Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Just Walk Across the Room: New Worship Series Begins This Sunday


Evangelism. It's part of our Christian heritage, telling others the good news of Jesus Christ. We are Christians ourselves because others practiced evangelism, either by raising us the community and traditions of the church or inviting us into Christian community as youth or adults. We may be able to name one person or a few persons who we hold responsible for pointing us toward the faith we practice and the beliefs we hold.

And yet, when it comes to practicing evangelism ourselves, we cringe at the very possibility. We assume about evangelism that we will have to behave out of character or memorize Bible verses or theological arguments. To be evangelists we'll have to be obnoxious, pinning people against the wall in order to save their souls.

But is that how we came to faith? For me it was a few adults and youth who loved me at my lonliest time. They loved me with the love of Christ. I did not learn about the life of Jesus from a zealot bent on saving me from the fires of Hell, but from another teenager who found that life with Jesus was a whole lot better than without him.

Your faith exposure may have begun with family, but it has been boosted by friends. Sharing the faith that we cherish (evangelism) is about being open to God's Spirit, moving us to acts of grace, kindness and conversation. We're not called to back anyone against a wall, but to offer a hand of welcome.

And evangelism is a long process; we may have one small part to play in a person that God is ever moving toward the faith. Each of us are called to share the faith, to share our faith story. However, we may not be the "closer" for another's faith journey.

On October 25, we begin a worship series based on Bill Hybel's book and four-part study, Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith. 

You're encouraged to pick up a book and/or join a discussion group. My prayer is that the faith community of Brighton First will find enthusiasm and energy to tell their stories.


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