"Outwardly faced" is what my pastor calls an attitude that naturally pours out evangelism. It doesn't start with trying to witness to others; it starts with letting the gospel work in your own heart until you can't help but overflow to others, and then the evangelism will come naturally. At least, that's been my experience.
Six months ago I started a full time job. I admit, it was probably easier for me to focus on evangelism, since my husband works full time, and income from my job was just gravy (or principal payments toward our mortgage). I don't have to deal with the stress of providing for my family, though I believe that stress shouldn't be a hindrance to evangelism. But that is an obstacle I don't have to deal with.
Cultivating an outwardly-faced attitude is giving me so many opportunities! People sense it, and they seem to be drawn to me to talk about problems. People I rarely talk to, come over to my cube and spill their frustrations and sadnesses. I've found that an outwardly-faced attitude sparks the deep discussions I crave with believers and unbelievers alike.
Disclaimer: It may sound like I'm bragging in the following examples. I admit sometimes it's hard to keep my humility. But I know it can be really difficult to know how to let Christ spill over into other peoples' lives, so I'm just going to share some stories from my experience. Many more have been the times I've failed to grab an opportunity out of fear or inconvenience. My hope is that you will get some practical ideas for evangelism with your own workplace or friends.
Humility
My dear Christian coworker commended me on this attitude, saying it wasn't in her personality to have it. I couldn't help but snort, "Really, do you think this comes naturally to me?" It is a constant struggle to have a Christlike attitude! And she said "Well, you do a good job working on it." Again, I denied it. Any outpouring of love comes straight from Christ, and not from my own efforts. I know this, because if I depended on my own efforts, I would fail. I can only take credit for occasionally humbling myself enough to let him work through me. And what kind of credit is that? In Paul's paraphrased words, I can't boast about anything except that Christ died to save me from my sin, when all I repay him with is pride and selfishness.
One coworker, upon learning I was a Christian, seemed to grasp at any Christian-like conversation piece, perhaps to demonstrate that she wasn't a complete heathen. She shared that there is a new Bible-based game show coming out. I expressed my interest, then wondered aloud if it was truly only Bible-based, or if they added books from other religions as well. She was surprised - "What do you mean, other books?"
Sharing Book Knowledge
"Mormonism believes the Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible. Catholic have the apocrypha as well as the Bible - not to mention their church traditions that are not Biblical. Jews only believe the Old Testament, and to that they add their Talmud, which is just the opinions and teachings and interpretation of rabbis. And Mormons and Catholics consider themselves Christians."
She seemed fascinated, so I continued passionately:
"My pastor says, Jesus + anything = nothing. In other words. if you take the gospel and add any other teaching to it, it's pointless. Mormons, Catholics, and Jews believe we need to be saved from our sins, but they all pursue salvation through their own resources: good deeds, absolving by a priest, following a religious law, etc. Christianity is totally different. We agree that we need to be saved from our sins, but we believe we can't earn our salvation; we have to rely on the one person who was able to take the punishment for us - that is, Jesus. Add anything else to it, and you have absolutely nothing, because you're no longer accepting his gift."
She was nodding the whole time I was talking, which meant either 1. she already knew this or 2. she wanted me to think she already knew this. I don't know if she followed what I was saying. I don't know if it made an impact. But as Tommy Allen would say, I'm a fisher of people. I'm just casting my net whenever I can. As long as I'm being obedient, that's all I can ask for. I don't need to "win souls" to be a successful evangelist! In fact, I could be one link in a chain that will eventually lead to their salvation! They do say it takes, what, 12 times hearing the gospel? before you really understand it. (Believe me, it took me lots more times than that to understand it, and I still need to hear it!)
Sharing inspiration
I'm an executive assistant. This means I regularly interact with seven different executives. Jewish, Catholic, atheist, Christian, and who knows what else! One of the most generous people I've ever known is an executive who is either atheist or agnostic; not sure which, as she hasn't shared her beliefs with me. She's under a lot of stress lately, as she is interacting with some lawyers who are treating her poorly. She said to me, "Amber, sometimes no matter what you do, people are still going to mistreat you." She looked so tired.
I had just been reading in my Sunday School book, "Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything," a principle that stuck with me: "We treat others well not in order to be loved, but because we are loved." I explained that I was a Christian - she nodded quickly, for she is a very accepting/tolerating person. Then I explained that the person who loves me is Jesus, and he's the one who gives me strength to love others even when they will never love me back.
"That is a really good principle," she said, after thinking about it. Even if she doesn't believe it, at least it makes sense to her.
She launched into an example, telling me some very personal things about a violent childhood, and not being "good enough" for her mother; no matter what good she did, she was still mistreated. I just listened, sympathetic and horrified and amazed that she turned out so successful and kind. But I was most impressed that I shared a Christian principle, which she understood, and then related it to an experience in her own life.
Hard Times
My homosexual coworker's dog had an accident and suffocated in a plastic bag. I was heartbroken for him, because I had just lost my cat Gordo a few months earlier. I wrote him a note expressing my condolences, and said, "If you're interested, I have a theory about pets and heaven." He never took me up on it, but I know he read my note, and at least knew that I was a Christian or at least religious.
Later, he had surgery, and it was painful for him to walk. About the same time, he was moved to a cubicle very close to me, and I expressed my honest interest in getting him stuff from the break room so he wouldn't have to get up. To my delight, he took me up on my offer! Soon I learned some things about him; that he doesn't eat chocolate but he loves those Fruit Delights put out by the same people who make Aplets and Cotlets. I learned he loves Cheetos because that's what he ate as comfort food while his dad died. Those are also my main junk food of choice, so I share them with him whenever I can!
I'm completely clueless, so I didn't even know he was homosexual until he told me. He believes he is a Christian, a strong Christian, yet this spring he's marrying his partner of 20+ years. We had a good discussion about homosexuality. I told him that honestly, I believed homosexuality is a sin. He said he understood that and was used to that attitude. We didn't argue; he shared why he thought homosexuality wasn't a sin, but I didn't feel like I needed to respond with my own arguments. Anyway, I'm sure he's heard them before, and I really wanted to focus on developing a relationship with him.
He told me horror stories of growing up, how his Christian mother told him that it's okay to hate homosexuals because God hates them, how he was beat up in school and called names.
In the end it was a great discussion. But through these actions over a period of 6 months, I know that Christ in me is visible to him.
Food
Everyone loves food, and I love to feed people. Plus, I like to eat. So I set up a station at my desk with dried fruit, nuts, candy bars, a TON of tea - and I get people stopping by all the time to visit! I like to think they see a Christ principle, because they say things like "I came to borrow some food but I'll replace it," "I am here to steal a candy bar," etc. I emphasize over and over - it's a free gift; I love to show my gratitude and love for this workplace; I love to see people eat.
For Christmas I volunteered to take charge of the company potluck. It just about did me in! But I received a lot of appreciation for it.
A couple times, I've brought in my popcorn popper and adopted one of the conference rooms to serve buttered popcorn.
If I am picking up food for a business meeting, I ask my coworkers if they want me to grab them some lunch. Sometimes I let them pay; sometimes I don't.
Conclusion
I want to hear your stories too, because sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who cares enough to make the effort. amberfer at comcast dot net. Thanks for reading!
Six months ago I started a full time job. I admit, it was probably easier for me to focus on evangelism, since my husband works full time, and income from my job was just gravy (or principal payments toward our mortgage). I don't have to deal with the stress of providing for my family, though I believe that stress shouldn't be a hindrance to evangelism. But that is an obstacle I don't have to deal with.
Cultivating an outwardly-faced attitude is giving me so many opportunities! People sense it, and they seem to be drawn to me to talk about problems. People I rarely talk to, come over to my cube and spill their frustrations and sadnesses. I've found that an outwardly-faced attitude sparks the deep discussions I crave with believers and unbelievers alike.
Disclaimer: It may sound like I'm bragging in the following examples. I admit sometimes it's hard to keep my humility. But I know it can be really difficult to know how to let Christ spill over into other peoples' lives, so I'm just going to share some stories from my experience. Many more have been the times I've failed to grab an opportunity out of fear or inconvenience. My hope is that you will get some practical ideas for evangelism with your own workplace or friends.
Humility
My dear Christian coworker commended me on this attitude, saying it wasn't in her personality to have it. I couldn't help but snort, "Really, do you think this comes naturally to me?" It is a constant struggle to have a Christlike attitude! And she said "Well, you do a good job working on it." Again, I denied it. Any outpouring of love comes straight from Christ, and not from my own efforts. I know this, because if I depended on my own efforts, I would fail. I can only take credit for occasionally humbling myself enough to let him work through me. And what kind of credit is that? In Paul's paraphrased words, I can't boast about anything except that Christ died to save me from my sin, when all I repay him with is pride and selfishness.
One coworker, upon learning I was a Christian, seemed to grasp at any Christian-like conversation piece, perhaps to demonstrate that she wasn't a complete heathen. She shared that there is a new Bible-based game show coming out. I expressed my interest, then wondered aloud if it was truly only Bible-based, or if they added books from other religions as well. She was surprised - "What do you mean, other books?"
Sharing Book Knowledge
"Mormonism believes the Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible. Catholic have the apocrypha as well as the Bible - not to mention their church traditions that are not Biblical. Jews only believe the Old Testament, and to that they add their Talmud, which is just the opinions and teachings and interpretation of rabbis. And Mormons and Catholics consider themselves Christians."
She seemed fascinated, so I continued passionately:
"My pastor says, Jesus + anything = nothing. In other words. if you take the gospel and add any other teaching to it, it's pointless. Mormons, Catholics, and Jews believe we need to be saved from our sins, but they all pursue salvation through their own resources: good deeds, absolving by a priest, following a religious law, etc. Christianity is totally different. We agree that we need to be saved from our sins, but we believe we can't earn our salvation; we have to rely on the one person who was able to take the punishment for us - that is, Jesus. Add anything else to it, and you have absolutely nothing, because you're no longer accepting his gift."
She was nodding the whole time I was talking, which meant either 1. she already knew this or 2. she wanted me to think she already knew this. I don't know if she followed what I was saying. I don't know if it made an impact. But as Tommy Allen would say, I'm a fisher of people. I'm just casting my net whenever I can. As long as I'm being obedient, that's all I can ask for. I don't need to "win souls" to be a successful evangelist! In fact, I could be one link in a chain that will eventually lead to their salvation! They do say it takes, what, 12 times hearing the gospel? before you really understand it. (Believe me, it took me lots more times than that to understand it, and I still need to hear it!)
Sharing inspiration
I'm an executive assistant. This means I regularly interact with seven different executives. Jewish, Catholic, atheist, Christian, and who knows what else! One of the most generous people I've ever known is an executive who is either atheist or agnostic; not sure which, as she hasn't shared her beliefs with me. She's under a lot of stress lately, as she is interacting with some lawyers who are treating her poorly. She said to me, "Amber, sometimes no matter what you do, people are still going to mistreat you." She looked so tired.
I had just been reading in my Sunday School book, "Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything," a principle that stuck with me: "We treat others well not in order to be loved, but because we are loved." I explained that I was a Christian - she nodded quickly, for she is a very accepting/tolerating person. Then I explained that the person who loves me is Jesus, and he's the one who gives me strength to love others even when they will never love me back.
"That is a really good principle," she said, after thinking about it. Even if she doesn't believe it, at least it makes sense to her.
She launched into an example, telling me some very personal things about a violent childhood, and not being "good enough" for her mother; no matter what good she did, she was still mistreated. I just listened, sympathetic and horrified and amazed that she turned out so successful and kind. But I was most impressed that I shared a Christian principle, which she understood, and then related it to an experience in her own life.
Hard Times
My homosexual coworker's dog had an accident and suffocated in a plastic bag. I was heartbroken for him, because I had just lost my cat Gordo a few months earlier. I wrote him a note expressing my condolences, and said, "If you're interested, I have a theory about pets and heaven." He never took me up on it, but I know he read my note, and at least knew that I was a Christian or at least religious.
Later, he had surgery, and it was painful for him to walk. About the same time, he was moved to a cubicle very close to me, and I expressed my honest interest in getting him stuff from the break room so he wouldn't have to get up. To my delight, he took me up on my offer! Soon I learned some things about him; that he doesn't eat chocolate but he loves those Fruit Delights put out by the same people who make Aplets and Cotlets. I learned he loves Cheetos because that's what he ate as comfort food while his dad died. Those are also my main junk food of choice, so I share them with him whenever I can!
I'm completely clueless, so I didn't even know he was homosexual until he told me. He believes he is a Christian, a strong Christian, yet this spring he's marrying his partner of 20+ years. We had a good discussion about homosexuality. I told him that honestly, I believed homosexuality is a sin. He said he understood that and was used to that attitude. We didn't argue; he shared why he thought homosexuality wasn't a sin, but I didn't feel like I needed to respond with my own arguments. Anyway, I'm sure he's heard them before, and I really wanted to focus on developing a relationship with him.
He told me horror stories of growing up, how his Christian mother told him that it's okay to hate homosexuals because God hates them, how he was beat up in school and called names.
In the end it was a great discussion. But through these actions over a period of 6 months, I know that Christ in me is visible to him.
Food
Everyone loves food, and I love to feed people. Plus, I like to eat. So I set up a station at my desk with dried fruit, nuts, candy bars, a TON of tea - and I get people stopping by all the time to visit! I like to think they see a Christ principle, because they say things like "I came to borrow some food but I'll replace it," "I am here to steal a candy bar," etc. I emphasize over and over - it's a free gift; I love to show my gratitude and love for this workplace; I love to see people eat.
For Christmas I volunteered to take charge of the company potluck. It just about did me in! But I received a lot of appreciation for it.
A couple times, I've brought in my popcorn popper and adopted one of the conference rooms to serve buttered popcorn.
If I am picking up food for a business meeting, I ask my coworkers if they want me to grab them some lunch. Sometimes I let them pay; sometimes I don't.
Conclusion
I want to hear your stories too, because sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who cares enough to make the effort. amberfer at comcast dot net. Thanks for reading!
I really agree that our efforts at evangelism should come from an outflowing of our own experience with Christ. I don't believe that I'm gifted in evangelism, but there have been times in my life when I've shared Christ not from a feeling of guilt, but in a natural way that the Lord set up. I used to think that I was unsuccessful if the person I was sharing with didn't repent and become saved as I was sharing, but I believe that we may only be a link in the chain, and the results are up to God anyway, not up to me. I desire to speak truth in a situation, in love. Once I gave a bandaid to a beautiful wealthy young woman from Monaco, who had been scratched by a cat. I felt old and dumpy compared to her, and I struggled to think that she would want to accept help from me. We ended up having a nice little conversation. When she told me that she had said to herself, God I could sure use a bandaid, I knew that she hadn't been addressing a higher power, but I still said that God had given her the bandaid that she needed. Who knows if she took my little comment to heart, but I was faithful on my part. I'm not saying that I always take the opportunities that come my way, but when I do, I'm glad that I did.
ReplyDeleteI love and totally agree with what you said, "I was faithful on my part." I've been thinking that a lot lately on my blog and I feel the need to share, so I'm going to post now...
ReplyDelete