Telling the Story, Part 4: Lighten Up!

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We descended the steps to the 125^th Street subway platform.  It was crowded with people moving briskly and purposefully with the hurried emotional disconnect perfected by New Yorkers.    Below, a man and woman strode around yelling about hell and damnation while waving large Bibles overhead.  Their frantic movements were unpredictable and they were given a wide berth by passersby who violated the trackside warning lines to squeeze by.

The shouters were unavoidable but nobody stopped long enough to hear any message.  They fruitlessly managed to annoy hundreds of people and give them a “crazy Christian” story to tell.  No doubt the proselytizers believed they were doing God’s work, but the effect was to reinforce anti-Christian stereotypes and turn people off.  Hellfire and damnation preaching can drive home a point but listeners can take it as a misguided threat that ends communication before it even starts. 

Few Christians have the personality or desire to try to impose our faith on others like this.  Instead we’re better at conveying the positive messages of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. And it's more appropriate.  This is good news to be shared in the same spirit you share other things you know will be helpful to the recipient.   

It’s what we’re called to do.  Jesus put the responsibility for convicting people’s hearts squarely in the hands of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11).  But He gave us the job of sharing the Good News by “making the most out of every opportunity, and letting our conversations be full of grace”(Col 4:5-6).  Paul was talking about using personal opportunities for intimate, peaceful, positive conversations

There have always been gifted evangelists who can move individual audience members with their oratory.  Most of us aren’t in that league and it’s just as well.  The fact is 80-90% of new Christians are introduced to faith by friends, relatives or acquaintances who arouse their interest and invite them to church. To do this we need to be ready for opportunities by “always being prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have.  Do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

When a new mother holds her baby she has a glow on her face, a lilt in her voice and devotion in her gaze.  Her love for her child is beyond question.  If we present ourselves in a similar way when we talk about Jesus it sends a powerful positive message of love and hope and it’s far more likely we’ll open a productive dialog.

Jesus told us to come to him like a child (Mat 18:2-4) and it’s good advice.  At its heart, Christianity’s amazing promises are understandable by all who are open to them. We don’t need to be theologians on one hand or subway station hawkers on the other. We just need to be ourselves and exude joy while sharing the peace and hope we’ve found. 

Smile!  It’s Good News! 


Next post:  Telling the Story 5:  Pick Your Spot

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