A story about my first evangelistic encounter.
I was a 22 year old long-haired mechanic with a sort of eastern, pantheistic spiritual mindset. I was at a wedding rehearsal dinner. I knew no one there except my new wife and her childhood friend who was marrying her pastor's son. Being the introvert that I am and despising small talk, I laid low in the crowd content to not talk to anyone. Unbeknownst to me this nerdily dressed young guy with a boys regular haircut and the longest, weirdest shaped sideburns I had ever seen had noticed the new guy and was stalking him, getting ready to do the evangelistic equivalent of a sucker punch or perhaps a blindsided rifle butt to the side of the head. Before I knew what was coming he was shoving his hand toward me for a handshake with a huge pretentious smile while saying all in one breath: "Hi!MynameisGreg.DoyouknowJesusasyourpersonalsavior?
What happended next played out like one of those matrix slowmo scenes. I thought OH MY GOD! Say something quick, but whatever you say, don't say no. I knew what was coming if I did. It just came out. "Yes I do." It didn't work. Greg, still in that surreal matrix-slowmo, said in the most contrived tone of voice: "Praise God!" He then brought up his thick, leather-bound, gold edged bible close to his face, licked his index finger as he turned the pages. "I was reading in John just the other day..." Being extremely careful not to reinforce anything, but, at the same time, trying to be at least minimally courteous, unlike my new friend, I nodded uncomfortably and gave out an occassional hmm. I was then saved by the call for dinner, to which I quickly found my new wife and sat down next to her. Save by the dinner bell!
What the heck kind of evangelism is that?!?!?!?! Who was mentoring him? What books did he learn that approach from?
What do you think? Bold and courageous for God? Being a fool for Christ? Not being ashamed of Jesus? On fire for God? Do you admire him? Is he the prototype for bold evangelism?
There is more to the story, but I am curious what you think about his attempts to speak words. My bias is clear. But the plot thickens.
5 comments:
where would you be now if he did not come up to you and speak those words?
Let me try that again. Too many typos!
Who knows? Maybe a lot further along than I am now!
Maybe he put a model of evangelism in my head that is bogus. Maybe that mindset made me not focus on actually loving others but just on forcing words into situations that don't fit. Maybe it was one huge distraction from learning to do the harder thing of learning to love people and listen to the Spirit's prompting.
ok, i really dont know the answer to those, but i was trying to ask if not for that encounter would you have been evangelized? while it may not be in the perfect, most ideal circumstances where you were able to be discipled by this person, but it serve a purpose, correct?
He actual did stick with me and disciple me.
Mine may be a unique case. At that point, I probably would have responded to just about anyone.
The "where would you be now if..." kind of question may not be a good one. If one's "salvation" depends on how one responds to this kind of confrontational evangelism then a whole lot of people are in trouble.
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