Pastor Mark said something in his message last night that caused me to write this blog post. Mark taught us that one of characteristics of a church is that it gathers and scatters to take care of God’s people. One of the way we take care of people in this way is to be an active witness for the Gospel by evangelizing (sharing the Good News).
Mark pointed that we all have a responsibility to evangelize, even if you aren’t specifically spiritually gifted in that way. We all have a story about how we came to faith and we all grow in Christ in different ways. It is very important that we clearly have that story in our mind in such a way that we can share it with another person. I’m sure if someone asked you to tell the story about how you met your spouse or another big life experience you’d have no problem doing that. Scripture tells us that we all need to be prepared to give an account for the Hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15). This is directed to every Christ Follower, not just to those that might have the “gift of evangelism”. In the same way, we need to be able to share how Christ changed your life.
Here are a couple of ways that you can prepare yourself to “be prepared to make a defense” for your faith.
- Write out your personal story - Spend some time in prayer, ask the Spirit to move your thoughts as you remember the events leading up to the time when you gave your life to Christ. Try to recall your life before you knew Christ. What was your heart like? How did you act and treat others? What are you like after walking with Christ? Remember people, places and dates. Write all these things down in the form of a narrative. There is no greater testimony than a transformed life. And a willingness to share your story is a very personal way to give God the glory for your hope.
- CLASS 401 – Take CLASS 401 on Saturday, September 20th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (then next time CLASS 401 is offered will be November 15 from 9 to 1). This class will teach you how to share the Good News with others. If you want to sign up for CLASS 401 go to the Grow kiosk in Town Square during Church or you can call the church at 419-529-0750 or email Rachael Henry at rachmishey@gmail.com.
The Gospel & Personal Evangelism – This is a great little book by Mark Dever of IX Marks Ministries. This would be a great book for your small group if your group was interested in doing a study on evangelism. You can get this book for $9.99 from Amazon.com.
