A person’s coming to Christ is the
result of a work of God in their heart (John 16:8-11; 6:44; Romans 10:17). I am
not here speaking of the issue of Calvinism vs. Arminianism. But whatever side
you take on that issue, it is clear that a work of God is involved. Therefore,
whether you think that, in the final analysis, the issue is God choosing us or
us choosing God, there is one thing it does not ultimately depend on. The
ability of the evangelist. In fact, Paul states that he avoids basing his
approach on his ability, so that his converts’ faith may rest on the God’s
power rather then Paul’s technique (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Now do not get me
wrong; I am not advocating sloppiness and laziness. I am convinced that God
wants us to do our best in this area (1 Peter 2:15). But what I am trying to
avoid is the idea that if I do not have some special method or some special
ability, I cannot share Christ.
My main claim to expertise in
evangelism is that I have done almost everything there is to do wrong, wrong,
and I can tell you how to avoid my mistakes. I have come on too strong and been
too mealy-mouthed. It have lost my temper with the one I was witnessing to and
the partner I was witnessing with. I have chickened out in saying things when I
should have said something and said things when it would have been better if I
would have kept my mouth shut. If I believed that everything depended on my
technique, I would have given up on talking to people about Christ years ago.
Now I am not suggesting you follow my example in doing all these things wrong.
But I am suggesting that you not be scared off from sharing with people because
you have not got it all down. Rather, the best way to learn to do it is to do
it.
The bottom line is God is at work in
the world, building His church (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:5-7). He has
work for each of us to do as part of this (Ephesians 2:10) and promises His
power working in us to carry this out (2 Corinthians 3:5,6; Colossians 1:29).
But if we concentrate on our abilities or our past track record, we can become
paralyzed and reluctant to do those things God has commanded us to. We also
need to recognize that if we press on to share the truth of God with people, we
will meet opposition, because the gospel is a stumbling block and there will be
those who refuse to accept it (1 Corinthians 1:18-23). But God calls us to
continue doing what He has called us to do, as He is the one who is ultimately
in control of the situation (Psalms 127:1,2).
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