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Evangelism gone wrong, Evangelism rectified

I've been reading the book The Provocative Church lately, and must say I give it two hands up and an amen. Reading this book will jump in the face of everything you thought evangelism was.

Once not long ago (as in, beginning with my entrance into college and up until just recently) I felt very guilty regarding evangelism. The book hit this to a T when it sums up that most Christians feel that evangelism is something that ought to be done, but they don't readily do because they don't know how, they don't feel good at doing it, or they don't want to subject friends to a church that they themselves are bored and unfulfilled with.

I have always wished to evangelize, but have always had the principle hindrance in feeling that it does no good to talk about God to someone who isn't really curious. And, to that end, I've simply strove for Christian progress (see Justification, Sanctification, Reconciliation, in a previous entry). This book holds that just such an approach, on a church wide level, is the cornerstone of evangelism. If the whole chuch should be living a life different to the world around it, and preach a message of how to practically go about loving others, living in peace, and caring for people and the world around you, people will ask why. When you tell them why, tell them about Jesus. Having already gained their attention, they will be far more likely to listen.

Some might say that there's people out there who just don't seem like they would notice, or care. Well, and I indite (sp?) myself on this as well, I guess we just haven't shown them something different yet.

The other day over ice cream I was telling an old high school friend what I do with my friends for fun, and also telling her that all of these friends for the most part are from my church. She was interested, excited that we had so much fun and were so communally close without having to get completely drunk. Pretty soon, I'm going to make sure she (as well as anyone else she cares to bring) gets to see this kind of community. I'm not going out of the way to share the gospel with her. She's asked a little before, and I've answered a little, so I know she is to some degree interested. Hopefully, she'll be more intrigued, and gradually (by observing it) get to see the truth of the gospel through life lived by a church.

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