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Ray Jones is the Coordinator for Evangelism for the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has served the church as a pastor for twenty-five years. He has a heart for helping people grow in the love of God in Jesus Christ. This growth always includes our words and deeds. He is married and has two grown daughters. He has experienced training and education at Furman University, Columbia Theological Seminary, the church, and through living in the world.

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June 5, 2009

Shaped by Love

    I've been wondering about what it looks like to get all of us on board with evangelism? Part of the problem we face is that we've allowed the word to be hijacked by the fringe groups of the church. We look at the ways evangelism has been used to hurt and alienate people, and we decide that there is not much good to be found in such a word. So, we go on with our work in the church... And I have experienced that unless this work is grounded in the love of God, then I can burn out pretty quickly. I find myself retreating into the comfort of my familiar camp, and I miss the point of what it means to be a child of God. You've been here, I know. Community life becomes a battle and you choose your side. Are you liberal or conservative? Traditional or contemporary? Follow the lectionary or not? Social justice or evangelism? It's just so easy to miss the point!

    I have learned so much from Brennan Manning, and I've never met him. I've read many of his books and each one brings me closer to God and the point of my life. I am drawn to authors who share the difficulty and messiness of life, and reveal that God works in the dark places, too. The video that's part of this blog makes me wonder about the starting point for evangelism. If evangelism is sharing good news, then what is the good news we have to share? He hits the nail on the head with the news being the love of God in Jesus Christ. What if that is the question that is asked of us in the renewed and rescued creation? Sure, there will be other questions, and we can debate forever which are the most important, but what if the question echoing in the sounds of the rest of them is this one: "DID YOU BELIEVE THAT I LOVED YOU... THAT I LONGED TO HEAR THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE?" Wow! What if that's the good news? What if that's what we are called to share?

    The Christian journey is living into this love, and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape our lives to this love. When we live this new life, others will see and want to know more. Will we have the words to tell them about who and whose we are? That's for the next blog...