Go Straight to the Hospitals, Skip the Party
I’ll never forget taking an evangelism class with John Leonard at Westminster . One of the things I’ll remember is him talking smack about Christians who are really into the idea of going to parties to witnessing to non-Christians. At the time it was popular and courageous for Christians we knew to enter the "devil’s turf" and go or bars and try and engage people in conversations. John simply pointed out that more effective place to go is to the hospital or funeral home. People there are usually more ready and more happy to talk about the Gospel.
That’s what I was thinking about as I read What would Jesus do on spring break? – a chapter of an intriguing journal from a non-Christian who enrolled in Liberty University undercover to covertly document the Evangelical Christian world. His article is worth reading for those Christians who engage in evangelism. – His book seems interesting too. It made me think about
- How easy it is for people to enter our community unchallenged by the gospel – and the rarity that we speak Gospel to those in the fold.
- How sometimes the least opportune time to talk about the Gospel is at the high points of people’s lives. – People don’t really need Jesus when they’re living in the short-lived illusion of good times. They need Jesus when they’re recovering from a hangover the next day, or when they’re trying to figure out what happened to their job, or health.
So, my personal challenge of the day – 1) expanding the scope of the Gospel to include conversations with Christians around me 2) talk to hurting people about the hope of Jesus.
