By Dora Reader
Nearly 40 years ago, our evangelism team from a local church would sit in someone’s living room and ask them two questions: 1) … if you were to die today, would you go to heaven? And 2) … if you were to stand before God and he were to say to you, “why should I let you into my heaven?” what would you say? After these two questions from the Kennedy Evangelism method, we would give them a gospel presentation.
Essentially all the people that we visited were either looking for a church or had some church background, so this approach worked well at the time. A fair number of the people we visited would start attending or return to our church.
Fast forward nearly 40 years. What about Kennedy method in the year 2016? Most folks I encounter regularly are unchurched. Many of them suspect that they don’t want much to do with Christianity. The idea of trying to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them fills me with uncertainty and some fear. Still, I feel a tugging at my heart to share the love of Jesus with those around me. How can I share my faith in Jesus in our current culture?
I recently started reading Greg Finke’s new book, “Joining Jesus On His Mission: How To Be an Everyday Missionary.” From what I learned so far in the first half of the book, being a “missionary” where I live is simple. It’s something I can do, and it’s not intimidating. Jesus is doing all the heavy lifting. I’m not doing something FOR Jesus, but WITH Jesus. All I have to do is reorient my thinking about what’s around me. Jesus is already at work in people’s lives. I just need to ask Jesus, What are you up to? And how would you have me join you?
I can follow Jesus in what he did when he walked on this Earth. Jesus loved a good party or banquet and also hanging out with people on the fringe of society. Jesus enjoyed people, listened, loved them, and helped them where they were hurting. Jesus, what are you up to? How would you have me join you?
