Looking for an Opening (reprinted from Evangel June 2008.)
We recently did a spiritual growth survey with our church just to find areas in which people might be struggling. We were fairly well-balanced in almost every area. We found that our people pray, read the Bible, and get involved in ministry to others. All of that was fairly encouraging. There was one glaring exception, however. They felt incredibly inadequate when it came to sharing their faith.
From what I have been told, this is probably fairly common. Many Christians, it seems, never talk to anyone else about Jesus. The thought of witnessing scares the average churchgoer. Fear of rejection, fear they don’t know enough about the Bible, and the belief that they just don’t have the personality for it keep many Christians from witnessing.
Unfortunately, evangelism has often been reduced to a formula. The problem with that concept is that relationships seldom work that way. We have made someone’s journey to Christ more an event than a process. And we have forgotten that the single most important component in leading anyone to Jesus is cooperating with the Holy Spirit. Jesus did command us to go and tell, but He also promised to go with us (Matthew 28:19-20). Too many of us have put too much pressure on ourselves, as if the outcome ultimately depends on us, when, in fact, all we really have to do is look for an opening and go through it. The rest is up to God.
In the Gospel of Mark, the story is told of a paralytic whose four friends brought him to Jesus when he couldn’t have gotten there under his own power (2:1-12). Scripture testifies that the man was healed because of “their faith.” What a wonderful picture of evangelism! We also know that when they couldn’t get through the crowd, they broke through the roof to lower him to the Lord. But here is something else to consider.
In those days steps usually went up the side of the house to the roof, which was used as a porch or patio. Often, there was a trapdoor that gave access to the main house. While it would not have been big enough for the cripple’s bed to fit through, it did provide an opening, and the friends started working on expanding it by removing the roof tiles surrounding the opening.
This is all God really expects any of us to do. We think we have to force conversion. I have seen that evangelistic method tried (and fail) many times. Although those employing it may be sincere, it usually does more harm than good. It shuts people down to the Gospel. But I have found that when I care enough about someone to build a relationship with that person and pray, God gives me an opening time after time. All I have to do is go through it and expand on it as God directs. The Holy Spirit has been doing a work in that individual before I ever get there. I just have to look for the opening. That opening for witness may be with my barber, the mechanic, or the parent in line with me as we pick up our children at school.
This is the principle Peter was teaching when he said, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15, NKJV). The presence of the Lord with His peace, joy, and love should be so obvious in my life that people ask about it. The opening to witness may be created by the simple act of my family’s prayer before our meal in a restaurant. The server may be within earshot, and observing the family’s devotion may create an opportunity to witness.
Once when my family and I were on vacation, I paused before prayer at a restaurant to ask the young waitress if there were anything she would like for us to pray about, and she immediately teared up. Her mother had just been diagnosed with cancer. God gave an opening that day. The Holy Spirit often operates to remove hindrances that might otherwise sidetrack us from sharing our faith.
We have made evangelism much more difficult than it needs to be. We often allow our fears to intimidate us. Those we want to win for the Lord may be far from God, but if we have laid the groundwork with loving concern for them through our friendship, when a moment of crisis comes, such as sickness, divorce, bankruptcy, a career setback, or failure in another area, they often will seek us out for prayer, because of our relationship with God and with them.
People need to know you genuinely care about them, not just that you are trying to win them so you can chalk up another statistic for the church… or even for God. Sometimes we have to be patient for years before those we are trying to win are willing to listen. We have to earn the privilege. Most often, making a friend comes before making a convert – sometimes a long time before. I want to see my friend converted, but if that never happens, I will still love him and continue to pray for him. And he needs to know that!
Don’t allow your fears to intimidate you to the extent that you never witness. Remember, you don’t always have to lead them step-by-step along “the Romans Road” to be an effective witness. Neither do you have to insist that the person sign on the dotted line to be sure he has understood and accepted salvation. Even if the person does not make a full commitment to Christ after your witness, you may have nudged him a step closer to a decision… and you will know you did what God wanted you to do and that He is pleased with your obedience!
God will show you ways to witness that fit your personality and are comfortable for you. When Jesus gave us the Great Commission, He didn’t call us to do something we are incapable of doing. I’ve told my members that if we throw a block party for the community and some of us are fixing hot dogs, that, too, is evangelism. God will help you find ways to reach out.
You don’t have to make anything happen. Just be sensitive to the Spirit. It may be as easy as just being friendly and striking up a conversation. You don’t want to say too much or too little. God will make a way for your light to shine through. Just look for an opening. That is really what witnessing is all about. Don’t put all the pressure on yourself. This is God’s work, and we are participants in His plan. He is the only One who can change a life anyway. He will take your efforts and use them as He sees best in His time. Trust Him!
