Putting aside for the moment that we can boldly go ahead of God without any prayer, lacking gentleness or respect, there are less obvious reasons why we might crash and burn trying to share the Good News with someone. In the West, we can get too myopic (tunnel vision). The simple fact is that not everyone thinks the same as we do. We all see the world from a different perspective.
Encouraging people in the Body to evangelise in the West can be a challenge if they have not been discipled properly from the very beginning. One-way conventional congregations try to retrofit this desire and skill into their members is to give them confidence by teaching them a “tried and tested way” that is “simple and effective." This is great because it gets people out there, but it often falls short in terms of results. Why?
Programmes like “Way of the Master”, “Share Jesus without Fear”, “Four Spiritual Laws”, “Roman’s Road”, any Reinhard Bonnke-type methods, “Healing Rooms”, etc. are all fantastic and have worked or are working. However, they also have their share of failures and successes. Sometimes they crash and burn spectacularly!
Timothy followed Paul around and was encouraged to “copy” him. The shy young man had some trouble. Why? Wasn’t it as simple as just following the recipe? Yes, Paul encouraged him to be strong and courageous, to not be timid, and to disregard the handicap of his age. Paul definitely encouraged him to do the work of an evangelist. (2 Tim. 1:7, 2 Tim. 4:5). But Paul also gave us the answer to this question in 1 Corinthians 9:22. “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I might save some.” As you read the Book of Acts, you will see examples of this. “One” way works for a particular group of people at a particular point in time. As the culture changes, so must the methods used. A really good introduction to this problem and one way to start to see solutions are in these short videos that someone else has produced. Open your eyes and try to see a broader view! "… The fields are white …".
Blessings.
Macka
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