(If you havn't read the first part, you might want to do that or this may not make much sense!)
Heart
I would venture to say that in the history of film there has not been a character that shows more heart and passion for a person, a cause and a country than William Wallace in Braveheart. His love for Scotland, the drive that came from a desire to avenge the lives of his wife, father, brother and hundreds of others pushed him to be a creative problem solver, a charismatic leader and fierce warrior. When a person has a big heart, it’s obvious – it shows in the decisions they make, the words they choose and lives they lead.
The question in evangelism is not so much about having passion, but rather about where we need to focus our passion. Three areas come to mind – there are probably more, but we are limited on space here!
1) A Passion for Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
I can always tell my daughter’s latest crush simply by counting the number of times a particular name comes up in conversation. When someone is on her mind, she talks about him – even if she tries not to, the name works its way into everyday conversation. When we develop a passion for Christ – truly living by faith in him and dying to ourselves - talking about him will be as natural as discussing Saturday’s ball game or our favorite fishing hole.
2) A Passion for People. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I John 4:7-8
In the evangelism process, we have to see the people around us, believers and unbelievers alike, a more than just territory to be conquered. Each and every soul we encounter has a story. Our aim in evangelism is not to abduct them from their current life and place them as drones into ours. Our goal is to introduce them to the Author of all life, and in doing so help them see the fullness of life that they are missing. If we focus so much on the religion of Christianity that we miss the people that are, and will become Christ followers, we rob our neighbors of the full extent of God’s power unleashed uniquely in each believer’s life. The only way we can remove our own bias is by loving people more than processes and by having more faith in the God who gives life than in our own limited experience of life. With these priorities in line, God will unleash in us a passion for people that will become contagious!
3) A Passion for the Word of God. “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long; Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me; I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes; I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts; I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word; I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me; How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth; I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” Psalm 119:92-104
God’s Word is our primary source for knowing him, understanding His desire to relate to His people, and learning how to relate to them. The more we know the word, the stronger our passion for people will become. As we devote ourselves to God’s word, letting it become ingrained in every expression of our lives, it will begin to takeover our hearts, overflow from our lives, and spill out onto everyone around us. His passion will become our passion. Our will becomes less and His will takes over.
Of the three elements up for discussion, “heart” is perhaps the most elusive. Western culture tends to view our passions as inalienably connected to our personalities to the extent that we believe the issue of heart or passion is relegated to the same category as those “new tricks” we can’t teach an “old dog.” While there is some truth to this, the greater truth is that God is in the heart changing business. Effective evangelism and outreach begins with a heart that is broken, submissive to God and ready to be remolded in His image, taking on the passions of our God as our own.
June 24, 2008
June 19, 2008
Everyday Evangelists
While I have been looking for a new job/ministry, I have taken some time to focus on putting some of my thoughts on evangelism and personal ministry down on paper (at least the virtual equivalent of paper!) This first post is just an introduction to the first article, which I'll post in 3-4 parts. I would love your feedback either here or on my facebook wall! Enjoy:
Everyday Evangelists
By Bryan Buchleiter
Summer is just around the corner and already the BBQ’s are blazing, the sidewalks are sizzling and mowers are churning. Sitting in my study looking out the front window, I notice something I have not seen in about 7 months – people. People who have been holed up in well lit indoor spaces surviving the short days and cold nights of winter, eager for some sort of personal interaction with anyone and everyone who is willing to take the time to stop and talk, eat or play with the kids.
Not only are the social muscles aching from a winter of apathy, but for many believers, the evangelism muscles are begging to be stretched. Youth mission trips, week long camps and special outings all mark the hot-bed of the peak evangelism season in America – second perhaps only to the emotional swell that comes around the holidays. This is the time of year where people are out, engaged and ready to relate. This is the opportunity meet them where they are with the Love of God. This is what the evangelism class during the spring semester has prepared faithful churchgoers for, this is why you stocked up on gospel tracks, this is why you memorized the four spiritual laws, this…is usually where, despite your best intentions, your outreach efforts come to a screeching halt.
One of two things usually happens: our schedules get in the way or we get in our own way. We remember that summer back in 1989 when laid out the Roman Road for a high school buddy, and never spoke to each other again. We remember standing on a Chicago street corner having tracks thrown back in our face (and then blown across Michigan Avenue to the chorus of a dozen honking cabbies). We also remember the neighbor we have known for several years now but never broken any spiritual barriers, or the co-worker that invites us out the lake every weekend and comes back Monday with the hangover to prove what a “good-time” he had.
In short our lives are a web of a message without relationships and relationships without a message. There is a cycle here that is the evangelistic equivalent of a typhoon surging through our mental landscape. The good news is that our early detection system is intact. We know what is on the horizon we can be ready for what lies ahead. Our aim is to be intentional in our relationships for the sake of the gospel.
Evangelism Defined: again.
If you are looking for a definition of evangelism you need not look too far. There is no shortage of texts on the subject at every level of interest, for everyone from the seminarian to the newest believer. For the sake of discussion, however, I’m going to use the following definition: Evangelism at its heart is a process in which an individual with a passion for something persuasively communicates that passion to another person. While such a simple definition might shatter some preconceived thoughts that evangelism is a heady activity for the well training theocrat, (I didn’t even have to look up any words to spell when I wrote it!), its practicality and application are anything but simple. It takes a myriad of assumptions to translate that definition into the life of an individual believer. Are believers consistently passionate about their faith? Do they know how to communicate what they are passionate about? Do they have relationships with people that need to hear it? And the list goes on and on.
In an effort to apply this basic definition of evangelism and address these assumptions, we need to light a fire in our souls. Once the fire is burning H.O.T., consider the following:
Heart
+ Opportunity
+ Tools
Impact
Granted, formulas for the process of evangelism are almost as common as definitions, but my prayer is that by exploring these three concepts we can see evangelism as not only theoretically simple, but also it in a practical context.
Next Post: "Heart"
Everyday Evangelists
By Bryan Buchleiter
Summer is just around the corner and already the BBQ’s are blazing, the sidewalks are sizzling and mowers are churning. Sitting in my study looking out the front window, I notice something I have not seen in about 7 months – people. People who have been holed up in well lit indoor spaces surviving the short days and cold nights of winter, eager for some sort of personal interaction with anyone and everyone who is willing to take the time to stop and talk, eat or play with the kids.
Not only are the social muscles aching from a winter of apathy, but for many believers, the evangelism muscles are begging to be stretched. Youth mission trips, week long camps and special outings all mark the hot-bed of the peak evangelism season in America – second perhaps only to the emotional swell that comes around the holidays. This is the time of year where people are out, engaged and ready to relate. This is the opportunity meet them where they are with the Love of God. This is what the evangelism class during the spring semester has prepared faithful churchgoers for, this is why you stocked up on gospel tracks, this is why you memorized the four spiritual laws, this…is usually where, despite your best intentions, your outreach efforts come to a screeching halt.
One of two things usually happens: our schedules get in the way or we get in our own way. We remember that summer back in 1989 when laid out the Roman Road for a high school buddy, and never spoke to each other again. We remember standing on a Chicago street corner having tracks thrown back in our face (and then blown across Michigan Avenue to the chorus of a dozen honking cabbies). We also remember the neighbor we have known for several years now but never broken any spiritual barriers, or the co-worker that invites us out the lake every weekend and comes back Monday with the hangover to prove what a “good-time” he had.
In short our lives are a web of a message without relationships and relationships without a message. There is a cycle here that is the evangelistic equivalent of a typhoon surging through our mental landscape. The good news is that our early detection system is intact. We know what is on the horizon we can be ready for what lies ahead. Our aim is to be intentional in our relationships for the sake of the gospel.
Evangelism Defined: again.
If you are looking for a definition of evangelism you need not look too far. There is no shortage of texts on the subject at every level of interest, for everyone from the seminarian to the newest believer. For the sake of discussion, however, I’m going to use the following definition: Evangelism at its heart is a process in which an individual with a passion for something persuasively communicates that passion to another person. While such a simple definition might shatter some preconceived thoughts that evangelism is a heady activity for the well training theocrat, (I didn’t even have to look up any words to spell when I wrote it!), its practicality and application are anything but simple. It takes a myriad of assumptions to translate that definition into the life of an individual believer. Are believers consistently passionate about their faith? Do they know how to communicate what they are passionate about? Do they have relationships with people that need to hear it? And the list goes on and on.
In an effort to apply this basic definition of evangelism and address these assumptions, we need to light a fire in our souls. Once the fire is burning H.O.T., consider the following:
Heart
+ Opportunity
+ Tools
Impact
Granted, formulas for the process of evangelism are almost as common as definitions, but my prayer is that by exploring these three concepts we can see evangelism as not only theoretically simple, but also it in a practical context.
Next Post: "Heart"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)