October 2008
Monthly Archive
I’ve been watching the baseball playoffs as a somewhat disillusioned Orioles fan – playoff baseball for us is a decade removed, and our season seems to end prior to the 4th of July. While watching this fall, I was intrigued by the Red Sox and the newest Dodger, Manny Ramirez. The Red Sox lost to the Rays and their offense, at times, looked abysmal. Manny was MVP’ish, batting .533 for the series, but the Dodgers lost in 5 games.
So the Red Sox couldn’t win without Manny, and Manny couldn’t win without the Red Sox. Perhaps, there is a message for us and our need to work together to share Christ with our world. I think the only way we “win” is in cooperation. Maybe it’s not a Baptist, an evangelical, or a Christian thing – maybe it’s us being more like Jesus.
As I read through the Gospels, I’m struck by how Jesus notices people along the way and engages culture at every turn. I wonder why we don’t even do the simple things to communicate and share God with those around us. Have we become so jaded by the evangelistic gimmicks and so fearful of not remembering the right Scripture passage to correspond to the particular acronym, that we have disengaged with the world all together? Today, try noticing someone around you. Ask them how their day is going. Listen to them. Start sharing what should be natural for us; that God is a God of love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness and that He cares for everyone, just like He cares for us.
At the training event last weekend, Jim Henderson, author of Jim and Casper go to Church, spoke of evangelism in “doable” amounts; things that everyone can involve themselves. He encouraged us to notice the people around us, to secretly pray for them, and, when given the opportunity, to listen to their stories. Do you think this is evangelism? Does it count, or does it only matter when you verbally share the truth of Christ?