Guest Blogger: John MacDonald

For the remainder of the month, while I’m on vacation, I’ve made arrangements for a series of guest bloggers to write for Treading Grain.

The bloggers come from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. I hope you will enjoy – and engage – their thoughts.

Our guest blogger today is The Rev’d Canon Dr. John A. Macdonald. John is the Director of The Stanway Institute for World Mission and Evangelism and Associate Professor of Mission and Evangelism at Trinity School for Ministry.

FREEDOM TO SHARE OUR FAITH

For those of us who either grew up in the Episcopal Church or who were members of the Episcopal Church prior to joining the Anglican Church in North America or the Anglican Mission, many of us need to renounce a prevailing attitude that sharing one’s faith with someone else is not something that we do. It is what other Christian groups do – and, as I recall, this attitude was even accompanied by some pride that “Episcopalians do not talk about their faith with other people.” It just was not done.

In some cases, I think this was a residual attitude that came from the days when the Episcopal Church was seen as a denomination for mostly the privileged and the powerful. This group was governed by certain core values which included: “Never talk religion or politics with anyone in a social situation.” This was reduced to “Never talk religion with anyone under any circumstances.” It was nice to know that we were off the hook and that the practice of religion – even religion shaped by the Book of Common Prayer — was a private matter: something that was between you and God and not to be shared with anyone else.

In other cases, I believe it came from a culture that really did not have a clear understanding as to who God is and what Jesus did for us. Yes, it was easy to parrot that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the Cross for our sins – and that we celebrate His resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. But was it actually necessary to believe it? Giving literal lip service to the words of the Prayer Book was a whole lot easier and nicer – and even safer – than being required to believe what you were repeating Sunday after Sunday – or at least whenever you condescended to attend worship in your local parish.

But to quote the old cliché: “That was then and this is now.” The “this is now” means that we have to free ourselves from the shackles of the old way of doing things and rejoice in the freedom that we now have to share our faith with others. It is not actually just the freedom to share our faith – it is to be obedient to the mandate that has accompanied the Christian Church since the apostles heard the Great Commission from the mouth of Jesus.

Some are perhaps saying, “But I do share my faith already.” Praise God! I have just been around long enough, though, to see that as faithful as many Christians are, they are reluctant to share their relationship with the Lord. Our secular culture trivializes the distinctiveness and the uniqueness of the Christian faith – and I have actually heard people say, “What is important is that they believe in something.” That, frankly, is a cop out. There are lots of things to believe in. But that doesn’t necessarily make them right or true.

If the Anglican Church in North America is to grow – and if the Anglican Mission is to continue its own mission mandate, then intentional one-on-one evangelism has to take place by many more faithful people.. The best evangelists are the Christians sitting in the pews who interact with non-Christians on a daily basis either in their place of work, their residences, their clubs and social groups – anywhere there are souls to be saved. I had a friend say that what is necessary is that we “leak our faith” in our daily interactions with these people. To quote our Lord, “Don’t hide your light under a bushel.”

In my evangelism class, I ask them, “How many non-Christian friends, colleagues and associates know that you are a Christian? Is there anything in your relationship with them that lets them know that your faith is not only important to you, but having that same faith is important for them?” The same question is to be asked of their congregations once they are full-time Christian ministry or continue in ministry.

It doesn’t take much, either. I have found over the years that there are a lot of people out in the world who are interested in learning more about Jesus. Breaking the ice is a simple task. And once the ice is broken on the topic, it can provide an opportunity for the person to open up and ask questions that they could have had for years.

Remember that the Holy Spirit is working not only through you – but through them as well. He prompts the questions. He prepares the heart. He gives them that hunger and desire to know Jesus and to know Him personally. He wants them to know the life-changing forgiveness and the gift of eternal life that is available to them.

Sometimes, though, the ice can be broken and the person is reluctant to talk about it. A wall goes up and the subject is changed. That is fine. No worries there. Unless clearly prompted by the Holy Spirit to persevere, you will want to save the conversation for a later date. There could arise a situation later when they are more open. Naturally you will be praying for that person in the meantime – praying for the intervention of the Holy Spirit to open his or her eyes so that they can know Jesus as He truly is.

Now it is important to know what the Gospel is. We are seeing that memorized, canned presentations are not as successful as they were twenty or thirty or forty years ago when American society was essentially a churched society. Now there are more unchurched pagans out there who have no context in which to understand the Christian faith. So a personalized, conversational, relational, loving, warm, friendly, open, honest and transparent encounter is recommended. It could take place over time. It doesn’t have to be limited to a single meeting. But you still need to know what the Gospel is.

Do you know how to share the essential components of the Good News that brought you to the Lord in the first place? If not, it is important to learn. Google “The Roman Road” for some really great verses from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Go to Billy Graham’s web page for an online presentation of the Gospel. Look up the Four Spiritual Laws from Campus Crusade for Christ. Read the beginning of I Corinthians 15 or II Corinthians 5:17 ff. You’ll see what the Gospel is. It’s not that you would memorize these outlines or presentations, but you at least know what is important and you are able to share it by means of a conversation over a cup of coffee or a 10-minute break at work or in the cooling off period after a hard game of tennis or racketball. Or it could be while visiting a friend in the midst of the death of a loved one, a divorce, or any other crisis that afflicts our human race.

You’ll read about the Good News and know what to share.

Don’t be shy. Above all else, don’t be quiet. Let us rejoice in Jesus our Savior.

And share His Gospel anywhere and everywhere.