There's a lot of people getting involved in clubs now. And no, I am not in any way referring to raising a roof, pumping up a jam, or fist pumping the freshest of beats. (If any of that makes me sound dated, I apologize.) No, what I'm talking about are things like school clubs, church clubs, or any gathering of people for a common goal and purpose. The club I had when growing up?
The Sharing Club.
Do not adjust your monitor, you read that correctly. Yes, it was a club (misnomer: it was just me, my mom, and my brother) in which all of its members were dedicated to sharing whatever they had with each other. Now, in order to avoid any backlash from my family, I will forbid myself from mentioning anything regarding the fact that this might have been really childish, dorky, or strange. I refuse to say anything along the lines that it just sounded kinda weird. Yup, not saying a single word. You're getting nothing outta me, bub.
"So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." (1 Thessalonians 2)
There's a big movement of street evangelism in the world of Christendom nowadays. And it's great! I applaud the effort of those who would brave sharing the gospel with people they've never met. It is a bold thing to give the Good News to a stranger, and I tend to think that it should be more normal for the believer to do than what we make it out to be. Instead of seeing it as a thing that only "strong Christians" (whatever that means) do, or as a thing that is only done in organized events, I think every believer should make it a habit to give the gospel to people on the bus, cashiers, waitresses, etc. In fact, I used to do this a lot, and I should probably be doing more of it now.
BUT... (there is a but) I think this form of evangelism lacks the biggest key to the strength of the gospel: Christians sharing themselves. Yes, you can share the Good News with that lady you found in the produce aisle at Walmart, (or should I say "aisles", as in all 513 of them) but the fact remains that she doesn't know you from Adam (or Eve, for you ladies. Trying to keep things PC around here, after all. We all know how good I am at that). She hasn't experienced the God Who, through you, can show love even after being friends with her for a long time. She hasn't seen you, through the conduit of relationship, show her grace when all she's done is hurt you. She hasn't seen you be good when everything around you is bad.
Paul knew that the gospel has the opportunity to take fruitful ground when it is lived out in front of someone, and not just spoken. It is this relational part of ministry that give people a glimpse at the God inside of you. You get to actually share a piece of God with someone else. So, as cheesy as this is about to sound, I beg you:
Please join the Sharing Club.
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