The picture is one shared with me by my eldest offspring today via Facebook. It seems that the summer intern @ her workplace (British college student) encountered a passenger while taking advantage of public transit who shared this "check track" with him while they traveled their morning commute. After all this is the Bible-belt", right? What should a visitor from across the pond expect in a "Christian nation"?
The word "parable" literally means to compare, or lay/place beside. So compare this first example with a quote from a friend of mine sent yesterday all the way from Sao Paolo, Brazil. He is attending the World Methodist Council On Evangelism....Yesterday, one of the featured speakers, Bishop Paulo Lockmann, offered the following word to those whom claim to be the followers of Jesus on the branch known as Methodism.
"When it comes to evangelism, many Christians act like they're taking
contraceptives, rather than fertility pills."
So how many of us find both approaches too extreme? Surely there is a better way to spin this so that the medicine can be taken, but not taste bitter. Dwight L. Moody was once criticized by some fellow Christians for his methods of sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. Moody's response? "I like my ways of doing it better than your ways of not doing it."
In the meantime most of those claiming the name "Christian" in the western world have to figure out how we can free ourselves from spending most, if not all of our discretionary time with others who claim to be followers of Jesus, rather than with those who admittedly don't know, or care to know Him. E Stanley Jones put it this way: "The Church must become a force for evangelism rather than a field for evangelism."
Experts claim that each of us interacts with at least eight (8) people every day who don't know the Savior of the world. Evangelism is not a four-letter word. Evangelism is how we build relationships of trust with those persons, and in the process invite them to follow Jesus with us. Are you ready for this adventure? It has a name: Christian......following Christ Jesus....
Still In ONE Peace,
Jon(the Methodist)
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