EVANGELISM MADE EASY

When we think of evangelism we should not first think of guest services, evangelistic courses, street preaching or door knocking. We should think of Gary at a meeting of the residence association, Hannah in her office, Sharon serving a meal to her husband.

Here is an exercise to help identify opportunities for everyday mission. Think of all the activities, however mundane, that make up your normal (1) daily routine (like travelling to work, eating meals, chores, walking the dog, playing with the children); (2) weekly routine (like grocery shopping, watching favourite television programmes, getting exercise); and (3) monthly routine (like gardening, getting a haircut, going to the cinema). You should have a long list. For each one, ask whether you could add: (1) a community component by involving another member of your Christian community; (2) a missional component by involving an unbeliever; and (3) a gospel component by identify opportunities to talk about Jesus.

Clearly not everything you do can be done with someone else. But this exercise reveals just how many opportunities we do have… None of this is adding anything new to your schedule, for these are all activities in which you are already engaged…

‘Missional’, he comments, ‘is not an event we tack onto our already busy lives. It is our life. Mission should be the way we live, not something we add onto life…

Excerpt From ‘Everyday Church – mission by being good neighbours’, (Tim Chester & Steve Timmins)

Denis Oliver