Social Justice and Evangelism 5

In UC we are learning to be compassionate by doing compassionate things while being attentive to what God is teaching us. In addition to meeting basic needs, we want to learn to give those we work with words of life and light. And we want to do both of these things appropriately.

Giving material things, even needed things, can be inappropriate, such as when it perpetuates the cycle of poverty by enabling dependency. In the same way, preaching, witnessing and other evangelistic acts can be done inappropriately. They can have the opposite effect on the hearer than intended. We can chalk it up to spiritual warfare, but in some cases we may just be denying that we were the problem. Many times I have taken the easy and lazy way by saying words that meet some need of mine rather than a need in the other. I fall back on "canned" words and scripts that I have been taught and force them into situations. I think that is why for the longest time I have not felt good about "evangelism" as it has been modeled and taught to me.

So, we are wrestling with how to speak words to the families we are in contact with. We want to learn to do this appropriately. As apprentices to Jesus, we need to look to him for examples and teaching. How did he speak to people?

John 8:28b: ...I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

John 14:10b: ...The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

John 14:24b: ...These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

No second hand scripts here. Jesus' doing and speaking was guided by the Father who was living in him. I want to learn how to do that. That means I have to not take the easy, lazy way. I have to learn how to be sensitive to his guiding in the moment. I have to "listen" to the "words" that are coming from the deepest part of my being, where the HS has chosen to dwell. This means filtering out my own distractions and issues coming from my mind, emotions, body, and social relations. I am not sure this can be done well without practice. So practice we will.

I was at William's new home on Saturday night. I listened to him rant about the injustice that was done to him and his family. He was angry, rightfully so. What do I say? I could fall back on something I learned, some evangelistic message, something trite and easy. Or I can listen to him with a prayerful attitude, drop in to my heart, and listen for some words from the Father. If I could get to those words they would be completely in context. They would not be generic truths or messages, but something specific for William that would bring life and light. Of course, maybe God would have me say nothing. Maybe all that needs saying has already been communicated through love.

I tried. I am waiting for feedback. I will listen to the feedback and will try again. That is the process of discipleship.