When we packed for vacation, we didn\u2019t have a menu. \u00a0Instead we bought some stuff: string beans, apples, bluberries, spinach, mushrooms, onions, garlic, a little animal protein, some milk and cheese, some eggs. \u00a0We brought some stuff from home too: butter, olive oil, coffee, coconut oil, nuts.<\/p>\n
Now that we\u2019re here, it\u2019s just a matter of mixing things up the right way for the right moment. \u00a0This is last night\u2019s creation, which has no name, and will never be replicated. \u00a0It has some beef, lots of mushrooms and spinach, and is seasoned with garlic, pepper, a tiny bit of salt, and some sun-dried tomatoes. \u00a0I cooked it last night because I was looking for an excuse to eat sun-dried tomatoes, and this seemed like a good possibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe right way for the right moment\u201d is what\u2019s key here, because when you look at how people who are effective at sharing their faith give verbal proclamation, you come discover one thing right up front: \u00a0they don\u2019t have a recipe. \u00a0Consider Paul: \u00a0With the Philippian jailer, he just says, \u201cBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.\u201d \u00a0To the folks in Athens, he quotes Greek Poetry. \u00a0To Roman citizens, he present a legal argument. \u00a0To Jews he draws upon Old Testament passages. \u00a0His presentation is, in other words, always \u201cthe right way for the right moment\u201d.<\/p>\n
If I\u2019m to be effective at inviting people to step into God\u2019s great story, then I need to bring certain ingredients along, all the time, and be ready to serve up the good news in a way that\u2019s uniquely crafted for each person, in the same way that I wouldn\u2019t waste my sun-dried tomato concoction on someone who didn\u2019t like tomatoes. \u00a0I need to offer each person nourishment in a way they\u2019ll be likely to receive it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d suggest that there are several ingredients each of us needs if we\u2019re to be effective in sharing Christ and inviting people into God\u2019s story:<\/p>\n
1. a genuine belief that God\u2019s news is good.<\/strong> I know that I\u2019ve offered people food sometimes that, when I tasted in the kitchen, was a disappointment to me: too dry, undercooked, over-seasoned, cold, whatever. \u00a0When I bring it out, I\u2019m half hearted about it because of this. \u00a0The same holds true of sharing Christ. \u00a0Unless I believe that the work He\u2019s done in my life, and the story into which He\u2019s inviting all of us is truly good news, and powerful enough to change the world, I\u2019ll serve it up half-heartedly. \u00a0When that happens, all the good ingredients in the world, won\u2019t help the other enjoy the food.<\/p>\n 2. I need a decent command of God\u2019s big story<\/strong>, or at least how it\u2019s playing out in my own life. Not having a sense of humanity\u2019s problem and\/or, God\u2019s grand solution, will mean that I\u2019ll be trying to serve life giving food without having life giving ingredients. \u00a0I\u2019m working on a little pamphlet that will offer the key ingredients in a nutshell. \u00a0I\u2019ll tell you about it when it comes out sometime this fall.<\/p>\n 3. I need to listen<\/strong> to one\u2019s I\u2019m serving because that\u2019s the only way I\u2019ll know how best to present the food. \u00a0Paul would never have wasted his time quoting poetry to the Philippian jailer, but it\u2019s central to his talk given to the Athenians. \u00a0How did how know when to use poetry, and when to just say, \u201cbelieve!\u201d? \u00a0The answer is simple: Paul listened to people. \u00a0Listening is a lost art these days \u2013 just look at government, or the way conservative and emergent Christians argue with each other.<\/p>\n Until I listen to the other, my chances of sharing life with him or her in a way that is really serving, and life giving, is remote at best. \u00a0James said it this way: \u00a0\u201cyour ears should be bigger than your mouth\u201d (that\u2019s my paraphrase). \u00a0I\u2019ve some distance to go here, but I\u2019m finding that the more I listen, the better the relationships, and hence, the better the sharing of God\u2019s grand invitation.<\/p>\n When these three ingredients (belief that God\u2019s news is actually good, a decent command of God\u2019s big story, and a capacity to listen before speaking) are in place, inviting people into the grand adventure that is God\u2019s story in this world is both more joyous, more natural, and more fruitful.<\/p>\n Can you think of other important ingredients?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When we packed for vacation, we didn\u2019t have a menu. \u00a0Instead we bought some stuff: string beans, apples, bluberries, spinach, mushrooms, onions, garlic, a little animal protein, some milk and cheese, some eggs. \u00a0We brought some stuff from home too: butter, olive oil, coffee, coconut oil, nuts. Now that we\u2019re here, it\u2019s just a matter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exhaling","category-inviting"],"yoast_head":"\n