Evangelizing- Part 1 (Ps T L Mukumba)

How can we become more practical and deliberate in sharing our faith on a daily basis?

We become more practical in sharing our faith on a daily basis by prayerfully using networks of relationships around us and occasional evangelism technics to reach to people around us.

Relational evangelism is when we use numerous opportunities that the Lord presents to us through our relationships to people. Using existing relationships and building new ones is best way to reach people around us. It is comfortable to preach to people that you already know you because they can easily trust you and know that your intentions are out of love, unselfish, and also not manipulative and conniving. People around us know lifestyle. If our lifestyle portrays Jesus, we can easily bring people to Jesus. Everyone has got a network of relationship around them. Our friendships, families, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces, aunts and uncles, cousins, mothers, and fathers, these are all people who are around us who we can bring to Jesus through lifestyle and commitment. When our lifestyle portrays Jesus, network of people around would also want to copy and follow the role model (Christ) that is in our life. God want us to use our lives to show others the way. Jesus used the network of relationships that was around Him to preach and reach to the world. Imagine when He went to the wedding of Cana (John 2:1-3). Wine was finished and His mother asked Him to help in the situation. He asked them to fill the empty jars with water and He prayed for it. From that day, His disciples and everyone on the wedding knew that he was the son of God. John 2:11 says, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” Christ’s grace have got a tendency of manifesting in our network of relationships just like what He did at Cana of Galilee.

Evangelism also happened when Jesus visited Peter’s mother in law who was sick of fever after the sabbath day. Mark 1:29-34 says, “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to wait on them. That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” The whole city experienced the touch of God after He visited because of a relationship. Jesus loved his family and He led them into serving with Himself. His brother Jude is the writer of the book of Jude. Relationship are bridges that we can use to reach those who are close to us, so that they can become His family forever.

The bible says we are the salt of the earth, if salt have lost its taste it is no longer good for use. We are the light of the world. We must discover creative ways to building bridges with our unbelieving family members, friends, and neighbors. We can invite them for dinner, breakfast, barbeques and allow our lives to preach to them through the Holy Spirit, our conduct, character, positive attitude, behavior, not forgetting verbalizing and sharing the word of God in short but effectively. We can also do this in community clubs, sports and day to day hobbies which assist us to implicitly build our relationship. Being sensitivity to needs of people around us also helps us to build relationship quickly and easily. If we find a need and meet it, find a hurt and heal it, this build lasting evangelism relational bridges around us. Occasional witnessing also helps us to evangelize easily. For example, when we are invited to some wedding functions, celebrations, and ceremonies, funerals, bad news around people (for example Covid 19 and the coronavirus around us these days), sicknesses, prayer requests and pain. It is important that in all that I have mentioned above, everything should be done prayerfully