I've been reading a couple of books for classes lately that have been dealing with how we as believers interact and share the gospel. One of the points that was made several times and has shown itself important in my life lately is the need to be honest and vulnerable with others. It's time for the facade to disappear. Why do we submit an unrealistic portrait of ourselves to the watching world? Believers don't have everything figured out. I'm broken, a sinner saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, a saint by merit of that same grace. I'm unsure of myself; I question God sometimes; I view myself as weak, especially in certain areas like meeting new people. But so many people don't get to see the weakness, as if it shouldn't be there. Yet God declares that His power is made perfect in (our) weakness and that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor 12:9). If we truly believe that, we need to be putting that faith into action and allowing the Spirit of God to use us and to conform us to His image.
Sometimes evangelism is straightforward. We have an international bible study with quite a few nonbelievers who have little exposure to Christianity. We can tell them about Jesus, who He is, what He's done, why that's important and what difference it makes. But we also can and should share our love with them. We can take them places, befriend them, show them that we're human too. It's important to share a level of self-disclosure with them. It helps them to see who we are and what Christ does in our individual lives.
After all, isn't it important that believers are witnesses not just of the history of God's interaction with humankind but, importantly, His interaction in our own lives? Is a witness one who declares what has been, as a historian, or is it a person who experienced something and shares/recounts that experience with others? If we lead detached lives, detached friendships, detached ministries, we are refusing to show people God's greatest gift in our own lives - His salvation that He has given us. Not every moment calls for us to share our testimony with others, and likewise not every moment calls for us to share Scripture. We need to be fluent in sharing both experience and God's word. Experience does not trump Scripture, but a changed life is a great thing to share. Do we root that changed life in the revelation of God or should a changed life be all the evidence a person needs to recognize Christ, repent and believe and persevere in the faith? If experience were all, there would not be a need for the Word of God. But having it, we should be reading it, learning and applying it appropriately. For we know, "All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Who am I to others? Who are you? What are you trying to let people see, and what are they really seeing when they look at you? Are you willing to appear undignified for the sake of Christ? Are you willing to show that you can be vulnerable or that you don't have it all together? Which is more important to you: self-image or doing what it takes to "gain the more" as the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 9:19-22? It's time to be a willing vessel for the Lord to use so that His glory would be proclaimed and that salvation would come to the ends of the earth. Would you die to yourself daily if that's what it takes? Jesus demands no less (Luke 9:23).
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