The other night we participated in an activity called "witnessing rooms." If you are not familiar with the idea of witnessing, then you probably did not grow up going to a church like mine, and you will probably find this post very bizarre. We split into pairs, and were ushered through a series of rooms where we would encounter various "real life" situations. The idea was for us to help the people we met with whatever they were dealing with, and to share the love of Jesus with them. The scenarios included: the death of a close friend; depression about an unsuccessful career; the party scene; and an abusive marriage. We had 6 minutes in each room. You are probably thinking this is some sort of proselytization propaganda program. Try to bear with me.
Going into this activity, I was skeptical, and worried that I wouldn't do well. I knew they were all actors, so I thought it would be hard to convince myself to take it seriously. It was actually very well done, and I had very little problem treating the situations as significant. For the most part either myself or my partner would handle all the talking in a given room. I definitely learned a lot from being on the hot seat, and I definitely learned a lot observing my partner.
I have never been the type to engage in a spiritual conversation within 6 minutes of meeting someone. In my experience, people don't really like religion, and are quick to put up walls if you try to force your beliefs on them. I still feel this way to some extent, but as we talked things over, I began to see another side as well. If I really believe that Jesus is the best thing that could ever happen to anyone, why would I be worried about saving face? I don't think this means I have the right to invade everyone's privacy and try to trample on their rights and opinions, but I do think it should be more important than my own comfort.
After everyone was finished, we spent some time discussing how we felt. One of my apartment mates, an international student from Germany, had some good insight. He only recently left a life of drugs and partying with his friends in Europe, and he has been on the receiving end of plenty of "witnessing." He pointed out that we were all very eager to get in the rooms and start spouting all the doctrine that we had crammed in our brains, but that isn't what people want or need to hear. I know I approached the activity with a very task-oriented mindset, and forgot to treat the people like people. Like I said, I am not usually one for doctrine spouting with strangers, but where is the balance? I love people, and could have a very comfortable conversation about sports with any stranger. How do I have a very comfortable conversation about Jesus with any stranger? Or even with any friend? I don't have the answer, but I want everyone to experience the joy that I've experienced, so I'm going to keep searching for that answer.
King Thamus
13 years ago
4 comments:
I love the way you think, and completely agree. Hopefully you documented the residents of the party scene following the incident.
excellent thoughts... i would think most Christians would resonate with what you shared about being able to talk about sports (or whatever) with anyone, but a lot harder to talk about Jesus. i too want to be able to share His love with others so they may experience the incredible joy, peace and other fruits of His Holy Spirit that have filled my life with such meaning. you know i'm praying for you! love you! mom
First off, I want to meet your German friend because I was there this summer! Second, I personally think finding the balance comes with sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Each person is different and needs to hear something different. In Germany we walked up to a lot of random people and asked them if they needed prayer and that would usually open a door for further ministry and witnessing. I remember I went witnessing with Rachael and the imt's once, and one of the imt's ask a guy in the metro so hard hitting questions. Like "If you died tomorrow where would you go?" And some more in your face questions like that. To me it seemed to intense for a random guy on the metro. But for that specific guy thats what he needed to hear. He talked about how he was saved but kind of started going the wrong path. In the end he was almost in tears and gave her a huge hug saying "Thank you so much for that. I think there should be more people like you reminding the rest of us what we left behind." For that specific person, her approach was perfect. For someone else, you could of gotten into a huge theological debate. So like I said, I think it all comes with discernment. We have to let the Holy Spirit lead us with how to approach people.
great thoughts and an important journey of discovery for us all, nick!
excellent comment, sarah
witnessing when it is natural and comfortable is usually when it is most effective - our ability to witness in this way may indicate the abundance of things in our hearts.
you may analyze why it is easier to talk about sports than about Jesus. Recently I have found that non-believers are extremely open to talk about God, faith and spirituality.
you may try using a pop culture vehicle to get such a conversation started - did you read that best seller, the shack? what did you think? crazy perspective on God, huh? OR what do you think about the the RP VP nominee, Sarah Palin and her beliefs? OR one that worked really well recently with some dads in my neighborhood - did you see the interview with presidential candidates and Rick Warren? what did you think?
Each of these questions get the other person talking about faith/ spirituality issues and eliminates the walls that are often put up when we initiate the conversation with our Christian ideas/ bias/ perspective.
Just remember that we have nothing to fear nor do we have to convince them of anything - leave the work of the Holy Spirit up to the Holy Spirit and let's just share our own experiences in humility, caring more for the other person's eternity than for our comfort level.
It sounds like you are right on track to some awesome discoveries, Nick. Keep asking the hard questions and do not settle until you have understanding!
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