As I am *told*
I remember back when I was unsaved, we had this "meet and greet" interfaith thing at my college.
One of the biggest questions from the Christians was "why are you Pagans/nonbelievers so hostile when we try to talk to you about Jesus?"
My reply then (as an unsaved person) was "Look - as soon as someone wakes me up by knocking on my door at 745 in the morning to say "Have you heard the Word of Vishnu?" I'll be mad at them...until then, you're it!"
It would be years before I accepted Christ - and it had nothing to do with that particular "out of the blue" type of of evangalism.
----
I personally don't think God needs door-to-door salesmen or telemarketers. Even as a Christian, I tend not to open my door to the former, and I usually let the answering machine deal with the latter. If they can't sell me time-share vacation homes, they're not gonna sell me Salvation either
I don't even try to strike up a conversation about Jesus unless the Holy Spirit tells me flatly to do so. So far, almost all of the people I expected to reach have been taken "out of my hands" by the Holy Spirit *stopping* me from evangalizing, and I've been sent to others I never would have expected.
So how, in general, *do* we reach out to the masses?
Jesus *told* us what to do. He told us exactly how.
Feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal the sick, bring comfort to the widowed, the orphaned, build that which is torn down, repair that which is broken. Give aid, shelter, compassion, support and love. Provide people with *real* and material help that they can see, touch, taste, smell and feel. THEN when they are washed and clothed and fed and full, they will ask you why you are so nice (and I can tell you from experience some WILL ask)....only then are they ready to *hear* anything.
====
Example:
Homeless man: "Woman you by here every day and bought me lunch five times now...why...I mean...what do you want from me?"
"I want you to remember who you are and what you've forgotten."
"HUH?"
"You're a king who believes but who has forgotten something very important."
"Are you crazy?"
"Well maybe a little. But you are still a king."
"Lady -- I ain't no king."
"You are in fact the king He is king of...the lord He is Lord of ... and all this world belongs to you."
"He who...?"
"Jesus"
"You are crazy. I ain't no king." (with the "oh you're one of those people" look)
"You've just forgotten. It's ok, nothing that wants to be found is lost forever."
<silence....>
"You said I forgot something else...."
"Yes."
"What?" (looks worried)
"Jesus loves you."
"No....." (you'd be amazed how often this is the response)
"Jesus loves you."
"You have me confused lady. I don't know no Jesus."
"I have been told you used to."
<more silence>
"He doesn't love me. Not me...I'm not--"
"You're not guilty."
"What?" <voice cracks>
"You're not guilty."
"You don't know....lady..."
"You're right on that. *I* don't know you or what you've ever done. But He knows it all. He knew it all before you were born. Every choice, every act. And it's ok now. He died for all our sins. My sins and your sins."
"Not my sins....I mean...I'm not...I'm not a believer."
"His payment was not just for the sins of believers, for it is Written: 'He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.'
"You can't just wipe something like that away---you can't."
"I can do nothing. But HE can do anything. He has already done everything that needed to be done. For you. For me. You've just forgotten."
"I just ....I don't know...I don't know your Jesus..."
"Do you want to meet Him?" (and he looks around like he expects to be jumped)
"Lady ... I don't think I'm ready to meet him face to face."
"What will make you ready?"
<silence>
"I don't know."
<more silence>
".....Do you?"
"Well if I were gearing up to meet someone important - a leader, a teacher, a king...I'd probably study him as much as I could."
"Study...."
"He left us a very good record to study. He *is* everything He has done - if you know His works, then you know Him. If you know Him, then you know God - we could study together. If you want. Over lunch?"
"uh...well......ok -- over lunch -- but I ain't good at books and I don't know nothing about studying."
"Well let's just start at the beginning of the story then. 'In the beginning was the WORD...and the WORD was with God...and the WORD was God' ....
I remember back when I was unsaved, we had this "meet and greet" interfaith thing at my college.
One of the biggest questions from the Christians was "why are you Pagans/nonbelievers so hostile when we try to talk to you about Jesus?"
My reply then (as an unsaved person) was "Look - as soon as someone wakes me up by knocking on my door at 745 in the morning to say "Have you heard the Word of Vishnu?" I'll be mad at them...until then, you're it!"
It would be years before I accepted Christ - and it had nothing to do with that particular "out of the blue" type of of evangalism.
----
I personally don't think God needs door-to-door salesmen or telemarketers. Even as a Christian, I tend not to open my door to the former, and I usually let the answering machine deal with the latter. If they can't sell me time-share vacation homes, they're not gonna sell me Salvation either
I don't even try to strike up a conversation about Jesus unless the Holy Spirit tells me flatly to do so. So far, almost all of the people I expected to reach have been taken "out of my hands" by the Holy Spirit *stopping* me from evangalizing, and I've been sent to others I never would have expected.
So how, in general, *do* we reach out to the masses?
Jesus *told* us what to do. He told us exactly how.
Feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal the sick, bring comfort to the widowed, the orphaned, build that which is torn down, repair that which is broken. Give aid, shelter, compassion, support and love. Provide people with *real* and material help that they can see, touch, taste, smell and feel. THEN when they are washed and clothed and fed and full, they will ask you why you are so nice (and I can tell you from experience some WILL ask)....only then are they ready to *hear* anything.
====
Example:
Homeless man: "Woman you by here every day and bought me lunch five times now...why...I mean...what do you want from me?"
"I want you to remember who you are and what you've forgotten."
"HUH?"
"You're a king who believes but who has forgotten something very important."
"Are you crazy?"
"Well maybe a little. But you are still a king."
"Lady -- I ain't no king."
"You are in fact the king He is king of...the lord He is Lord of ... and all this world belongs to you."
"He who...?"
"Jesus"
"You are crazy. I ain't no king." (with the "oh you're one of those people" look)
"You've just forgotten. It's ok, nothing that wants to be found is lost forever."
<silence....>
"You said I forgot something else...."
"Yes."
"What?" (looks worried)
"Jesus loves you."
"No....." (you'd be amazed how often this is the response)
"Jesus loves you."
"You have me confused lady. I don't know no Jesus."
"I have been told you used to."
<more silence>
"He doesn't love me. Not me...I'm not--"
"You're not guilty."
"What?" <voice cracks>
"You're not guilty."
"You don't know....lady..."
"You're right on that. *I* don't know you or what you've ever done. But He knows it all. He knew it all before you were born. Every choice, every act. And it's ok now. He died for all our sins. My sins and your sins."
"Not my sins....I mean...I'm not...I'm not a believer."
"His payment was not just for the sins of believers, for it is Written: 'He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.'
"You can't just wipe something like that away---you can't."
"I can do nothing. But HE can do anything. He has already done everything that needed to be done. For you. For me. You've just forgotten."
"I just ....I don't know...I don't know your Jesus..."
"Do you want to meet Him?" (and he looks around like he expects to be jumped)
"Lady ... I don't think I'm ready to meet him face to face."
"What will make you ready?"
<silence>
"I don't know."
<more silence>
".....Do you?"
"Well if I were gearing up to meet someone important - a leader, a teacher, a king...I'd probably study him as much as I could."
"Study...."
"He left us a very good record to study. He *is* everything He has done - if you know His works, then you know Him. If you know Him, then you know God - we could study together. If you want. Over lunch?"
"uh...well......ok -- over lunch -- but I ain't good at books and I don't know nothing about studying."
"Well let's just start at the beginning of the story then. 'In the beginning was the WORD...and the WORD was with God...and the WORD was God' ....
