A Note from Hixon Frank
Hey Church!
I often talk to Christians who are a little bit “tired in their faith”. Perhaps they are not tired of their faith, but the enthusiasm for it has certainly waned. They have gone to church for years… they give routinely … they volunteer faithfully… but still … something is missing.
Maybe that sounds familiar to you. Let me encourage you with the following….
When I wrestle through my own seasons of being tired in my faith, I always go to a fairly “obscure verse” in the tiny book of Philemon.
Quick Background on the book of Philemon (Summary of Philemon, GotQuestions.org): There are only 22 verses in the entire letter to Philemon and it is the shortest of all of Paul’s writings. Paul was in prison and writing a letter to a Christian slave owner named Philemon, who also hosted a church in his home. (We can unpack that in another article). Apparently, Paul and Philemon had a cordial relationship, that may have started when he heard Paul’s preaching and became a Christian. The slave Onesimus robbed his master, Philemon, and ran away to Rome and eventually connected with Paul. Onesimus was still the property of Philemon, and Paul wrote to smooth the way for his return to his master. Through Paul’s witnessing to him, Onesimus also had become a Christian (Philemon 10) and Paul wanted Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ and not merely as a slave.
Now, to the verse that “pulls me out of my spiritual malaise” …
Philemon 6
“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”
Somehow God wove this verse into my faith journey, and it has always been a source of comfort, centering, and admonition!
So, let’s talk about this….
Statistically speaking only about 5% of “Evangelical Christians” ever share our faith directly. (Generous estimates go as high as 9%) So, 91% – 95% of us have never verbally shared the Gospel with anyone… nor do we plan to! There is a myriad of reasons we keep our mouths shut when it comes to sharing the Gospel but suffice it to say it is not a priority for most “Evangelical Christians,” and we are suffering for it…inside.
We have filled our days up with important but secondary priorities. We live as if everything is more important than telling someone else about Jesus – at least for 9 out of 10 of us.
Here is the “secret sauce” … For those of you who have even made the effort to intentionally share the Gospel, you know that God does something special in your heart! Something that really doesn’t come from anything else. You may stumble, mumble, and bumble your way through it, but God covers you! He blesses you for trying. (This in no way is an endorsement of not being prepared to share your faith) He opens our hearts and renews us, all because we were faithful to share the good news about Jesus!
Here are some ways we are active in sharing our faith
- We TELL people about Jesus. This is the classic! We walk them through “The Three Circles,” “The Five Spiritual Laws,” the “Roman Road” or anything that correctly shares the Gospel. Speak a word … turn the conversation… etc.
For three straight years a friend of mine (Danny) and I met weekly at the Chili’s on 45th and Lamar in Austin. We were convinced that we could build relationships with the wait staff if we were consistently willing to engage them. Sure enough, after just a few weeks the staff recognized us and we began share the Gospel … a little surfacy at first but then, after a while, we were able to comfortably share almost anything. We answered specific thoughtful questions that came to us from the staff. We showed them the love of Jesus. (We also tipped well) And, most importantly, we told them about Jesus. It was easily the most fruitful season of evangelism I have experienced. Several servers came to church, attended Danny’s ordination and two gave their lives to Jesus! - We SHOW them Jesus. When we look at the Bible, we notice that very few lost people who met Jesus rejected Him. In fact, most of Jesus’ ministry was with people who were far from God but were drawn to Him. Maybe it was His love for them. Maybe it was His compassion or His willingness to spend time with them.
It turns out that it was the religious people who rejected Jesus. “He was too inclusive or too strict.” He seemed to love people who religious people looked down upon. He was overly friendly with “tax collectors and sinners.”
When you are active in sharing your faith, you will start to see people as the objective and not the enemy. And you will love better, judge less, and have compassion you never knew you had. - We INVITE people to hear about Jesus from others. In a study referenced in Dr. Thom Rainer’s 2008 book, The Unchurched Next Door, “82%of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited.” 82%!!! That means people will come if we ask them to! Are we asking?
- We INTENTIONALLY interact with people who are far from God! I wouldn’t advocate making them your closest friends. In fact, I would argue the exact opposite! Your inner core of friends should be people who point you to Jesus, encourage your faith, and who will speak truth into your life! However, Jesus knew a lot of lost people! He didn’t withdraw nor did he simply go and hangout with them! He was intentional, purposeful, and focused. In an effort to interact with people who need Jesus, you may want to make it a point to routinely use the same grocery store, restaurant, gas station, barber (ok, hair stylist for you aristocrats 😉 ), etc…
The Great Commission in Matthew 28 is simple….
“AS YOU GO, make disciples….” - We LEAD with LOVE! Do you know what people “far from God” act like? They act like people who are “far from God!” They act lost!
But what do we do?…
- We turn the other cheek. (Matthew 5:39)
- We do not return evil for evil, but we give a blessing. (I Peter 3:9).
- We look on them with compassion. (Matthew 20:34, Mark 1:41, Matthew 9:36)
- We comfort those who mourn. (Matthew 5:4)
- We get angry, but we don’t sin (Ephesians 4:26)
- We do not sue one another. (I Corinthians 6:6-7)
- We do not grumble. (Philippians 2:14)
- We champion mercy, justice, and humility! (Micah 6:8)
- We LOVE! (Colossians 3:14)
THAT is what we do to “SHARE OUR FAITH!”
If your faith has lost its appeal…if you are disgruntled and perhaps a little angry that your faith is no longer fulfilling…. It may be that the source of discontent is that you have not shared the Gospel with anyone in a while….or ever!
Try it! It WILL supercharge your faith and bring back your joy!
You are loved and have been prayed for!
Hixon
Hey Church Family!
“God and the Great Outdoors” (www.gatgoexpo.com) is an exciting Outdoor Expo that combines Boats, ATV’s, fishing demonstrations, petting zoo, food and the GOSPEL!
GABC has partnered with Rock Hill Baptist Church for this OUTREACH event that takes place July 12-14 at the Oil Palace in Tyler! And you are invited! Tickets are $10 for the whole weekend complete with prizes and giveaways!
We are also looking for a few more volunteers from GABC to help serve in hospitality, ticketing, cleanup, set up, food distribution etc…. we will also have a GABC booth at the event! If you are interested in serving Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday (includes free t-shirt, entrance to the event), please email me at hixon@gabc.org for more information.
Again, head to www.gatgoexpo.com for more event information! We are expecting several thousand people at this event and the Gospel will be presented several times a day! Our goal is for hundreds of people, to “hear and believe!”