When evangelising, witnessing and sharing our faith, to what extent should we seek to create opportunities to do this, and to what extent should we wait for God to create an opportunity? e.g. with friends who are unbelievers, should we be actively and continually creating opportunities to speak with them about faith, or should we be quiet until God provides a way, or until they ask us directly?

I would love for your advice and to hear about your experiences...

12/27/2009 7:59:30 AM by Debora, Member of Delve into Jesus since 4/26/2009

Debora,

I'm writing a devotional on the topic of witnessing, and one of the issues I'm trying to work out is how effective and appropriate it is to seek opportunities, rather than to wait for them to come to us. I'm trying to determine where we draw the line between being too passive that we miss opportunities, and being too forward that we turn people off.

Many years ago, I worked with a fellow Christian who was very "in-your-face" about his faith. He wore shirts with Christian slogans, kept his cubicle decorated with crosses, and never missed an opportunity to talk to people about his faith. I admired that about him, but I also worried that he was crossing some line of workplace manners. He was eventually fired for under performing, but at his exit interview, he was advised that he should tone down his overt displays of faith if he wanted long-term success in his career. They said to him that he should "practice his faith quietly, like Michael does, so that no one is offended." He told me this later, and I was ashamed that others saw me as someone who practices his faith "quietly" and "inoffensively". I wanted to be more like him in my proud display of faith.

Years later, I look back on all that and I'm not so sure anymore that he was right and I was wrong. Ultimately, I had (and still have) an obligation to provide for my family. I can't do that if I keep getting fired. Also, I'll never know how many people were turned off by his brashness, whereas some might have been interested in simply knowing the reasons for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15)

I was brought back to the faith by a Baptist minister who came knocking on my door one day, inviting me to attend service on Sunday. I'll never forget that for all the slammed doors and harassment he received at house after house, he eventually found one person willing to listen, and as a result, I was saved.

What does all this mean? I'm not sure I have it all figured out, but as I get closer to finishing the devotional, the message I'm getting is that there are many ways to witness, and every lost soul will have some unique way of getting through to them. We need to be humble and willing so that when God tells us to reach out in some way that may not make sense, or in some way that makes us uncomfortable, we seize the opportunity without hesitation.

12/27/2009 7:23:21 PM by Michael Lane, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

Michael,

Thank you for your thoughts on this- I look forward to reading your devotional.

I agree that there is something very admirable about those who so openly share their faith, like the man you described at your work. It was good to hear your testimony, and I am thanking God for the courage and faith of the Baptist minister who brought you to Christ.

For me, it was a much more gradual process. When I was a student I had two Christian friends who weren't particularly vocal about their faith, but they were there when I needed questions answering, and they planted a lot of seeds. I actually began praying at that point, asking God if He was really there, but gave up on the whole idea when my prayer was seemingly unanswered. 7 years later, in January of this year, I had my eyes well and truly opened and came to Christ. Again, this wasn't the result of someone being "in your face" about their faith. I went on some training with work, and the trainer happened to be a Christian, although I didn't know this at the time. He mentioned that he had a strong faith and told us a lot about his life. This prompted me to ask him some questions, and he recommended that I read the Bible. The rest, as they say, is history!

In contrast to my testimony, I have Christian friends who were brought to Christ as a result of someone's persistence and courage to keep talking and constantly planting seeds. I have another friend who was brought to Christ on a Christian drug rehab programme, in which the participants were shouted at, made to get on their knees and pray continually for an hour every day. To me it sounded like such a contrast to the gentle way in which I came to Christ, but it sure worked! I suppose that emphasises your comments about how many different ways there are to witness and evangelise. We may be planting seeds and not even realising it until years later...! Sometimes it must be like prophecy, the wonder of it only being revealed when it comes to fruition....

One thing I do know is that in my life, the majority of people I know (friends, relatives, work colleagues) are not Christians, and clear opportunities to share my faith do not arise very often. I try to make sure that if anyone asks me what I'm doing/have done at the weekend, I will tell them about the church I go to. It's only a small thing, but it's often a conversation starter which can give someone the opportunity to ask questions, and lets them know that I'm a Christian.

I do struggle though- it's a challenge sometimes, particularly when people aren't comfortable with hearing about Jesus. I hope and pray that as my knowledge and wisdom increases, my courage will also increase so I can confidently share my faith with others.

12/28/2009 1:37:10 AM by Debora, Member of Delve into Jesus since 4/26/2009