We are about half way through the “Everyone His Witness” evangelism workshop. I pray it has given you a lot of food for thought and perhaps clarified what true Christian witnessing is all about. If you haven’t been able to attend, please jump in and join us and we can get you caught up.
One of the things that struck me hearing the presentation again is the importance of telling the right story. Typically, evangelism involves a lot of talking about what God has done for me. And while God certainly has and continues to do many things in our lives, we do not want to confuse the objective things which Christ has done for our salvation, things which He has done for all people, with the particulars of our own experience. What God has done for one is not promised to another and so we don’t want to give the impression that it is. Maybe God recently blessed you with a little extra money when you needed. God doesn’t promise that to anyone. He does promise to provide for you and care for you but the particulars of that care haven’t been revealed.
Certainly we can talk about how God has provided for us and delivered us but we must take care that that is always done in the context of what God has done for all people in Christ and the promises that He makes to all who believe in Him. We don’t want to give the impression that faith in God will suddenly alleviate all your suffering. But we do want people to know that the Lord sees their suffering and promises not only to be with them in their suffering but that in due time He promises to deliver His children.
There is only one story that applies to everyone. The story of Jesus. The story of God becoming man to make atonement for our sins. The story of God becoming man to suffer in His flesh as we suffer in ours so that we can say of our God “He understands my suffering.” The story of God becoming man to obey where we disobey, to love where hate, to bless where we curse, and then to bear in His perfectly obedient, sinless flesh all the guilt of our sin.
That is the story that you have to tell. What a joy to share with those around the good news that this Jesus is their Savior who died for them just as He died for you and that He will help and deliver them just as He has helped and delivered you. May the Lord bless your witness to His story and may you find joy in sharing it.
-Pastor Ulmer