What does it mean to be saved?
"...is it more than just a prayer to pray, more than just a way to heaven?"
Thanks to Israel Houghton for those words. Tonight in our youth leaders meeting we were talking about learning to present the 'Gospel' and how to communicate our testimonies evangelistically. And funnily enough part of me doesn't sit comfortably with that. I would just get up and say what everyone else wants to hear, which isn't showing much integrity.
And I try and articulate this, but I am waiting for someone to say, "Well, you're obviously not a Christian then!" It's not like I don't have a story of my faith journey, and it's not like I can't talk to people about Jesus. But I don't like presenting something which sounds so impersonal.
My experience of meeting Christ was through lots of people sharing their stories with me, and then one day He decided to come in and BAM! It was all HIS work. He met with me. And it makes me wonder...should we be spending so much time telling people the right formula to have a relationship with God, or providing opportunities for them to meet with Him?
posted by clarebear at
10:14 PM
3 Comments:
Hey Clare, I agree that we shouldn't spend so much time telling people the right formula about a relationship with God.
I think Evangelism is such a rich topic that we'd be throwing out the baby with the bathwater if we were to think of it just like that.
I read something that encourages us to think about evangelism in three ways.
Evangelism as Demonstration
Evangelism as Dialogue
Evangelism as Discernment
The author encourages us to see that they are all interlinked...
Evangelism as Demonstartion, us living out like Christ, will eventually lead to people asking us questions giving us the opportunity to talk about Christ...
Evangelism as Dialogue must be backed up with living like Christ (Evangelism as Demonstration)or else we'd be hypocrites...talking about it but not living it.
And Evangelism as Discernemt, praying for people, will lead to us loving them like Christ, and then if the time comes talking to them about Christ.
Each of the three areas are closely linked.
What do you think?
Sounds good Don!
But those 3 areas don't seem to include the tension I am feeling at the moment - the 'proclamation'...?
If you want email/message me your thoughts...i'd lvoe to hear them!
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