This week's Online Mentoring takes a look at evangelism and how to share our faith. I thought I'd share just an exerpt from my upcoming book On the Way Evangelism that is scheduled to be released at the end of 2006 or early 2007. This passage is taken from Chapter 8, "Full Service Farming."
Destination: Heaven? Hell? What is it You’re Offering?
You may remember that earlier I claimed there is yet one more reason why Way-Farers don’t practice evangelism, a reason more powerful than fear and more pervasive than Kant. I believe the prevailing reason we don’t share our faith with others is because we don’t really believe we have anything worth sharing.
When North American Christians are asked the question, “What is it about your experience with Jesus that your neighbor can’t live without?” it tends to stump us. The notion that I’ve experienced something my neighbor can’t live without seems unrealistic at best and arrogant at worst. I mean, who am I?
Of course, “Who am I?” isn’t the question. Ultimately, the question is, “Who is Jesus...in relationship to me?” because that’s something worth sharing. The relationship I have with Jesus is unique, and yet that kind of relationship is available to my neighbor because of who Jesus is, not because of who I am.
So often when I’ve seen study questions about what we’re offering through our evangelism, the question being asked and answered is what does someone get by becoming a Christian? In other words, what’s in it for me? But that’s the wrong question. Jesus isn’t Santa Claus with a bag of goodies for us to revel in. Oh sure, there are traits, abilities, and gifts we receive when we follow Jesus, but all of them together doesn’t amount to a grain of sand in an oyster. The pearl of great price we receive when we follow Jesus is the answer to the right question, the one I’ve never seen asked in an evangelism exercise: Who do I get by becoming a Christian?
We have a tendency to fixate on the cost-benefit ratio of the faith that the North American church has acquired from our culture. Our nation is built on capitalism. Capitalism depends on consumerism. If we don’t consume, society as we know it would grind to a halt. And since we live in a capitalist society, it’s natural that we make our decisions with a “What’s in it for me?” attitude. Now, I’m not taking a swing at capitalism here, I’m simply pointing out that it’s natural and normal for us to be consumers. So even in the church we inevitably want to know what’s the cost and what’s in it for us. So, let’s take a moment and see what Jesus promised those who chose to follow him.
For each of the following passages, itemize what Jesus promises to those who follow him.
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John 5:24
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John 14:12-14
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John 17:20-23
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John 15:20
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Matthew 10:16-22
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Luke 14:25-33
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2 Corinthians 1:3-5
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Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. Is this the kind of life you thought you signed up for when you became a Christian?
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According to the passages in questions 1 and 2, what do we “get” when we choose to follow Jesus?
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What do you get when you become a Christian? Responsibility, persecution, and trials. But you also get eternal life, which means a full and joyous life both on earth and in heaven. You also receive unity with the Trinity, which is an assurance that you can do and experience the things Jesus did, from faithfulness to embracing persecution, from miracles to enduring suffering. When you become a Way-Farer, you choose a road less traveled—the road Jesus travels. As you pass through the gate that opens the Way to you, Jesus comes and meets you. And here is the miracle and the mystery of the faith: Jesus comes to each of us uniquely as we live out the purpose we were created for. It is from this meeting that we find our answer to the question “What is it about your experience with Jesus that your neighbor can’t live without?”
I think for many of us in the West this is a new way of understanding our relationship with Jesus. It can seem convoluted or unclear, so let me illustrate with a couple of real-life examples.
Sharon is what some people call a prayer warrior. She regularly spends hours, sometimes even all night, in prayer. She doesn’t pray because it’s a commandment. She doesn’t pray because she’s more holy than the rest of us. Sharon prays because she’s seen her prayers answered in miraculous ways. Like when she prayed for Riyen.
When Riyen was born she had a habit of turning a shade of dark blue for three or four minutes. Her parents took her to their pediatrician who did a complete battery of tests, including x-rays. Turns out the films showed Riyen was born with a seriously deformed heart and she needed immediate surgery. The doctor made arrangements with the state university’s hospital to take over the care and a surgical consult was scheduled for the following Friday.
I got the call from the parents on Monday and I, in turn, let Sharon know. I assured the parents I would come to the hospital for the consultation. On Thursday evening I got a call from Sharon. She’d been praying (all night) and had been given a vision. “Bill, Jesus said the heart is just perfect.” I thanked her for her prayers and she assured me she’d be continuing to pray. Friday morning came and of all things, I got lost trying to find the hospital. I arrived several hours late and when I finally found the family, they were just leaving the surgeon’s office—and they all had smiles on their faces. No need for surgery, said the parents, the hospital had made new films on the baby’s heart and, in the exact words of the surgeon, “The baby’s heart is just perfect.” No deformity. No abnormalities. Just perfect. To this date, the pediatrician who took the original films won’t give them up because, according to the parents, he says they’re his proof that miracles do happen.
I told that story so I could say this: when Jesus came to Sharon, he came as Jesus the healer. For her, that’s the Jesus her neighbors can’t live without.
Toni is another believer in prayer. Although not the kind of pray-er that Sharon is, Toni spends her day in conversation with God. In the minivan, at her girls’ basketball games, in pre-med classes. Toni’s prayers are infinitely practical and applicable to day-to-day life—and she’s seen so many answers to her prayers that conversations, even with total strangers, often end up being about the power of prayer. “I pray about even the simplest things and God let’s us know what to do. My husband and even my children can testify to that,” she said. Toni doesn’t receive her answers in visions; instead she receives signs. Recently, her husband Jeremy, who has been under-employed, was offered a job cleaning up the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The offer came at a time when the family’s finances were tight. Toni was inclined to urge him to take the job, but she took the time to pray that God would show them what to do. They had until the end of the week to decide. The very next day, Jeremy was invited to test for a law enforcement position that he had long wanted. However, with no military experience, no criminal justice training, and with no previous invitations even to test, he had concluded there wasn’t any hope of entering the field. Two weeks later 112 tested and Jeremy and 34 others passed. The law enforcement agency is slated to hire 31 new officers. As I write this chapter, no one knows whether or not he’ll get one of the positions, but most of us have a hunch he’ll be starting classes at the academy sometime soon.
When Jesus came to Toni, he didn’t come as a healer, he came as a guide. And that’s the Jesus her neighbors can’t live without.
I could go on to the tell other stories about how Jesus has come as an encourager, as a protector, and as a companion. Interestingly enough, even here in North America where “real miracles” seem to be somewhat scarce, the experience of Jesus as Healer is by far the most common experience I’ve encountered. And in each these accounts, the Jesus they’ve experienced is the Jesus their neighbors can’t live without—and they regularly share that Jesus with those they meet. In other words, they practice evangelism in real and tangible ways.
What is it about your experience with Jesus that your neighbors, your community, your world can’t live without?
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| By my friend and colleague Neil Cole. But beware, I'm involved in the House Church Movement largely because of this man's writings! This book is more than a "why you should do house church," it covers the basics and more. | |
| And here is the other half of the reason I'm in the house church movement. David Garrison understands house church like no one else. He has studied and been involved in the Asian church planting movement for many years. It was his little booklet (still available for free--see Other Resources below) that changed my life. Literally. |
Church Planting Movements Booklet. This booklet is the basic research that went into Garrison's book above. It is available free in print form or downloadable form from the International Mission's Board. http://www.imb.org/CPM/default.htm
First and Third Saturdays, 10 AM Pacific. However, we will not meet online on March 4th because I'll be out of town. For more information on how to join this online forum, see www.hcna.us.
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