So, I guess I'll be the one to push it off since I'm and work and work is slow.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about evangelism lately. Mostly because I'm not really an "evangelist." I like to live like I have Jesus in my life, but I'm mostly scared to death to tell anyone that I have Jesus in my life. By "anyone," I mean people I don't know. I've always put a lot of emphasis on developing a relationship before I try to talk to them, but that turns out to me just never getting around to it.
My biggest problem is that I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words. I know how I feel about Jesus, but I don't know how to tell others about that. Clayton has recently challenged me to figure out how to say what it is about the gospel that has changed me. I must say that thinking about this has made me feel like I don't really understand. I know that Christ died beaten and scorned on a wooden cross for my sins, but why don't I act like it all the time?
I think this feeling of not fully grasping the gospel stems from my lack of making an effort to spread the gospel. I haven't been motivated enough to share the greatest news that could ever be told.
In an effort to understand how to talk to people, Clayton let me borrow a book called "Questioning Evangelism - Engaging People's Hearts the Way Jesus Did." It is written by Randy Newman and so far it has been really good. I've only gotten through a little more than the first chapter, but it has made me think a lot about how to bring a conversation around to the gospel. As you probably guessed, he suggests using questions to get people to open up and have a discussion instead of having an agenda or script. He also talks about answering questions with questions, which is what Christ did a lot. (Matt 22:17-20, Matt 12:9-12, Luke 20:1-8) The scripture references and the "real life" examples he uses are mostly from someone asking a question, but the motivation behind the question was to put him on the defensive and not really a sincere inquiry. Here is an example:
Accusatory tone: "Why do you still believe in God in light of people's dying of AIDS?"
-"How do you explain so many deaths?"
This response engages the person without you having to go into defense mode. Instead, it opens up a dialogue where you can see where the other person is coming from. We've talked about the pizza a lot in Thirdcamp and I think this questioning approach is a good way to get the conversation to a place where you can see which piece of the pizza the person in interested in.
I'm pretty excited about reading more about this approach and applying these things in the way I talk to people. Now that you all know where I'm at, I'd really appreciate any input or other book recommendations.
tomatoes on my sandwich,
Aaron
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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5 comments:
So when you understand what piece of the cici's pizza your friend is on where do you go from there?
I think it is a huge deal to be able to explain what you do in life based on how the Gospel has changed you. Not be able to say "because of Jesus" but really be able to explain the mechanism of change. Like... "God did this, it makes me understand and feel this, so that is why i have change... God moved and it reshaped how I view the world."
Additionally, discovering application of the Gospel in your life helps you understand all the pieces of pie. When I apply the Gospel to change how I view my school/career then I am more equipped to discuss with someone who is having issues with their career. Without specifically pondering the applications of the Gospel in all aspects of our lives we possibly are living in the same way as our non-Christian friends and so when conversation ensues we have no answer as to "why" we live our lives the way we do.
Which leads me to what I have been thinking about a lot lately. What areas of my life have not been changed by the Gospel? What can I do to revolutionize my whole life around the fact and God created the world and reached out to us through Christ to redeem us to Himself? For example, things like competitive sports, the Gospel way. Interstate driving, the changed life way. peeing and pooping, the way I would if I really believed that Jesus loves me and that's all that matters. Let's all try to questions if we really believe and then apply that to all our lives.
All that to say, know why you changed to teach others how they can and why it leads to the most fulfilled life.
Excellent first post. And excellent first comment on first post.
Also, I wish it would sign my name "B-Ho" or something, because this is going to get confusing with 2 Brian's posting comments. For the record, the above comment was posted by me, B-Ho.
mine shows up as "Brian T.
and i have a picture - why don't you just put a picture on your profile and it will clear up any confusion
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