06.11.10
The Naked Truth about Small Group Evangelism
I learn much from many small group leaders, pastors, and experts. One man not only teaches me, he stretches me. He doesn't allow me to remain in my comfortable stereotypes. He demands an accounting and expects a response to his hard questions based on more than my opinions or some author I've read. Every minister needs someone like this in their lives. His name… Randall Neighbour.
Randall has written a book that each of us should spend some time in, "The Naked Truth about Small Groups." One of Randall's accurate assumptions is that small group members who are followers of Christ should speak of their journey with Jesus to unbelievers. He writes…
"If you and I became friends, we'd probably share areas of spiritual weakness, what we think God is saying to us, and what we're hoping God will do in us and through us in our work, families, and relationships. This is what healthy Christian friends do with one another. We talk about our faith and our struggles with our faith.
However, when Christians spend time with unchurched friends, many do not share matters of spiritual importance. They are confident the unbeliever will not understand, and they'd be right! But there's incredible power to be a witness for Christ when a believer speaks to his or her unbelieving friends in the manner used when interacting with Christian friends.
I've had numerous unchurched friends turn to me and say, "You know, I can tell you really love God and I can see he really loves you. I don't have that with God." If I had not shared what I wanted God to do in my life to be more Christ-like and what I was leaning on him to do as my Master, they would think I'm no different than anyone else. Sharing with my unchurched friends in the same way I share with my fellow small group members builds a contrast for the unbeliever that is genuine and attractive.
I couldn't agree more. If we have a relationship with someone, we talk about them in everyday conversation. Our not-yet-follower-of-Christ friends want to meet those we talk about and they want to get to know them. No canned speeches necessary, no list of acronyms to be introduced, no inventory of laws to be proclaimed. Long before we can tell our pre-Christian friends how to cross the line to faith we must first let them see through our conversations with them that Jesus is more than a concept, more than a principle, more than an debatable historical figure. They must first know that Jesus is our friend, our Lord, our Master and the Creator of the Universe. When they realize through our unveiling of His place in our lives that He is the ultimate friend, Lord, Master and Creator then they will be able to realize that He is the Giver of Life… eternal.
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