2/24/10 Khalid, Salah, early 30's
One
thing that is scary about initiative evangelism is the fear of the
unknown - we don't know who God will put in our path or what their
spiritual needs might be. How could we be prepared for whomever we
might talk with?
On a walk in the neighborhood recently I came
across a variety of people who are in different places in matters of
faith; three teenagers who attend church on Sundays and know a lot of
church jargon but look, speak and act like their worldly friends the
rest of the week; a Catholic grandfather from Mexico who reads the Bible
to his grandchildren but says he doesn't really understand it himself
and wondered how he could know he will go to heaven; a suspicious
bicyclist who declined to discuss his religious beliefs; and two
brothers who are Muslims from Morocco and very open to talking about
spiritual matters.
2 Timothy 4:2 tells us "Preach the word; be
prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with
great patience and careful instruction." Just as this passage
explains, at times I felt called to " correct, rebuke and encourage"
people, and most conversations required "great patience and careful
instruction". This may sound like it requires a long process of
preparation, but I believe the best teacher is the Holy Spirit as we
gain practical experience.
We do need to work at being well
prepared but we need to begin preaching the word sooner rather than
later, "in season and out of season". Jesus sent out His disciples long
before they seemed ready, and He does the same for us!
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