NOTE: This weekly post—the last of ten—is adapted from The Christian Man and syncs to the currently available episode of “The Christian Man” Online Bible Study series.
In The Christian Man chapter on friendships, I describe how the world can be a never-sleeping juggernaut that crushes everything in its path without pity and takes its toll on men. I say this because we need to be aware that most men are much more fragile than we would ever imagine—certainly far more vulnerable than they would ever want us to know.
For this reason, we need to emphasize that evangelism is—at its core—a ministry of reconciliation. We need to treat people with love, kindness, empathy, and respect. The big idea is that we’re not trying to trick people into becoming Christians. Evangelism is simply taking someone as far as they want to go toward Jesus at that particular moment.
You may wonder, how can we convince a new generation of people that Christianity is true when they do not believe in absolute truth? I suggest that for this generation, a more resonant starting point is not that Christianity is true but that it’s real.
Of course, I’m not saying it’s more important that Christianity be real than true—only that it’s a more resonant starting point to a generation that can’t grasp claims of absolute truth. This is the first key to engage our audience: to understand where they’re coming from.
You and I—we are the guides, sharing our personal experiences. As guides, we need two things: (1) someone who is lost and needs a guide, and (2) a plan of action that leads that person to reconciliation with Christ and the people they love.
That’s why in this chapter, I will school you on an engaging and intentional step-by-step process to help a person change their life in Christ. First, we’ll discuss how to break the ice and start a spiritual conversation. Then I’ll give you a proven, time-tested way to share your own spiritual story. Finally, I’ll give you what you need to help someone become a Christian.
I hope you will study this chapter in The Christian Man, The Christian Man Coaching Guide (free download), and/or check out the Man in the Mirror Bible Study on “Sharing My Faith.”
We hope you have enjoyed this ten-part series! Please offer a prayer for our vision to mentor 1,000,000 men using the book and free coaching guide. You can join the movement by mentoring a man or small group using The Christian Man Mentoring Experience. And send me an email at patrickmorley@maninthemirror.org if you want to get involved at the national level.
Yours for changed lives,
Pat
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