The E-word

Oooooh....another scary post, with a scary word...you know, the words that are hard to hear, that maybe leave a bad taste in your mouth or bring up a scar on the old ticker (heart, that is). This posts' word of doom, as it were, is e-v-a-n-g-e-l-i-s-m. I hesitate to write it, honestly because most people I know bolt to the doors when they hear or think of it. It is scary for Jesus People and Non-Jesus People Alike. I heard a segment today on This American Life, which is growing on me more and more, about how Christian Evangelism, and the old bait-and-switch technique prevalent in everything from the selling of toothpaste to the selling of Jesus. It was very thought provoking, and the segment featured and interview of Jim Henderson (find him at offthemap.com), a Christian with a different approach to evangelism for every person who knows they should not make converts, consumers, or intellectual-assenters, but disciples (we could reflect for weeks on just that last little conglomeration of words there.). I don't know too much about him, but from the interview, and from the content of his website(s), I really appreciated his thoughts and his approach to the scary e-word as well as to the help it can be for me and my friends on this journey with Jesus. Here is the way he ran down the practical steps for making disciples of Jesus.

Notice People

Genius right? At the mall, at work, at school, walking down the street, on our Facespace and Mybook pages, just...notice...people. People are not objects, and when we look at them as objects and treat them as projects, with all of our conversation, effort, and care going towards shoehorning Jesus (insert funny mental image here) into our relationship, we miss people. We don't care. We don't notice. We don't know.

Notice what? Everything...about people. Their style (or swerve), their musak, their language, their mindset, their struggles, their interests. Notice people. We cannot reach out to the people around us without knowing them. It is like a alien trying to communicate to a dog...not sure which one we are, but maybe you get the idea.

Pray for People Behind their Backs

It is amazing how little we pray for the people we claim to care so much about. If you notice someone, you notice they are in need, and you love them, right? So pray for them. Pray big, and small, and everything in between. I think I read that somewhere...hmmmm...

Listen

This is really complicated for self-important religious people. We like to talk. We like to tell. We like to be left alone too. Listen...actively listen. Listen to hopes, dreams, fears, interests, values, beliefs, and to what is going on in the lives of the people around you. Ask questions. Then shut up. Care more about them then about you. Be a GREAT listener. Jesus asked questions, and dialogued constantly with the people around Him.

This was the gist of what Jim shared as evangelism. At this point in the interview, Ira Glass (the interviewer) basically asked, "then what? You just hope something eventually happens?" Essentially Jim Henderson said yes. And I am cool with that kinda. I added a couple more principles, because in the Scripture we are called to show and tell the good news. I am confident that Jim is all 'bout this, and it shows in what He said, I just wanted to add a couple further thoughts in a post on the big e-word, because the opposite of Bullhorn-Street-Preaching-Obnoxious-Jesus-Guy is Wussy-I-May-Share-My-Faith-In-Five-Years-If-The-People-Dying-Around-Me-Beg-Me-To-Jesus-Guy. Unfortunately neither guy acts like Jesus, and because of both Christians have a rep for being hypocritical and irrelevant. Let me go on record as having been both. Sometimes in the same week. On a mission trip. Wearing a Jesus t-shirt.

Do Kindness

As sinners saved by the great love of God, we are transformed into a different kind of person. That person is kind. That person does, with no expectation of return. How many have been influenced by the kindness of God working itself out through people in acts of generosity, giving, service, forgiveness, and love. Pay bills unexpectedly. Shovel the snow. Rake the leaves. Invite for Dinner. Give stuff away. Babysit. Dump love on people. It is the fertilizer for discipleship. Yes I just said love is fertilizer....poetry people...go with it.

Share Your Story, Your Life, With People...

When you notice, love, serve, and give to people, they want to know why. If you are in real relationships with people, and it shows that you care, that you love with the love of Jesus, it will not take five years before someone asks, "What planet did you come from, and how can I get there?" Obviously when people ask, you share, and share why you have the ability to love and serve, namely, and clearly, because Jesus loved and served you and is working in you. If someone has not asked, likely there is something in your walk with God that needs to change. If you have spent the last decade planting seeds, being nice, and listening, it may be time to speak up. The world is dying for a good story, and you have the best one working itself out in you.