Real Lasting Life
About this blog
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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- The Engine of the Church
- My Witnesses
- Witnessing Communities
- The Ministry of Making Disciples
- A New Creation
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Sharing What You Have
good news
Can you actually share something you don't have? Now, you're probably thinking that's a stupid question! But so often when we are dealing with evangelism, we find ourselves training people to share something they don't have or believe they don't have.
If we are simply training people to share what they don't believe thay have, the ministry of evangelism is awkward and inauthentic. When people get tools to share what they don't believe they have inside of them, the sharing is often hesitant and reluctant. What usually happens is that people come up with all kinds of reasons why they don't like evangelism. Some say they don't know enough about the faith to share their faith. Others say they don't want to impose what they believe on another person. Then, there is the reason that we simply don't want to offend the sensibilities of a neighbor.
What I'm beginning to believe about the source of these reasons for shying away from evangelism is that deep down we don't feel like we have good news to share. The way good news works is that you share the news. You share the news no matter how much information you have. You share the news with people who believe like you and with people who do not believe as you do.
I've been a Braves fan since 1968. I love the Braves, and I am rarely hesitant to share this love. Even though I do not know every aspect of Braves' history, my love of the Braves has less to do with knowledge and more to do with the experience of being a Braves fan. The experience started with my dad. He and I would listen to the Braves on a Zenith radio in my bedroom. Following the Braves was one of the few ways I was able to connect with and enjoy my father. This love of the Braves grew with my wife and children. As we would go to games, my girls grew up with the same connection. So, when I share my love for the Braves, I am sharing much more than a baseball game. And even when there's a question that I cannot answer about the Braves, I am not stumped in my love to share.
But there is a much deeper love in my heart, and that love is God's love of me in Jesus. Even though I have not mastered the story of Scripture, I've still been touched by the news of God on a loving mission to rescue the world. I've been touched by the story of Zaccheaus' changed life and David's experience of forgiveness and repentance. I've been changed by Jesus' example of real and lasting life coming from sacrifice.
And my faith has been strengthened by family members on the same journey of following Jesus. I have grown through nurturing worship, soul-deepening retreats, and mind-expanding service. So, I know in my heart that I have amazing good news to share about life that is real and lasting. It's the only news that continues to find me in the beauty and terror of life. This news continues to change my life.
What about you?
- Posted at 12:50 p.m.
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