The Real Enemy of Evangelism

by Jed CoppengerQuotes, Rebecca Manley PippertPosted on No Comments

“Fear, not ignorance, is the real enemy of evangelism. We fear that our friends will reject or marginalize us if we speak about our faith; we fear that what we don’t know will be exposed; we fear that our beliefs will be challenged. Back then, as well as today, we resisted shallow techniques for communicating truth to complex human beings. If nothing else, sheer frustration compelled many to explore fresh approaches to the subject of evangelism…

 

…I have a deep-seated conviction that much of our evangelism is ineffective because we depend too much on technique and strategy. Evangelism has slipped into the sales department. I am convinced that we must look at Jesus, and the quality of life he calls us to, as a model for what to believe and how to reach out to others…

 

…Our problem in evangelism is not that we don’t have enough information–it is that we don’t know how to be ourselves. We forget we are called to be witnesses to what we have seen and know, not to what we don’t know. The key on our part is authenticity and obedience, not a doctorate in theology. We haven’t grasped that it really is OK for us to be who we are when we are with seekers, even if we don’t have all the answers to their questions or if our knowledge of Scripture is limited.”

 

Rebecca Manley Pippert in Out of the Salt Shaker & into the World

 

 

Different Stories, Same Miracle: Conversion

by Jed CoppengerQuotes, Rebecca Manley PippertPosted on No Comments

“All stories of conversion are different. Some conversions are dramatic, others quiet. Some people respond out of crisis, others in calm. But the common element in every story is that, one way or another, God reaches us. He comes through. He does not abandon us. But neither does he barge in uninvited.

 

In more than thirty years that I have been a Christian, I have seen many people turn their lives over to God and be changed. And yet the awesome mystery of conversion never fails to move me. Any Christian who walks with God over a period of time witnesses the marvelous acts of God’s mercy and power. We see him heal people of illness; we watch him restore the emotionally wounded to wholeness; we see him forgive and release from guilt those who have been in bondage to sin for years. Our lives bear witness to the countless prayers we have seen God answer, meeting the needs of the financially distressed, giving wisdom to those who seek it, giving grace and peace to those who suffer.

 

Yet for all the abundant evidence of God’s power and grace, what could be more miraculous than seeing a person who was once dead in sin become alive to God? I believe the miracle of conversion is greater than the creation of the world. When God created the world, he had no sinful opposition to deal with. But when a person responds positively to God’s call–even after the world, the flesh and the devil have all mounted their opposition–what we are witnessing is simply one of the greatest miracles there is. No wonder there is such joy in heaven over one sinner who repents!

 

Even more remarkable is that God invites us to be part of that process. We are his ambassadors. We not only have the honor of sharing God’s message but we even have the awesome privilege of inviting a response.”

 

Rebecca Manley Pippert in Out of the Salt Shaker & into the World (174-75)