use salt within our gospel conversations to bring out the flavor of the gospel. Be yourself, let your personality come out. If you're smart, use your intellect (humbly). If you're winsome, use that to advance the gospel. If you're funny, use humor. If you're not funny, don't use humor.
Communicate the gospel of grace with the grace that you have received from God and the grace that will be required for them to receive your words. Be kind, be friendly. Don't get frustrated if they argue, don't get angry if they don't believe. "Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). If they have real questions about Christianity, see it as an opportunity to instruct and not an argument to deconstruct. God can use their contentions with Christianity and the gospel to be the very things that bring them back to Jesus. So, be gracious.
2. Be Interesting
Paul also instructs us that our speech should be "seasoned with salt." There should some flavor in your conversation. We use salt on food to bring out the flavor of the food, and likewise, we use salt within our gospel conversations to bring out the flavor of the gospel. Be yourself, let your personality come out. If you're smart, use your intellect (humbly). If you're winsome, use that to advance the gospel. If you're funny, use humor. If you're not funny, don't use humor.
3. Be Interested
Thirdly, Paul instructs us to "answer each person." Everybody is different. Each person has different questions, different issues, and different struggles. If we go to them with a canned gospel presentation they're going to be able to see right through it. Be interested in them and let the Holy Spirit fill you and open the doors as to how you'll talk about the gospel. Also, be sure that it's the gospel that you are talking about. Get them to Jesus. Answer their questions, talk about their issues, but keep bringing them back to Jesus. Simply, talk to people about the gospel in a way that respects the person and honors their personhood (they are not a project).
Thirdly, Paul instructs us to "answer each person." Everybody is different. Each person has different questions, different issues, and different struggles. If we go to them with a canned gospel presentation they're going to be able to see right through it. Be interested in them and let the Holy Spirit fill you and open the doors as to how you'll talk about the gospel. Also, be sure that it's the gospel that you are talking about. Get them to Jesus. Answer their questions, talk about their issues, but keep bringing them back to Jesus. Simply, talk to people about the gospel in a way that respects the person and honors their personhood (they are not a project).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)