Overcoming Obstacles to Sharing Our Faith: FASHION and FAME

I've been meaning to finish off this series of posts that I started last year for a long time, apologies for the delay. 

There are many things that can get in the way when we seek to share the Good News faithfully. We have already looked at FEAR, FINANCE, FRIENDS, FAMILY and FELLOWSHIPS. This final post will examine ways to overcome the obstacles of FASHION and FAME.

Some of you might be thinking that you aren't that interested in the latest trends or in being fashionable so you don't have to worry about this hurdle. But do you care about other people's opinions of you? Do you want to make sure that you fit in and don't stand out? What about taking a stand on a controversial topic?

Similarly, when we think of fame we tend to think of famous people and celebrity culture but fame can be used to describe many contexts including those more relevant to us as the little people. Are we trying to make a name for ourselves at work or chasing a promotion at all costs? What about in our church, are we known for the right reasons or are we seeking platforms for ourselves?

What do we do if we do become well known perhaps unintentionally. I'm sure many of the church leaders and missionaries of times past didn't intend to create followings, it was just a by-product of their ministry. How did they remain humble and committed to sharing their faith?

So how can we overcome these obstacles?

1.  PRAY: This is always going to be number 1 because prayer is vital in every area of Christian life. If we don't pray we can't expect God to do anything and if we don't pray as we read the Bible, we can't expect God to guide us in our decisions. When seeking advice, it can be annoying to be asked, "Have you prayed about it?" but that irritation is usually because we haven't and we want a more practical solution. 

However, if we believe that God cares about the details of our lives and that he wants us to share our faith, we should have confidence that He can help us in removing obstacles in answer to our prayers.

2. FOCUS ON PLEASING GOD: When confronted with a situation that challenges our commitment to sharing our faith, we should always examine what the Bible says about it. Some things are clear, if we are told to stop doing something that God tells us to do, we should do it anyway. If we are told to do something that God tells us not to do, we shouldn't do it as it then becomes sin. 

We may have to stand against the crowd, we may become unpopular and we may miss out on a career or a promotion in the process. Being a Christian is unlikely to make us popular and is likely to force us into sacrificing things we may have wanted, for our faith: the Bible describes it as taking up our cross and following Jesus. At least in the West we aren't generally being imprisoned or worse...at the moment.

3. MAKE NEW FRIENDS: Peer pressure can be hard to resist and if we are constantly surrounded by people who want to stop us sharing our faith either through negativity, mockery or more subtle persuasions, then we should ask ourselves whether it's worth keeping "in" with these people. Instead, we should find some like minded Christians, who are committed to sharing their faith, to spend at least some of our time with.

4. DON'T EXPECT TO BE CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE: There may be rare occasions when culture aligns with our biblical values and encourages us to share our faith but that's not the norm. We are likely instead to be faced with constant pressure not to talk about our faith. We will be told the message or the method of our outreach is "not for today". 

One well known leader said that on judgement day when our neighbour asks desperately "Why didn't you tell me??" our shameful answer is likely to be "because it wasn't culturally appropriate". 

We should prepare ourselves for these challenges by reminding ourselves of what Jesus and His followers did and how they wouldn't be silenced by the trends of the society in which they lived. One street preacher said that he gave up any and all street cred the minute he took up his post.

5. LIVE IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITY: Fashion and fame shouldn't unduly concern us as believers and shouldn't be things we are striving for as they belong to the world. You can read in James about the dangers of loving the world and the things in it. Life is short and then we will be in eternity, we have limited time to reach people with the Gospel. 

A favourite quote from Carl Henry is, "The Gospel is only Good News if it gets there in time." It may help to think about these things and to seek to order our lives accordingly.

6. DEVELOP A LOVE FOR THE LOST: This can be a real motivator to get out and evangelise no matter the cost. If people are heading for an eternity in Heaven or Hell and God has told us that they need to hear the Message in order to be saved, then surely it's worth sacrificing our reputations and friendships to bring them the Good News. 

It may not be fashionable, even in Christian circles, to talk about Hell but it is necessary to warn people of the terrible consequences of rejecting Jesus. The Message of the Gospel is often watered down to try and minimise the unpalatable with an unbalanced focus on the love of God. But God is a God of justice and holiness and we must communicate the whole of the Gospel. You can read Hell's Best Kept Secret by Ray Comfort for more on this.

7. REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU: We tend to live as if we will go on forever and are pursuing things that are temporary. Recently, on a mission team we were asked whether we were ready if Jesus returned that day. There was a guilty silence in the room. It's difficult if not impossible to live every moment as if it could be our last as we are distracted by the world around us. 

However, we can make sure we aren't chasing worldly things or accumulating possessions that we can't take with us. Judgement Day is the great leveller where rich and poor, great and small, will all stand before the Creator God of the universe with nothing at all. What will our legacy be?

Read the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12 who tore down his barns to create bigger barns to store his great wealth but instead found himself facing God who took his life that very night. A quote from CT Studd, "Only one life twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." 

8. LISTEN TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE: Those who do chase fashion and fame and make it to the top either through hard work or through handouts usually find that they aren't fulfilled. People who are purpose driven feel empty because there is nothing more to do and no new goals to pursue. People who receive wealth or position without earning it find that it is not what they had hoped for or dreamed about: many lottery winners end up broke, divorced or suicidal within a few years. 

Jim Carrey said, "I wish everyone could be rich and famous, so they would know it is not the answer." Erica Jong warns, "Fame means millions of people have the wrong idea of who you are" Vicki Baum's experience, "Fame always brings loneliness. Success is as ice cold and lonely as the North Pole" Elvis Presley discovered, "Fame and fortune, how empty they can be," and John Lennon cautions, "Fame is a monster that everyone wants to pet until it bites." Learning from these people who seemingly had everything they could wish for can stop us chasing after these things in the first place.

9. KNOW THAT IT CAN ALL BE LOST: People who seek to fit in with the latest fashions and/or who are famous have to spend huge amounts of time maintaining their image to keep their influence. This might be via social media channels or appearing in person for interviews or performances. Yet, they all know that they can go from hero to zero in an instant; one wrong word or poor performance and its all over. 

Robin Williams said, "You're only given a little spark of madness and if you lose that you're nothin." Oprah Winfrey noted that, "Fame is fickle, and I know it. It has its compensations and it has its drawbacks, and I've experienced them both."

This makes it even more difficult for a Christian seeking to be faithful in evangelism. It's unlikely that a Christian will be able to keep this public image and speak the truth without eventually compromising in some area or other. Christians that do manage it often find it very stressful and feel like they are walking a tightrope or on eggshells as they can be de-platformed in an instant. God can and does use people in these positions but it's not something we should seek as the reality is very different to what is presented by the media.

10. CHOOSE SOUL WINNING: Evangelists of previous generations didn't have the pressures of social media or the expectations of the masses created by things going viral on the internet. But, they knew the temptation to conform, the temptation towards a fashionable sermon without the cross and the temptation to please people rather than God. They knew that they were unlikely to be popular or have great material comfort but they chose to focus on winning souls anyway.

We have the same choice today. We can choose to conform, to be fashionable, to seek to get to the top of our career ladder, or even to become famous or we can choose to share our faith with individuals and seek to win them to Christ. 

If we do end up with a platform, we should hold it loosely knowing it can just as easily be removed, then we can use it to share the Gospel without compromise.

God doesn't care about fashion or fame but He is concerned about how faithful we are as believers. Let's overcome these obstacles and seek to win the lost by sharing the Good News of Jesus wherever we are placed.

Overcoming Obstacles to Sharing Our Faith: FRIENDS, FAMILY and FELLOWSHIPS

In the first two posts we looked at FEAR and FINANCE. 

Today, we are looking at barriers that exist due to the people in our lives.  

It's great when our friends and family members are on the same page spiritually but even then there may be division. Most of us have friends that attend church denominations with views that are different to our own. Church fellowships and leaders can have very different opinions on methods of evangelism. There's plenty of potential for problems and that's just within Christian circles.

What happens if you're mainly mixing with non-believers. You might even be married to a non-Christian. You might have children who are starting to make demands on your time and who may end up resenting time given to something they don't think should be a priority. What do you do then?

Here are some ideas for dealing with these relationships with the people we care about:

1. Pray: We know that prayer works, especially if we ask according to God's will. We know that He wants us to share our faith so we can pray for circumstances to change and for people's hearts to be softened to allow us to do this. I know of missionaries who wanted their non-believing parents' seemingly impossible blessing. They prayed for years and were eventually allowed to go without fearing they were dishonouring their family members. Sometimes, the objections raised by family and friends are the consequences of our sin e.g. if as a Christian we married a non-believer. However, if we have repented of that choice, we can pray for God to make a way.

2. Communicate: Many of the problems that occur in relationships between friends and family members are because of a failure to talk to each other. Try explaining to your loved ones why you want to be involved in evangelism and what you are going to do. Creating a sense of urgency and excitement around the work can also make people curious, even jealous, because there is such a lack of purpose in the world that a sense of community with a common goal can be attractive. They might even catch the vision and want to join you. Don't bring it up all the time though or become obsessive and don't treat people as if they are stupid by manipulating situations or constantly bashing them with Bible verses about evangelism. 

3. Tell stories from the work (enthusiastically): When you have been out, relay stories of conversations or questions that people asked and how you answered them. Include those that you didn't know how to answer and ask your friends and family for their thoughts and ideas. If you are genuinely sharing about the work with them, you may get some great opportunities to share the Gospel in a natural way. It's normal to discuss workplace events and the unique nature of evangelism does make people curious, even those with no real spiritual interest. You may find yourself answering unspoken questions that your friends and family have had for years.

4. Show photos/videos: Linked to the last point, younger people especially are more visual these days and may watch something rather than reading or engaging in conversation. If you have photos or videos that you are in, they may well be interested and you can explain what is going on as you share it with them. Again, this is a normal part of life and we don't need to feel that we can't share our experiences just because it's "religious". It also helps reassure them that we aren't part of a cult or doing excessively weird things. It's amazing how people's imaginations can run riot when they hear the word "evangelism".

5. Preserve family/friends time: Don't allow your evangelistic zeal to take over time that you should be spending with your family and friends. This is a conscience issue ultimately, but you don't want them to end up resenting God for taking you away from them. This has been an issue with some of the great missionaries who seemed to forget they were married or left their partners as secretaries at home whilst they were away for lengthy periods. This is most relevant to non-believing loved ones as they are an important mission field and mustn't be side-lined in favour of the work. But, it can also apply to believing friends and family, if you are a workaholic and they never see you or if you don't enjoy any of  the activities they want to do because you are only interested in evangelism.

6. Encourage them: Your friends and family may have very different ideas about how to share their faith. You may prefer a more direct approach, they may want to build friendships. Both are valuable so encourage whatever they are doing if the goal is evangelistic even if you don't agree with their methods. There's room for discussions here, but don't condemn things that are being done in God's name unless they are unbiblical and don't act as if your way is the only way to do things. You might find that if you support them in what they are doing, they will reciprocate.

7. Request a platform: If it's your church fellowship that is resistant to what you are doing, ask any organisations you are involved with if they would be willing to come and speak at your church. Then approach your church leaders about receiving them. Sometimes, hearing about the work from an authority/someone with more experience, opens doors. Organisations like OAM, GNfE, UBM and BCM make speaking at churches part of their regular work and would be more than happy to come and share about the work at your church. Even just having someone else explaining the same things you have said in a different way can make all the difference.

8. Make new friends: You can't just ditch your family and friends if they are hostile towards your efforts, but you can develop new friendships with people who encourage you in the work. Those who are married should be careful that they aren't treading danger lines but singles can and should find like minded people to spend time with. If all of our friends are believers we can end up living in a spiritual bubble detached from reality. Conversely, if we only mix with non believers, we might be in danger of being unequally yoked. Balance is important.

9. Set the example: Don't expect you will be able to convince everyone to join you on the streets or whererever you choose to go. It might be small steps as we all progress spiritually at different speeds. Try not to be disappointed and discouraged when people don't show up or don't have the same enthusiasm or when they make excuses. Find at least one other person who shares your vision, work together and encourage each other. On the streets we are often approached by Christians who didn't realise street evangelism was even legal. Sadly, most who say they will join don't end up doing so as they get distracted by life and the devil. Don't let this put you off. Keep going!

10. Just do it: Don't wait for the perfect circumstances, resources or numbers. There comes a time where we have to obey God rather than men, or in this case our family and friends. Every Christian should be involved in some form of evangelism even if they don't have a lot of time and even if it feels like the whole world is against them.  If you do it anyway, others will join. If you don't go at all, there's nothing to join!

I hope some of these things will help you as you navigate the various obstacles that arise when we start seeking to share our faith. Remember that if we honour God, He will honour us. 

Next time we will look at the obstacles of FAME and FASHION...

Image by Gerd Altmann at Pixabay

Overcoming Obstacles to Sharing Our Faith: FINANCE

Last time we looked at FEAR which is arguably the biggest obstacle to sharing our faith. 

Today, I thought we'd examine FINANCE or FUNDING which is slightly more obscure but still a hurdle for some. 

What do you do if you don't have much or any money? Is this a good reason not to be involved in evangelism? Is money needed and is it necessary to have a lot in order to give back to God?

It's clear from the Bible that money doesn't have to be an issue as all that we have belongs to God anyway. 

Here are some ideas to help overcome this obstacle:

1. Pray! I indicated last time that this vital communication with God should appear on every list. In the past, many evangelists and missionaries lived "by faith". They made their needs known only to God in prayer and waited in expectation. There are some great stories of how God provided often down to the last penny needed. Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, who lived by faith, said, "God's work, done in God's way will never lack God's supply."

2. Free stuff. Evangelism doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg especially if we stop viewing it as always being an organised activity that needs a lot of preparation. It's good to carry Christian leaflets (tracts) but there are plenty of free options. Just do a Google search for free Christian tracts/leaflets and request some off the many organisations featured or print them at home. Make sure you check the content first; most good organisations will have an online version so you can view what's inside. Street preaching doesn't cost anything if you just carry your Bible and don't use amplification. Talking to people on the bus/train is free and so is talking to colleagues at work during breaks. We all do plenty of activities that we pay for and there are usually non-believers involved, we can talk to them. 

3. Ask your church leaders. For organised or planned evangelism, we should usually be working with others and most of  the time it should start from our local church. If we need literature, we should ask our church leaders to consider providing it. Some churches have a leaflet rack or table and regularly encourage people to take things and give them out. Most churches have a budget for evangelism/outreach. You could ask the leaders to reimburse you for costs/expenses and equipment you might need. Check first though and get it agreed. You might even find that your leaders want to encourage you and are more than happy to assist in this practical way even if they can't accompany you.

4. Ask Christian friends/family members to sponsor you. This may not be an option for some but many of us have friends and family members who may be happy to help practically if they can't be involved themselves. If you are involved in regular evangelism, you could write a newsletter keeping people updated and distribute this via email. Regular updates keep people interested and you might find that people start offering money or ask you how you are supported. Try to make sure anyone who helps in this way feels included by thanking them and thinking of their giving as a partnership.

5. Work extra shifts, do some overtime or take a second job. Again, this may not be possible for everyone. We all have different commitments and responsibilities. The Christian life involves hard work; Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him daily. If God makes it possible for you to earn a bit more through your job or by taking a second job, consider it carefully especially when you are young. It's much better for us to pay our own way if we can and work is a biblical principle. Society tends to encourage us to work more so that we can play more and get more stuff but this is not God's way!

6. Sacrifice something else. We all have things that we do that cost money and many of these are wants rather than needs. You could fast from something and keep the money saved for literature or other evangelistic resources. God will honour those that honour Him and He sees our sacrifices even if no-one else does. You could also sell stuff to raise the money; Vinted (clothes) and eBay/Facebook marketplace (everything) are a few options but there are many more.

7. Join local organisations/groups. If your church isn't doing anything, you could join local teams from the Open-Air Mission, City Missions or other local evangelists/churches. Many of these will allow you to freely use their resources if you are present for their outreach. Most will require a church reference and it's worth mentioning to the leader that you are working with a limited budget. Don't rock up, grab a load of literature and disappear for the rest of the day....that will try the patience of even the most humble-minded believers.

8. Join national organisations/mission teams. Many of these make provision for those struggling financially. They may ask you to do what you can and agree to cover the rest or they may find a sponsor for you. The important thing to remember is that God knows what you can and can't afford so don't be tempted to take advantage of these Christian folks. Good News for Everyone will supply Bibles for outreaches if you join your local branch for just £12 a month or sometimes if you become a "friend" which is free. Someone has to pay for these resources though so use them wisely. 

9. Apply for charity funding. There are some charities that have specific funding available for certain projects or activities. Many of them are niche but Christian evangelism could easily fall into some of the criteria. If you have an outreach idea, look for a charity that might fit and ask them. The worst that will happen is they will say no but even then they might have an idea of someone else that can help. Networking is good in some circumstances and you may receive a Divine appointment which can help.

10. Host a fundraiser.  I've put this last as personally I really struggle with this one. I've only done this once when I was seeking to raise funds for my 2 year mission trip on Logos Hope. It transpired afterwards that there had been a miscommunication between my church leaders and that they were actually going to provide the whole amount I had asked for so there was no need for a fundraiser. I also used my work salary to meet my church in the middle. It's important that we contribute what we can but there will be circumstances where the amount needed is just too much without an organised event or some outside help. Again, we should view this as a partnership where we are serving God and being supplied by His people.

I hope this list is helpful. I think the takeaway is that finance should never be a barrier to evangelism as God commands us to go, so He will provide. There are always things we can do without money and where finance is required there are usually Christians that can supply resources as needed.

Next time we will look at the obstacles of FRIENDS and FAMILY...

Overcoming Obstacles to Sharing Our Faith: FEAR

I've been trying to think of ways to motivate people to get involved in evangelism having just come back from an awesome Christian Answer team in London at the weekend. 

I realised that the first step for some people might be removing hurdles or perhaps having a change of perspective about any obstacles in the way. So, I'm going to do a short series of posts dealing with these issues that we all face to one degree or another.

Today's subject and probably the biggest mountain for many of us to scale is fear. 

It might be fear of failure, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of being seen, fear of what others might think, fear of people getting angry or shunning us, or even fear of the unknown. Let's face it, we all struggle with fear and for some it can be paralysing. 

Can it be overcome? With God's help all things are possible. Here are some pointers:

• Pray! It will come as no surprise that prayer is top of the list for overcoming any and all obstacles to sharing our faith. If we don't pray then we can't expect to see results or have any expectation of moving forward. God knows our fears and He wants to help us move past them so that we can get on with the task. He promises to use us if we ask Him.

• Training. It helps to be prepared and can give us confidence which can negate any fears we might have. There is plenty of online training and organisations like the Open-Air Mission can provide training for you and your church. Living Waters offers a week long training course in evangelism and apologetics. However, training is not always required as it can result in Christians falling into the trap of thinking that they can't evangelise because they haven't been trained or even that they need to learn everything before they can share their faith. Choose your training wisely and intentionally and if possible get involved with those who offer practical training during the course.

• Know what you believe and why you believe it. This one can be especially relevant for those who've grown up in the church and have never really looked at the details of their own story. Read the Bible passages that speak about evangelism (Acts and the Gospels for starters). This will help you catch the vision and should negate fears about saying the wrong thing. You can't really say the wrong thing unless you say something totally heretical as people are already lost!

• Start small. This one is really about managing your own and others expectations. Most of us are not going to be Billy Graham or Amy Carmichael. Much of the evangelism in the Bible is one individual to another. Nowadays, we have tracts (Christian leaflets) and the internet so it's even possible to be anonymous or to have very little contact with the person we are witnessing to. Start by leaving tracts where-ever you go. Then, try to give them directly to people with a short comment. Then, when you are ready, ask the person if they have thought about the question. Take your time with each stage and your fears should lessen.

• Read stories. Read and watch stories of conversions in books and online. You'll be amazed by how many people mention a street preacher, a Christian friend, a book, a tract etc. If you can see that it really works, it can help to overcome your fears as the benefit outweighs the cost. Real Lives is a good series on Saturday nights which may encourage you.

• Go with others. Lone evangelism can be scary and it shouldn't be the norm. We need our Christian friends to encourage, motivate, inspire, rebuke etc. Most of our efforts should start with our local church. Find out what is being done by your church and join in or suggest a joint activity. Alternatively, if your church isn't doing anything, find an individual or several within the church who are keen and approach the leadership together. If the leaders aren't receptive to any forms of evangelism, it might be time to think about joining a different church as evangelism should be one of the main activities and purposes of the church.

• Join local evangelism teams. This shouldn't replace evangelism from your church, but can supplement it and provide people to work with. It's always easier to overcome our fears when we are part of a team. There are several city missions that still do direct evangelism (Birmingham and London) and others that bring you into contact with non believers through projects. The Open-Air Mission may have an evangelist in your area that you could join. Good News for Everyone (formerly Gideons) go into schools, prisons, hotels etc and try to leave Bibles as well as more formal Scripture distributions. You can get involved and learn from others. Start by observing and then take more responsibility as you feel able. 

• Join mission teams/camps. There are several organisations that run mission teams around the country including United Beach Missions and the Open-Air Mission. There are specific missions for student outreach, street evangelism and children's work. Other organisations like Yorkshire Camps and Foundation Matters offer residential camps and allow volunteers to join and serve for a week or longer term. Then, there are the annual youth camps. There are always plenty of opportunities and full training is usually given. Serving together allows you to learn on the job and watch others share their faith/give their testimony until you are ready to participate.

• Talk to someone. It's a well known saying that "a problem shared is a problem halved". If you cannot overcome your fears, share them with a church friend or church leader. Be specific and maybe they will be able to help you get new perspective or suggest some other ideas. Likewise, if you have had a negative experience with evangelism, don't let it put you off, speak to someone straight away so that it doesn't become an insurmountable problem as it festers. 

• Don't overthink it. With some things, the longer we leave it before we actually do it, the harder it is as the possibilities and the "what if's" can become overwhelming. I used to remember the Dr Pepper advert with the slogan "what's the worst that could happen?" before I went out to share my faith. It can help to write down any fears as they may seem less likely and less threatening on paper. Sometimes, we just have to face our fear and get on with it. 

I hope this list will help some of you to take steps to overcome your fears and to get involved in the work of the Great Commission. As you can see, many of the ideas involve working with others, it's amazing how much easier it is to get out there when we go in a group. I always come back encouraged and have never regretted going out when I've taken the plunge.

As an old-timer said recently, "a little bit of courage and a little bit of obedience are all that is needed." We are in a spiritual battle. Don't let the enemy win!

Next time I will deal with overcoming the obstacle of funding/finance.

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

Should Christians Frighten People During Evangelism?

 

I’m guessing that most people, whether Christian or not, will respond to this question with a loud “no!” Scaring people is not part of our evangelistic work and puts people off rather than drawing them to God.

In the past, I may have agreed with this natural response but a few years down the line, my perspective has definitely shifted.

Most of us would agree that Christians motivated by hate, anger and condemnation, preaching fire and brimstone with no hope of escape is an ugly spectacle. Perhaps, though, in seeking to avoid being associated with this type of behaviour, we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

We may tell people that God doesn’t want us to be afraid, as in terrified, of Him because of His great love for us. Whilst this is true for believers who should instead have a healthy fear (awe, reverence) of God leading to wisdom, non-believers should be afraid, even terrified. They are urged to repent and believe, to flee from the wrath to come and warned that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

I was in Halifax this week talking to a man who claimed to be an atheist. He had some religious background but was pretty dismissive about the whole idea of God, laughing at various points and wasn’t exactly taking the conversation seriously. I persevered as, despite interjecting with unhelpful comments, he was listening and looking thoughtful at times. When the conversation was reaching a conclusion, he accepted a church leaflet.

Then, I felt prompted to urge the man not to appear before the God of the whole universe on Judgement Day with unforgiven sin like a giant rucksack on his shoulders because God would then have to punish him. Fear crept across his face as he quietly asked a slightly odd question for an atheist, “What will he do?”

We had already spoken briefly about Heaven and Hell so I just as quietly told him that God would send him to Hell. Usually, after saying something so sombre, I immediately revert to the Good News, desperate to remind people that God doesn’t want them to go to Hell which is why He sent Jesus to rescue us. However, the man began backing away saying, “You’re frightening me now!”

My first instinct was to apologise and say that that wasn’t my intention but instead I found myself saying “If that’s what it takes” and again urging him to think seriously about things as he mumbled his thanks for the leaflet and walked away.

Afterwards, I thought about the conversation and spoke to others in our small team. It was felt that the man’s response at least showed that he had understood the warning and was taking it seriously. I had no doubt that he would be thinking about things further as a result.

In evangelism, our task is to communicate the Gospel as clearly as possible which should include warnings of Judgement which may result in people feeling afraid. We are not responsible for a person’s final decision about whether or not they will trust Jesus or choose to face the wrath of God, but only telling them half the message ultimately does them a disservice. It’s almost impossible to get people to see the danger and urgency of their situation without talking about Judgement and Hell.

I was reminded of the time when Paul was before Felix in Acts 24. It was as he spoke about righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come that Felix became afraid and dismissed him.  Surely, like Paul, we want people to seriously consider their eternal destination.

Related to this topic, there is an ongoing discussion in my circles about street or open-air preaching. There is a perception amongst some Christians that people view this type of evangelism as “a bunch of old men shouting at people in the street”. Some wish to phase it out completely in favour of more modern methods. 

Whilst not a preacher myself, these discussions do have an impact on my work of supporting street preaching and seeking to speak to those who listen.

Whilst I would agree that not all street preaching is done with the right motivations or in the right manner, surely what’s needed is to train preachers so it can be done better rather than abandoning it completely. It is biblical and with the right tone and volume reaches the most people many of whom would never darken the door of a church.

The preaching needs to be loud enough that people can hear it so they can make a decision about whether they want to hear more but not so loud that they cannot escape it if they wish to do so. The tone shouldn’t be aggressive, angry or condemnational but it should be heartfelt, sincere and persuasive. As well as an appeal for a response, it should contain warnings for those who refuse.

Asking for a response, or asking people what their barrier is, is not the same as trapping people into praying the Sinner’s Prayer or similar before they really know what’s happening. I rarely pray with people on the street and would not be comfortable putting words in their mouth. I usually advise people to go home and pray to God by themselves. If they don’t know how to pray we can offer guidance.  

Some of those who are resistant to open-air preaching feel that question boards, book tables, children’s programmes, church events and things of cultural or historical interest are more fruitful. It may be that we have nicer/more pleasant conversations with people through these means. It may even be that people are converted. I’m not advocating stopping any of these other things which all have their place.

We may not see immediate fruit from street preaching but we know it works as God promises that His Word doesn’t return void. A rejection of a warning delivered by a street preacher can be a better response than a long conversation with a person agreeing with virtually everything that is said yet remaining unmoved in their mind and heart.

We are called to be courteous/respectful (as we were reminded in a recent sermon) but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be direct with people. It also means we should challenge people when they say things that aren’t true. We can disagree without being disagreeable, as the old saying goes.   

I believe street preaching should be central in our evangelistic efforts because it has such a wide reach. I would go beyond this and say that in an apathetic society like the UK, a more direct and bolder approach and tone is needed.

A preacher visiting the UK recently from another country was appalled at what he found and asked his friend, “Why aren’t Christians standing up in tube stations and at bus stops urging people to repent and respond to the Gospel?”

We should be seeking to wake people up and pleading with them to make a decision for Jesus before its too late. Sometimes, this will frighten them but if by the power of God's Holy Spirit, it leads them to repentance and faith that can only be a good thing.

Gospel to the Dying

Yes, I stole the title from my friends Steve and Gerdine Stanley who are working as missionaries in Papua New Guinea. I highly recommend their blog which documents daily life in the jungle with three small children. 

However, today’s post was a heart breaking reminder for me and, I assume other readers, of the urgency of the Gospel. The team are not yet at the point where they are ready to communicate the Good News to the Kovol tribe, but they are progressing. Now, limited medical capabilities exhausted, they have a woman literally wasting away in front of them and obviously at death’s door. What should they do? I’ll let you read their post for the tragic outcome.

As many of you know, I’ve been in hibernation for a month or so recovering from a major operation. I re-entered society at the Open-Air Mission’s supporters conference about 10 days ago. A good number gathered to hear about the evangelism taking place across our country on a daily basis. I love this conference as it’s so encouraging to hear about the work and to catch up with people with a  real heart for evangelism. 

OAM is growing and has been able to employ several new evangelists in recent years. However, there are still large areas of the UK without a preacher which according to Romans 10 means that they cannot hear and be saved. I encourage you to consider joining a team event to learn more about the work.

I spoke to an older man recently who said that he had previously been involved in street evangelism and didn’t really know why he had stopped. Another man asked if I was “hanging around" in Reading to be involved in Franklin Graham’s crusade assuming that an organised mass-attended Christian event would be an attraction that I wouldn’t want to miss. 

I’m sure the crusade was well attended and, having just read Franklin’s autobiography, I know his priority is the sharing of the Gospel, but the point is that we have moved away from going out to where the people are and are instead expecting them to come to us. The transition is odd in that culturally society has gone the other way; people are less and less likely to want to attend an event in a church.

I meet a lot of Christians who have never heard of the Open-Air Mission or United Beach Missions (the main two organisations I’m involved with who do this type of ministry). Some churches won’t consider getting involved as they feel it is ineffective, old-fashioned or disrespectful to "shout at people in the street". Another friend told me recently about prison ministry where they aren’t allowed to proselytise!

There is a general feeling that we’ve moved on to more modern methods involving friendship evangelism. Again, there’s a place for this, but only if we are really willing to have that uncomfortable conversation with someone we’ve already befriended…and it doesn't negate the need for a more overt witness.

DL Moody once told a critic: “It is clear you don’t like my way of doing evangelism. You raise some good points. Frankly, I sometimes do not like my way of doing evangelism. But I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

The covid pandemic woke a lot of people up to their own mortality as they saw loved ones die and were unable even to say their proper goodbyes. The public enquiry  is seeking to learn lessons for the future but all it will do is create a situation where we continue to put plasters on a major wound when the person is dying of sepsis. Now, we are seeing people dying in desperate situations in the wars in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza. Matthew Perry, a major sitcom star in the US died this week at the age of 54.

In all of these situations and others, people’s comments reflect the terrible and widespread deception of the devil; “At least they’re at peace now”, “He’s free from his suffering”, “They’re no longer in pain”, and “She’s in a better place”.

Perhaps, the lie that everyone will get to Heaven has even permeated Christian thinking to the extent that we don’t sense the urgency any more. Collectively, we aren't rushing to share the Gospel with these people as they take their last breath, whereas just a hundred years ago we have a story from the Titanic of a dying man frantically swimming in icy waters seeking to offer eternal hope to the lost.  

Sadly, in most of these cases, there is no evidence of saving faith. Matthew Perry had some sort of spiritual experience a few years ago where he asked a Higher Power for help to stop his addictions. Yet, just a few weeks ago he said he wasn’t religious and his focus was on helping other people that were going through what he had been through. Accepting that only God truly knows the heart, maybe the Christians who claim he was a believer are grasping at straws, seeking to reassure themselves as the alternative is too horrifying to contemplate.

If we are losing our grip on reality and what the Bible really teaches about death, it might be a good idea to remind ourselves. A person is only saved through faith in Jesus and his death for them on the cross. Believing that he died for them leads to repentance from sin, forgiveness of sin and a changed life, with God’s help. Only those who have trusted in Jesus go to Heaven forever, not because they have done anything good, but because Jesus lived a perfect life on their behalf. Everybody else will go to Hell to be punished for their sin. Salvation is a free gift available to anyone who will repent and trust in Jesus.

Christians, let’s refocus our lives and ensure our main mission is to reach others with the Good News of salvation before it’s too late for them. When we hear of someone dying, let’s take courage and pray for a way to reach them, then go and deliver the Message. We don’t have the excuse that there is a language barrier and even if there is, we have tools that can overcome this in the Western world.

On a side note, if you don’t know where to start and your church leaders can’t help, my new book Evangelism is Exciting! has some ideas. All royalties are reinvested in the work of sharing the Gospel and I’m always happy to receive comments and feedback.

Can Anyone Be Saved?

Seeing this title, you might think that I’m going to attempt to deal with the complexities of election/ predestination. Sorry to disappoint, but that’s well above my pay grade!

If people are elected to salvation, we don’t know who has been chosen and who hasn’t, so the fact doesn’t change our responsibility to share the Gospel with anybody and everybody.

We’ve probably all had that conversation with someone who is wondering if they, or someone they love, hasn’t been saved because they aren’t elect. Is that really helpful? All that happens if we think like this is that we give up, succumb to the belief that they cannot be saved, and stop witnessing to and praying for the person.

For the purpose of this post, I’m thinking more about how we view people when we are involved in evangelism, and whether we really believe they can, and will be saved.

Here are a few examples:

 -The aggressive atheist. You know the type. We may know that the person is suppressing the truth and that deep down they know that God exists, but do we really believe that they can be converted?

One of my friends was like this, arguing aggressively with me to the extent that sometimes I got so annoyed that I left the conversation rather than responding in kind. Although, I sensed that this person’s struggle was genuine, I’m not sure that I had the faith to believe they would actually be saved. However, in 2018, Billy Graham died. My friend told me he had seen the death on the news and asked me if I knew of him, realising the connection to the Christian faith. My friend then said he had watched a YouTube video of Billy Graham’s. I asked what the title was, and he replied, “Who is Jesus?” Next thing I know, my friend is attending my church, every service in fact. Then, he became a Christian, and a while later got baptised. At his baptism, he chose the hymn, “O How the Grace of God Amazes Me.”

Originally, I had met this person in a large group. Out of the group, I would have said that he was the least likely to a) be interested in Christianity b) actually be converted. For me, it was a lesson not to judge the outward appearance, and not to try and second guess God. God used the sermon of a dead preacher to draw my friend to Himself.

-The family member or close friend. We’ve likely been praying for this person (s), perhaps for years, but do we really believe they will be converted? In our hearts, have we given up on them, or on God?

Two of my relatives were recently converted in mid-later life. One of them had started working with a young man who is a Christian. The young man had witnessed to him which led to a Bible study, then conversion, baptism and joining the church. Apart from years of prayer, which is clearly crucial, my family didn’t have a lot to do with the practicalities, as God used someone else. Our initial incredulity, and fear of believing that it would actually happen, turned to joy, as we realised it was genuine.

A newly converted church friend, just this week, received a call from a relative she had been praying for, telling her that they wanted to get right with God. I advised her to ask them if something had happened to cause this. Their answer was that nothing had happened, they had just realised they were living a sinful life and wanted to get right with God. 

Sometimes, when God is at work like this, we are almost paralysed by shock. It takes us a while to accept that God has actually answered our prayers and then to move forward in helping the person take the step of faith. This can demonstrate that we aren’t really trusting God that the people we are praying for will be saved. It is good that God is gracious, and accepts our meagre efforts, and weak expectations, but it must be disappointing to Him, especially when it’s not the first time He has saved someone we are praying for. Answers to prayer should encourage us to greater faith.

-The person who is ready. Some of my favourite stories in the Bible are those where people have been prepared in advance by God and are literally waiting for someone to point them to Jesus. The Philippian jailer who asked, “What must I do to be saved?” The Ethiopian eunuch who asked who the Scriptures were referring to, and then asked for baptism. The crowd who was told they had crucified their Messiah, were cut to the heart, and asked with some urgency, “What shall we do?”

When involved in evangelism, we are sometimes so astonished when we get these questions that we are rendered speechless, or tongue tied. Yet, they occur far more often than we expect.

In the last few weeks, I had a group of lads who had been asked if they knew how to get to Heaven turn the question around and say pointedly, “No, but can you tell us how to get to Heaven?!” Also, a man recently released from prison, on hearing the Gospel, said urgently, “I don’t want to go to Hell, I really don’t want to go to Hell, can you help me?” Another young guy approached the book table, asked us to tell him what we believed, and then asked if he could film our response. There was a pause as all three of us stared at him before realising that we were there for that purpose!

Many times, I’ve been asked what a person should do if they want to become a Christian and even a few times, “What must I do to be saved?”

-The unlikely convert. No matter how much we try to avoid it, we all judge a book by its cover, similarly with people. We look at someone and think that person would never be interested in Christianity. This can be based on all manner of external factors, but we forget that God deals with the heart, and that He saved people like Saul of Tarsus, and King Nebuchadnezzar.

I’m reading a book at the moment entitled, Out of the Black Shadows. Gang member Stephen Lungu, attended a Christian tent meeting in Zimbabwe, carrying a bag of petrol bombs with the intention of committing mass murder by firebomb. However, God stepped in, “The preacher was now saying that anyone who wanted could have this Jesus. I could exchange my poverty and sin for Jesus’ love and riches. The transaction that Jesus was offering me suddenly became clear. Tears for all the pain, loneliness, self-hatred and fear I had known coursed down my cheeks. If this great burden could not be removed by this Jesus, I no longer wanted to live. So, clutching my bag of petrol bombs I stumbled towards the preacher…….” Can your Jesus save even someone like me?” 

There are plenty of other testimonies of people that we might think outwardly wouldn’t be interested. I often find during street evangelism that it’s these people with whom I have the best conversations, perhaps to remind me that it’s God’s work and He can save anyone.

-The child. Society tells us that we shouldn’t brainwash children and that they can’t understand the things of God. Yet, the Bible tells us we have to become like little children to be saved, in terms of them having a simple trust in Jesus.

Many Christians that I know date their conversion to their childhood, one person was even as young as 4 years old. On a mission team this year, we had a question board with the question, “Does God exist?” The parent confidently placed his mark next to “No” but was then silently rebuked by his 8-year-old daughter who just as confidently selected “Yes.” I asked her how she knew that God existed, and she said that she just knew, she then spoke in simple terms about Creation.

Sometimes, children have a better understanding than adults as they haven’t been exposed to the corruptions of thinking that occur as we get older and mingle with supposedly more intelligent people.

-The cult member. I recently attended a conference dealing with cults and other religions. It was pointed out that we shy away from dealing with these people as a matter of course. We might even think they are unreachable because we tend to end up in lengthy conversations that never really seem to make progress.

Yet, there are Christians even in my limited circles who were formerly Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, Mormons, Catholics etc. Some of them are now Pastors and Evangelists.

-The prodigal. We know that God saves prodigals because of Luke 15 and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I know that God saves prodigals because I was one!

Sometimes, we forget the love of God shown in the parable as He runs to meet the repentant son, or daughter, that has turned their back on Him, embraces them and restores them to their former place.

Are we still praying for prodigals that we know and love, or have we given up in despair secretly believing that they are beyond redemption?

So, can anyone be saved?

In the Bible, we are encouraged to believe and persist in prayer for people. A visiting speaker at my church recently told us this story about George Muller, a 19^th century Evangelist.

​” In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without a single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land, on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be. Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. I thanked God and prayed on for the others. Five years elapsed, and then the second was converted. I thanked God for the second and prayed on for the other three. Day by day, I continued to pray for them, and six years passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three and went on praying for the other two. These two remained unconverted.

​
Thirty-six years later he wrote that the other two, sons of one of Mueller’s friends, were still not converted. He wrote, “But I hope in God, I pray on, and look for the answer. They are not converted yet, but they will be.” In 1897, fifty-two years after he began to pray daily, without interruption, for these two men, they were finally converted—but after he died! Mueller understood what Luke meant when he introduced a parable Jesus told about prayer, saying, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).” (www.georgemuller.org)

Surely, based on the evidence we have considered, including the Bible stories, the answer is that yes, God can save anyone. This is what we should be communicating to anyone that asks us if they can be saved.

We have some great verses like Romans 10 vs 13, “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved,” and 2 Peter 3 vs 9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”

We can be confident that God can save anyone, and that He wants to save everyone. Sadly, not everyone will be saved because many will reject the free gift of God through Jesus.

However, until the day a person dies, we must keep praying for them and witnessing to them, believing that God will answer.

Is it a Red Herring or a Real Hindrance?

Often when having conversations about faith with people in the street, there will come a time during the discussion when they will raise objections to what is being said. So far, so obvious.

We were speaking to a lady today at the book table in Rochdale for a long time. During the conversation she spoke about karma and reincarnation as something that she loosely believed. Later, when we spoke in depth about Jesus, she suddenly responded sharply with words to the effect of, “Wait a minute, so in order to be a Christian, you have to believe that Jesus was punished for your sin. I don’t believe that. I’d rather pay for my own sin.” It was as if a switch had been flicked, she understood what was being said and didn’t like it. The discussion continued for quite some time afterwards and she ended up taking a Gospel of John from one of our team.

Reflecting on this afterwards, I realised this was a prime example of someone with both a red herring and a real hindrance (not my phrases, but useful here.) The red herring was the lady’s loosely held new age beliefs as they didn’t stand up to scrutiny, and we were relatively easily able to redirect the hearer back to the important matters. The real hindrance was the idea that she could somehow atone for her sin herself. This conviction was more deeply held in her heart, and concerned key elements of the Gospel, so it was necessary to try and remove the hurdle before continuing.

Perhaps you have spoken to people like this and wondered whether to redirect the hearer, effectively ignoring the red herring, or to attempt to remove the hurdle of the real hindrance which is likely to be an ongoing barrier to the person seeking to understand.

It’s an interesting dilemma for Christians and not always as obvious as the example I have given. Furthermore, what may be a red herring for one person, may be a real hindrance for another!

Consider how you would deal with these:

-I believe in Science

-What may be true for you may not be true for me

-I’ve lived a pretty good life

-Sometimes, I think my mum is looking down on me from Heaven.

-I’m a Muslim/Buddhist/Hindu/Catholic

-I can’t change religion at my stage of life

-I would like to believe it but I just can’t

-Christians have never helped me when I’ve needed it

-Do you believe in Noah’s ark then?

-Why didn’t God stop Aberfan?

-Aren’t Catholic and Christian the same thing?

-The cross is cosmic child abuse

-So, you think you’re better than me

-The God of the Old Testament is vengeful and slaughtered loads of innocent people

-It’s not justice for Jesus to be punished in my place

-God seems arrogant, demanding worship for Himself

-I can’t come to church as I’m socially anxious

-Why did God create evil?

-We’re all going to end up in Heaven anyway

-Religion has caused loads of wars. What about the crusades?

-I only trust myself

-I’m a drug addict, God can’t help me as I’ve tried asking Him before

-I want to do things my way

-How can God have a Son?

-We believe in Jesus too. We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints.

-I don’t believe in God, so He can’t judge me.

-Will I have to give all my money to the church?

-Is being gay a sin?

-Why did God create the world if He knew what would happen?

-Nobody has come back to tell us. I can’t believe unless I see.

-Churches are full of hypocrites.

-Is there any sin that can’t be forgiven?

-So, your God died on a cross, couldn’t He have stopped that happening?

-The Bible was written 2000 years ago.

-When you’re dead, you’re dead.

-What are you collecting for?

A lot of the time, the tone of the conversation will tell you whether the person is really struggling with something, or whether they are just mocking the Christian, or attempting to show off to their friends. They might even be deflecting you with a red herring to avoid getting into anything serious.

It’s worth knowing the biblical answers to these questions and statements, to help those who are sincerely seeking God. It’s also good to make sure you know what you believe, (the key elements of the Gospel), so that you can redirect and refocus someone who has thrown you a red herring.

There will also be times when someone asks something that you haven’t thought about before. Don’t be afraid to admit this, and then either ask someone else, or get back to them with an answer.

Nobody has all the answers, and there are some things we just don’t know because God has left them unanswered.

Prayer is key as God is in control and He promises to honour us if we honour Him. He wants us to seek to share the Gospel with others, so even when we think we haven’t done well in a discussion or when we have engaged with a red herring, or failed to address a real hindrance, God can still use our weak efforts for His glory.