For years I led my church in what is typically called street evangelism. We would walk as much as people we didn’t know and begin conversations about God. As it happens, my church was also within the hood where there have been a variety of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and Hebrew Israelites in search of to succeed in us with their messages. So we needed to spend a good period of time studying other religions and what they imagine, because when Jesus tells us that we’re to “make disciples of all nations,” what he is basically saying is that we’d like to make disciples of all people. Well, people from different backgrounds who subscribe to all types of spiritual doctrines are included in these people. We didn’t avoid them because we were unfamiliar with their gods. We talked to them and studied what they believed. And the more we understood what they believed, the simpler it was to know the best way to approach them with the reality.
Now I’m not saying we’d like to obsessively research every religion under the sun. In fact, I believe that’s where a variety of apologists go incorrect. They try so hard to be jacks-of-all-trades that they find yourself being masters of none. I’m, nonetheless, a firm believer in understanding the beliefs of the particular people you are attempting to succeed in. In other words, in case you don’t live near a variety of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, or Hebrew Israelites, don’t knock yourself out studying what they imagine. But in case you feel like God is looking you to succeed in out to the Muslim family down the road, familiarize yourself with the Koran and the five pillars of Islam. You don’t must know all the pieces, but in case you don’t know anything about what they imagine, it’s hard to know where their beliefs come into conflict with Christianity.
Because I do know Jehovah’s Witnesses take issue with the divinity of Jesus, after I share my faith with a Jehovah’s Witness, I typically focus my energy on defending the Trinity. The same goes with the Mormons’ tackle salvation, Hebrew Israelites’ emphasis on how keeping the law justifies us in God’s eyes, and atheists’ issues with God’s will and the query of excellent and evil. When the distinctives between different religions and Christianity, it takes a number of the pressure off since you don’t must know all the pieces. You just must know some key verses that address the principal points of contention. The Holy Spirit will do the remainder.
And I believe that’s one other place where we are able to go incorrect after we share our faith with people: we don’t trust the Holy Spirit’s work. Instead, we develop a savior complex. We think that if our conversation doesn’t end with the Sinner’s Prayer, we’ve failed in some way. But it’s the Spirit of God that offers life—not our intellect, our words, or our ability to debate or persuade. I really imagine that God wants to boost up a generation of evangelists who’re okay with being seed planters.
Believe it or not, this call is for all believers. I’m not saying that everybody must be a street evangelist. While we’re all called to obey the good commission, we’re not all called to meet it in that way. When Peter tells believers that they need to “at all times [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that’s in you” (1 Peter 3:15), he isn’t telling us to begin arguing with people. He’s simply telling us that we should be prepared when the chance to defend our faith arises.
Because make no mistake: irrespective of where you reside, in some unspecified time in the future, you will probably be called upon to share or defend your faith with someone who’s operating from a special belief system than you, whether it’s the fallen-away Catholic who lives round the corner, the yoga instructor at your health club who says she’s really beginning to get into Buddhism, or your agnostic uncle who’s at all times making his opinions known at family get-togethers. The goal of “at all times being prepared” isn’t to turn into some type of Bible Jedi Master, able to tackle any and all objections without delay. The goal is to inform the reality of the gospel to others to win hearts, not arguments. It’s to inform the reality in a way that represents God well without it turning right into a shouting match, without you completely turning people off, and without you sounding such as you don’t know what you’re talking about.
The people who find themselves doing it right are those who really understand the good commission. They can have a look at people who find themselves a part of a non secular cult, who claim God doesn’t exist, or who’re on the market shouting false prophecies from a street corner, and somewhat than getting defensive or upset, they are saying, “God loves these people and needs to succeed in them.” And from the very starting, the best way he reaches them is thru us, his followers.
Who are the individuals who live near you, and what do they imagine? What will it appear like so that you can be “prepared to make a defense . . . for the hope that’s in you” to the folks that God has placed in your way? You don’t must know all the pieces, but what may be helpful so that you can learn to reply the questions they might need about your faith?
Adapted from How to Tell the Truth: The Story of How God Saved Me to Win Hearts—Not Just Arguments by Preston Perry, available now.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/MangoStar_Studio
