Skip to main content

Making the Connection

            I hate “gimmicky” things and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to evangelism.  Over my 22 years here, I have seen more useless “evangelism strategies” than I can count.  If we are ever going to share the story of Christ effectively, we are going to have to do it in a way that is real and natural.  Here, then, are four “real” and “natural” ways to live and share what you believe.

           1.  Look around.  While most people seem to have their lives together, many times that is not the case.  Many quietly struggle their way through their days just hoping to survive.  The question is not whether people need help or the hope of the gospel, rather the question is “Can we see where people really are and will we put ourselves out to get involved?”

            In Matthew 25, the famous scene of the righteous being separated from the unrighteous, the thing that divided them was their ability to see and respond to the needs of others.  In fact, the repeated question is, “When did we see you?” (Verses 37-29 and 44).  Jesus replies, “Whatever you have done for others you have done for me” (Verse 40).  Look around.  Many need help and hope.

            2.  Look up.  If anything is going to be accomplished in the kingdom, it must be done with the power of the kingdom.  In this case, “look up” simply means “pray”.  Every Spiritual revival has started with prayer.  Our plans are no good without God’s power (see how the church grew in “Acts”).

            3.  Look forward.  Think about what “could be”.  The big question here is, “What would this church (or this person, or this city, etc) look like if they responded to God?”  Too often we “hamstring” ourselves by focusing on past failures.  In Ephesians 3, Paul says that he has forgotten the past and is thinking only of the future.  Then he adds, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things” (verse 15).  As my daughter’s favourite quote from the movie “The Lorax” says, “It is not about what it is, it is about what it can become”.  That is Biblical.

            4.  Look after.  As Christians, we are here “Not to be served, but to serve” (as Jesus said of himself in Mark 10:45).  Too many churches and too many Christians exist only for themselves.  That is not our role!  We are here to bring God’s love to others.

            Look around… Look up… Look forward… Look after.  If we did those things, we would not have to find a way to evangelize.  We would be doing it already!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more