I think one of my biggest problems with tracts is when people just leave them with someone or just in some random place. It is so detached and it seems encourage (if anything) an individualist picture of the gospel. However, I do find it encouraging that you are using such things to build conversations with people.

And I am glad you liked the Newbigin book. That has been a formational one in my life for sure. And thanks again for chiming in on the discussion here.

Peace,
Wayne

After nearly a decade of backsliding, it was a dirty Jamaican man with a tattered Bible preaching the gospel on a subway train that reminded me of Christ’s love. There are pros and cons to all forms of evangelism, yet ultimately we need to remember that it is good news we are sharing. I’ve been a critic of handing out tracts for sometime simply because they seemed hokey and patronizing. But on July 23 I was compelled to write a tract for the Rastafarian community (there are many Rastas and West Indians where I live). I’ve since found that when I hand a tract (which has the Ethiopian flag on the cover) to a dreadlock Rasta it is easy to engage them in dialogue and after our conversation they still have a gospel tract to read. I’ve formed genuine relationships this way. I actually just wrote a post about the tract and the reggae festival my wife and I will be attending this Sunday.

Lastly, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society is a great read. I first heard about from your site a few months back. I always appreciate book suggestions. Peace & Grace!

More fire!
Jason

http://www.morefire.wordpress.com

Thank you all so much for your input.

Matt, thank yo for the words from St John of the Cross. There is so much wisdom to be found in the saints that have gone before us. I want to communicate the gospel more with my words and my actions. I will continue to do these movie nights and hopefully you can join us next time.

Tim, thank you for the reminder that we are all disciples and we are learning. I am so glad to have you and your input as a fellow traveler on this journey.

Jim, I think you are so right that we ought to be more active in sharing our faith in Christ in both word and deed. I think that even talking about doing that is scoffed at in certain circles because of stuff like that which I was talking about in this post (cheesy tracs, superficial summaries of the gospel etc) or because of the “marketing Jesus” mentality that it sounds like Christian and Tim are rightly fed up with. But I think that you are absolutely right that we cannot as use those misguided efforts as justification for not sharing verbally what Christ has done.

Christian I really do agree with you that the “gospel must be organic and natural and flow from natural conversation and life in general.” But regardless of the fact that it may sound too evangelical or cliché if we are consumed with life in Christ it should naturally flow into our conversations.

Eric, Thank you for your input. It looks like you chimed in a few days ago but you comment got sent to spam for some reason. But I just approved it and you should have no problem in the future. I too am praying to be formed more in the image of our Lord and more like those who have been bearers of Christ’s presence in our life.

I feel what all of you have had to say about the gospel as simple or complicated or as privilege or burden or what have you. I think depending on how we qualify ourselves there are biblical warrants for saying both. Our Lord has charged us with the task to take up our cross and follow but he has also told us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Honestly, I have to say I really like Matt’s golf analogy because I think it really resonates with both of those biblical concepts and with how the New Testament presents salvation as a new life in Christ. The task is incredibly difficult and the burden more than anyone could bear but praise God that in Christ we can take part in the very life of God’s son and live a life pleasing to God. Thank you all for your input as we all try to live a life more faithful to that which we are called.

I think thats it for me on this one. I will try to post something new soon.

Shalom,
Wayne

I am often horrified at the thought; that if I were to have meet Christ two thousand years ago I may have rejected his often jagged and offensive sayings. And like you, I have no idea how to offer this seemingly peculiar gospel to an unbelieving world.

I only pray that I will someday become “that person,” like my mentors who inspired me. The kind of person who is so driven and walks so closely with Christ that others begin want the life that you possess. In essence, living out the narrative of Christ. The burden of that life is so heavy and yet I find myself longing to obtain it.

Hang in there man; I believe that life of excellence is being formed in you right now.

I guess this is what I meant by simplifying, thank you for choosing better words.

Also sorry for the redundancy, but I think we must, as Christ followers, also be looking for ways we can steer conversation toward they way of offering words of spiritual love and encouragement to a hurt world or friend. We can do this non-abruptly or evasively; in fact it should just happen naturally because we do care. Second (and again redundant) I think whether or not it’s just hanging out or in some deep discussion, we as Christians must always be projecting a love and a demeanor and attitude that is visibly, natural yes, but visibly different because it is God breathed. Just us in these organic natural relationships and everyday life should make people ask where are peace and love come from and how?……that doesn’t call for selling our faith door to door or being a radical evangelist, it just calls for us baring the light of whose we are!

I agree the Gospel cannot be told fully over a coke, but a seed can be planted and as cheesy as it sounds we should drink a coke with our lost world and be luminous. We have a peace like no other, we have a love like no other, and we belong to a God of miracles!….. We don’t need to blab that off all the time is should shine out of us like stars!

“They need the Jesus who will deny himself to come after you, listen to you, enter your pain, consider you better than himself all because he loves you with the love that lays down its life. That Love is what everyone needs and wants and will readily admit it. And that’s exactly what and who the God of Israel in Jesus is.”….Tim F

I think Tim is on the right track here…..But I think it our task to emit this love from our beings and that’s how a lost world breaks down to admit they want that kind of love. It should be when we come in contact with people that the peace and love we carry begs of them honesty and reflection into their own life to then ask themselves and us what we have?

Thanx……and honestly on the same token, “sharing your faith” has a bad, bad rap and sometimes I thing we use that bad rap as a justification or excuse for not sharing……but I don’t think it’s all bad to share what God had done for us and I know that it sure did happen biblically, some just tainted the process, but we cant throw the whole thing out.

JB

I like and agree with this. Nice comment Mathedraft. There is much to learn from these wise men and women eh?

I would disagree that the gospel is easy. The reason I say so is that so many have muddied the waters (including me at times)of what it is. I think our tendancies have been to simplify the gospel (see original post by Wayne on the summary of the gospel). I am skeptical of anybody that can sum up the gospel over a coke or before a movie. it will be a partial gospel wich is no good news. That’s why we are saying that the gospel is lived out. Wayne, you are lving the gospel when you spend time with your friend. I personally don’t believe that you need to speak Jesus’ name when you are with him.

The gospel must be organic and natural and flow from natural conversation and life in general. I don’t think that we need to have a spiritually intimate relationship with every person we know. Or even with most people we know. We are spiritual beings. It is buily in us. We are spiritual whether we discuss things spiritual or not. I’d say wayne is doing more good at this point by spending fun time with his friend than if he forced dome kind of spiritual conversation. Jesus met the needs of the people and at times challenged their way of thinking afterwards. His harsh words were nearly always for the religious.

I am not and never will be against any form of God designed theology Wayne-o, I did like how Matt put it though: “a service to the church not a burden”.

I just think in all of our quests we have lost a little of what the simplicity of the Gospel has to offer too, and how that simplicity in action brings about anything but simple results, it brings healing and restoration to a broken world.

I love how one of you put it a couple months ago, basically saying “it’s all there, and it’s always been there, and it has to be enough!”…….. I believe it shouldn’t be new versions of the truth and how do we sell our faith and who has it right?….. But instead what would it look like if as Christ believers we just asked how?…….how, of the clear call that is “loving your neighbor as yourself and loving God with all of your heart soul and mind”…. you are kind of doing that here Wayne …….but we have to do it collectively and visibly and powerfully together!. From the fundy to the seeker sensitive, to the come as you are guy and across denominational borders and from the scholars to the whatever…..I think the Gospel is clearer than we give it credit for and that we have to come together and ask how do we carry out this love God has called us to? How do we give it to a broken world? and then turn back to the Gospel for that answer, not answer it ourselves with our current theological viewpoint.

Love the conversation and all involved, thanx:
JB

what is the gospel?

what is a Christian?

what does it mean to follow Christ?

there are so many people trying to answer those questions that one can not help but get lost in the mix. try reading the saints. look at their lives look how they loved people. forget the whole emergent game and leave behind the meaningless wanderings of liberalism. St John of the Cross in a letter to a nun once wrote, “where there is no love, put love and you will draw love out.” those words contain more wisdom than all of the emergent searchings for relevance can ever produce. the heart of the gospel is not really that complicated. like making a good golf swing. when you start off you need to know a thousand things, legs straight, head down, etc.. but when you become a golfer you simply swing. likewise, if you want to communicate the gospel then do it with words do it with actions. theology is a service to the church not a burden.

one last thing, there seems to be a pressure to close the deal when dealing with non-believers. this pressure then manifests itself in self doubt, fear, and anxiety over what it means to spread the gospel. Saint Augustine once wrote, “Love, and do as you will.” so i guess if you are wondering what to tell your friend (Shoe) then tell him about Jesus and then take him to a movie because by taking him out you are loving him (which is what Christians do) and perhaps by so loving you will open him to the grace of God.