A couple decades ago, Matt and I were living in Dallas while I was in seminary. As a part of my evangelism class, he had agreed to come with me to the State Fair of Texas to work at a booth where people could ask questions about faith or have someone pray with them. It seemed non-intrusive enough—until one of our friends (a guy with a huge heart and a clear gift for evangelism) said, “Hey Matt, let’s go chat with people and see if we can have some spiritual conversations.” My poor, introverted husband took a deep breath and said, “Okay, let’s see who we can talk to.” I’m sure he was sweating even more than the Texas heat required, but I was proud of him for going.
When he came back, he told me a story that we still laugh at to this day: Our friend began a pleasant conversation with someone (he really could talk to anyone!), so Matt had a seat on a bench to wait for him. He glanced over and noticed another man sitting further down the bench. Half out of politeness, and half out of curiosity to see if he could start his own spiritual conversation, Matt nodded his head and said, “How’s your day going?” The man dryly replied, “It was going a lot better before you sat down.” So much for southern friendliness…and so much for trying to start spiritual conversations!
This week, we begin to explore a spiritual habit that many Christians feel unsure about at best, and downright negative about at worst: the spiritual habit of sharing. Like Matt, many of us have had awkward experiences, unnatural interactions, and guilty consciences far more than we have had pleasant spiritual dialogues. As a result, most Christians do not share their faith often and prefer to leave evangelism to the “professionals.”
This week, we want to explore why sharing our faith is a spiritual habit for ALL Christ-followers. We’ll look at why it is essential, why we don’t do it, and how we can overcome the barriers we feel. To prepare for Sunday, Spend some time with John 4:4-26, and consider Jesus’ evangelistic encounter with a Samaritan woman. How did he interact with her? What did he make sure to share with her?
Have a fantastic week, and I’ll see you Sunday!
Heather