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Evangelism=Loving People

Often when people think about the word evangelism an image of a dude standing on a box in downtown L.A. comes to mind.  Or you might possibly envision groups of enthusiastic church goers passing out tracts at the mall.  You might even think of people going door to door in suits asking if you have a moment to hear about Jesus Christ.  Personally, thinking of doing any of those things puts a knot in my stomach.

Door to door?  I think I might be sick.
It is NOT that my Savior isn't worth standing on a box for, handing out tracts for, or going door to door for-not even close!  And there are definitely times and places (and personalities) for those activities.  But the more time I spend with my BFF and Lord the more He has opened my eyes to see what Biblical evangelism actually looks like--and it wasn't what I thought as a young believer.

What EVANGELISM really comes down to
is making Jesus known to the world. 
The best way to lead people into a relationship with Jesus
is like anything else--by example!

A verse God used to open my eyes to how simple this process is comes from Mark 5.  In verse 15 Jesus says, "...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven."  Let your light shine in a modern context kind of sounds like a plea from a kindergarten teacher to the little ones graduating into first grade...  But God does say to come to Him like little children!
When I first considered this I was really relieved.  It just makes so much more sense to me that living a life that glorifies God (rather than shouting passages from the gospel at people) would have the most impact.  I'm not talking about people who call themselves Christians but whose day-to-day lives show no impact of knowing and loving Him.  I'm talking about people who are sold-out to the kingdom.  People who take time everyday to read His word, praise Him and pray with Him.

There is a real difference between those two categories of people and the gospel is clear about how we can tell the difference between them.  In John 13:35 Jesus explains, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  He goes even farther in Matthew 5: 
"43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"

 Christians who love and truly follow God LOVE EACH OTHER and LOVE EVERYONE ELSE TOO.  We can't stop loving people because the Holy Spirit pours out God's love for a broken world into our hearts!  We cry out to God to make us more like Him and he fills us with a capacity to love people, sacrificially, in a way we never knew was possible.  When we love people, truly love people, we show them who God is--and that is some powerful evangelism!

Image result for love your enemies

What does that evangelism look like?  Snow-blowing your neighbor's driveway (I'm in Minnesota) or donating to a coworker's GoFundMe site for their spouse's cancer treatment.  It looks like telling the barista they have a beautiful smile and leaving them a tip.  It looks like waking up early to pray for your city, your country and your world.  It looks like taking in foster kids and volunteering at the nursing home to read residents their mail.  It looks like bringing a meal to the couple with the brand new baby and praying with the newly widowed for peace.

No shouting, boxes or walking door-to-door involved--just living a life like I've been redeemed =)
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