Mission Minded

 

If you feel your church needs a wake-up call and some practical help in reaching out to the community, this book is for you.

Short and punchy, Mission Minded contains a number of helpful tables to practically organise your church activities into:

• Evangelism
  Reaching out to non-Christians and telling them the gospel.
  
• Edification
  Building up the body of Christ (continuing to preach the gospel to Christians).
• Support to Ministry
  This kind of follows on from edification - when maturing Christians participate in valuable behind-the-scenes support work to facilitate the spread of the gospel.
  
  Then the Evangelism category can be further broken down into:
• Raising Awareness
  Some people are totally unaware about Jesus, Christianity, or where the local churches are. An example of raising awareness could be promoting church events via mailbox drop, social media, newspaper ads etc.
  
• Initial Contact
  The first contact a non-Christian may have with a Christian.
  
• Pre-Evangelism
  Inviting a non-Christian to an event run by the church, but it is more a social event, not one where the gospel is preached.
  
• Evangelism
  Telling someone the gospel, either in person via a 1-1 conversation, or at an event where it is preached.
  
  The difficulty is that churches struggle with either two many activities, resulting in burn-out of its members and not much evangelism actually happening, or do nothing. You could argue that any event is worthwhile, but churches and people need to be strategic and wise with their limited time. It's not about what we enjoy, but about what will assist in spreading the gospel. Unfortunately many pre-evangelism activities are mistaken for evangelism i.e. having a ladies' morning tea to build relationships with community members is not evangelism unless the gospel is actually being preached there.
  
  Churches really need to take a hard look at their activities to decide which category they fall into. For example, door knocking would come under Initial Contact. Carols by Candlelight would be Pre-Evangelism. Some activities overlap. Then they need to wisely prune some activities and seek to find a balance between evangelism, edification and support to ministry. This doesn't mean we aren't trusting God - He is the one who ultimately brings the fruit - but we need to be good users of our time.
  
  There are blank tables in the book to help your own church start the process.
  
  You can order this book from the Matthias Media Australian online store here.
  

Joyfully Spreading the Word

This was a book I was looking forward to reading with eager anticipation, as spreading the gospel is not really one of my strengths. It has been said that 'evangelism' is in the same category as 'cancer' when it comes to words which provoke intense fear. At times, my fear of evangelism and rejection has crippled my life to such an extent, I began to seriously doubt the power of the gospel I was afraid to speak was able to save me from this sin. Other times, I have been blase, and neglected to see the urgency that the people around me needed a Saviour.

I needed to read this book!

To be honest, I found the first few chapters rather boring and frustrating. The book opens with reminding us of what the gospel is. While you could argue that ALL Christians need to be reminded of the good news they are commanded to tell, I felt it was a bit ho hum, been there done that. I get their point - we do need to know the 'what' before the 'how' - but I just wanted real-life examples of evangelistic life in the trenches. Will there be anyone who is faced with similar people I know with similar objections to Jesus and the Christian faith? Will there be any encouragement for me in my specific context?

The book is a collection of experiences of different Christian women, in different situations around the world. Therefore, each chapter has its own 'voice'.

One of the chapters which impacted me most powerfully was the one by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, author of The Secret Life of an Unlikely Convert. She speaks of her experience as a lesbian, university academic who came to Christ through the loving hospitality of a pastor and his wife, who invited her into their home and church for years, gently and patiently witnessing to her. This, she believes, holds the key to reaching out to the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ is a real community, constantly in each others' lives and homes, supporting each other. For Christians, our idea of community is often just church on Sunday and Bible study one night/morning a week. We need to do more in this area if we are to reach out to people whose worldview is often on a collision course with our own. Rosaria reminds us that LGBTQ people's greatest sin is not sexual sin, but unbelief - just like everyone.

I also gained a lot from the chapters on evangelising children (something on my mind right now as a parent and Sunday School teacher), and also on evangelism in universities and workplaces (two former stages of my life). Often people fit into four categories:
- The Interested
- The Uninterested
- The Curious
- The Churched (people who have been raised in the church, and may know a lot about Jesus and the Bible, but are not actually trusting and following Him).

There are plenty of encouraging stories of how God is powerful and can change even the hardest of hearts. There are also plenty of doses of realism and heartbreak - people who received the Word with joy, but later walked away. It is a reminder that we have a role to play, but only God can save. He is sovereign over all.

This book is such an encouragement and I recommend all Christian women read it.

More Than A Carpenter

This is the last of the evangelistic books I'll review this Easter.

Josh McDowell was a hard-headed sceptical university student when, confronted with the evidence, surrendered his life to Jesus in 1959. Since then he's been speaking on university campuses in the US, trying to persuade others of the truth of the gospel.

This is a book for your sciency friends, the ones who like to argue and debate, the academic ones. Whereas A Hell of a Life is more for your average, everyday Aussie, More Than A Carpenter will resonate more with those who want proof.

That's one of the key points of the book - Christianity is a not a blind faith. So many people demand proof and scoff that it can't be proved by science. Well, not everything CAN be proved by science. But they can be proved by history, by reliable documentation of the past. Nobody alive today was around when Queen Elizabeth I reigned, but we all believe she existed. How? We believe the accounts of those who were there and recorded it for us.

Josh McDowell's evidence-based approach is balanced with his own moving testimony at the end. You can mock Jesus, but He changes lives.

A Hell of a Life

This is one book I'd recommend to the Average Joe wanting to find out more about Jesus.

John Dickson writes in a very down-to-earth way, as if one might when talking to a mate. He uses plenty of analogies to make his point. Although the book is a bit outdated (it was written in the 1990s and refers to Madonna and Michael Jordan as the big superstars of the time), it still manages to convey its message that Jesus is bigger than any celebrity. He's had more books written about Him, more websites dedicated to Him...and it was His life that defined the modern calendar. At the end of the book, there are testimonies from people from all walks of life, saying what Jesus means to them and how we can trust Him, too.

It's Dickson's own testimony that really resonates. Raised in a single parent, non-Christian home, it was his Scripture teacher in high school that made a big influence on the self-confessed ratbag teenager and his mates.

This book shows the real Jesus, recorded in the gospels - not the love and peace, robe-wearing hippie that many people tend to think He is.

The Case for Christmas

We have a book nook in our local park.  It's like a mailbox where you can put books and take some that are in there - kind of like a free book exchange.  It's not policed at all, so it relies on people's generosity.  Recently I've been wondering and praying about what to do with the evangelistic books in my bookcase. I've been hanging onto them in prayerful hope that one day I'll have such a conversation with someone that it will lead to me being able to offer them a book (and hopefully a Bible).  Sadly, these conversations have not progressed to this stage, but God, in His kindness, prompted me to put them in the book nook.  Of course, there are hundreds of tourists who stop at the park on their travels.

This is one of the books I've recently put in the book nook.  I reviewed The Case For Easter a couple of years ago, and this book is much along the same lines.  In fact, Lee Strobel has written a whole series of short books (The Case For a Creator, The Case For Faith etc.)  Personally, I wonder why he has written so many books which must surely cover the same things?  His best known work is The Case For Christ (and there is now a movie of the same name, based on his journey from atheism to faith in Christ).  Perhaps it because they are short and strategically written for unbelievers.

Part of this book answers the usual questions (such as how do we know the Christmas story is true, how reliable is the Bible?), but another part surprised me. It was about a Jewish man who had become a Christian and now has a ministry among Jews. He said that many Jews have never read the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, and have been told by their rabbi that the prophecies are not about Him. One of the key ways to challenge Jews is to convince them to read the Old Testament prophecies on their own.  There is no chance that all of them could be about someone else; they are so clearly about Christ.

I pray my copy of this book will make its way into someone's hand and point them towards Jesus - the one who Christmas is all about.

Everlastings and the Everlasting

Last week I finally pulled my green thumb out and weeded one of my horribly overgrown garden beds.  Our place was starting to look very dero, so it was a job well done.

I've had a packet of everlastings that I've been planning to plant in that garden bed for a while.  Now they have finally been scattered onto the soil and raked in.

The process got me thinking about Matthew 13:1-23.  The only part I was playing in potentially growing everlastings was scattering the seed.  I can't make them grow, only God can do that.  As I scattered, I realised I was scattering over all types of soil....even in the one garden bed.  Some patches are rockier, some would be classed as 'good soil'.  But it isn't up to me to determine which everlastings will grow and which won't.  My role is to scatter the seed.  Years ago, a friend preached a sermon at our old church about how we often view non-Christians with 'Terminator glasses' on.  There is a scene in one of the Terminator movies where the Terminator is naked and needs some clothes.  He scans each potential person with his eyes to determine whether their clothes would fit.  So often we do that with non-Christians.  We size them up before telling them the gospel, trying to decide in advance whether our efforts will be fruitful or a waste of time.  We look at people's lifestyles and decide, No, they're in a de-facto relationship or a homosexual relationship, they won't want to hear about Jesus, because it would make things awkward with their partner if they became a Christian.  

But if we really believe God is sovereign and can transform even the hardest heart, then we will scatter without reservation.

Image from here

Bible Verse of the Day

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then He told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears let them hear."

He disciples came to Him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"

He replied, "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

"Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Matthew 13:1-23

The Heavenly Man

The last of the Christian biographies I'll be reviewing for a while.

WOW!  What a book!  This is one of those books that will be impossible to forget, and one I highly recommend all Christians should read.

The Heavenly Man is the story of the Chinese evangelist and pastor, Brother Yun.  A poor boy from rural China, Yun came to know Jesus at age sixteen, and God used him mightily to preach the gospel in China, and establish many house churches.  Despite years of horrific opposition, torture, and imprisonment, the Holy Spirit enabled Yun to stand firm in his faith and bring glory to God in his suffering.  Many heard the gospel through him and were saved.

 These are some of the things that struck me about this book:

• The descriptions of the torture Yun went through in prison are not for the faint-hearted (he was given shock treatment with electric batons inside his mouth).  I read that feeling deeply sick and fearful that I would not be able to endure in that situation.  I worried that I would deny Christ after going through only a small percentage of what Yun went through.  But Yun emphasises that it is the Holy Spirit that enabled him to endure and praise God through his suffering, not through his own strength.

• At times I felt the Scriptures he quoted were taken a little out of their biblical context in order to fit his experiences.

• It says on the blurb that this book is like a modern-day version of the book of Acts, and that is so true.  Some of the miracles God does among the Chinese Christians are truly remarkable.  In the church circles I'm a part of there seems to be an expectation that God will always work in logical ways (i.e. heal people using doctors, only speak while we're reading the Bible).  But the Chinese church have very few Bibles; people became Christians and have lived as Christians for years without ever owning a Bible.  The poor in rural areas don't have access to medicine.  Therefore, God shows His power among them in mighty ways, healing the sick, and speaking to Yun, his wife and others through dreams.  As Yun says about the Western church:
  Many Christians have also asked me why miracles and signs and wonders are so prevalent in China, but not so evident in the West.
  In the West you have so much.  You have insurance for everything.  In a way, you don't need God.  When my father was dying of stomach cancer, we sold everything we had to try to cure him.  When everything was gone we had no hope but God.  We turned to Him in desperation and saw Him mercifully answer our prayers and heal my father.  We reasoned that if God could do that then He could do anything, so our faith grew and we've seen many miracles. (page 299).  The chapter, Reflecting on Four Years in the West is a powerful rebuke to the Western church.
• I've noticed that Asian Christians are often more straightforward, open, and urgent in their faith that we here in Australia.  We tend to muck around a lot before telling people the gospel (or we're afraid to tell them in case we lose their friendship).  In China, there is no delay.  Persecution has created an urgency and spiritual hunger.  Because of this, Yun asks people not to pray that persecution will stop, as this is often God's intended way for the gospel to spread.
• Yet, despite all he has been through in China, Yun acknowledges that some of the most painful opposition he has received has not been from prison guards and Communist party officials, but nasty words from fellow Christians.  As it says in the book, In China, Christians are persecuted with beatings and imprisonment.  In the West, Christians are persecuted by the words of other Christians. (pages 308-9)  Shame, Western church, shame.
• Despite the millions in China still needing the gospel, Yun is focused on world mission.  Often I hear Aussie Christians using the excuse that there are many unreached Aussies as an excuse to stay in comfortable Australia.  Yun challenges us to consider going to areas where people have not even heard the name of Jesus.
• I was pleased to read that Yun places his marriage and family as high priorities.  He criticises the way many house church leaders in China are so focused on ministry that they neglect their wives and children.  Yun believes God rebuked him of this when he tried to do too much in ministry and ended up in prison, separated from his wife and children for years.  We have a role to play, but we are mere men and women, and we need to let God be God.

This is from the blurb:
Prepare to be deeply encouraged as well as rudely awakened.  An absolute must for the sleeping churches of the West.

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

The latest biography I read was that of Hudson Taylor - a man I'd never heard of until I was given this book as a gift.

For those, like me, who don't know, Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) was the founder of the China Inland Mission, a mission dedicated to evangelising China's inland, rural millions. This mission is now known as OMF International and has workers throughout south-east Asia.

So, what is Hudson Taylor's spiritual secret?  It is how he learned to be content in all circumstances.  And how did he learn this?  It happened when he had returned to England for a while and spent a few days in Brighton, wrestling with the great need of more missionaries for China:

In great spiritual agony, I wandered out onto the sands alone.  And there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for this service.  I told Him that all the responsibility as to the issues and consequences must rest with Him; that as His servant it was mine to obey and to follow Him, His to direct, care for and guide me and those who might labour with me.  Need I say that at once peace flowed into my burdened heart? (page 82)

Hudson Taylor is a fantastic example and encouragement of what it means to be content in all circumstances, to obey God and leave the consequences to Him.  The man suffered so much in his life - twice widowed, lost several  of his children to illness, had ill health himself, faced numerous hurdles to his ministry, including riots, slow growth of the ministry....but he never gave up.  He kept praying and persevering in holding out the gospel of grace to the Chinese people, even dressing as a Chinese man in order to become all things to all people, despite some criticism from other missionaries.

The downside of this book is that it's quite boring.  It's an inspiring story, but I found it such a hard slog to read because of the way it is written (it was first written in 1932, but later revised).

Still, I was left feeling both encouraged and rebuked.

The Cross and the Switchblade

This is one of those books that stays with you after you've finished it.  Up there with Keith Green's biography, it will make comfortable, middle-class Christians go 'ouch'.

As inspiring as it is confronting, The Cross and the Switchblade is the story of an ordinary man - David Wilkerson, a small-town US pastor - who is enabled to do extraordinary things in God's power.  One night in 1958, Wilkerson hears about the murder trial of seven teenage boys from New York on the TV; they had been charged with stabbing another boy to death because they felt like it.  Wilkerson couldn't shake the feeling that God was leading him to New York to help the boys.  While he never got to do that, it was the start of an incredible outreach to gangs in 1960s New York, which eventually led to the development of Teen Challenge.  This residential rehabilitation ministry offers hope to those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.

While the book is an amazing testimony to the power of God, there were some parts of the story which didn't sit well with me.  Wilkerson 'tests' God's will a lot by laying fleeces, a practice which I also found irksome in Jim Elliot's biography.  Also, I disagree with the Pentecostal obsession with speaking in tongues.  While trying to get some of the teenagers in his care off drugs, Wilkerson believes they would not be free from addiction or have the Holy Spirit until they spoke in tongues.  There is a heavy emphasis on the Spirit setting young people free from loneliness, addiction, anger etc. and while I certainly believe that God heals and restores people's lives, an emphasis on sin being everyone's greatest problem seems to be lacking.

Overall, I think this is a book that must be read.  It's so easy to become a comfortable Christian, but God can use anyone.  We are all clay in His hands.  Let's pray that He uses us as He wishes, no matter how scary that may be, to change people's lives.  No-one is in the too-hard basket, no-one is beyond His grace.

Religion is for Fools

I've also made a conscious decision this year to not only read more Christian biographies, but more evangelistic books as well.  I have had a number of these short evangelistic books/tracts sitting unread in my bookcase for some time, which is a terrible waste.  I'd love to give them away, but it's important to actually read it first before I can confidently place it in an unbeliever's hands and know they will be reading about the true gospel.

Religion is for Fools is one of those books.  In many ways it is like your typical evangelistic book - short, written by a former sceptic is who is now a believer, covers the usual stumbling blocks to faith such as the historical reliability of the Bible, "I'm a good person," etc.

But in other ways, it's different.  Written by Australian comedian Bill Medley (who I hadn't heard of), he explains why he went from religious sceptic to follower of Christ.  It's actually a letter to his sister-in-law Rita (who is not Christian), based on discussions they'd had.  He then put his thoughts into this book which he hoped she would read and think about.  Medley's mission was to investigate the world's five major religions - Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity.  The downside for which he'd be likely to be criticised by non-Christians for is that he spends the majority of the book exploring and defending Christianity, and leaves little room for the others.  He acknowledges and defends this though by saying that in his 'journey' to faith, if he found the true and living God, he doesn't need to spend time looking at anything else.  One thing he does do though is smash the notion that many Westerners have that Buddhism is all about peace, love and meditation.  It just shows that many people make Buddhism into what they want it to be without really investigating its teachings.

The difference between this book and a lot of other evangelistic books is that it's punchy, it's humorous (obviously since it's written by a comedian), and it has some little cartoons here and there.  It would definitely be a good book to give to an Aussie man interested in investigating Christianity.  It's the kind of book I'd give to my dad if he were interested.

The Case For Easter

It's amazing the number of Christians who complain incessantly that Easter has lost its meaning, that it's all about rabbits and chocolate, it's commercialised, nobody remembers the real meaning for Easter, no-one comes to church etc. etc.

I share those sentiments, but whinging isn't the solution.  Just like Christmas, I encourage all Christians to 'redeem the day'.  Seize this opportunity for evangelism.  People will question Easter traditions which I don't share (no alcohol, no red meat), and it's a great chance to talk to them about the REAL story of Easter.  They might want to come to church.  Invite them!  Be prepared, in season and out of season, for conversations which may arise.

The Case for Easter is a great book to give to someone with questions about the Easter story.  Lee Strobel is a former award-winning legal journalist who, in this book, retraces his steps from atheism to belief.  Strobel hits the experts hard with his questions which include:

• The medical evidence for Jesus' death.  Did he really die or was he just unconscious?  Strobel explores other explanations, such as the 'swoon theory' where Jesus didn't actually die, was placed in the tomb alive, and later removed the large stone and left.
• The evidence of Jesus' missing body.  Was the tomb really empty?  Did Jesus rise again, or did the disciples steal the body?
• The evidence of appearances.  Was Jesus seen alive by over 500 people after His death?  Were those people merely hallucinating?

This is a great book to give to a friend or family member with those sorts of questions.  They seem to be the most common objections to belief in Jesus' death and resurrection.

The fact that there are many Christian doctors, scientists and historians out there who believe the Bible's version of events meant I also found this book encouraging as a believer.

Jim Elliot

My plan for this year was to read more Christian biographies - stories of both well-known and 'ordinary' Christians.

I started with the story of Jim Elliot back in January.  Jim was a missionary to Ecuador in the 1950s.  He and four other men were speared to death on the banks of Curaray River in 1956, trying to reach the hostile Auca Indians.

To be honest, Jim Elliot's personality quite annoyed me. While I admired his seriousness about serving the Lord, he reminded me of some guys I met when I first became a Christian that scared me silly.  There is a bit about where he and some mates gatecrashed their friend's honeymoon suite and then decided to hold a Bible study there.  Instead of spending their first night alone, the newlyweds had to deal with a group of Christian friends in their room doing Bible study.  Later, Jim realised he was in the wrong and apologised.   Ummm, yeah, you reckon?

The whole issue of how God guides is prevalent in the book.  Personally, I think Jim was overspiritualising things, wanting God to give him signs all the time about where and when he should serve overseas.  I'm not saying we shouldn't pray about these things, but come on, make a decision!  Also, I was quite disgusted about how strings his future wife Elisabeth along for years, saying that he wants to remain single to serve the Lord, yet he keeps stirring up love in her heart.

His story is both inspiring and confronting.  I had to ask myself: Am I willing to do that?  Willing to go and reach a hostile group of people, risking my own life, so that they may hear about Christ?  Would I be willing to live without my modern creature comforts?  While the mission to reach the Aucas seemed to be a failure, years later many Aucas became Christians.  This book was a timely reminder that the gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable.

Quote of the Day

It is worth the effort of a lifetime to reach one person with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
 - Charles Spurgeon

The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission

If you only read one book on evangelism...read this one!

 It was 2005 when I first spied it on a camp bookstall.  I've always liked John Dickson's books, but I feared this would be another guilt-trippy book on evangelism that would chastise Christians for not all being street preachers or door knockers.  I should have known it wouldn't be so after reading some of Dickson's earlier books.

When I first read it, it was known as Promoting the Gospel and it looked like this:

But it's still the same book!

The tagline for the repackaged version is: Promoting the gospel with more than our lips.  That's what Dickson is on about.  He differentiates between proclaiming the gospel and promoting the gospel by exploring some key Bible verses on evangelism:

Consequently faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:7

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
1 Peter 2:12

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives, when they see the purity and reverance of your lives.
1 Peter 3:1-2

At first, it may seem that Dickson is a big fan of the famous quote supposedly by St Francis of Assisi - Preach the gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words.  Even though I have struggled with telling others that I have faith in Christ, this quote has never sat well with me.  How can anyone know and understand the gospel if no-one explains it to them?  As much as I might not want to speak, speaking is necessary.  Have you ever seen a great ad on TV, but never had an idea what it is actually advertising?  You may be attracted to someone's good life, but unless you know WHY they live the way they do, you will not know what they are 'advertising'.

Dickson is NOT saying, "Don't preach the gospel."  That would mean Peter is contradicting Paul.  What he IS saying is that although we need to preach the gospel with our lips, we also need to adorn it with our lives.  Non-Christians see Christians who don't practise what they preach as hypocrites, and rightly so.  Rather, Dickson is promoting a range of activities that make the gospel beautiful to those around us.  These include:

• Prayer
• Godly behaviour
• Financial assistance to those in need
• Public praise of God (i.e. in church or through Church Together, Carols by Candlelight or some public Christian activity)
• Answering people's questions and objections about Christianity (i.e. over coffee with a friend or during morning tea at your workplace)

This was all true for me before I became a Christian.  I was attracted to Jesus by the lifestyles of my Christian friends at high school.  Although I gave them limited opportunities to explain the reason for the way they lived, God was working in me, awakening a desire for Himself.  But obviously someone had to explain the gospel to me so that I could believe it.  That happened when I went to uni.

While Dickson himself is a gifted evangelist, he realises in the book that he has been guilty in the past of pushing his ministry onto others.  He emphasises that there are people who have been gifted in evangelism who find it naturally easier than others, and that these people have a special role in the church (that is not to say that other Christians should not be involved in evangelism).  I was relieved to read that.  I've met a few gifted evangelists who have been bewildered that any Christian could be coy about sharing their faith.  It was nice to know that someone understands and is committed to helping others reach out in different ways.

One of the great thing about this book is that is does not emphasise and promote what Dickson calls the 'gospel download' - learning and memorising a five point gospel outline to share with others during stranger evangelism.  While he acknowledges that courses encouraging Christians to share their faith certainly have their place and can be invaluable when opportunities arise, we do not get many opportunities in our culture for doing this with non Christians.  Australian culture sees religion as a private thing.  Some people are very open with asking questions about faith (especially on university campuses), but most of my friends who have door knockers come by their houses tell them to get lost.  Therefore, most of our opportunities for sharing Christ will not come in the form of 'gospel downloads' but 'gospel bites'.  Someone at work may make a passing comment about Christianity which gives us the opportunity to respond.  But often we won't get the opportunity to share the whole gospel.  Sometimes it will take months or years of being alongside that person, being their friend, answering their questions to get that opportunity to share more.  Other cultures may be different, but that's Australia to a tee.  Therefore, every Christian needs to be prepared to give an answer, but not necessarily a gospel download.

But in your hearts set Christ apart as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect...
1 Peter 3:15

Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:6

This was a HUGE encouragement to me, knowing that I don't have to regurgitate a gospel outline to people who are not interested.  Obviously it would be great to have that chance, but wisdom and discernment (and patience) is needed in each and every situation.

The main problem which I blogged about in The Dreaded E Word is NOT not knowing what to say, but having the courage to speak up in the first place...even if it's just a gospel bite.  Too often I've been in a group situation where someone has said what they think about Christians, or about churches (not positive), and I've just sat there.  That is not to say that I should have jumped in and berated them, but I could have asked them why they thought that and tried to gently engage with them a bit more, rather than not wanting to be seen as a freak.  If you're anything like me, Dickson has this encouragement for you:
Whatever the causes, the antidote to Christian coyness is a renewed vision of Christ's lordship over all: as Peter says, setting apart Christ as Lord.  Our bosses, professors, parents, friends, politicians and media do not rule heaven or earth.  If for just a moment, we could lift the curtain of heaven and see 'the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God' (Acts 7:55), then all causes of Christian embarrassment would vanish in an instant. (page 158)

John Dickson is right and the counsellor who helped me back in 2004 is right.  To be able to share the good news of the gospel with others, I first and foremost DON'T just need more training, or be told to be brave, or just get over it.  I need a fresh view of who Jesus is.  He puts everything into perspective.

This is a book I highly recommend every Christian should read.  I am grateful to God for how He used this book to help me.

The Dreaded E Word

Evangelism.

What goes through your mind when you hear that word?

Fear?  Excitement?  Guilt? 

This is my 'evangelism story' from since I became a Christian.  I've struggled with seeing evangelism as a privilege.  It doesn't help when other Christians go on and on about how if we really love Jesus, then we wouldn't have any fear.  This doesn't encourage the timid and help the weak.  It just paralyses them.

The main thing I've learnt over the years is that I will never love Jesus as I should, but that He loves me - more than I can ever comprehend.  His acceptance of me is because He purchased me with His own blood - not my evangelism ability or lack of.

I've blogged my testimony before here.  In Part 3, I wrote about my family and friends' reaction to my faith.  I had some Christian friends who openly showed their joy and excitement that I was now following Christ.  But some others came across as a bit indifferent.  It was almost like they didn't really believe me.  One person admitted later that she was always so very happy for me, and should have showed it more.

As a new believer, I had this very naive view that my non-Christian family would be happy for me.  That fellow students at uni would be respectful after finding out I was a Christian.  It seems ridiculous now.  After all, I wasn't very respectful of Christians before I became one.  My mum had been encouraging me to go to Christian 'events', but when I told them I was now a Christian and was attending a church regularly, she did not react well.  It made me realise that her aim was for me to keep out of trouble at high school and uni.  She never actually wanted me to BELIEVE it.

I was shattered.  I started hiding my faith.  I feared man much, much more than I feared God.  I wasn't openly Christian.  I decided that if someone asked if I was a Christian, then I would be happy to talk to them about it, but I would never aim to start evangelistic conversations.  I wanted people to like me....even people I didn't really respect or like much.  I only wanted to talk to non-Christians I felt 'safe' around.

Being part of the Christian Union at uni was both an encouragement and a burden.  I felt so much pressure to be involved in stranger/walk-up evangelism...it was as if this was the only way to evangelise.  One guy was a very gifted evangelist and did regular stranger evangelism on campus.  He often invited others to join him, but he was very encouraging about it.  He emphasised that he didn't want anyone to feel guilty if they didn't want to accompany him.  But on another occasion, I was hanging out with someone before Bible study when they said, "We've got some time to kill.  Let's do some stranger evangelism."  When I told this person I didn't want to, they kept pressuring me, "Why not?"

I felt guilty.  I felt ashamed.  I felt like I wasn't a true Christian.  I felt like God didn't love me, that I'd lost my salvation.  Satan got into my ear and I believed his lies.  He whispered that if I was ashamed of Jesus, then He would be ashamed of me before His Father.

This was 2004 when everything really went pear-shaped.

I was afraid to die.  If I died I would go to hell so I had to stay alive at all costs.  I became very depressed.  On top of my workload for uni, it was difficult to cope.  I felt like I had no-one to talk to, no-one would understand.  A lot of Christians admitted they found evangelism scary, but it didn't offer me any encouragement.  They might have been scared, but they didn't hide away like I was.  They loved Jesus enough to be bold, despite their fear.

In the end, I decided to seek out a Christian counsellor.  I needed to speak to someone who didn't know me.

God used that lady to bring me back from despair.  I thought she would just tell me to be brave and bold.  But she didn't.  She opened the Bible and showed me Romans 8:1.  That was the beginning.  I had allowed Satan to chain me with his lies.  Now God's Word was going to set me free.

God helped me understand grace better.  I thought I knew what it entailed before, but now I was coming to a much deeper understanding.  I could NEVER deserve His love.  It was freely given.  He wasn't going to give up on me.  I could come before Him, confess my sin, and He would forgive and change me.  It might be a long and painful process, but He was for me.  He would empower me to live for Him and to speak His lifechanging words to others.

Early in 2005 I got baptised after my housemate suggested it.  It was a chance to share what God had done for me with people who weren't Christian.  Even though my parents and brother were the only non-Christians who accepted the invitation to come, I got to speak uninterrupted about the difference Jesus makes, both now and for eternity.  One of my cousins was quite horrified that I got baptised.  In my darkest days, I would have felt mortally wounded, but now I found myself not being so worried about her disapproval.

It has been a long process and it's nowhere near over.  In hindsight, I can see that, unlike many of my friends who grew up in Christian families, I had to have a 'coming out of the closet' experience as a Christian.  Although every Christian has to explain who they are to non-Christians they meet, it wasn't the same as it was for someone who has always been known for being a 'church goer' or 'religious'.  It probably sounds like I'm making excuses, but I'm not.  I know it is my own sin, the fear of man which is the problem.

The difference since 2004 is that instead of looking for God's approval in evangelism, I look to the cross.  Sharing my faith has become easier over time although it's still a struggle.  Once people know I'm a Christian, it's actually the exciting privilege it should be, and not a burden.  So, if I talk about my experiences of evangelism, rest assure I'm not wanting to brag.  It is God's work.  If you're finding it tough, I understand.

God will not give up on His children.  He will refine and change them.  My greatest encouragement is the apostle Peter.  He went from being someone who denied Jesus and fled to save his own skin, to someone who boldly and fearlessly proclaimed the gospel - even though it led to his death.  That is my prayer for myself - to let the love of Christ compel me to share the good news with others.

The post Gospel Speech at our School by Jean from In All Honesty really encouraged me this year.  Check it out.

Facebook Evangelism

Can someone tell me why Jesus was nailed to a cross?

A guy I went to school with had this as his Facebook status last week.  I paused when I read it.  Was he seriously wanting an answer?  Or was he just looking to stir?  You never know with some people.  I've never thought Facebook was a very good vehicle for evangelism anyway.  I've seen too many 'debates' turn nasty while a lot of lurkers were probably having a good laugh.  I would rather sit down in person, or have a private conversation via email.  Should I answer this guy's question?  After a few responses that seemed quite bizarre and way off track, I took the plunge.  But instead of going into a lengthy spiel, I just sent a link to Two Ways To Live as a response.  Two Ways To Live explains the Christian message really well and I'm grateful to have such resources available.

The next day, he wrote back:
So the man himself was tied to a stake not a cross and paid the ultimate price for other people's sins. (Silly little bugger wasn't he?) so where was his parents? Are they accountable for neglect?
If we accept Jesus is God incarnate then on the metaphorical cross God himself died, how does that work?
So the modern day JC would be crucified (murdered) by lethal injection, I suppose it would look a tad bit silly if a miniature needle replaced the 'cross' on all those necklaces.
So what makes a Christian different from Buddhist, Jewish, etc?
Then, what's the difference between English, Dutch, African, Chinese etc?
Isn't there only one JC? And one GOD? But they're the same so that's only one, but there's two present........
Oh this is all too much

I thought, well, he's serious, then.  He actually watched Two Ways To Live.  In previous comments he wrote about how he didn't understand anything from Scripture lessons in primary school, and was confused about all the different Bible translations there are.  I went to school with him for years.  Although I haven't seen him recently and he doesn't live nearby, he's a nice bloke with a bit of a dry sense of humour.  Therefore, I didn't take anything he said as a personal slur on my faith because I could see that he must be genuinely searching.  And he had so many questions!  Oh my!  How was I going to respond to them?  Should I respond to them?

But then I thought, I'd rather try and help him find Christ than not do anything.  Again I sent him a link saying it might help with some of the tough questions he was asking.  It was a link to the Christianity Explored Tough Questions page.  I didn't hear back from him after that.  But there are a lot of questions on that page so it would take some time if he was watching all of the clips.

I wasn't sure what to do after that.  It wouldn't be appropriate for me to meet up with him in person (it would be better for him to meet up with another bloke).  He lives in Albany so I was trying to think of someone I could ask if he wanted to go down that path.  I prayed.  I prayed he would not give up searching.  I prayed God would open his eyes to who Jesus is.  I prayed he would go to a good Bible-teaching church.  I prayed that he would accept Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

What started as fear gave way to excitement.  I saw that Facebook can be a great tool for evangelism if used wisely.  I'm still cautious about jumping straight into debates.  I want to be wise with my words.  Maybe God had used me to plant a seed and would send someone else to water it.  For it is God's work after all, for His glory.

This post has been entered in the November edition of the Christian Blog Carnival.  If you're a Christian blogger and would like to enter one of your recent posts, submit it here today.

Writing Evangelism

I promised I'd write a post on why I want to be a writer so here it is. If this doesn't interest you in the slightest, feel free to have a snooze and come back for my next post - I don't mind ;)

There are two main reasons why I want to be a writer:

1. I enjoy it.

2. Writing is a great medium to spread the gospel.

I can already see a few Christians going "hmmmm" at my second point.

"Writing is impersonal," they say. "There is no relationship between writer and reader. What about discipleship?"

I can see their point. Writing is impersonal....and 'safe'. If my book ever gets published, I will have no idea who's reading it (except people I know) and what they thought of it. Sometimes, a reader may be impacted so much by a book they read, that they will contact the author and let them know so there IS a possibility for communication there. But even if they find a book revolutionary or life-changing, most people will not try to let the author know and the author has no idea if their work has borne any fruit.

I would love to write Christian fiction because there is such a lack of it that non Christians would actually read (it seems Middo has the same idea with his book). I'm not the least bit interested in those 18th century period Christian fiction books and I know a lot of my non Christian friends aren't either. What I am passionate about is seeing relevant Christian fiction popping up in Angus and Robertson and Dymocks rather than Koorong, where very few non Christians are going to go anyway.

I know there are people who think writing is not a good way to evangelise and that the only way to reach someone with the gospel is to tell it to them personally and then follow them up with 1-1 discipleship if they choose to follow Christ. Yes, I agree that is an ideal way but I also think there is no 'one way' to tell someone the gospel, only the command that we do it. What about those people who don't know any Christians? There are people who have become Christ-followers by picking up the Bible themselves and having a read and become convinced of the truth. Others have picked up a Christian book.

Reading a book does not replace discipleship but it is a way of communicating the gospel to readers who are potentially far far away. I may never know them or how they respond. But I'm excited that God may use me to plant a seed in someone and perhaps send someone else to water it. Not everyone is game enough to ask questions but they may choose to pick up a book first and investigate Christ on their own.

I was excited when I saw this conference advertised last year because we are both on about the same thing. Too bad I was at a wedding the same day and just couldn't afford to go to Sydney, otherwise I would have loved to have been there.

If you're a writer, let me encourage you to use your gift for God's glory. Even if you don't feel you're particularly 'gifted'.....write anyway :)

Info is here.