Unarmed? Never!
At least one reader says that some of these articles read like a gospel tract. I take that as a compliment. I do not think I have the ‘gift’ of evangelism (Ephesians 4:11). I do think I, as all Christians, have a duty to evangelize (2 Timothy 4:5). We cannot bypass the instructions of the Risen Christ to share the gospel… (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8)
One should always be ‘armed’ and ready to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“But I don’t know HOW to share the gospel!” I have heard this sentence more than once. Start with the basics. “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as Your personal savior?” May not be the best way to start a conversation about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Although IT is interesting how it affects telemarketers. Try it and find out.)
Four things we should look at when considering being armed and the ‘how to’ of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The first is God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us to ‘honor God’ in whatever we do. Ephesians 6:18 appears at the end of the listing of the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). It tells us to pray. Honor God; present yourself and your petition Him in prayer. Romans 1:16 and 2 Timothy 1:7 tell us not to fear, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
The Second is attitude. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.” (Amplified Bible) Notice the ‘attitude’ that Peter instructs us to have, “courteously and respectfully.” In other words, hitting someone over the head with a Bible big enough to choke a mule may not be the best approach.
The Third is opportunity. As discussed in ““The DaVinci Code” VS The Book”, Paul the apostle was an expert at using ‘objects of convenience’ (Acts 17:16-34) to share the Gospel. That is, starting or steering a conversation towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ based on circumstance. (Do NOT misunderstand, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not ‘situational ethics’ or anything other than morally absolute. The discussion is situational.) If one is talking about a movie, use movie topics to direct the conversation, not switch the topic to safety belts in cars. I am not sure I am explaining this well. The point is, try to make use of the circumstance to direct the conversation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, instead of ‘interjecting’ a foreign topic.
Here is a real world kind of analogy. They say that there are more than a hundred weapons in any given room of any house. Anything can be used as a weapon. We know our ‘weapon’ is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Start looking around the room, the house, your everyday life to find opportunities (that already exist) to use the weapon. [I have known people to use movies, books, golf, car safety, coffee cups, buying a DVD, a toothbrush, road conditions, food, the weather and others, all as opportunities to steer a conversation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.] One has to practice the Boy Scout Motto, “Be Prepared”. Opportunities abound, casually, everyday if one looks.
The Fourth dovetails from the third. One can have all the opportunities in the world to share the Gospel. However, if one is ‘unarmed’ it does no good. Part of knowing how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked (“The DaVinci Code” VS The Book) about John 14:26 and the Holy Spirit bringing to remembrance the things we know. As stated then, one cannot remember something one has never learned.
One can honor God, pray, have the right attitude, and have abundant opportunities, but if one is still unarmed it is fruitless. So, let us learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Navigators [1] teach “one verse evangelism”. I like this approach - it is easier to be always armed. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is in one verse. While John 3:16 is always a good verse, not to mention Ephesians 2:8-9, the question is can we encapsulate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in one verse or passage that is easy to remember and share? (Watch how the verses mentioned ‘fit’ into one verse.)
The answer is Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
For the wages (Payment, Recompense, Reward) [2]
of sin (an offense against religious or moral law; transgression of the law; Romans 3:23)
is Death (,) (the end of life; Hebrews 9:27)
BUT (I love the comma in this verse, followed by the exception conjunction - it is The Hope of 1 Peter 3:15)
the gift (something voluntarily transferred without compensation; cannot be earned by rules, paths, dogmas, etc. ad nauseam; it is free to accept; John 3:16)
of God (as is instigated by God [in mercy] for humankind; Ephesians 2:8-9)
is eternal life (life without termination as opposed to damnation Revelation 20:15)
in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Life comes through Christ. John 14:6, 1 John 5:12)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That is a verse to read, study, memorize, bring to remembrance, and use… While I strongly advocate learning as much scripture as possible, knowing this verse will ensure one is never unarmed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. [3]
Pray, have the right attitude, use every opportunity, and be armed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I would have it said of me when I am gone, “That guy drove me nuts - no matter what we talked about we always ended up talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Rather than, “I didn’t even know he was a Christian.”
How about you - are you going to be unarmed again?
[1] "The Navigators" is a non-denominational evangelical Christian organization.
[2] Merriam Webster online dictionary uses Romans 6:23 as an example of the definition of "wage"
[3] The Navigators have a page titled “One Verse Evangelism” where they not only use Romans 6:23, but show a step by step example of how to illustrate it, and use it share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (There is no telling - until we get to heaven - how many people came into the family from the use of this simple, effective tool scribbled on a napkin, pizza box, note pad, or whatever.)
One should always be ‘armed’ and ready to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“But I don’t know HOW to share the gospel!” I have heard this sentence more than once. Start with the basics. “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as Your personal savior?” May not be the best way to start a conversation about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Although IT is interesting how it affects telemarketers. Try it and find out.)
Four things we should look at when considering being armed and the ‘how to’ of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The first is God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us to ‘honor God’ in whatever we do. Ephesians 6:18 appears at the end of the listing of the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). It tells us to pray. Honor God; present yourself and your petition Him in prayer. Romans 1:16 and 2 Timothy 1:7 tell us not to fear, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
The Second is attitude. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.” (Amplified Bible) Notice the ‘attitude’ that Peter instructs us to have, “courteously and respectfully.” In other words, hitting someone over the head with a Bible big enough to choke a mule may not be the best approach.
The Third is opportunity. As discussed in ““The DaVinci Code” VS The Book”, Paul the apostle was an expert at using ‘objects of convenience’ (Acts 17:16-34) to share the Gospel. That is, starting or steering a conversation towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ based on circumstance. (Do NOT misunderstand, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not ‘situational ethics’ or anything other than morally absolute. The discussion is situational.) If one is talking about a movie, use movie topics to direct the conversation, not switch the topic to safety belts in cars. I am not sure I am explaining this well. The point is, try to make use of the circumstance to direct the conversation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, instead of ‘interjecting’ a foreign topic.
Here is a real world kind of analogy. They say that there are more than a hundred weapons in any given room of any house. Anything can be used as a weapon. We know our ‘weapon’ is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Start looking around the room, the house, your everyday life to find opportunities (that already exist) to use the weapon. [I have known people to use movies, books, golf, car safety, coffee cups, buying a DVD, a toothbrush, road conditions, food, the weather and others, all as opportunities to steer a conversation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.] One has to practice the Boy Scout Motto, “Be Prepared”. Opportunities abound, casually, everyday if one looks.
The Fourth dovetails from the third. One can have all the opportunities in the world to share the Gospel. However, if one is ‘unarmed’ it does no good. Part of knowing how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked (“The DaVinci Code” VS The Book) about John 14:26 and the Holy Spirit bringing to remembrance the things we know. As stated then, one cannot remember something one has never learned.
One can honor God, pray, have the right attitude, and have abundant opportunities, but if one is still unarmed it is fruitless. So, let us learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Navigators [1] teach “one verse evangelism”. I like this approach - it is easier to be always armed. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is in one verse. While John 3:16 is always a good verse, not to mention Ephesians 2:8-9, the question is can we encapsulate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in one verse or passage that is easy to remember and share? (Watch how the verses mentioned ‘fit’ into one verse.)
The answer is Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
For the wages (Payment, Recompense, Reward) [2]
of sin (an offense against religious or moral law; transgression of the law; Romans 3:23)
is Death (,) (the end of life; Hebrews 9:27)
BUT (I love the comma in this verse, followed by the exception conjunction - it is The Hope of 1 Peter 3:15)
the gift (something voluntarily transferred without compensation; cannot be earned by rules, paths, dogmas, etc. ad nauseam; it is free to accept; John 3:16)
of God (as is instigated by God [in mercy] for humankind; Ephesians 2:8-9)
is eternal life (life without termination as opposed to damnation Revelation 20:15)
in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Life comes through Christ. John 14:6, 1 John 5:12)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That is a verse to read, study, memorize, bring to remembrance, and use… While I strongly advocate learning as much scripture as possible, knowing this verse will ensure one is never unarmed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. [3]
Pray, have the right attitude, use every opportunity, and be armed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I would have it said of me when I am gone, “That guy drove me nuts - no matter what we talked about we always ended up talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Rather than, “I didn’t even know he was a Christian.”
How about you - are you going to be unarmed again?
[1] "The Navigators" is a non-denominational evangelical Christian organization.
[2] Merriam Webster online dictionary uses Romans 6:23 as an example of the definition of "wage"
[3] The Navigators have a page titled “One Verse Evangelism” where they not only use Romans 6:23, but show a step by step example of how to illustrate it, and use it share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (There is no telling - until we get to heaven - how many people came into the family from the use of this simple, effective tool scribbled on a napkin, pizza box, note pad, or whatever.)
posted by Unchained Slave at 3:30 PM
1 Comments:
I like your points, and I like your summary best of all:
"I would have it said of me when I am gone, “That guy drove me nuts - no matter what we talked about we always ended up talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Rather than, “I didn’t even know he was a Christian.”
Loren
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