There has been a lot of talk, confusion and reaction to evangelism in the past years. God has given me an interesting vantage to see a lot of different angles on his kingdom work through leaders and churches all over. Here are some thoughts on the topic from my friend Michael Larson.
From the Pulpit to the Front Porch
by Michael Larson
“At one time, in the not-so-distant past, the word ‘evangelism’ scared me. I suppose, when I’m honest, there’s a bit of that fear-filled baggage still clinging to some corner of my faith. I thought of soap boxes and thumping of Bibles and hard-convincing, confusing rhetoric intended to persuade a person from sin to salvation. At some point, I transitioned, I don’t know if it was a part of maturing, or (more likely) an angry revolt against the traditional ways I had always understood, but regardless, I began to look differently at my delivery of the grace I held so dear. I began to see conversation instead of coercing, relationship instead of recitation as the means and method of sharing the greatest news, the most deeply moving story, I had ever experienced. However, it wasn’t just me.
As much as I’d like to say an epiphany struck, or that God shifted my thoughts with a vivid vision, it didn’t happen that way. Instead, it gradually evolved in rich community, amidst a group of other sojourners, hauling various kinds of baggage not unlike my own, all trekking through the forest of faith. At times we were trudging, at times sprinting, but all moving together. And in this community, this band of believers, I began to see the joy of a life filled with God’s grace find its way from the pulpit to the front porch, from the Sunday service to the sidewalk. This joy just leaked out, naturally, rhythmically, a fresh air I’d never inhaled before.
There are eight men, in particular, with whom I have walked in step with on a good part of this path. In varying forms, they have each, in their own way and at their own pace, shown me natural, nurturing ways of sharing Christ. One has chosen to plate it up one pulled pork sandwich at a time, graciously crowding his backyard with dozens of hungry neighbors with hungrier souls. He and his wife intentionally love them, listen to them and lay the necessary foundation of support and trust for trying times yet to come. Through this his neighbors have seen Jesus. Another has done it with a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate of donuts in the other, every Friday, greeting parents and kids on the familiar route to the neighborhood school. He has begun to learn their stories and to love them. And with this, they have seen Jesus. Another has come to the aid of his elderly neighbor countless times, helping her see Jesus in raking leaves, or trimming trees, or grabbing the mail. And one has brought the joy of the story to his workplace, a mobile office, the backseat of his livery car filled daily with businessmen, travelers, and families. They all have unique stories needing to be heard, and in his listening ear, they’ve seen Jesus. The others in the group are doing it in countless ways, with passionate hearts and organic methods and their example is inspiring others, inspiring me.
So often our steps, over long periods of time, seem small, almost unnoticable, but when we have the perspective and the wisdom to crane our neck and look over the shoulder of history, we can hardly see the place we once stood, so distant it is just a speck on the horizon. Just a week ago I found myself with this odd bit of clarity. I had just spent a few minutes with our street’s newest resident, most of which was spent corralling children or helping them avoid certain death at the bottom of a particularly steep slide. But between the interruptions and the near-misses, I found myself inviting this newly minted friend into my own community, the group that crashes our house every Tuesday and makes our dead end street feel like a parking lot. And the invite, which just a few short years ago I would have surely forced or flubbed, slid naturally into conversation, an invite not just to small group, a religion or a club, but an invitation into my life, into a community of flawed, but changed, people. They are invited into a process of discovering a God of grace with a love for people that can hardly be fathomed.
So evangelism is no longer something I see as a switch, something that initiates a quickened pulse and sweaty palms, but instead I have begun to take it in stride, a natural outpouring of not just who I am and who God has made me, but a replication of what it is happening around me. As I have watched others, I have seen the simplicity of their lives as they turn common conversations and mundane interactions into opportunities to spread in their wake life-altering grace, faith and love.”
Michael is a dad, life coach, business man, involved neighbor and the pastor of small groups at The Well Church in Batavia, IL.