Ok, there are enough votes on our “Evangelism†poll (if you have not yet votes, click on yesterday’s post and vote there) to address what is by far and away the top reason people give for not sharing their faith;
“Fear of Rejectionâ€
There’s good news and bad news on this one. First the bad news…
The logos, T-shirts, and tough-sounding sayings don’t work.
In fact, I have a theory on these things. If you’re in a crowd and you need to locate the scardy cat (who knows why you would ever need to do this — maybe you have an assignment for a Jack Bauer type and want to make sure you don’t accidentally tap Mr. Rogers for the gig)—look for the guy wearing the “No Fear†t-shirt. Don’t pick him.
Just a theory.
But seriously, courage is what we’re all after, and courage is not the absence of fear, but rather, feeling the fear and moving forward with what you know is right or required anyway. If someone really manages to have “No Fear†about, for example, jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, their shirt should read, “No Brain†instead!
So, the bad news is that simply telling yourself to have to fear doesn’t work. But that’s about it for the bad news. Now, the good news.
There’s so much of it, that this alone will take about 3 posts to deal with, but it’s good stuff, so don’t miss it.
Let me begin with “Thrill Seekers.†Have you really checked these people out? Maybe you are one. These are people who do extreme things in order to get a rush. I like how one guy referred to them as , ‘adrenaline junkies!’ That’s what they really are.
A great example of these people are the group who love to, BASE jump. It’s riding in the back of a pick up truck until you get to the middle of a high bridge at which point you push off from the truck and jump out into empty space. hopefully you clear the rail and the truck bed and anything else that can slightly alter your course, because you only have about 3 secs before you MUST pull the rip cord on your chute.
A lot of people have died BASE jumping.
So why do they do it?
For the thrill.
Compare this to the average Christian today. Most Christians do whatever it takes to produce just the opposite affect. As one author put it, ‘Christians consider an adrenaline rush to be a sign that something is very much wrong. When that rush comes, they turn and run.’
There’s no way God intended Christ Followers to live like that!
The author (H.L. Hussman) goes on to say, ‘In my opinion, the life of a Christian should be a life full of excitement, daring and adventure.
I couldn’t agree more.
I agree with his next statement even more vehemently, but I bet a lot of you won’t.
He says, “The life of a soul-winner is the single most exciting life that a person can live here on earth, hands down!â€
I’m sure some of you think that is crazy, but I can tell you first hand that he is right.
Life.
Liberty.
The pursuit of happiness.
Most people think these are the goals. But they are really rather comical if you just take them at face value and don’t really analyze them.
1. Life — If you’re reading this, you already have that conquered. Check.
2. Liberty — No such thing. Really. If you just do anything you feel like, you won’t live long. Life has boundaries that, if left unobserved, lead to a life of bondage—the complete opposite of freedom. So,once again, check.
3. The pursuit of happiness. This one takes the cake. Notice it does not say, “happiness.†It says, “the pursuit of happiness.†Hey, you have the right to chase it your entire life, but there are absolutely no guarantees you’ll ever catch it! In fact, if you go about it the wrong way, all you’re guaranteeing is that you won’t!
God, on the other-hand says that he came to bring “life in the fullest.†See this verse.
Another way of saying that is that God says that following His ways brings happiness and contentment and thrills and excitement—the whole deal!
So, as we explore this issue further in the days ahead, let’s all agree to begin with the belief that God is right and Hollywood is not.
It’s a good place to start.
Trust me.