What is the Gospel?

“[Be] ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Gospel is translated “Good News.” It is what God has done in Christ to save us from our sins. Many Christians don’t know how to share the gospel. They know it but haven’t shared it enough in a simple, clear, organized way. If we are people defined by the gospel, it would be ridiculous for us to not know how to explain it to a nonbeliever. Peter says, “Always be ready to explain to someone about the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15 paraphrased)

What is the Good News?
It can be divided into four parts: 1. Creation  2. Fall  3. Redemption  4. New Creation

1.     Creation: God is the Creator of the universe; He created us with a special, unique identity and makeup. Unlike the animals, we were created in God’s image, to have a special relationship with Him. He gave us His Spirit to commune with Him.

2.     Fall: But man sinned against God and rather wanted to become our own gods. This destroyed our relationship with God, one another, and the rest of creation. As a result, all humanity was born under the power of sin. This brought death and decay into our world.  

3.     Redemption: But God had a plan to save His creation. He sent Jesus who lived a perfect sinless life and died to receive the penalty for our sins. He rose again, defeating sin and death. Those who put their trust in Him will be forgiven and restored in their relationship with God.

4.     New Creation: At the end of all things, God will restore all creation to Himself. Jesus will come back as a ruler and a judge. He will destroy the evil, worldly system, and the work of Satan once and for all. He will create a new heaven and a new earth. All creation will be renewed. God will live on earth with humanity. No more sin, pain, tears. We will enter a new chapter of this world into eternity.

This is one way to explain the gospel to someone. Review it, understand it, and share it as often as you can, so it becomes yours and you can share from your heart.

Action Step
Who is someone you can share this gospel message with this week?

Why Do We Evangelize? (03)

“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29)

Have you ever felt so enlightened, elated, and exuberant at the message of the gospel that you just wanted to go and tell everyone? More than just obligation that Jesus commanded us to “Go and preach the gospel,” or that people are going to hell without Christ, this is the greatest motivator for evangelism. When you’re so full of the love of God that you want to go tell everyone, you’re unstoppable. People will see your contagious joy and want that for themselves. You’ll have conviction when you share because they’ll see the transformation and joy in you.

This is what happened with the Samaritan woman (John 4). She was so powerfully impacted by Jesus (and finding out that He was the Messiah), that she wanted to go tell the entire townspeople. They must have noticed the change that took place in her. A little background knowledge: for one, she was coming to draw water at noon, the hottest time when no one came to draw water, possibly because she wanted to avoid running into the villagers who knew her as a woman of loose morals and treated her that way. So for her to suddenly overcome her defenses, not care about what the people think, but beaming with excitement and joy to tell them all, was a powerful testament of her encounter with Jesus. She knew that if the man she had met was the Messiah, then she had hope that not only her life would change, but all of her townspeople’s as well. And this Good News she could not keep for herself. She could not contain this joy, this excitement, this elation. She had to tell someone… everyone. And the people saw that change in her. It was real. Convincing.

Many people wonder, “How should we evangelize?” We don’t need a formula. We just need to be filled with gratitude and joy of encountering Jesus and share that joy with others, pointing people to the source of that joy. This is the most effective way of evangelism!

Prayer and Action Step
Fill us with gratitude and joy for the gospel. Let us emanate that joy and let it overflow and leak out to others wherever we go, pointing people to Jesus.

Why Do We Evangelize? (02)

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

When we are young we don’t think about death much. But as we grow older, it is inevitable that we have a brush with death whether in our own lives or that of others. Naturally we think death is a negative thing. But in fact, it can be the most sobering experience that catalyzes positive change in our lives. A few years after college, I had my encounter with death. I had never been to a funeral before then, but that year I went to four funerals, and two of them happened back-to-back in two weeks time. One week I went to a funeral and a wedding Saturday and Sunday, and the second week the same thing happened— I went to a wedding and then a funeral.

The person who died was the sister of one of the leaders of my young adult group at church. She was 33 years old, attractive and had a promising career ahead of her. But one summer she fell, had a brain hemorrhage and never woke up. The funerals were somber, sobering experiences as if someone hit me on the head with a hammer, to wake me up to realize how short and transient our lives are. Death is the inevitable end of every human being.

The day after the funeral, I went to the wedding of a close friend. Everyone was having a great time, drinking wine, dancing. The mood was jovial. But I couldn’t help thinking about the funeral the day before. The wedding, the celebration, it didn’t seem real. I felt like I was watching a Hollywood movie. It felt as if all these partying people missed the point.

This experience forced me to ask, “What is the quintessential thing for us to figure out before we die?” It was to get in a right relationship with God. I came to the conclusion that during our short time on earth, we should be helping people come to grips with this reality. Nothing can motivate us with greater urgency to evangelize than an encounter with death.

Prayer
Give us the wisdom to understand how transient and fleeting our lives are. Let there be an urgency in our hearts to preach the gospel to those who do not know You.

Why Do We Evangelize? (01)

“Perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18)

Do you struggle with being motivated to evangelize? We all know we should evangelize. But mere obligation itself is not enough to move people to share their faith. How do we receive the passion to reach the lost, not just a spark that burns brightly for a while then soon goes out, but an enduring flame?

As I grew in my faith, I knew immediately one of the quintessences of our walk with Christ is to help others see and follow God. I desperately wanted to learn how to do this but there was no one who showed me how. Then my best friend in college went on a mission trip to Japan and came back a totally different person, full of peace and joy. It seemed like he finally found living for what truly matters.

After college I told myself, I’m going on a mission trip to experience God in this way. It was the most exhausting two weeks of my life. Spending eight hours a day with Chinese students. Even though we couldn’t do anything openly evangelistic, we tried to love each student with the love of Jesus. Near the end of our time there I had a conversation with God. I was concerned about my student, her spiritual wellbeing. The LORD spoke to me like He spoke to the Prophet Jonah, “Do you have any right to be concerned about your student? You’ve only been with her for one week. You are not her parent. You did not raise her. How much more should I be concerned about the billion people in China and beyond that, the countless people in the world who do not know Me?”

This encounter wrecked me. I came back with a natural desire to want to share about God with everyone. The experience was so real and palpable that it removed the fear of sharing with people about God.

Once you know the heart of God, you cannot help but share Him with the world. It will transform your view of the world and people. From time to time, you may get tired and weary, but you will never stop sharing Christ’s love with others.

Prayer
Ask God to reveal His heart for the lost through an encounter with Him and His word.

What is Evangelism?

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Rom 1:16)

When you hear the word “evangelism,” perhaps you think of a group of Christians with picket signs and a megaphone preaching a “turn or burn” message. Or perhaps serving the homeless at a soup kitchen. Perhaps you think of mission trips to Tijuana to do skits and sing songs about Jesus with children. 

In the New Testament to “evangelize” literally means “to tell Good News.” It is an act of proclaiming the gospel to someone with the hope of leading them to faith. Years ago, when I was evangelizing on the streets daily, I understood evangelism as mainly the “telling" of the gospel message. I still see how it is effective defining evangelism in this way, because without encountering the message of salvation, a person does not have a chance to be saved. Another reason why this definition is good is because most Christians do not live a life of proactively sharing the gospel with the lost. Yet, the Early Church expanded explosively because of their fervent and diligent proclaiming of the Good News. There is clearly a need for believers to be motivated and equipped to share the gospel.

However, during the years when I rested from ministry, I began to befriend non-Christians without the burden of trying to convert them. Then I realized evangelism is much more than preaching and proclamation. It sounds grandiose, but it is your whole life on display for the world to see who Christ is through you.

So, I would redefine evangelism as living your life before nonbelievers in such a way as to attract and point them to Jesus and the gospel. Therefore, working to soften someone’s heart towards Christ through years of faithful friendship and service is in itself still evangelism. Yet it cannot remain just that. At some point the person has to encounter the message of salvation. That is where proclamation comes in; without it our evangelism is incomplete. We should not shy away from sharing the gospel with our non-Christian friends whenever God gives us the chance.

Prayer
May we realize that our lives as a whole is a witness to our friends of who Christ is. Yet may we not shy away from sharing the gospel with our friends.

Becoming Like Them

“I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.” (1 Cor 9:22)

One thing I loved about living in Memphis was the opportunity to check out live music. My favorite place to wind down on a Sunday evening was Ghost River Brewery where my friend hosted a singer-songwriter event. It was a great opportunity to meet all the local musicians.

One night I had an epiphany. As I felt burdened to share the gospel with these musicians during their cigarette breaks, another, possibly wiser thought came to me. What if I could be accepted as one of their own, instead of some stranger trying to talk to them about religious things? What if I could earn my way into their inner circle of friends? I could have a greater influence on them than trying to evangelize to them as an outsider. This would take more than just a one-off, courageous witnessing opportunity during cigarette breaks. To build such trust, it would take much more effort and the grace of God. Then instead of being distant, they would gladly invite me to whatever they were up to, perhaps to an after party at one of their pads.

Paul talked about this mindset in his letter to the Corinthians. Even though he came from the strictest religious background and was one of the most spiritual persons, in order to win those he preached to, he became like them. To the Jews, he became like a Jew. To the Gentiles, like a Gentile. To the weak, he became weak. All in order to win people to the gospel. Unless we become like those we preach to and are accepted as their own, we remain outsiders. And people usually don’t listen to outsiders. Isn’t that the whole reason for the Incarnation?
 
Apart from sinning or becoming ingenuine, we as Christians need to be more adaptable to the people around us. To be able to mingle and relate to them. All in order to win their trust and acceptance, so that we may by all means win them to the gospel.

Prayer
Give us the mind of Christ and of Paul, to become like those we are reaching out to. Help us to do this without compromising our integrity or walk with Christ but with wisdom and tact.
 

Going Where the People Are

“Go, therefore, and make disciples…” (Matt 28:19)

If you’re like me and have been Christian for a long time, chances are most of your friends are Christian; you may not know anyone in your social circle who is non-Christian. If so, you must find creative ways to meet non-Christians in your life.

First, look at the activities you’re already doing and see if there are any non-Christians around you. Maybe you go to your child’s soccer game. Instead of leaving directly after, you would like to connect with other parents. Or think of activities you love to do like golfing, arts and crafts, or hiking. See if there is a community that does the same and connect with them. For instance, I love drawing. I can go to a weekly life drawing session. I will naturally have the opportunity to connect with other artists around the love of art. It is much easier to build connections with people with whom you have a common interest.

Another solution is to find a way to meet the people in your neighborhood. Instead of working from home, try the local coffee shop. My friend Barry and I did this. And over a course of six months, we got to know all the baristas as well as the regulars. We had many gospel conversations, built friendships and even started a Bible study to reach the people we met there.

The first command in the Great Commission is “Go.” As Jesus has entrusted us with the “Good News,” the best news ever told in history, this by itself should fill us with elation to tell the whole world. Jesus didn’t expect us to stay passive with this news, but rather that his love move us towards others, to go out of our way, beyond our comfort zones to reach those in need. If there are no non-Christians around us, we must “Go” where they are. Jesus went to Levi the tax collector’s house and hung out with other tax collectors and sinners. He was not afraid to mingle with the people of the world, because he knew they were the ones who needed him most.

Likewise, where should we go? Who should we reach in order to be faithful witnesses of the gospel?

Action Steps
How can I find ways to connect with more non-Christians?

Our Witness in Times of Suffering

Acts 16:16-34

This is the story of what happened to Paul and Silas after the slave girl was freed from the evil spirit at Paul’s command. They were falsely accused, beaten, severely flogged and thrown into prison. Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. 

If anyone could have lost hope and been complaining to God and disheartened, it was Paul and Silas. But they were praying and singing hymns to God. I imagine it kind of went like this: Paul and Silas, because they were human like the rest of us, might have been seriously discouraged, aching, hurting all over their body, physically and emotionally exhausted. They could have easily despaired of the situation. But as they started to pray, the Holy Spirit began to arise in their hearts. The Holy Spirit gave them hope; they encouraged each other (That is why it is important to have a partner when evangelizing). As they continued to pray, the Holy Spirit continued to give them faith, hope, and love until they were finally able to see the goodness of God in the midst of this dark trial. As they were praising God, all of the other prisoners were listening to them. This must have had quite an impact on these prisoners. Paul and Silas were prisoners, but they weren’t prisoners like the rest of them. Although they were chained, their spirits were not chained. As they continued to praise God, their hearts soared on wings like eagles over their chains and jail cell walls. The prisoners listening in saw what Paul and Silas had believed in was real. And the earthquake was God’s way of answering their prayer, saying, “Here I am… I’m setting you free. Freedom lies with me.” It was a symbolic picture of the true freedom available in Christ. As Paul and Silas were singing, the rest of the prisoners heard and knew that this freedom was something only God could give them.

When the jailer realized that the cell doors were all open, he was going to take his own life, thinking all the prisoners had escaped. But Paul and Silas stopped him. This must have been a powerfully catalytic moment for the jailer. In that moment, he saw in Paul and Silas something that he himself did not have— such a power of peace and love more powerful than death— that he trembled before them. He tangibly felt the love of God through them. He probably thought to himself, “Just what kinds of people are they? They sing hymns of praise to their God, thanking Him, even though they are captives and do not know whether they would be set free or what kind of punishment they would receive. If they had only let me slide, I would have killed myself and they could have easily gone free. But they would rather sacrifice their freedom so that I could live? Who are these people?” In that moment the Gospel that Paul and Silas sung about became real, tangible, concrete, visible. In that moment, the jailer saw a glimpse of Jesus. After facing how cheap his own life could have been (he could have killed himself just for losing his prisoners), he was confronted with his own spiritual depravity. In that moment he realized he needed to be saved. He needed what Paul and Silas had, to not lose hope in the midst of a hopeless situation. That is the power of the Gospel. Paul and Silas had such a power of hope that they rejoiced and blessed God in the midst of a severe trial and suffering. The jailer on the other hand, when he found out all the prisoners had escaped, he realized his life was worth nothing and was about to take his life. He saw in Paul and Silas something he didn’t have and realized that he desperately needed this if he were to go on living his life.

How do we respond in the midst of trials and suffering? Do we remain paralyzed by despair and hopelessness? Or despite those initial feelings, do we cry out to God in faith so the Holy Spirit would awaken in us His hope and strength? The world is watching to see how we respond in the midst of crisis. Are we able to show people Jesus in action in this way?

Key to Supernatural Boldness

In the healing of the lame man in Acts 3, I was gripped by the supernatural boldness by which Peter heals this man. There seems to be no hesitation at all, not even the slightest, on Peter’s part to proclaim the man’s healing in Jesus name. Peter had such assurance and confidence in Christ. Even though he had no money to give him, he didn’t shrink back in shame nor was he apologetic. Instead with such confidence and boldness, he gives this lame man what he needed most. Peter and John had something worth far more than money, and that was the love of Jesus and the healing in His name. Do we truly believe all the material wealth and everything else the world has to offer us do not compare to the priceless treasure we have in Christ? If so, why should we hesitate? Why should we contain this Good News? Why should we keep silent? More than anything that could have been given by man, Peter gave Jesus to this man. Peter was a tunnel through which God gave this man what he needed the most, total restoration. Through the physical healing, God not only healed this man’s legs, but his entire life. He restored his identity from one rejected and shunned by the religious community to now one belonging to the community of God. Now he could go into the temple and not feel like he was cursed. For the first time in his life, he felt loved, accepted and seen by God. God also restored him socially. Now he was accepted by others. He was no longer an invalid, an outcast, less than human. He could be accepted as a normal member of society. He was also restored financially. Now he could earn a proper living for himself by working and doing something productive. This healing totally transformed this man’s life holistically.

We have something worth far more than all the riches of this universe. Do we truly see this? Then we should be so confident to give it out to people. There should not be a hesitation in giving people Jesus who saves us and brings total restoration. Do we really believe that we have the authority to give this greatest treasure to people?

Wild at Heart

When the Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost, it is described as a violent rushing wind and tongues of fire. It is peculiar that the Spirit is described in this way, because elsewhere in the Bible, He is described as a dove, as living water, as a gentle whisper. Why is it that here, the Spirit is described as a violent wind and flames of fire? I believe the Spirit was described in this way to emphasize His power. He was described as a violent rushing wind, because the power of the Holy Spirit was breaking into our world for the first time. Both wind and fire are powerful elements that affect their surroundings and change them. After the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they were changed indelibly. When we are filled with Spirit, we become powerful, bold witnesses for Christ. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline” (2 Tim 1:7).

The nature of the Holy Spirit does not always speak only in gentle whispers. Sometimes He comes like a violent rushing wind, sometimes He comes as tongues of fire. He is an uncontrollable, untamable force. Often times what hinders our Christian growth, is that we try hard to control everything; we try so much to tame the Holy Spirit when in fact, we are the ones to be tamed by the Spirit to totally abandon ourselves to do His will. I know this sounds kinda scary, but if we don’t have an element of wildness in our walk with God, we may not be letting the Spirit fully manifest Himself through us. Yes, we are to be as gentle as doves. Yes, we are supposed to be girded with kindness and humility. But the same Spirit that causes us to be humble and gentle, causes us to preach the Gospel to 3000 people in such a powerful, persuasive way that they all get saved in one day. That same Spirit causes us to call out the power of the evil one and cast it out. That same Spirit causes us to stand before our accusers and persecutors and boldly proclaim the Gospel! Our God is not only a gentle lamb, but a roaring lion!!!

If we are to manifest this character of God we have to grow in a supernatural kind of boldness, even a wildness, a wildness of heart like John the Baptist! Teach me to be wild at heart like You God! Our God is not only a gentleman, but a FIERCE WARRIOR!! God, teach me to cultivate a certain wildness, a certain uncontrolled, untamed surrender to the Holy Spirit. Teach me to cultivate this wild at heart devotion and love for You and for others! Increase that kind of boldness in preaching the Gospel. Increase Your Spirit of valor in my life!

The Power of Friendships in our Witness

I remember until I reached a certain point in my faith as an adult, whether someone was a Christian or not did not matter in whether I chose to pursue or maintain a relationship with them or not. Friends were friends whether Christian or not. But at some point in my life, years after becoming a committed follower of Christ, and especially after having attended seminary, it dawned on me that I had no true non-Christian friends. Part of the reason was because I was no longer in the same career field as them and was on a trajectory to become a minister. But another part of it was because deep down I realized I was uncomfortable with how they may perceive the kind of person that I had become. Of course, I was ministering to non-Christians daily on the streets, but there were none that I could consider my true friends. I think somewhere along the line I became so burdened with the job of saving souls, that I stopped relating to people on an equal, human to human level, from a fellow human to a fellow human.

Perhaps it was that I had so bought into the biblical teaching that non-Christians were still living in darkness; they were sinful, pagan and therefore would not fully understand where I was coming from. Perhaps there was some deep part of me that felt uncomfortable being around them, for fear that if I was truly myself before them, they would not understand me, that I would be seen as a weirdo or even be ridiculed or persecuted. I think I had just become too comfortable being understood all the time and having like minded people around me. It is the nature of human beings to surround ourselves with those who are like us and naturally fear those who are different.

I realized that not having any non-Christian friends was a huge problem. I wanted to change that.

I remember the time that I had an epiphany. Kevin (name changed for privacy) had a kind of threatening presence, 6ft. 4” decked out in all black with long hair and combat boots. Half Native American, gothic, naturally inclined to dark things— the occult, heavy metal and horror movies. He was also a felon and lived on the streets. His stepdad, a Jehovah’s Witness, had physically abused him until he was 14 years old. Naturally he had a lot of anger towards Christianity and God. I met him on the street while evangelizing. Over the years I tried everything I could to try to convert him, preached the Gospel to him every chance I got, prayed and fasted for him, brought him to church. But when I finally realized that he wasn’t going to convert, at least not anytime soon, I had two choices. I could just drop my efforts completely and move onto another person who would be more ready, willing to hear what I had to share and stop meeting with him altogether. The other option was simply to continue to remain his friend. I felt as though the Lord was gently asking me through my thoughts, “Do you really like him? I know you’re trying to convert him, but do you really like who he is and enjoy spending time with him?” I realized I actually didn’t like him. I didn’t like the kind of music he listened to, the kind of movies he wanted to see, how at times his thoughts frightened me because it was so cold and loveless. Also, for most of the time I’ve known him, he was living on the streets. And whenever I would get a call from him, it was because he needed help monetarily. So, if I was honest with myself, I don’t think I really liked Kevin. But I also realized that what he needed most were genuine friendships, people who would love and accept him for who he is, who would appreciate him and enjoy his company. Everyone else saw him as a burden, because he was homeless and would often asked for help. I imagine people didn’t want to be around him. I realized I had to do the hard job of liking him, befriending him, enjoying being around him, and really appreciating him as a human being if I was to become his true friend.

So I gave up trying to preach to him every time I met him. Since then I hardly mention God or Jesus to him. And I tried to lighten up with him, trying to spend time with him as a friend, not as one who is trying to convert him, like going to the movies or lunch with him, inviting him over for dinner. Once I stopped trying to convert him and tried to relate to him as a friend, I think something changed within him too. He stopped seeing me as some crazy Christian trying to convert him all the time, talking about Jesus 24/7. He started to consider me a friend. And a good friend. And he expresses that he likes me better now than when I first met him, that I’ve lightened up a lot.

Last Saturday, I went to a brewery for Octoberfest where a musician friend of mine was performing with other musicians. I hadn’t seen her in a while. We are not very close; she is not a Christian, and I presume most of her musician friends are not either. So I prayed before going, “God, give me the courage and the opportunity to share the Gospel with them.” But I was open to however the Spirit would lead me. And while I was there listening to them perform, it dawned on me, that perhaps more genuine and effective than just preaching the Gospel to them on the first encounter, was really relating to them on their level, to become one of them, to build relationship, rapport, and trust. These are the natural, wisdom ways to get to know people. And I would enjoy the process a lot more and feel less of a burden in having to evangelize to them. If they could see me as one of them, that I didn’t have an agenda, and they found out that I was a cool guy, then in that relationship of trust I would have plenty of opportunities to share the Gospel with them, not only in words, but in deed as well. I think sometimes we turn people away because we are too bold or direct with them and skip the hard, time taking step of getting to know them instead of using wisdom and earning their trust; this is especially true in this post-Christian generation.

As I sat there listening to the music, I reminisced about my time in art school in my twenties. I wasn’t as strong in my faith yet, but I used to form relationships with just anyone because they were just cool people, not because I wanted to convert them, but just because I needed friends. And I didn’t categorize them as Christian or non-Christian. I just befriended them, because that’s what humans do. In this way evangelism becomes much less a burden and less an event, and more part of what you do naturally as you go about your life. You’re able to evangelize more organically based on whom God places in your path. And you’re able to minister to people not just in word but in deed. In this way evangelism becomes less of a one time presentation where you’re trying to get an immediate decision out of people whom you may never see again, and more of an ongoing relationship and conversation, where you show the light and magnitude of the Gospel through your love and service in long, lasting relationships.

We should not be hesitant nor afraid of forming relationships with non-Christian friends, not only to evangelize to them, but simply to love them, to know them as people, to learn from them, to be blessed by them, and to see the image of God shining through them, so we could do life together and call out those things in their lives that God sees as redeemable, leading them to hope, life, and love. This is what the Lord did during His time on earth. This is what it means to dwell incarnationally with people.

Partnering with the Holy Spirit

I’ve heard a saying that we never really go anywhere where the Holy Spirit isn’t already at work. Often times in our evangelism efforts we meet people in whom God has been clearly and powerfully working so that they would be ready and receptive to us when at the right time when we share the Gospel with them.   

I have been going out on Friday, Saturday evenings to evangelize at bars. During my sabbatical from ministry, I’ve frequented bars in order to meet new people and socialize. I’ve found that this is where the people of the world come together to relax and let their guards down. It’s a perfect place to build relationships and shine our light. I’ve been having wonderful conversations there. One I will share here. I met an out of state visiter named Jeffrey (changed to protect privacy). As I started to share my testimony of how I had gone to 4 funerals one year and how that woke me up spiritually to become serious about my faith, he mentioned that recently he had gone to three funerals within a few months time. They were close relatives of his. He also opened up about how he never got over the death of his dad. When asked if he ever felt there was an unseen force or a higher power that was helping him or guiding him, he said he thought perhaps his dad was helping him and watching over him. He expressed that one day he would be able to see his dad. He told me that he had wished him and his dad were closer while he was alive. I felt the Holy Spirit gave me wisdom and I told him that he will be able to see him one day because of the hope we have in Christ. I proceeded to share the Gospel. When I asked him if he was ready to receive Christ, he said that he would. I encouraged him to go home and pray to receive Christ and commit his life to Him.

The Lord’s also opened up opportunities to share the Gospel with some of my Memphis friends in the arts. During my sabbatical time here in Memphis, God has opened a way for me to befriend several musicians, artists, filmmakers.  One of them, Wade (changed to protect privacy) is an acclaimed filmmaker who’s worked with top Hollywood actors and directors. We’ve been meeting up periodically for coffee. But until recently our conversation had been kinda dry. When I first met him, he told me he was an atheist, so I didn’t bring up faith in our conversations for some time. As I felt recently the Lord’s call to evangelize again, I felt it was proper time to talk to him about spiritual matters. So about a month ago I met him and shared my testimony about how God had been with me through the toughest trials and hardships and how He had recently brought me through one of the most difficult traumas; I sensed him listening keenly. When I shared my testimony about attending four funerals (mentioned above) he opened up to me and said that since last December till June he had gone to 8 funerals, all of people who were mentors or very close to him. I could see that this had had a deep impact on him and that he was emotionally shaken up by the events. He was teary eyed as he shared how he half kiddingly and half seriously said to his friend, “Maybe I need Jesus.” He told me that he had never opened up about what he was going through except to one other closest friend and that I was the only other person with whom he shared his vulnerability with. I think he really appreciated me opening up to him and sharing my experiences and faith with him. He even mentioned that he wanted to get together once a week to chat.

In both of these encounters, I sensed that God had already been working powerfully in their lives, through circumstances and events, to open their hearts to the Gospel. We often think the burden of saving the person is all up to us, from fasting for them, to praying, to toiling the soil, to planting the seed. But the reality is that through our obedience we are merely partnering with God already at work in the lives of others and we find that He places us in the right place at the right moment to nudge people closer to Jesus. This is the privilege of evangelizing, we get to see God at work in the lives of others, moving people’s hearts closer to Him and we get to partner with Him. What a glorious calling.

What My Time away from Ministry Taught Me about Life and Ministry

Those of you who know me know that I’ve been taking a break from ministry for the last several years. Ever since I’ve felt the call to ministry, I’ve been evangelizing regularly on the streets and wherever I go. I carried the burden to evangelize 24/7. When I took a break from ministry, it was definitely a load off and liberating to just live as a normal person and find joy in the simple things of life. During my Sabbatical, I started going out on the weekends to bars and places where people gather to socialize, because I was hungry to meet new people, for community, and companionship. One of my prayers and new year’s resolutions was to expand my network of friends and to befriend a wider spectrum of people from all sorts of backgrounds, especially those outside of church. And this, not only to try to convert them, but merely for the sake of friendship. One of the things I realized years into my seminary studies, was that I had cut off all contacts with my non-Christian friends. Even though I was ministering to non-Christians on the streets all the time, I had no real non-Christian friend whom I enjoyed hanging out with. I realized this was a big problem and wanted to change that. Having carried the burden of evangelism for so many years, it was hard to relate to people on a more human level; I was so overtaken with the burden of saving souls that whenever I met a non-Christian person, the thought of building friendships with them was always secondary to the thought of converting them. I came to see people only as “saved” and “unsaved,” and the latter I saw merely as those who needed to be converted.

Coming to Memphis two and a half years ago, I continued my practice of going to bars, concerts, film festivals, going out on the weekends to meet people and socialize. I got to meet so many interesting, wonderful people. And I began to wonder, why aren’t more Christians at these places? Why isn’t there more of a Christian presence where the people of the world come together? During this time my preconceived notions of going to bars, how the people of the world come together to celebrate, all changed. Yeah, I realize that bars and clubs can be seen in a negative light because some people go there for the wrong reasons. But others are coming just to relax after a long work week and enjoy a drink or two and themselves. Bars are places where people congregate; (to put it in a positive way) it’s more of a social hub where people come together to hang out, socialize, share news and experience community. It’s the perfect place to meet people with their guards down where they can be honest and real with one another. I stopped seeing bars as a place of sin and everything that non-Christians do as sin. And even seeing people in such black and white ways as “sinners” and “saints.” That is why I came to be ok with how the people of the world celebrate and enjoy life. What I’m trying to say is that there was a quiet frustration in my evangelist heart that said, “Why isn’t the church meeting the world on their turf where they meet and congregate? What would Jesus have done if He were on earth today? How would He evangelize?” Jesus hung out with the tax collectors and sinners on their turf (Remember He went to Levi’s home and hung out with all his tax collector friends). Wouldn’t Christ be hanging out with the people of the world in bars, clubs, wherever the people gather? I think perhaps this lack of Christian presence in these places is first due to the false belief that bars are places of sin and that by going to them we can become tainted ourselves. This I’ve found is simply not true. The other reason may be our fear of stepping out of the safe confines of the church and our circle of Christian friends, to reach out to those who are different from us. This leads to us becoming passive in our evangelism efforts. Whereas as mature Christians, we should be more proactive in being present where the people of the world gather and be salt and light among them.

The other thing that I learned during my Sabbatical, through some of the most grueling and traumatic hardships I experienced was the priceless value of empathy. Those of you who know me know that after graduating from Fuller Seminary, I experienced several extreme personal hardships which led me to take a break from ministry. And having experienced such pain and trauma, dealing with a lot of emotional angst, unfulfilled desires, and frustration with where I was in my life, I went through the darkest time of my life. In the midst of what I was going through, I cannot forget the words my mother shared with me. She said, “David you had to go through these things to understand the frailty of man. If you had just graduated from seminary and delved right into ministry you would have never been able to embrace and understand people suffering and in pain.” What I went through I did to prepare me to become more empathetic to people. I believe partially that she’s right. I now have become a humbler, more empathetic person to the pain of others. I’m careful to judge others for what they fail to do. I understand that some people are going through a pain so great that they’re powerless under the weight of it. It is not them who are to blame; they are merely victims of the terrible hand that life has dealt them. I believe and hope that what I’ve gone through has in the least made me a more gracious person.  

How does this all relate to evangelism? Evangelism or any form of ministry happens through a twofold understanding. First, understanding of who God is. Second, understanding of who we are as human beings, what makes us tick, what breaks us, what moves us, what brings us to tears, what moves us to joy. Who understood us more than the very God Himself who became one of us and spent 30 years learning to be human? Jesus was the most empathetic evangelist that walked the planet earth. For our evangelism to be truly incarnational, which was Jesus’ method, we need a deeper understanding of human nature. And so it is important as we are learning to evangelize, to connect to people on a human to human level and seek not only to convert the other, (seeing them merely as souls to save) but to learn from them, to be challenged by them, to be inspired by them and to receive love from them. In this way, ministry is not a one-way street, but in serving others, we experience the love of God ministering to us as well. I hope and pray that as we continue to find opportunities to share the Gospel with others, we would grow in our understanding of the humanity of Jesus and the humanity of man, so we could, like Jesus, embrace all frail, sinful people like us and bring them to a relationship with God.

If I could summarize what I’ve learned during my Sabbatical in a few words, it would be “Be more human.” I realize that I myself as one who ministers, am a fallible, weak human being just like the people I minister to and that it is ok to have very real human needs, wants, dreams and aspirations. If I keep on going like a robot while ignoring my own needs, at some point I will breakdown. Just because you are a minister does not mean that you’re somehow above the fray of human emotions and struggles. It is ok to have frailties, personality flaws, weaknesses, because despite all these things God still loves us, and perhaps all the more because of our weaknesses He works powerfully through us to display His glory. His grace is made perfect in weakness. By understanding our own humanity, we also gain a greater capacity to empathize with the humanity of others as well. When we empathize with others in this way, this in turn builds a bridge from our hearts to theirs for the Gospel to travel through. This is the whole reason for the Incarnation, that we like Jesus would truly become like those we minister to; that we would be present with them on their turf, embracing them with all of the gunk, mess and sins they carry. That in doing so we may bring the transformative power of the Gospel, not as those who have it perfectly all together, but as those who like them have experienced deep brokenness and sin but are now mended whole and are being mended whole, with the cracks still showing, breathing, feeling, fully human.

Welcome to Seeds of Love Ministries Blog

Hello folks! This is David Park, founder/director of Seeds of Love Ministries. On this blog I will post testimonies, reflections, meditations from my evangelism experiences. Expect to hear stories from our weekly evangelism outreaches, tips and thoughts on how better to minister to others, and anything helpful and fruitful in building people up in evangelism. I hope that through this blog I could encourage others to become wiser in loving people into the kingdom. Please check back often for updates and feel free to leave comments and questions! Would love to interact with you!