Called Out

Anyone who knows me well knows that there have been times in the last 8 years that I have struggled with the concept of evangelism. I think primarily because I saw a lot of sleezy, bait-and-switch stuff happening in the world. For some reason, it just didn't seem like Christians could simply be real and honest with people. Instead, they had to manipulate . . . or so it seemed to me.

In the past couple of years, God has refreshed a spirit of evangelism in me. And these days, I find myself daily praying that people I know and love would find their way back to God. Often in my prayers, I offer myself to God as a messenger of His love and hope.

With that in mind, I have a 5-minute video from Penn (of Penn & Teller fame) on this topic. (Courtesy of Ed Stetzer's blog) Obviously, Penn and I aren't on same page spiritually, but I think he has a great thought that we need to hear:

Penn says:

I don't respect people who don't proselytize. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, 'Well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward'... How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?

Ever thought about it that way before?

I know, I know . . . my blog hiatus has been waaaaaaaay too long. I'm going to try to improve on that.

Had a great time at Indian Creek today as we talked about doing Greater Things Than We Can Imagine. The more I reflect on it, the more convinced I am that many people miss out on the life that God has for them by a mere 11 inches, the distance between the head and the heart.

I've spent a majority of my life learning more and more about Jesus Christ, and what it meant to be a follower of His. I've learned more and more about what the lifestyle of a Christ-follower looks like. As I've attempted to translate that head knowledge to from-the-heart living, I've noticed a pattern: following in the footsteps of Christ is risky.

The way of Jesus is not the safe road. It's not the path of least resistance. It's not the road of comfort. To truly follow Christ requires trust, a risk.

For instance, what if we really trusted God with our finances? Would we change the way we spend, give, invest, or save?

What if we really trusted God with our relationships? Would that change the way we listen, share, and interact?

What if we really trusted God with our hopes and dreams? Would that change the way we structure our days?

To trust is a heart-level thing. It's where knowledge meets life. And trust is risky.

But, what about the risk of living life the same way that we always have? What if we do nothing different?

Often times, we fail to calculate the risk of staying the same. Staying the same seems safe. It seems comfortable. After all, it's familiar, and it hasn't completely ruined us yet.

Think about it.

You know the risk that it would be to follow God in what He is calling you to trust Him with. What are you risking if you say "no"?