| Cross Words: In Our Own Words |
Richard Prow ~ rpcrosswords@gmail.com
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Not to beat a dead horse, or a dead Christian as the case may be, but we who are believers in Christ do a poor job of telling others about Christ. We have found salvation and forgiveness but for some reason we are reluctant to offer unbelievers a clue as to that treasure’s whereabouts.
Most of us realize the implications and importance of sharing our faith. We know also that we are instructed to do so. We just don’t. Fear of rejection, uncertainty over what to say, and a lack of biblical knowledge frighten so many of us away from evangelism. Could it be that we’ve made it harder than it really is?
For some reason we seem to think that we must have a perfectly prepared presentation, as if we were preparing to peddle vacuum cleaners door to door. “Dear sir or madam....” We are mistaken as well to think that we must have an encyclopedic knowledge of the New Testament. “The Roman Road to salvation goes as follows....”
Yes we should have a plan. And yes we need to have verses of the Bible committed to memory. But consider this. In the early days of the church, the church had neither. No evangelistic programs or strategies had been established and no “Roman Road” had been paved because the New Testament had yet to be written.
The evangelistic approach of the early church members was simple. Tell others what you used to be like. Tell them who you met. Tell them how you are different today.
A certain man was given over to isolationism, demonic possession, and suicidal thoughts. A lost cause if ever there was one. Then he had an encounter with Jesus Christ. Upon his conversion, the one-time lost cause wanted to spend the rest of his days following Jesus around Israel. Jesus instead encouraged him to stay in his hometown and become an evangelist. “Return home and tell how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39).
The man had a story to tell. So do we.
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