Evangelism for the Chicken Hearted

Every time I hear the news and get really bothered by "how the world is going" (and there is no doubt American society is in a moral free-fall), I end up praying and telling myself to redouble my efforts to reach the lost. Not that I'm perfect at it. Not at all. There are many times when we need to get back to what is really important.

And today is one of those days.

If you've followed this blog at all, you know that I've written on the errors called the "seeker" and "PDL" movements. It is my sincere conviction that, as I have recently written, these movements appeal to so many because they give us an excuse to avoid sharing the Gospel...and that appeals to our sinful flesh, which resists the concept of "dying to self". To be brief, it's easy to shut your mouth and say "I'll take an undetermined amount of time to become somebody's friend before telling them they need Christ". Of course, this is very presumptuous. It presumes that Jesus' return isn't imminent, it presumes that we know that the individual has some time to live, which we are not guaranteed (our life is a vapor!) and it presumes that we can do God's work our own way...and Jesus didn't take weeks or months to "build a friendship" nor did the apostles.

So, we need to get going. So, what do we do? Well, there are many things we can do, one of which is to begin to intentionally go out of our way to share the Gospel instead of waiting around for some magic moment that may never happen.

First, let me recommend you invest in "The Foundations Series" by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. You can get them through Way of the Master or Living Waters ministries. Get a group going -- for encouragement, support and accountability. Go through the study guides and do the weekly assignments. It will get you out of your comfort zone and onto the streets -- if you really are serious about sharing the Gospel. I guarantee you -- from experience -- that it will take you from your very shy "I'm askeered" comfort zone to one where you can easily share the Gospel. Just do the preliminaries and give it a chance!

So you say that sounds a little intimidating? Ok. But that doesn't get you off the hook. Do Something. For over two years now, I've had a paper in the back window of my Civic that is folded to the size of a bumper sticker and taped to the inside of the glass. All it says is "www.needgod.com" in comic sans font. Plain old black and white, nothing fancy. But it gets seen. And if someone wants to tailgate me during my commute to work, I just make sure they get close enough to read the sign!

Another thing you can do to get warmed up to evangelism is get a stack of Post-It notes. You pick the color. Then sit down and on each one write, in pencil or ink, "www.needgod.com". Write it as if you are writing a note to yourself. Then take that stack wherever you go and put them on doors, on computer monitors at the library or wherever. In all the time I've been doing this, I've yet to see one torn or thrown away. But they disappear. Someone takes them.

You know someone who likes pressed pennies? Get some from Living Waters ministries. They sell pennies with the ten commandments on them. Use them to start a conversation about the Ten Commandments and ask the person if they think they have kept them. Then tell them about what it means to fail to keep them, the penalty and the solution; the death of Christ on the cross to pay for our sin.

If you knew someone's house was on fire and they were about to die, would you take days, weeks or months to tell them about it? And yet, this is far more important; we're dealing with eternity.

The hour is late. Jesus is coming. Do you really want to presume on God?

Let's just do it!