"Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
Luke 14: 34-15:2
On Monday I shared a long and rambling post concerning evangelism. I thought I would share about personal and corporate evangelism in relationship to the heart of God. I found that I shared much more about corporate evangelism. Today, I wish to share briefly my thoughts on personal evangelism.
I have heard from many different folks over the years that they are really weary of more evangelism training. I remember clearly hearing from an older gentleman at my church as I began a series on evangelism. He said he had already heard it all. He had found previous training helpful. He thought it had been good and biblical. Yet, it did not make a long-term difference in anyone's life. It also had not made a long-term difference in our church.
Wow. Why is this the case?
Our biggest problem with sharing our faith in Christ is not that we do not know enough. In fact, this assumption betrays a strong modernist bent instead of a post modern understanding of the human being! No, our real issue is that our heart was not changed.
Let me ask you a question. Do you really love people? Do you love both believers and unbelievers?
I must confess that I often do not love others very well. I become burdened and focused on my own life, my own needs, my own desires. I have many "moving pieces" in my life, and it is easy for me to become focused on keeping these pieces moving!
How about you?
The best way to tell is to honestly look at your prayer life and thought life. We pray about and we think about what is truly important to us. Is your heart focused on seeing God work in the lives of others?
For most of us, the answer is no! I would guess this is true for more than 90% of us. Thus, we say we want to see people come to know Christ, but our heart is not behind it. From our hearts flow our actions.
So, what can we do? If you wish to grow in your outreach to others, start by praying that God will give you His heart for the lost. Take Luke 15 and reflect upon it daily for a month. Ask for God to give you a seeking and searching heart. Do not be surprised when He moves and changes your desires!
Next, pray a humble prayer that God would use you to bring one person to know Jesus this year. You can always ask for more, but one is a good place to start. Pray daily, like your life depends upon it, for God to allow you to speak the gospel into one person's life. Pray that He will give opportunity to speak. Pray for eyes to see and a heart ready to respond when He opens these doors. Know that He is answering your prayers so walk and speak humbly but boldly when the opportunity arises.
Finally, remember your place in the Kingdom. You do not have all the answers. You are not "right" and everyone else is "wrong." No, you are a follower of the One who is right, righteousness, love, truth, and light. Point to Jesus as your only hope, but He is your only hope!
Truly witnessing to Jesus is not about technique or a slick presentation. It is about the biblical reality that you are a sinner who has found grace and love in Christ and you wish to share with others what you have found. This reality matches and works in our culture. It does not take special training, special knowledge, or great depth. It does not even take maturity.
All that is required to be effective witnesses in today's world is honesty, a bit of transparency, and a love for God and for others.
Let's pray together that all of us grow in these traits because we grow closer to Jesus through believing the gospel!
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