Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… This past weekend Pam and I had the privilege of travelling to Cibola Vista Resort and Spa, about twenty miles outside of Phoenix, AZ, to be part of our close friend’s wedding. I was asked to officiate their wedding, which took place in the Presidential Suite at 6:00, just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. The sky was spectacularly colored with golds and oranges. What a backdrop! We were on the balcony with the triple sliding doors opened to allow the family to view the ceremony from inside the room. What a beautiful event!
But besides the wedding, there were other events that highlighted our trip to the desert. None of these were planned, but they were none-the-less “divine appointments.” I’ve discovered that these happenings are possible anyplace. It’s just a matter of us opening the door, or walking through a door that someone else opens. And this brings me to the “word” that is the subject of this blog: “EVANGELISM”.
In my previous life (before Christ), I was the target of many well-intentioned evangelists. And I gotta tell ya…I was always curious how they picked me out of the crowd. Was it my behavior, my blood-shot eyes, the smell of booze on my breath…who knows? But I was targeted more than a few times by someone who was more than anxious to tell me, “You’re a sinner!” You’re going to burn in hell!” And the answer was always their religion, and their intention was converting me on the spot!
Needless to say, I was not a willing recipient. Therefore, by the time I finished telling them what I thought about them!, I’m sure they wished they would have chosen the guy beside me. It was never pretty…and it never worked. That was my impression of “evangelism”; at least it was until I discovered Bill Hybel’s book entitled, “Just Walk Across the Room.” Wow! What an eye-opener.
In this book he talked about just walking across the room and meeting someone. It was about showing an interest in them; asking questions and making a friend. The intent is not to assault them, but to get to know them. And IF the conversation comes back to us and we have an opportunity to “introduce” ourselves, talk about our life before Christ, and – if appropriate – what happened and how our life is different today. The whole point is…take time and let things develop naturally. Our purpose is to “plant seeds” and let people see the love of Jesus in us. The “watering”of these seeds may not even happen until a later conversation.
I am involved in a new Bible study process called T4T (training for trainers). It developed in China, spread to Africa, and is beginning to flourish here. It is about training people to fulfill the “Great Commission”, and the methodology is very much like the “Just Walk Across the Room” approach. One aspect of the T4T approach that has helped me, is being able to tell my story in less than two minutes. Here is mine for an example.
“For the first 55 years of my life I pursued my life-long dream of becoming an orchestra conductor. I achieved that goal in my mid-20’s and spent the next thirty years enjoying the success and benefits that came from my position. I was very comfortable in that role and achieved what the world considered “success”, but there was always something missing. There was that proverbial “hole in my soul” that I tried to fill with alcohol, drugs, women, power and more material things…but they never really filled the void.
In 2000 I was caught on tape, and for the first time saw myself as others had been seeing me. Needless to say, that was a shocking wake-up call, so the next morning I attended my first AA meeting. In desperation I cried out to God; “Please help me stop drinking! I know I can’t do it myself.” That was April 21st, 2000, and I haven’t had a drink since that day.
Needless to say, that got my attention, so I began the journey of searching for answers. In 2002, I met and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and my life has never been the same. In Him I’ve found the fulfillment, joy, peace and serenity I always wanted. In 2007 I became an ordained Pastor, so today it is my privilege to share his message of love and salvation with others.”
So this leads me to the other events in the desert. I’ve long since lost my fear of “sharing my faith”, but I’m always mindful of the “make a friend” approach. So… Pam and I were sitting at the snack shop beside the pool and we struck up a conversation the waitress. She and Pam hit it off, and the conversation flowed easily between them. The more comfortable Jane became with Pam, the more she revealed about her life, her divorce and her issues with her children. She became teary eyed more than once, and she kept apologizing, but Pam encouraged her. I had been pretty quiet up until this point, but then Pam asked her about her faith. She indicated she had tried to hold on, but now she felt totally lost and alone. That’s when Pam said, “Why don’t you talk to Dan too. He’s a Christian counselor”.
For the next two hours we talked and encouraged Jane (between customers), but then it came time for us to start getting ready for the wedding. She told us she was working until 10:00 that evening and asked if we would come back , which we did. The point of this story is…at the end of our evening conversation, Jane thanked us profusely for just taking the time to show an interest in her, and for lifting her up and encouraging her with hope, prayers and hugs. According to her, “you two were a God send. Thank you! Thank you for taking the time.” (and yes…she was “in Christ”, but life got in the way and she drifted away.)
The point is, we are called to be God’s Ambassadors; to be Jesus’ light in this fallen world. We have a message of hope and salvation that hurting people desperately need and want to hear. There is really nothing to be afraid of. In fact, you will be – as Jane said – a God-send to those who need to hear Jesus’ message of hope.
Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to serve you in such a loving way. From the resort to the airport we had a Jesus-filled conversation with Jerome, our driver, who opened the door by mentioning his church. Then the couple sitting beside me on the plane asked what took me to Phoenix. I told them I went to officiate a wedding, so the next question was, “Are you a Pastor?” That opened the door for a wonderful conversation all the way to St. Louis dealing with church, faith and life issues. They both were Christians, but like so many… they were just overwhelmed with life. Our conversation about the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit was as enlightening and welcomed by them as it had been by Jane the day before.
Jesus left us with these marching orders, known as The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
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May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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