so i was thinking about witnessing. this Christian club at my school has a HUGE "witnessing" focus, where they'll go out and just share the Gospel with random people. i admire their courage and their intent.
but overall, that way seems generally kind of ineffective to me. i'm not saying all the time, but as far as i've seen. and i could be completely wrong. but at least in an environment where everyone already has some knowledge about God (or they think they do) and has already made a decision against Him, it seems to me like it would be very difficult to convince anyone to change their mind. i've experienced some of that myself. i realize it's not my job to convince anyone, only to tell them, but if i actually care about them, i care about whether they accept this or not. especially if chasing them or acting like i'm trying to sell them something pushes them even further away.
so, if just outright telling people who God is won't work, how do we/i communicate it to them? or, put more complicatedly, how can i show people who God is without them realizing it until they're already attracted to Him?
well that's stupid. trying to make God seem attractive to people? i've seen it done, but in reality, it's even worse than changing yourself to get more friends. people will think they're getting into one thing, then once they realize it's not what they thought it was, they will give up (and be even less likely to come back). and more importantly, if the point is for people to have a relationship with God, would it make sense to show Him off as something else? it would defeat the whole purpose!
ok, so the only alternative, then, is to basically be as much like God as possible, so that if people get to know you, they're seeing God in you without knowing it. (ideally, they would find that out later.)
then i had this really weird thought process. it will probably seem really stupid and obvious, but at the time it seemed revolutionary, so play along, ok? ok. so part of what i have interpreted as growing (indeed, i think it was) in my relationship with God was learning more about myself and becoming more of the unique person i originally was made to be, untainted. so then, if i'm trying to take on the persona of God, wouldn't it be kind of like i'm trying to balance two personalities? (shh! don't laugh!)
God created us all for specific purposes, each individually. but He also created us to have Him live in and through us. so they're not separate; in fact, i'm not even sure they're separable. if you are growing more like Christ, you are automatically and simultaneously growing more like yourself, the way you were intended. it's because you're growing more and more into God's plan for you.
i'm still not sure how i feel about "witnessing." maybe it works sometimes. i don't know. but i think i prefer "witnessing" through relationship, where people don't see Christians trying to sell them something, but rather a Friend trying to give them something.
everything i've ever learned and experienced agrees with you.
ReplyDeleteI've been wrestling with the same topic for a long while now. I think that witnessing through relationship is effective in our culture where people have general knowledge of Christianity... but I worry this is too relaxed, and fails to communicate the urgency of salvation and our innate need for God, so I'm open to more vocally sharing the gospel.
ReplyDeleteI don't think making God attractive is stupid, if done for the right reasons. Following Him costs everything, and Jesus made this very plain early in His ministry... but God is the Lover of our souls, who we are all made to be in relationship with, and the source of every single good thing in existence. Understanding this, rather than a gimmicky cosmic genie or singularly vindictive god of prudish morality, can make a huge difference.
At least it worked that way and did impact me.
And I like your insight on how it's kind of a paradox that we become free and truly ourselves through surrendering and imitating Jesus, if I'm understanding that right. :)
i actually have had the same concern. i would still be open to talking about the Gospel (indeed, that would be when they would really find out about it--through words), but i would first want to know, or at least have a general idea, that the person was ready to hear it and could see through what they know of me that it's true. effectively, i would want to be living proof of God's love (like that one song on the radio :D). i will probably think on this a little more though, because it does kind of bother me that that kind of passivity (seriously??? that's a word?) might not be adequate for the magnitude of the Message i'm trying to convey.
Deleteand your second point is exactly what i'm saying. what i meant when i said that making God seem attractive to people was stupid was just that... *seeming* attractive. for me personally, i am amazed when i think of His character. no human could fully do justice to imitating that, let alone trying to make it seem better. i believe that everyone, deep in their heart, is searching for Him, whether or not they know it. so what i meant was that rather than trying to please/entertain people and then kind of trying to sneak God in through the back door, we should let God's true loving nature speak for itself through us, because that is what truly captivates and satisfies.
Ooo, I understand better now. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who wonders about that, though as far as I can tell you're looking at it wisely with the words and actions kept closely together.
ReplyDeleteNeat-- not just because I got it right, but because I first heard the idea from C.S. Lewis and borrowed almost his exact words to see if we were thinking of the same thing.
And I didn't see the "seeming" distinction at first, but can see how it changes what you were getting at. Agreed then; it's mind blowing with skeptics in mind that God is who they're created to really -know-, and I concur that putting God's awesome qualities on center stage rather than human desires is the anti-silly to this "seeming" business.