Evangelism and Apologetics

I went to the opening lecture last night for the Thoughtful Evangelism conference, with Lee Strobel speaking and panel discussion with Mark Mittelberg, Carmen Mayell, and Erik Thoennes, hosted by Craig Hazen.  What I gained most from going, was that I was reminded that I need to be more purposeful in my evangelism; and not just hope that it somehow happens as I wander through life obliviously.   The other perspective that was made clear was that, in this skeptical age, we find that we often need apologetics, in order to remove the barriers before we can get to the point where we can present the gospel message.   And it was interesting that in tying back to 1 Peter 3, Peter felt the need to encourage believers to be prepared to give a defense of the hope that they have in them, because they were facing a time of intense opposition as well.

Lee Strobel described evangelism as the "Unexpected Adventure", since we never know what will happen when we engage with others in opportunities to be salt and light.   He told his story of misinterpreting "Buenos Dias" for "What is a deist?"; and of "ricochet evangelism" at his business office in Chicago.   He then gave 4 things from the life of Christ that we could apply to evangelism, reminding us that God loves our lost friends even more than we do:

1. Before talking to His neighbor about the Father, He would've talked to the Father about His neighbor (And His prayers continued until His final gasp on the cross) => Keep praying and don't give up
2. He made it clear that His door was always open for any questions (e.g. John the Baptist's doubts surfaced, when the tough times in prison came, and Jesus answered his questions with assurances) => Don't be afraid to put our faith to the test b/c we have a faith that is defensible and TRUE
3. He didn't just share His faith, He showed it, mainly by serving => When we serve, sacrifice, and love others as Jesus did, it opens doors in a winsome attractive way (i.e. How's your "compassion radar"?)
4. He would be authentic in the way He related to His message, embodying it => remember that we represent Jesus to the world, and they are looking for gentleness, caring, integrity, and authenticity

It is clear that both words and actions go hand-in-hand.  There's got to be a clear proclamation of Christ in the midst of social action.  And there needs to be a balance between the "negative" (e.g. dismantling an errant worldview) and "positive" (e.g. sharing the blessings of the gospel message).   Evangelism is both a process and the "moment", so we should not see faith as a pass/fail thing, but we also need to bring them to the moment of decision.

Also, just as Peter kept reminding his readers the importance of holiness, a person needs to be aware of their sin and their need for a Savior in order to come to Christ.  However, our society today does not seem to have as strong an awareness of their sin; and the best way to reveal it is for them to behold Christ and recognize the contrast between His Holiness and their sinfulness.

There was an interesting quote about DL Moody mentioned, that he may have botched the King's English, but he knew the King.   In the same way, we don't need to have all the academic credentials to be effective, but, we do need a real genuine faith based on sound reason.