Matt and I had the privilege of a day at the beach yesterday with our family, Rich, Gina, and Rinna. We drove out to the Central Region, parked by the beach, and then took a little row boat over to a small island. I spent the day playing in the ocean, dominating Matt in Oware [a local board game (just kidding, Matt, if you're reading this)], and eating good food. It has been really cool to see how Rich and Gina incorporate their faith into their life so much. While we ate lunch, Rich and Gina invited us to be a part of their Bible study time. So, as we ate, we discussed a psalm and everybody shared their thoughts. Simple times like that are key in encouraging one another in our faith. After a few hours of sunny relaxation, we headed back home.
Today, we got to go to church with Rich. Gina stays home right now, because of the baby. Rich leads the youth service, for anyone in high school or college, which takes place during the main service. It was cool to connect with people our age again and to discuss the Bible with them. They break into Bible study groups for part of the time and some of the students are seasoned leaders and others are just getting started, so I picked one of the smaller groups and joined up with them. The Ghanaian Christians are really good at drawing the principles and truths out of the Bible and even better at retaining what they have learned. The number of verses and passages they have memorized is humbling. I can say for myself that I am weak in the area of memorization and knowing exactly where things are in the Bible. But one thing I have learned, especially through Navs, is application. So, as I participated in the discussion, I tried to add that application step to our conversation as much as possible. People opened up little by little and God did a lot with that. I'm excited to go back next week and see what happens next.
I keep being reminded of this one passage from 1 Thessalonians that I really love. I've been thinking about it ever since we were in Swedru, I spoke about it at the youth camp, and I think I should share it with you now.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover greed - God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you were so dear to us.
In the US, at least, there seem to be four camps for Christians in the area of sharing your faith with people.
Camp 1: Don't say anything; it's annoying.
Camp 2: Share the gospel, no matter what.
Camp 3: Just be around people and they'll figure it out.
Camp 4: Sharing your faith is both what you say and how you live it.
Camp 1 is right on one thing - if it's not done right, a Christian sharing his or her faith can be very annoying. But take a look at this video from Penn, a well known performer and atheist. He summarizes why sharing your faith is important very well. You should definitely check this out if you haven't seen it before.
Camp 2 is also partially correct. Jesus calls Christians to share their faith all over the world. But we have to be sensitive to the culture we're in. If somebody doesn't want to talk about God, you don't shove Him down their throat. That's disrespectful and they aren't going to listen anyway. It makes people angry. Case in point: Brother Micah. If you know who he is, enough said. If you don't, you can YouTube him with caution if you really want to know. Basically, he's an infamous "evangelist" that spends a lot of time on college campuses doing a lot of judging and relatively little preaching. This doesn't mean that we just quit at the first sign of opposition, either. Rather, we must earn the right to have a personal conversation like this with somebody. That's why the living aspect is so important, especially to Americans, who tend to be much more uncomfortable with religious talk in general.
Camp 3 is another one that has some good thoughts, but misses it. Yeah, Christianity is largely about how you live among others. And yes, what people see you do will dramatically affect their opinions on your faith. But look at the passage above. Verbally sharing the gospel is necessary for people to go from seeing a way of life that seems appealing to accepting a heart-changing God into their life. Christianity, after all, is not a call to morality. It's a rejection of the old way of life and a surrender to Jesus to lead you into a completely new one.
Camp 4 is where it's at. Christians are called to live in the world, put into practice what we know to be true from the Bible, and to share the gospel with others - "but not just the gospel of God, but our lives as well." That last verse is so key.
We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you were so dear to us.
This means hanging out with your neighbors, talking about stuff that actually matters with co-workers, staying up until 4am to work through life issues with your roommate, dishing out soup and eating with people at the shelters. It looks different for everybody. The point is, if we're in a happy, safe Christian bubble, having little to no contact with the "outside," what are we really doing for God? People around us are not our projects. Nobody likes to be looked at that way, and with good reason! We should share our faith because we care about people, not because every person is part of some master conversion plan. But look at what Penn said in that clip above: How much do you have to hate someone to be unsure about where they will spend eternity and to say nothing? At least give people the chance to reject or accept Christianity!
I've been challenged the last couple weeks to figure out which camp I would really place myself in. In my head, I know which one is right, but is my life really reflecting that knowledge? If you're a Christian, I would urge you to think about that, too.
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