Courageous Pastor

GUEST POST by Keith Seabourn of
http://www.seabourn.org/

The pastor was really courageous. After the evangelism class he taught, I chatted with him about how courageous he was. Evangelism and Giving are two subjects likely to make people uneasy. Many leaders avoid them or minimize the time.

Why?

I think that evangelism (and giving) dredges up guilt and shame. We know we should be more active in talking with others about Jesus. And we are ashamed to admit how little we proactively initiate with others.

I visited church with my son and daughter-in-love yesterday. That’s where I attended the pastor’s evangelism class. Training others in evangelism is what I’ve done all my adult life. It doesn’t make me an expert evangelism trainer, just an active participant in trying to help others experience the amazing privilege of seeing someone open the door of their lives to Jesus. Getting to see a new birth is a tremendous privilege.

I had several thoughts during the class. Here are some the things I’ve found helpful.

• Having the proper perspective: Success in evangelism is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. This simple explanation frees me to be successful because the results are God’s.
• CoJourners is one of the best approaches to evangelism I’ve used in recent years. The focus is coming alongside others on the roadtrip called life. I’ve written about my experiences here and here.
• Sharing your personal story is an excellent way to share with others. The 5clicks.com site is very helpful in preparing your story in a compelling, winsome way.
• A friend of mine uses a very intentional approach to prepare to share with someone every day. Each morning, he takes a booklet or a New Testament or a Jesus Film DVD in his hand. He prays, “Lord, this belongs to someone else. Please lead me today to its new owner.” Then he goes out for his day eagerly expecting to find someone to give the booklet or DVD.
• Don’t be afraid of a question you can’t answer. I don’t hesitate to ask someone to play basketball because I’m afraid they might ask a question I can’t answer. And if I am asked a question, saying “I don’t really know a good answer right now. How about if I think about it and get something to you tomorrow?” Then go to search.ccci.org which searches across 2,000 websites in 50 languages for the best articles to questions like “How do I know if God really exists?” or “How can a good God allow all the evil and suffering in the world today?” Go to the search engine and type in one of these questions. See, good results that you can forward to your friend.

My son wrote about another misconception voiced yesterday.

It works! It takes courage. It takes overcoming all sorts of little whispers from the one who would have us keep silent. “He’s not interested.” “Don’t interrupt her now!” “You’ll only embarrass yourself.” I hear these and more every time I’m about to take the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God.

As Nike made famous, just do it.

The Fumble

You were nervous. You shifted your weight from one leg to the other as you began to speak.

“Uh, fellows,” you started.

We turned and looked up at you.

“I, uh, I just wanted, uh, to invite . . .”

You were way out of your comfort zone. I had no idea what you might be about to say, but I knew that it had nothing to do with work.

“I just wanted to tell you that, uh, our church is having a service tonight and, uh . . .”

”What?” I couldn’t believe it. “He’s talking church? Out here? With us?”

“I wanted to invite any of you to come along.”

Silence. Screaming silence.

****

Have you been there?

You were uncomfortable and perhaps after your fumbling attempt you thought of what a mess you made of the whole situation. You re-think and analyze what you said and did. You apologize to God for your “failure” at witnessing. You are embarrassed for presenting “church” instead of Jesus.

Wait a minute! God is sovereign and is not hampered by our humanity. God used this man’s apparent failed attempt to invite construction workers to church. Max Lucado was laying pipe that summer and was with the workmen on their lunch break. Five years later, he remembered this man and gave his life over to Christ.

Your efforts may have seemed insignificant or even like they were wasted. God sees the bigger picture, however. You don’t know what God will do. Just be available to Him.

NOTE: The above excerpt is from Max Lucado’s testimony in Chapter Seven of In the Eye of the Storm. Read the entire story online on Google Books.. Search for “Thanks for the Bread” which will take you to the chapter heading.

The Ministry Around You

Recently, I had the incredible privilege of talking to seven people in twenty-four hours about the hope and forgiveness they can find in Jesus Christ!

Each encounter is its own story, so I will try to write them individually in the next week or two. Until then, here’s an overview of the amazing twenty-four hour day.

No Fear

The next time you are fearful about sharing your faith, remember this 92-year-old woman.

Caring for the Earth … and for People

I glanced at a jade pendant dangling about two feet from my face.

“Your necklace is interesting,” I said as Lindsay tied a latex strap around my arm.

“It is a Japanese good luck charm,” Lindsay said, as she gently tapped my vein.

I found out within a few minutes that this young phlebotomist was a Buddhist.

“That’s obviously your choice,” I commented, looking at her pale skin and blue eyes. “Why did you choose Buddhism?”

“I like the way they respect all of life. That’s also why I went into this work.”

I commended her for wanting to help people and then asked, “Well, did you know that Christianity also teaches us to take care of the earth?”

No,” Lindsay admitted.

I encouraged Lindsay to go to my blog site to watch a YouTube presentation of the Good News. I wrote down the blog address on a piece of paper and then asked, “Will you take some time to investigate what Christianity really is?”

Lindsay assured me that she would.

I left the clinic rejoicing for God’s work in Lindsay’s life.

NOTE: Sending her to the right link was a little complicated, but I have improved this technique. Click here for more ideas about sharing web addresses when witnessing.

The Lived Out Gospel by Judy Douglass

The young woman who would be my seatmate on a flight from Ghana had a very heavy carry-on bag. The overhead bin seemed full, but the coat of the man in front of us was taking up half of it. He told her that her bag was too big and that was his space. He was rude. She was bewildered. I spoke up, reminding him calmly but firmly that the bin was shared space and his coat could go on top of the suitcase. He grumbled as he lifted his coat out. I helped her lift her bag.

Later the young woman turned to me and said, “Why are you so different? Why did you do that for me?” We had a wonderful conversation about our Lord. This is evidence of the lived out gospel. (I wish I always lived it out well.)

When we share Christ with someone who doesn’t know us, God can use the combined power of the truth of the gospel and His grace to open a heart to repentance and salvation even using imperfect vessels like us to communicate His message. But often winning takes time and relationship, especially in a generation where relationship is supreme. We must live out the gospel before them even as we tell them the truth.

What does the lived out gospel look like? God gives us many characteristics of the Spirit-filled life as evidence of this. Three stand out to me as key.

Without question, the first is love. The Lord Jesus Himself said the first commandment is to love God, then others. He even said we are to love as He loved, which was to lay down his life. Are we to lay down our lives for others? Some of us may be asked to make that sacrifice. But most of us give our lives to people in love by giving of our time, our abilities, our finances. Sometimes love is just being there. Other times we love by listening, encouraging, praying. Sometimes we give the shirts off our backs, or buy a meal or provide shelter.

This lived out love that gives is a powerful witness.

A second witness is grace. Grace is often an unclear or vague concept for us, so here are a few synonyms to help us grasp the meaning of this essential truth: mercy, forgiveness, benevolence, charity, clemency, compassion, favor, forbearance, generosity, good will, goodness, indulgence, kindliness, kindness, leniency, pardon, reprieve, responsiveness, tenderness.

Grace doesn’t hold a grudge, or refuse to forgive, or demand what’s due or insist on its own way. Grace does overlook an offense, extend time or help, speak kindly when verbally attacked, believe the best about another.

Lived out grace is also a powerful witness.

A third evidence of walking with God is authenticity. How many times have you heard someone say something about “hypocrites in the church”? Authenticity means we speak truth in a generation with no absolutes, we live what we say as much as possible, we wear no masks. We consider the impact our words and actions have on those watching. We are even willing to be vulnerable. Those are risky actions. We could be misunderstood, disapproved of, even shunned—or taken advantage of. But we wouldn’t be hypocrites. We would be true, real—authentic.

And lived out authenticity is a powerful witness.

My prayer for you and for myself is that we will live out the gospel so that people actually see Jesus in us.

Used by permission from Judy Douglass

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.

The Delivery

“Would you like to have this magazine?”

I stared at the Awake magazine twenty inches from my face.

Startled, I replied, “no way!” I kept walking and reflected on the encounter. I thought some other shoppers probably will take offense at these two women walking the store aisles like they do when going door-to-door in our neighborhoods.

Someone later suggested to me that I should complain to the store management. That thought also flitted through my mind as I headed to the grocery section. I decided I really did not want to see a sign on the store window saying: “The distribution of literature is prohibited.” After all, I hand out tracts regularly in stores.
Two minutes later, someone stopped me.

“M’aam, which one of these would be better in potato salad?”

I turned around and looked into the smiling dark face of a man in his early sixties. We discussed the merits of regular dill relish or relish with larger chunks.

As I began to leave, he still had a pickle jar in each hand. I offered “The Passage” tract to him and tucked it under his thumb.

“Thank you!“ He beamed, “I know the Lord!”

“Well, then you can share that with someone else,” I suggested.

“I will,” he promised.

I could not help thinking of the contrast of these two encounters. They were close in time and space but they were worlds apart in delivery.

In His Time

“It’s you!” Angela exclaimed.

I looked at her with a puzzled look. She had just taken a sample for a blood test and I held out a tract for her like I usually do.

“I had just started working here last May when someone gave me a little booklet,” Angela explained as she took “Beginning Your Journey of Significance” from me. “Since I was new here, I did not know who gave it to me. I still have it and read it.”

“Yes, it was probably me.” I actually had been at the doctor’s office quite a few times in the past nine months, but not in the lab area. I continued, “Have you ever heard before about knowing God personally?”

Angela then told me how she was interested in church and her husband wasn’t, but he finally, reluctantly, went with her. He was interested after he discovered the church had a motorcycle “club” and got involved in the group. I learned more about her husband and asked if Gregg liked computers.

“Yes,” she replied.

I rummaged in my purse but did not have what I was looking for. “I will bring something for Gregg next week when I come back to see the doctor about the test results,” I promised.

After my doctor’s appointment the following week, I stopped off at the lab and waited for Angela to be finished with a patient.

“Hi,” she smiled.

“Here’s something for your husband,” I said, as I handed her the Who is He? mini-CD.

“Thank you so much,” Angela said, and then her next statement almost knocked me off my feet. “I’m so glad to have this for Gregg; and he will be interested in this because he just had a mild heart attack.”

God is so amazing! I am so grateful that Gregg survived his heart attack and apparently is more open to spiritual things. It could be that he was more open to receiving the mini-CD after his heart attack and now has a chance to learn more about Christ. It is such a privilege to step into the stories of people’s lives and watch God at work. I was only a bystander watching God fit different pieces together to woo Angela and Gregg to Himself.

The Sower and His Seed

I learned a lot from Joe Jack Dement. Since the excellent video on the Parable of The Sower, featured in the last post, is only on the web temporarily, I am posting some thoughts I gleaned from this 80-year-old wheat farmer. Jesus explains the seeds and the meaning behind the birds, the footpath, and the other parallels in His parable. Mr. Dement’s knowledge of wheat farming adds to our understanding of the parable.

WHEN and WHERE
Just as the farmer casts the seed away from him, we can drop a little word about Jesus, a Bible verse, or a Scriptural truth as we interact with people every day. For instance, one day last week, I ran errands to five different stores. What normally would be drudgery for me was a joy as I shared a little conversation and tracts with nine people! My perspective was sowing, not shopping, as I went about my work.

WHO
We do not choose who gets to hear God’s message. God wants everyone to hear. God promises His Word will be active in a person’s life, even if we don’t see it. The seed becomes a fruitful plant over time and under the right conditions.

According to Mr. Dement, birds gather around the farmer, waiting for the seed sown on the path. Pray for the people who are not open to God’s Word to retain even a little bit of what you have sown. You do not need to fear that “the enemy” knows you are sowing. Pray for those who need to hear what you have to share with them. They are really the ones under attack!

Shallow soil means the plant will have no resistance and will dry up and die before maturity. To grow in Christ, people need to grow in their knowledge of the Word. As much as you possibly can, help this person get into the Word and into fellowship with believers. Even so, they may still have trouble when their faith hits the bedrock in their soul, so again, prayer is needed.

The seed growing in a weedy area was competing with a huge weed and did not yield fruit. Many people, rich or poor, are worried about their things and other financial concerns. When I share my faith I may even find that the Christians that I meet have not dealt with the weeds in their life and bear very little fruit for God. I suspect a lot of Americans are in the weedy category. Perhaps God will use the current economic woes to bring more people to follow him wholly.

I was very fascinated with the seed planted in good soil. One seed resulted in twelve plants, each with its own head of seed. I could not help but think of Jesus’s twelve disciples with their disciples. Farmer Dement said that 85% is a good, and a typical, yield. What if EACH Christian could leave a legacy of 85 mature Christians who are also telling others about Christ?

WHAT, HOW, and WHY
I named this blog The Sower because I envision that my Christian readers will be encouraged to speak about Christ frequently and everywhere. Thank you for visiting and please come back for more stories and answers to your questions to help you share your faith.