Vol. 9-02 Colossians 4.5-6
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)
When I came to understand what Christ had done for me on the Cross, I received Him as my Savior. I was passionate to tell others of what happened to me and to show them what they needed to do regarding their own salvation. You are likely thinking back to your early days following beginning a relationship with Jesus.
I was pretty aggressive in speaking about Christ every opportunity I had. I missed the part in Scripture that indicated the seed of the Gospel needed to be planted. Then it could germinate. It could get watered. Generally, those who made a profession of faith were already prepared; not only by the Holy Spirit, but also as a result of conversation with another. Me. I just plowed right in and attacked the furrows that the person already dug.
I could not understand why people would not be interested in the greatest news they could ever receive. I think they were listening/watching too much CNN.
So, the church offered witness training. Every year it was a different course: F.A.I.T.H., Evangelism Explosion, Sharing Jesus Without Fear, The Romans Road, Willing Witnesses, and more. I took them all.
I joined a group that would go out on Tuesday evenings to connect with folks that made a visit to our church. The object was to present the Gospel and get a response.
On one visit I made with one of the deacons in the church, it was to a man who visited the church the previous Sunday. We used a format that took about 1-1/2 hours to work through. Everything was a rote presentation.
About half-way through the presentation, he said, I’m ready. I replied, ready for what? He said he wanted to accept Jesus. I said, I’m not done yet. Well, we stopped right there, and he prayed to receive Christ. After that we talked a little while. No one had told me what to do with the people that accepted Jesus. So, I though it would be a good idea to invite him to Sunday School. I did, and he said yes. So, I planned to meet him in the vestibule and take him to a class. We shook hands, and we got ready to leave.
Then he asked, could you tell my daughter what you told me? I said, sure. So, he called his daughter down from upstairs, and I shared the whole presentation with her. And she said, yes, I would like to accept Jesus. Needless to say, I had the rote presentation down, but it did not go far enough. So, I had to ad lib.
In my enthusiasm for telling people about Jesus, I was ill prepared to help a person with what comes after yes. How could we go through six months of witness training without a road to travel following the yes?
In the following years, I settled on a small outline that was to be my standard presentation that was a part of our conversation:
- Could I tell you how my life in the past was going?
- So, this is what I found out.
- And this is what I said, how I responded.
- And this is the difference my decision and Christ has made in my life.
- I would like for you to have the same experience. Can I tell you how?
I have found that this small outline has allowed me, over the years, to be a spokesperson for the greatest good news that is available to humankind. It has been my privilege to led many to Christ, from out of unique lifestyles, family situations, age varieties, and even those who surprisingly have never heard of Jesus. We leave far too many to become victims of a variety of cults and ism’s that are prevalent in our world today, simply because they cross our path without our even acknowledging them.
Application for Life
When I played musical instruments, I was involved with it every day. Not only did I play, I sat under instructors, and enjoyed the experience. Sharing Jesus can be an everyday thing. It ought to be. There is great support when you are able to witness with a seasoned person familiar with the Gospel.
Just attending training courses for witnessing only compartmentalizes what one is to do on certain days or in certain situations. It is not living out our lives with a natural outflow of our faith as a believer ought to live.
If we are believers in what the Bible says, we are ambassadors for Christ. Ambassadors say the same thing that the One sending you says (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
Evangelism courses per se are not the problem. The problem is in their use. A large percentage of folks who take witness training courses only use them for Aunt Jane. When Aunt Jane rebuffs them, they quit witnessing. Evangelism ought to be part of our everyday lives. The longer we go without sharing our faith, the more intimated we will become to share our faith.
A very small group followed Christ closely. They were going out among people and sharing their faith. History records that this motley crew turned the then-known world upside down.
The numbers of believers who are available in the world today should be turning the world upside down with the Gospel. Why is that not happening?
It is not because we are not sent. It is because we neglect what Jesus is expecting us to do.
You’re Sent
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