Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Last week, we looked at Ray Pritchard’s “B” (Build relationships) in the “BLT’s of Evangelism.” Today, we will review his L and T of how to “fish for people.” We are to Look for opportunities to talk to others and then Take these people to places where they can hear the Gospel preached. Many times, those opportunities come in the most unexpected places.
Our grandson, Drake, turned a 12-hour drive from Alabama to Fort Scott into an 18-hour one when he came to a 3:00 A.M. halt on a freeway due to an accident. At one point, he exited his truck and met a 23-year-old in the same predicament. Sitting in the bed of the other driver’s truck, playing cards, Drake shared his faith. His new friend listened and told my grandson that he probably needed to get back to church.
Pritchard’s BLT suggestions seem contradictory. In his “B” category, he told us to keep quiet and basically not be obnoxious with our faith, and his “L” tells us to open our mouths and share what we believe. The author addresses that dilemma, saying that most outspoken Christians are afraid people will think they are too fanatical and run for the hills, but the first need is just to build a relationship and then look for natural ways to share their faith.
Pritchard’s advice? “Look, it’s not difficult. You don’t need to make a big deal about this. Why don’t you begin each day by praying that God will send you at least one person each day to whom you can give a good word for the Lord? After you pray that prayer, just start looking for opportunities to say a good word for the Lord.”
I love his message. “Just say a good word for the Lord.” No big deal. No high pressure. Just look for chances to slip the Lord into your conversations with people in a natural, non-forced way. That’s evangelism.”
Sometimes, what we look for as an opportunity is not what God has in mind. Years ago, I was attending a college lab class. I was much older than the other students, and at my lab table were three fraternity boys, eager to share their party exploits with anyone in earshot. One day, I smiled and said that they were moving up my prayer ladder and that I was worried about their eternal souls. They laughed.
A week later, a girl seated at another lab table asked if she could talk to me. She had overheard my comment to the party boys and had questions. I invited her to my house, and at the kitchen table, she accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. I realized then that evangelism has little to do with the person sharing and everything to do with God and how He can use any circumstance to bring people to Him.
So you’ve got the B —Build Relationships, and you’ve got the L — Look for Opportunities. There’s only one thing left, the T. Take your friends to non-threatening events where they can hear the gospel. Hopefully, your church provides ministry opportunities like ladies’ luncheons or men’s retreats or Christian concerts or game days. Pritchard cautions against Sunday services as your starting point because they sometimes might be too overwhelming, but “As the Holy Spirit begins to draw your friends to Christ, Sunday worship will begin to seem much more inviting to them.”
So, there you have it, the BLT’s of Evangelism. Build relationships. Look for opportunities to share, and Take others to Christian events. Sounds simple? It is.
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