You’ve been looking forward to this for the last 5 days. Now it’s Saturday and you’re settling down with that book you’ve been meaning to read. Just when you kick your shoes off and get comfortable, you hear a knock at the door. Sorta sounded like the way the FedEx lady knocks when she has a delivery. What a surprise when you open the door and there are two 20 year-old “elders” in white shirts, black ties, and black name tags. You really want to get back to your “book time” that you so deserve, but you always feel guilty for dismissing them quickly, as you have so many times in the past.
What do you do? I’m sure there’s not a person reading this who hasn’t had to make that decision. I’m also thinking I’d not be far off if I suggested that probably three quarters of us (or more) just want to get the uninvited guests on their way as soon as possible.
I don’t have any research data on this at all, so this is just a hunch, but here’s what I believe:
- We know we should treat them with kindness and respect, and certainly not be rude.
- Many of us have felt guilty for practically slamming the door in their face in the past.
- We want to be able to “let our light shine” (Matthew 5:16), but don’t really know how to get the conversation started.
- Although we feel confident in our own faith, we feel really uncomfortable because we’re not exactly sure what they believe.
- Therefore, we’d rather not say anything than to be in a situation where they say something to us that we know is wrong, but makes really good sense, and we just don’t know how to respond. We’re afraid of looking foolish, looking like we’re not really dedicated Christians, or of speaking up but saying the wrong thing.
There could easily be several dozen posts on the subject of personal evangelism, but let’s just be satisfied for today with a few thoughts.
Peter instructs us to “always be prepared to give an answer to those who ask us about our faith” (1 Peter 3:15), but what exactly does that mean? Does that mean we need to be ready to quote scripture, giving book chapter & verse, whenever people on our doorstep tell us about “a new covenant”? Certainly that’s a goal, but I don’t think that’s what Peter means.
First and foremost, you need to be so familiar with the truth that when you’re faced with a counterfeit, you’re able to recognize it immediately. You certainly don’t have to be an expert in someone else’s faith in order to be a faithful witness of your own, but you do have to know the truth well enough to be able to spot a phony.
Secondly, don’t be afraid of saying “I don’t know but I’ll find out”. It doesn’t make you look any less faithful or any less of a Christian if you have to admit you don’t know how to answer their questions.
Third, the only way you get any better at anything is by practice. The first time you engage these doorstep visitors in conversation, you’ll probably feel a bit uncomfortable, but the more practice you allow yourself, the better at it you’ll be. And you’ll no doubt learn and strengthen your faith in the process!