I'm Not Really an Evangelist (But I Do Share My Testimony A Lot)

As so often happens here in Mozambique, I found myself seated in a shop, waiting for someone to show up so that I could ask about buying something. And, as also happens more often than not, I fell into conversation with the store owner, in this case, a Muslim guy from India. We started talking about our respective home countries, and what it's like to live in Mozambique, and then he commented on how well I speak Portuguese. 

"Oh, thanks!" 

And then I started in on the story about how I'd prayed to learn Portuguese when I first arrived, and how God had sent me my friend, Fifi, who didn't speak any English at the time, and that was how I'd started learning.

And there I was, chatting to a Muslim guy about my faith.

Jesus with Mary & Martha; African artist, unknown

I was part of a Baptist church for a number of years, so I've been to all of the trainings about all of the evangelistic methods. I really have tried to use some of the methods I've been taught, but they never worked out very well for me. I could write a long series of blog posts about all the reasons why 'evangelism' just isn't my thing, the ways I've tried to explain this to my Baptist friends without sounding like a heretic, and the lengths I've gone to avoid being pressured into yet another dreaded group evangelism event. Suffice it to say, that I'm just really not an evangelist.

But does that mean that I don't talk about Jesus?

How often do we confuse the command to 'be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have' with having the gift of evangelism? The former is something that should be the natural result of the transformation that comes from an obedient walk with God. The other is something special that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ, which is the church.

You don't have to be an evangelist to talk about the most important thing in your life. You just have to ask yourself what you really mean when you say that you're a follower of Christ. If your journey is actually a journey and not just something you like to talk about, then you don't have to worry about incorporating it into your life. It's already there, affecting the way you think, speak, act; the very person that you are.

You've probably met some of those people who talk about their faith all the time. It's incessant, and it isn't just the dutiful, 'well, I'm a Christian so this is what I'm supposed to do' sort of talk. Within seconds of starting almost any topic of conversation with almost anyone, they're throwing in Scriptural truths and godly principles in a completely natural and genuine way. They're constantly bearing witness to Christ without half-trying to do so, and the reason is because they have a growing relationship with God, make a constant study of the Bible, and are living in obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Following Jesus is something they do every single day. It is their life, and they are excited about it. What else are they going to talk about?

Their talk is the result of living a life that is daily, purposefully, being given to God.

If someone asks me how I ended up in Mozambique, the answer is, "well, the Holy Spirit told me to come."

If someone asks me for advice, the three most reliable resources I have at my disposal are Scripture, prayer, and personal experiences of what the Lord has taught me. 

If someone asks me why I'm still single, the answer comes back to God, and His priorities for my life being more important than anything else.

If someone comments on how I handle a hard situation with grace, or a hurtful person with love, or unending tedium with cheerfulness and patience, my honest response is to talk about what God is teaching me through those circumstances.

And, when I mess up, when I lose my temper or fail to obey God's guidance, then my humility in admitting my faults and seeking forgiveness as the Holy Spirit leads me is yet another way to testify my faith. 

(By the way, I'm not making these up. These are all real conversations I've had at least once during the past month)

I am a long, long way from being like Christ. But even my imperfections open opportunities for me to speak about Who I'm following and why and how that journey is changing me. 

So no, I'm pretty sure I'm not an evangelist, and yes, I gave part of my testimony to a Muslim guy while sitting in a little store in Beira, Mozambique. Is that at all surprising? No, not really.

It's just who I am, and who I am becoming.