"Somebody said once that evangelism, true evangelism, is only this - one beggar telling another beggar how to find bread. There's nothing that should make me boastful about my faith. I recognize that my faith is the result of the grace of God. And so we must understand that when we're talking to people, we're called to be gracious and kind. The fruit of the Spirit that the New Testament calls us to exhibit includes gentleness, meekness, patience, and love. That's the spirit in which we are called to communicate to people.
"Even though we are gracious, kind, patient, friendly, and sensitive to people's dignity, we cannot remove altogether what the New Testament calls the offense of the gospel because the gospel does call people to repentance, and people are threatened by that. But it is important that we not add unnecessarily to the offence that built into the message of sin and redemption. Sometimes people reject us and what we say because they're rejecting Christ - and we suffer unjustly. But many more times people get angry not because they're offended by Christ but they're offended by our insensitivity toward them as people."
2 comments:
My father was a United Methodist pastor (I consider myself forward-slidden from that liberal background). He used the phrase, "I'm just a beggar telling another beggar where to find the bread".
Unfortunately, that falls short, as Ray Comfort will tell you. There is no urgency. Chuck Swindoll likened evangelism to knowing the way out of a burning WTC tower just before it collapses, and showing as many others the way out before it falls down.
Thank you for visiting my blog, Bob.
What you say is so true. I am often guilty of having a lack of urgency when talking with others about their need for Jesus.
Many of us need to be infused with the spirit and attitude that C.H. Spurgeon had.
Craig
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