Who Are You?

The following blog I wrote in reflection the evening after attending a workshop called "How the Gospel Changes Obedience", led by a man named Bill Tell at my latest EDGE Summit in Colorado Springs.

"What do you do?"

That is the question that many people (including myself) ask someone in small talk when they want to know him or her better. In America today, we base a lot of our identity by what we do. Usually in the case of ministering to college students I ask them, "What is your major?"

We in society then base who that person is by what kind of career they have. If they are a businessman in a fortune 500 company then they must be really important. If they're a janitor or someone who works the night shift at a retail store stocking shelves, then they must be a lowlife druggie or something.

At times some of us may even say, "Here's my card..." On it it says our business position, company name and contact information, making us look much more official.

We even do this in the context of Christianity: "I'm a pastor, a missionary, an evangelist, a theologian, an apologist, a Navigator, etc."

In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul immediately began by telling these people who they were in Jesus:

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:5-10)

Why did he do this? BECAUSE IT WAS IMPORTANT!

As Christians, this mindset of letting what we do define who we are is not the mindset we should have at all! In Jesus Christ, our new life starts with a new identity being given to us, not by what we've earned, but just because of His grace and mercy. Therefore, we will never be defined in God's eyes by what we do. He doesn't see me as a campus missionary working for The Navigators in the EDGE Corps program. He sees me as HIS SON!

No matter what I do, what career I have, I will always be known in God's eyes as His son. There is no good thing I can do that will make Him love me more, nor is there any bad thing I can do that will make Him love me less.

There is nothing I can do to get God closer to me. I could fast for 40 days, read the Bible countless times all the way through, and spend hours on end in prayer, and it will not get God any closer to me. Now these things are amazing and as a Christian should not be forsaken, but I have unlimited access to God, not because of how much time I spend with Him, but because of His Son dying on a cross to pay the price for my sins. Because of that, I can freely come to Him as I am.

This therefore makes things like giving generously, praying, reading the Bible, and loving your neighbor not duties that I should perform to become "a better Christian", but instead they are privileges that I now naturally want to do because God's power has made me a new person in Christ Jesus.

So in conclusion...WE ARE WHO WE ARE NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO, BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD DID IN US! We therefore will naturally live according to our new identity in Christ Jesus.

Rapport

Something I learned a lot about ministering is that establishing rapport is really important for those you're ministering to. People nowadays really don't get as much out of "hit and run evangelism" as they used to. Especially in college, something that people really crave is relationships.

People who get witnessed to by a Christian can sometimes get upset not necessarily because of the Gospel being presented, but how it is presented. With a lot of people, especially here in New England, if they hear "Christian" they immediately think "a preacher with an agenda out to convert me." Of course we should pray for their salvation, and aim to share the Good News with them, but we shouldn't just look at these people as just "targets to preach to." These are people made in the image and likeness of God! Shouldn't we at the very least love them?

How do we love them? By getting to know them! Their goals, dreams, hobbies, struggles, favorite music, etc. Actually be friends with them. Do things with them like dinner, coffee, ultimate frisbee game, playing cards, hiking, and much more. We as humans, especially men, enjoy bonding by doing things together. They like talking while their hands are busy.

The misconception that many people have about Christianity is that it takes away your personality. People can think that when they come to Christ, they become "mindless Jesus zombies" whose only objective is to just go around converting everyone in sight. As Christians, we have personalities, so lets let them show! Share with them your hobbies, your favorite ice cream flavor, your life goals, etc.

Jesus did "hit and run" evangelism quite often during his ministry, so I am not in any way saying it doesn't work. He would heal someone and that would be His only interaction with them. However, Jesus' main evangelism was with the twelve men who followed Him around. I'm sure His conversations with them weren't just about deep spiritual issues and life lessons. People actually had senses of humor and actually had fun back then. I mean Jesus was invited to parties! Those were other opportunities He used...socializing with the people there and getting to know them. I mean, why wouldn't He? It would be the loving thing to do, right?

I did this a lot with a group of students at Eastern who played pool almost daily in the Student Center Cafe. I would hang out with them, mingle, and get to know them. It has been said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." How very true this is.

This process is much slower than a typical "hit and run" evangelism, but so much more worth it! Because you may not just gain a conversion, but a friend. It can also open the door for discipleship and follow-up. If they give their lives to Jesus, you'll probably be one of the first people they run to for advice.