For the past couple of months, the word “evangelism” has been front and center in our church’s thinking. If you look at BridgeWay’s attendance and giving charts, they show a straight line running across them. From one angle, that’s a positive thing, because in a church that’s highly mobile, that means we replace those whom we lose. But you know what our friend Tony Morgan would say. If a church is maintaining its giving and attendance, then it’s in Maintenance Mode.
A lot of churches wouldn’t mind being at that place, but Maintenance Mode is not something we should be okay with if we follow Jesus. As a pastor, I don’t like occupying the middle ground between dying and revival. I want to be in full-on Mission Mode. But there is only one thing that puts a church in Mission Mode (assuming the church is regularly praying for it).
Jesus told us over and over again in all kinds of different ways what our mission is to be. If I were to only say the first part of the following sentences, most of you could complete them: We’re to be fishers…of men. We’re to be salt…and light. Let your light…so shine. When the Spirit comes on you shall be my…witnesses. Go and…make disciples. How many different ways could Jesus put it?
So how do we grow in this? I recently heard a teaching on evangelism that was built around the acronym BLESS. If sharing your faith with others is something you struggle with or don’t do effectively (so you tell yourself), then memorize the BLESS acronym and start doing in small ways what each letter is pointing towards.
B: Begin with Jesus.
Some versions of the BLESS acronym say, “Begin with Prayer”, but if you begin with Jesus then prayer will follow right behind. The point here is to make sure your love for Jesus is growing and strong. Because you talk about the things you love most. If you love football, you’ll talk about football. If you love gardening, you’ll talk about gardening.
Do you believe that there is no one like Jesus and nothing like the Gospel? Can you defend that idea? More importantly, are you living out that idea? If so, then sharing your faith will in time become much easier for you. How do you fix your love problem if you have it? By being with Christ, that’s how. Those who seek him and serve him regularly, will in short order find themselves sharing him. “Follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Evangelism is ultimately a reflection of the time you spend with your Lord.
L: Listen and Ask Questions.
A lot of us whig out when it comes to evangelism because we’re not sure what to say. But I learned a long time ago that witnessing has a lot more to do with asking thoughtful questions, then simply listening. If someone says something that you don’t believe is true, then ask, “Why do you believe that?” Acknowledge their emotions. “You seem angry about church. What happened?” If someone says something you know is unbiblical, ask, “Where have you read that in the Bible?”
Then go where the conversation leads. Keep your responses short and simple. Learn to say things like, “I follow Jesus” or “There’s nobody like Jesus.” Or “I go to church all the time! It changes my entire week.” And always be honest. Admit if you don’t have an answer. Or you may also struggle with the very thing they’ve raised, like hypocrisy in the church, or the immensity of suffering. Admit that also (then be sure to go and find some good answers!) Listening and asking questions will in time deepen your faith like nothing else.
E: Eat With Them.
“Eating” is not trivial. It reminds us of the power of food to make connections. Right after Matthew was converted, he had a dinner party where Jesus was the guest of honor, and he invited all his friends. So have a Matthew party.
But before you can eat with others, you have to have a relationship with them. Forge friendships outside the church by using your work and hobbies as bridges. (My silly love of racquetball has expanded my friendship circle by several dozen.) Learn to “pastor your pew” on Sunday in some of the ways we’ve recently taught you. Know your neighbors. Janis and I have met so many of our neighbors just by our walks and jogs. We’ll say hello, learn their names, ask get-to-know-you-questions (I even jot down notes in a Memo app on my phone). We each inhabit an orbit of influence that includes far more people than you realize. Start praying for them, and then go with God as he starts to nudge you.
S: Serve and Show Hospitality.
A third century pastor named Tertullian wrote a powerful book to Rome called Apology, where he appealed to Caesar (and anyone who would listen) to stop persecuting a religion that they knew nothing about. In his defense, he beautifully describes the beliefs and practices of the Christians in his time (which makes it highly valuable to read today).
Like us at BridgeWay, the Christians then had no buildings of their own and were highly mobile. Meanwhile the ‘signs and wonders’ that helped the early church’s witness in Acts had faded into the woodwork. All the while, they were under the continual threat of intense persecution. Yet the church was growing like a wildfire, as pagans everywhere were abandoning their paganism and flooding into the church. Tertullian writes, “We are but of yesterday, and we have filled everything you have—cities, islands, forts, towns, camps, tribes, palace, senate, forum. All we have left to you is the temples!”
Why was this happening? How was it possible? Tertullian tell us. He reports that the word on the street about these Christians was this: See how they love one another. The Romans had seen nothing like the caring, compassion, and life-giving morality shown by these people who called themselves Christians. What Jesus said 2,000 years ago is still true today. “By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you love another.” Serving one another and our community in love is one of our greatest evangelistic calling cards.
S: Share your Story about Jesus and Ask for a Response.
We all have a faith story. Multiple stories in fact. Here at BridgeWay we call them 60 Second Stories, which are short stories of how you met Jesus, or how you have experienced Jesus’s power, healing, truth, or forgiveness. The Bible tells us to always be ready to share our stories with others if they ask us to explain our hope in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15).
It’s also important for us as we share to sooner or later turn the spotlight back onto the person we’re talking to. You don’t need to preach to do this. As before, just ask questions, then listen. Ask: “So what do you think about this?” “So where are you at right now with Jesus Christ?” “Is there a reason why you wouldn’t follow Jesus right now?” “Do you understand what I’ve shared with you? Do you have any questions?”
Friends, let’s look more prayerfully and carefully around our orbit of influence. Then let’s BLESS those God has put around us.