Where to from here? (Part 1)

I was reviewing the updated version of You, Me and the Bible and re-read the very end of the book that points the reader to put their faith in Jesus. It caused me to reflect on when I last had this type of conversation with someone. How many non-Christians have I engaged with who might be willing to consider Jesus? Have I intentionally asked them to consider this challenge the Bible presents: putting to death their old way of living and choosing God’s way? 

There are challenges I want to consider when I think about engaging non-Christians and what to do next. The challenges fall into two general categories that overlap, but deserve separate attention. In this first part, I consider what I can do personally? And in part two, we’ll look at what steps my church can take to help me as the evangelist, and non-Christians as a whole. I hope this leads you to stop and think with me too.

Personally, I’m grateful to see how I’ve grown in my personal evangelism through my church and close friends who have discipled me well to have a love for the lost. The Lord has dropped people into my lap that are searching and desperate for answers. But I also have relationships that have been years in the making and involved really hard, slow work. I’ve been pushed past the pain point in conversations and risked ridicule. I know all the work is worth it- for Jesus’ glory- but knowing the next steps is a struggle which leads me to feel inadequate.

In God’s kindness, I’ve also had the opportunity to read the Bible one-to-one with people, grown to love people well, spent time with them and have had many good conversations about God and faith. While growing myself, all of this took work and time. I wasn’t great at opening up my home at first and it took time for me to be brave enough to ask someone I didn’t know well to read the Bible with me in a public place. All the while I had people investing in me as I’m now investing in others. Even though results aren’t promised that I’ll bear witness to the fruit of my scattered seeds, it's been amazing to see spiritual growth in people and the gospel bear fruit in their lives. 

The challenge still is: where to from here? Every interaction we have with a non-Christian can and maybe should have a follow-up or next step. The next step isn’t always clear and we need to be thinking as a gospel worker and be proactive as we love and care for those in our lives that still aren’t sure about becoming a Christian. People are complicated and relationships are overwhelming at times, so we have to remember we are limited in our time, resources and energy. 

Speaking of our limited-ness, we tend to be spread too thin, on the verge of burnout. Yet we can and should choose to spend our time doing gospel work, prioritizing the spread of the gospel. It is possible to do ministry everyday, building your life around gospel work. To be specific, prioritizing gospel work influences who we hang out with, how we spend our free time, and our intentional conversations with neighbors. We could just float through the grocery store to get what we need or we can always be thinking, praying, and expect opportunities. Same with the school bus stop or the church lobby on Sunday mornings. God has given us endless opportunities to make much of Jesus and it is an overwhelming task. Feeling inadequate is real and hard so where do we go when we need help?

Have you thought about any of this? Does my concern resonate with you? Maybe you’re reading this and realizing you’ve never really considered the urgency and priority we have to share the gospel. Maybe you’re a pastor and you’re wondering if your congregation is struggling with these same tensions. Maybe like me you’re growing in your evangelistic efforts, but the weight of the work feels overwhelming. Perhaps I’ve shown a light on something you hadn’t thought of before. So, again, where do we go from here?

I’d love for you to join me. Join me in praying for wisdom, for more gospel laborers, for more lost people to be found and for God’s word to do its work. We’re not alone in this thinking. In fact, months ago, we at Matthias Media had the idea to have a conference to meet the need of growing our evangelistic efforts- as individuals and churches. We want all Christians: men and women, pastors and leaders, elders and teachers, to eagerly participate. Not in the sense of training people to buy tracts, hand them out, and memorize things, but training them to see how gospel clarity, discipleship, and evangelism are all connected. We firmly believe (and hope you do too) that disciple-making flourishes in the fertile soil of deep gospel clarity.

So, what started off as a quick skim of the new You, Me and the Bible ended as a deep reflection about my growth as a gospel worker. I am certain so many of you would benefit from spending intentional time with us in Denver as we tackle this topic of evangelism together. I’m looking forward to it because Matthias Media is hosting but also I’m grateful for a chance to learn from several wise, faithful and persevering servants of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Read part two!