How many words is too many for a ‘Readables’ article suggestion?

This graphic is somewhat ‘hard’ to read, though it has only about 147 words in it. The article I’m going to suggest you tackle, has a little over 44 times that many. But if becoming more equipped to share your faith is what brought you to my site, I think it may be worth it.
“How do we engage with people in practice?” is the last article of a three-part series adapted from chapters by Tony Watkins in Beyond the Fringe: Reaching People Outside the Church. It looks in depth at how to bring a Christian perspective into many of those conversations we have with friends and family.
As you dig into this article, you’ll read about the three main types of groups conversations fall into; Personal Issues, Issues in Society, and Issues in the Media; three important factors to work on to get better at these talks; Know the Gospel, Know what’s going on in current events, and Know people’s beliefs and values and where they get them; and steps you can take to evaluate the conversation so that the right message comes forth.
P.S. I read the complete article as I prepared this post and, among other things, have this quote as a great take away for myself, and perhaps you.
“There is a world to be won and most of us need all the help we can get.”
But Wait, There’s More…
- Read previous ‘Readables’ articles in this series
- Take a quick look at the 15 ‘Readables’ dating back to 2013
- Check out my Training Tips articles
Everyday Eisenman’s – Times Have Changed?
Tom Eisenman, writing in the introduction to Everyday Evangelism, says, “The world today is a tough place. People are in pain. People live in fear…People are used, abused and discarded. Everybody is banged up. Nobody knows which way to turn. The point is, things have gotten so bad that even the simplest acts of love and caring have become big news.“
Wow…he’s really summed up the issues were facing with the Covid-19 pandemic, politicized rhetoric coming from the right and left, racism that’s being experienced on levels beyond belief, crime and violence erupting from peaceful protests, and so much more. Only he wrote this in 1987…33 years ago.
But then, he says something quite startling. In speaking of the world’s situation at the time, he writes it “should be a tremendous encouragement to us in the church.” How can that be you might be thinking? His rather surprising statement is based on his conclusion that “we are living in a day when the normal Christian person can make a huge contribution for Christ with even a moderate investment of love and kindness. Just a touch of love today can turn the world upside-down for Christ.”
We probably all know that the love he’s talking about is not that feeling we have being around that special someone. It’s about doing and caring for others and here are a few ideas I grabbed from an article at Project Inspired.
Now, we don’t do good so that people will ask us what prompted our behavior, thus opening up a door to share the gospel. We love because it’s God’s greatest commandment. But when we love, the chances that people will be drawn to us, and that an opportunity to share will become a reality, can greatly increase.
Want More Resources for Sharing Your Faith?