Welcome to week two, online guide to everything HtTAJwBTG. We will begin with week two’s presentation notes, and then at the bottom I will provide a few links for further study. Hope to see you join us in person next week! Thank you for joining us for week two. We will begin by reviewing last week’s content.
Welcome to our third week review. We apologize for the delay of this content release, we were delayed due to illness and winter weather.
Let’s begin by reviewing some summary note from week one and two.
Let’s also remind ourselves of the simple but important questions we will keep in the back of our mind through out this course.
Let begin by considers this about our perception of harvest.
A few years ago, there was a interview on a Christian radio station about evangelism, and the commentators were talking about Mission trips to other countries, particularly Islamic countries. In this conversation, the evangelist mentioned how many Westerners would be excited to go evangelize over seas but would worry about some of the dangers in other countries, and would often wish there was a safer way to evangelize. But when the Syrian refugee crisis arose, and many Muslim Syrians were coming to the West suddenly the same people complained that the Muslims were coming over to them. The commentator told us how he thought it was the opportunity the Mission workers had been waiting for. The people were coming to them.
Sometime successful evangelism is about changing our perspective to trying to see the opportunities for the harvest, to bring people to Christ.
The fact is we have to have a positive outlook on evangelism or we wont do it. If we don’t see the landscape as a farm ready for harvest, and see ourselves as the farm hands ready and willing to do the work then we wont rise to action.
Not all of us will be called to evangelize to refugees, but even if we are evangelized to our neighbor, we will need to see this as a positive opportunity, otherwise we will avoid it.
Sam Chan stresses the power of investing in other people. And one of the ways we can do this is by going to “their things”. Jesus was very active in the lives and social events of the people he was evangelizing to. He did this so much he was called a glutton and a drunkard. Hedonism was not the focal point of his life, rather his focus was loving people where they are at, and them calling them out to follow him to the cross, and beyond to the new creation. So we must do the same, and by going to “their things” it build a rapport.
When you adopt an evangelism you will notice it feels like you are being drawn in to get involved more with your community at large. Go with that. See it as the opportunity for harvest. Sign Up, Get Involved, Take Interest! If you are calm Christian presence in community, who invest in other, people will begin to open up and share, welcome it! Become the unofficial Chaplain on the sideline, ready to be present for people. Take joy in this engagement, be present is Godly work, and offer Jesus when appropriate, when it is good for the other, not when it is good for you. We will talk more next we about how to know when it is appropriate. Ultimately you want to become part of other people’s village.
One of the things to think about is a health marriage or friendship. A healthy marriage or friendship is build by continuing investing in the other persons story. You listen, you care, you share, its calm in time of sorrow, its steadfast in time of joy, it is a circular give and take. The more clear, honest, and trustworthy you are in those relationships a strong they become. In evangelism we are relationship building, the only difference is that when they come to know you, by you investing in them, they discover to know you they need to understand Jesus, because Jesus is the guiding force in your life.
I was never a “party” guy in university, but I was someone who enjoy a good Pub. Many classmates and I would often go to a pub to stuff or blow of steam after exams. An as I was the pastor-in-the-making often our conversations would turn theological. It amazed me how often people would overhear this at the pub and strike up a conversation. Some times the conversation was minorly hostile, people with a grudge against Christianity trying to harass me, but most of the time people were just curious, or actually hungry for the Word. Even the hostile ones, because I stayed calm, caring, circular, casual and clear, often the conversation would become a strong positive. They would see me as a great guy who just happened to be Christian, Christian was not more relatable because they could see me as just another guy, and not “that guy”. I even had a few who started off as hostile, ask for prayer at the end of out time together.
Going to there this helps you see them for who they are, and it also tells them that you are ready to invest into them. That doesn’t mean you need to affirm every aspect of their life, but it does mean you care for them an inherently valuable people of creation, who God want to see reconciled to him.
Let’s move on to our discussion question for this week.
Thank you for joining us online here today to review the lecture material from March 14, for more reflection on Merging your Universes from the themes of Sam Chan’s book, please follow this link –> Here (please note that the reflection found via this link is connected with a past program held by Villages United Church in Granton ON.)
Hope to see you next week either online or in church. GOD BLESS
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