Living in America, the size of our car is noticeable. Not because it is big, but because it is small. In a country whose best-selling vehicle is a pick-up truck, and where SUVs dominate the roads, our little Chevrolet Sonic stands out. It’s the car that is met with ‘ah, sweet!’, rather than ‘oh, cool!’
But to a three year old, this ‘sweet’ Chevrolet has power! Whenever we’re driving somewhere at the moment, my youngest son will often comment on how fast we’re going with matching comparisons to a racing car, or the fastest car on the road.
When it comes to evangelism, we’re often looking for power. We’re looking for a powerful means of communicating the gospel. Powerful enough that our unbelieving friends will be persuaded, won and ultimately saved as they encounter Jesus.
Perceived Chevrolet power isn’t going to be enough, even if a three year old is wowed. We want real, rubber-hits-the-road power as we share the gospel.
There is power in stories
We all love a good story. Whether we choose to be swept up by a book, or absorbed into a film, stories are powerful. All the more appealing if it claims to be based on a true story. We’re fascinated by other peoples’ lives, and love the drama that comes from watching them unfold.
The same is true of real people in real life. A compelling, maybe even surprising, story that gives us a window into someone else’s life is fascinating. I think that’s why testimony is a powerful means of sharing our faith. We have the best story to tell, as we speak of the living God stepping into our lives and turning it upside down as we trust His king for life now, and on into eternity.
It may not seem like our story is anything out of the ordinary, but we have all met an extraordinary Saviour. Opportunities to share our faith might not come around very often, but I wonder if opportunities to share our life – and therefore our story – are more common than we think. An interested question from a neighbour could be briefly answered, or it could prompt a story coloured by following Jesus. Conversation while walking with a friend could stay firmly in the day-to-day business of the here and now, or it could be taken down a different route as you tell the story of how you came to have the priorities you do now.
Stories are powerful.
There is power in questions
Questions that give space for a story to be told.
Questions that give us an opportunity to share the reason for the hope we have. But also questions from us, the believer in the conversation. Questions that show an interest in someone else’s life, that encourage others to open up. Questions that want to learn more, so that we might then know how best to love that person as well as share the gospel with them. Questions that show we’ve remembered the last conversation we had with them, and that give us licence, therefore, to dig a little deeper.
Questions are powerful.
But…
Stories and questions are powerful evangelistic strategies, but the power lies elsewhere. Looking for it in strategies is like my three year old being wowed by our unimpressive car. It feels like it’s got it, but it’s lacking the engine of the car that just zoomed past us.
The power of evangelism comes through the Holy Spirit working through God’s word. This reality is peppered throughout scripture, through the Old Testament into the New.
We see it in Ezekiel 37 as the prophet is commanded by God to speak His word over lifeless dry bones. ‘Hear the word of the Lord’, Ezekiel says to the bones, and as they do, they have life and the Spirit of God enters into them. Life is not dependent on how Ezekiel says it, but that he speaks God’s word, and through those words, life is given.
We see it again in John’s gospel, as Jesus explains to his disciples in chapter 6 that ‘It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I (Jesus) have spoken to you are spirit and life.’ Throughout the gospel account, it is really clear that God is at work, by His Spirit, through Jesus’ words. And so through the whole of scripture.
The power – authentic life-giving power – lies in the Word, and the Holy Spirit working through it. It doesn’t mean that the Bible has to be open all the time, in a socially awkward kind of way, but it does mean that we want to be ‘wordy’ in our conversations. God’s word should underpin our words. Anchored in Him, we are more likely to speak of Him. And maybe even get to the point of asking that person if they’ve ever read the Bible, and whether they would like to.
The stories we tell, as we seek to share our lives, need to be pushing towards sharing the words of life. The questions we ask, and want in return, should be seeking to pour gospel truth into our listener’s ears.
Felicity currently lives near Chicago, USA with her husband, Jonathan, and two young sons (Rufus and Billy). They are there with 10ofThose.com, seeking to get good, biblical resources out to as many people as possible. When not occupied with entertaining small boys and enthusing about books, she loves to teach the bible, both on a 1-1 basis and on a bigger scale at her church women’s bible study. She also writes a blog which is a means of sharing life and the gospel with friends and family. She loves to get outside and delight in a game of tennis and also enjoys a well-written novel.
