"… It’s important for us to journal, or to create, or give voice to the things that we’re even afraid to think about."
There are a couple heavy things I’ve had rolling around in my
head for several months— internal conflicts on conversations, scripture
meanings and actions that should follow.
Living in the world, we’re continuously faced with
situations and circumstances that can be intimidating and confusing.
Whilst being a Christ follower and having conflicting
beliefs from those around me, I’ve been pulled in several directions in my
approach to really live for Jesus and not just “live life + for Jesus on Sunday
or when He’s needed”.
It brought me back to a conversation I had once a couple
years ago about appropriate times for approaching random strangers about Jesus.
I’ve heard so many different views;
about how you should
have been someone’s friend for *blank*
amount of time and they should feel comfortable in conversation,
I’ve heard
that you should wait for a “sign” before approaching,
and I’ve even seen those
people who have giant picketing sign approaches to evangelism,
but for some
reason I just can’t say okay yes to that.
I’m not saying these
are invalid or not amazing ways to reach people.
Because I have done all three
and those have been extremely successful in introducing people to Jesus.
I just have this
overwhelming feeling that there is something missing,
that maybe it’s not so
much a formula as it is this vast relationship with Jesus
where we don’t need
strategies or step-by-step pamphlets on evangelism,
where we don’t have to live
in this shaky insecure place because we may not have an answer to give an
unbeliever in our attempt to convince them that Jesus is real,
or where we
don’t have to have all knowledge in the gospel
(not that that is a bad thing to
have or desire)
but because we are so leaned into the Father that when we
approach someone,
anyone,
we can hear Him say exactly what they need to hear.
I think, no, I know,
that sometimes when we/ I have approached people and wanted to share Jesus with
step-by-step theories,
I have failed.
But, every time I have been steadily
leaning in to Him, and tell someone what I hear, they have been radically
changed because it wasn’t me or a theory they encountered,
But an all-knowing
Father who reaches in love and all while reaching in love, He speaks truth.
I’ve even been
conflicted with the how to approach someone who is living in a lifestyle of
sin. Tons of people say
“in truth and love”,
and some say the “friend
evangelism” method,
and some are over powering and end up being religious
(in
the nasty sense).
And some say to let
your life preach.
But I’ve always read
the scripture that says, “How can they know unless you preach” or even the
scripture that shakes up the friendship method, that says, “Now is the day of
salvation”.
Or what if you only see them one time, or what if they live far
away and you can’t maintain relationship, or what if they die in a couple
hours?
Christians, myself
included, want to know why our approaches fail.
I’ve realized this
week that it’s because we have ever so slowly faded away from our Fathers voice
and been filled with noisy methods and theories that don’t work unless His
voice fills them.
I don’t want to know
how to convince someone his or her lifestyle is wrong and Jesus is right.
I want to look
someone who is lost in the eye and tell them that Jesus heard them when they
were in the car yesterday before work about their mom and he’s moving to heal
her,
or that mom who was in bed overwhelmed because her husband works a lot and
she’s tired from having kids all day, that He sees her and is there to help
her.
Or the broken husband at the grocery store and tell Him that God see’s him
before work when he’s reading and praying, and that God is moving to restore
their marriage.
We don’t need
methods, we need hearts overwhelmed by the love of the Father that hear when he
speaks and says only what He says.
That’s what Jesus
did.
He only did what He saw His Father do, and He only said what He heard His
Father say.
