Evangelism: Missing Pieces--Linden Malki

"Evangelism" as an assignment is not one of most people's favorite challenges. We worry about whether we know enough, or have the right presentation, or expect questions that we don't know the answers to. Often we not only don't go looking for seekers, but miss obvious opportunities.

I have a business colleague who has some acquaintance with the gospel, but I have heard him reject at least two hard-sell attempts at evangelism by well-meaning people, one of whom is a preacher. One day during an general conversation, he suddenly asked me, "Linden, you're pretty well educated and intelligent--how can you believe in God?" And without thinking, my immediate answer was "Because He changed my life." And then I was able to tell my story, and he actually listened. I don't know what God has done or will do--yet--but that's God's business.

Ultimately, it's about God, not about ourselves. What we really need to know is Who He is, and what He has done with us. People can challenge Scripture if they don't believe it's anything special; they can recognize a canned spiel. What they're more likely to listen to is our own story. We each have one, and each one is different. Each one is a separate piece of the overall puzzle that God has created. When we tell our story, we may not get an immediate response, but God will send other Christ-followers with other pieces. We know that not everyone will accept the invitation to add their own piece to God's kingdom, but we can look at everyone in our Oikos as having a piece with its own place of importance in God's overall design.