Under Pressure

I spent last weekend at Evangelism University with several teens, and was privileged enough to attend some of the adult classes. Throughout the course of study, we discussed evangelism as adults in the workplace and with family members, and then divided those who we would be interacting to into two groups. First, we have those who are lost. This group constitutes the largest number of people we interact with, and can often be the easiest group to evangelize too. Second, we have those who have walked away from God, and need to be restored. This can be the hardest group for us to reach out to, because they have known God but have decided to go elsewhere.
In the midst of the discussion of these two groups, it struck me why we have such a difficult time in reaching these two groups. First, we put so much pressure on ourselves because we feel like we have to know everything about the Bible. We believe that we are expected to have the answer to every question, and that if we do not then we have doomed that person to Hell for eternity. That pressure can overwhelm us and create doubt in ourselves that prevents us from being able to do the type of outreach we need to be doing. Second, we allow discussions about Jesus and the Gospel to turn into religious discussions which for then into religious arguments. This only adds to the fear and confirmation that there is pressure to know it all. We start into a study prepare for a religious battle of wits, and ultimately because of that mentality that is where the discussion goes.
I have come to realize that personal evangelism is not about the religious battle of wits, but about one thing: The Gospel! There can be time for doctrinal issues when this person is a believer open to the commands and examples provided by God. We must first establish the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is this. We deserve eternal death because of sin which separates us from God, but God gave His Son as a sacrificial gift to become sin so that the relationship might be restored. It’s that simple. Want to sum it up in one verse? Romans 6:23. Do not be distracted by religious discussion, the purpose and aim of a Bible study with a well established friend is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You must enter in with that being your focus or study will seem trivial and frustrating! Take the challenge and talk to a friend this week…

Kyle