Is Image Everything? 3

While I don't discount the necessity for and effectiveness of street evangelism, I am glad you posted this because I've slowly been moving towards the "relationship evangelism" camp over the last few years. I think the climate of America is changing greatly and people are looking for genuine Christ followers, not someone else trying to "sell" them something (as they see it).

My personal transition was slow early on, however, because in every new relationship I formed, I would always have in the back of my mind that the goal of the relationship was to eventually evangelize. In other words, I wasn't simply being a friend first. I think this ultimately hurt my witness in many ways. First of all, I falsely thought that I had to be "super Christian", as if somehow people wouldn't listen to me talk about Christ if I had flaws. Second, while I can't be certain, I think my lack of genuineness showed through and made people shy away from discussing spitiritual matters with me.

Fast forward to today, where God has been working on me greatly and helping me to realize that it's ok to call myself a Christian and be honest about my shortcomings with unbelievers. It has taken a lot of pressure off of me and allowed me to be more natural in talking about my faith. In fact, all of the changes God has been working in me came to a head recently with a thirty-something coworker I have known for only a few months.

He and I hit it off really well when we met and I determined to simply be myself while still praying for opportunities to witness to him. The only "spiritual" thing I ever did was to tell him I would be praying for him during a recent crisis he was going through. Apparently that triggered something, because a few weeks later he began asking about my church. While I was a bit thickheaded at first, I eventually realized he was searching for answers to spiritual issues. After a two hour conversation in which I was completely open and honest about my faults and doubts, while in turn sharing the Gospel, we prayed together. Like those in point #5, he had "tried" Christianity and was, in his words, "done with church". My heart really went out to him and the lines of communication between us are still wide open.

After this experience, while I won't say that I would never again share with someone I just met, I will say that I am more convinced than ever about the effectiveness of genuine relationship evangelism. In this specific case, had I been more concerned early in the relationship about "getting him saved", I doubt the above conversation would have ever taken place.

Daryl (#30)
these past 12 years.....
we've experienced a revival in a youth coffeehouse ministry, a pole barn church growing into a large restoration charismatic church, and a local cell group ministry that was blessed.
but through a retirement move we now attend a traditional wesleyan church in the southern USA...these people experience life together.
you make me think...the leadership here became disillusioned during incredibly hard childhoods.

Scott and the Jesus Creed crew/masses,

Sorry about jumping in mid-stream. My pastor told me about this book and he said it was the saddest book he has read in a long time. I have not read it yet, but based on the dialog in this and the first two discussions, I may have to agree with him.

However, I find it interesting that no one has even ventured into the arena of Spiritual Warfare with respect to this whole topic. Anything that the prince of the air can do to make the church look bad, he is going to do - no? I mean even a book that takes statistics whether true or not, he can use for firewood to stoke the fires of discontent. I don't like to give the punk loser that much credit; but.., ya gotta admit, he has done a pretty good job of botching things up for "Christians" throughout history. Crusades; Christians killing Christians; Inquisition; Baptist vs. Anabaptist; modern vs. post-modern vs. emergent vs. whomever; church scandals; evangelicals falling from on high; blah, blah, blah. So.., my point is first we need to recognize what a majority of what this is about and that is, this is a master deception to the masses of what it is ("Christ-following) vs. what it is supposed to be.

Sure.., we should Love God and Love People - but I am interested in knowing what some of the solutions are by K & L? The messiness of ministry requires us I believe to set the bar higher; but set it higher in Love. That is where the tension between culture and God's desires for us lies. So..., as leaders, how do we proceed ahead? Set the bar high - we alienate; set the bar low - we not only alienate, but we also in my humble opinion disappoint God. I'm kinda rambling here, but hopefully you get my point.

In His Love,

Richie