Don't Let the Yoga Pants Fool You

The other weekend, we were in another town celebrating my birthday. It was frigid outside, so we were walking through the local mall. As we were leaving the bright interior of Dillard's for the busy happenings of the food court, two ladies stopped us to tell us the Good News of Jesus.

Except they weren't really sharing the Good News of Jesus; they were sharing the great "mysteries" of the Bible and, "Did you know that Passover is the only way to living water and that there's not only a Father God but a Mother God as well?"

In fairness, these poor women thought they had encountered a run-of-the-mill heathen, seeing that I was wearing my yoga pants and my "short hair, don't care" attitude, fit for the lostest of the lost, but what they didn't know was that they were encountering someone who thoroughly loves Jesus, her fellow sisters in Christ, and has asked God to burn His Word into her very heart.

The look of panic these poor women had when Matt and I opened our mouths...

I think the nervous energy they carried bothered me the most. I mean, sure, I was bothered by what they were saying about Passover (Jesus came to fulfill the law, and the New Testament clearly outlines that we share in communion as believers in remembrance of what He did on the cross) and their thoughts on "God the Mother" (not in the Bible...like at all), but the thing that got me most was how much of a chore talking to us seemed to be for them.

Like if they didn't accost strangers in public, there'd be hell to pay back home.

It broke my heart, so I did something God prompted me to do. I asked about them. About their lives. I learned about one of the women's grandchildren and her kids. Her demeanor instantly relaxed. She wore a smile on her face, and her heart felt...lighter.

When I think of examples of sharing the Good News in the Bible, a few specific examples come to mind.

• Some of the greatest examples of evangelism in Scripture are when people are healed by Jesus (whether physically or mainly spiritually, like the woman at the well), and then they share that news with others. This is a beautiful reminder that recounting our personal testimonies defeats the enemy's schemes and can organically bring others to Christ (Revelation 12:11).
• Another great example is Philip and the Ethiopian. God leads Philip to the Ethiopian, who is trying to understand the Book of Isaiah, and Philip offers to explain it to Him. It is God who leads the charge in our sharing the Good News, and He is the one softening the hearts of those who are destined to respond to it, not us.
• When Paul brings the good news to the Athenians, he references their very own culture. I think this is important because it is easy to demonize the lost and force them to understand the Word God gave us, but how arrogant of us. God made us relational, so we're amiss to not use this opportunity to sit with another person different than us, learn their ways, and then ask God how we can use this new relationship to show them how very much He desires to have them be His child.

Ultimately, I hope this post inspires you and confirms that evangelism isn't about forcing you to act in discomfort. It's a reliance on Jesus as you ask Him to bring the lost your way so that you can love them through the greatest act we can muster: telling them about the God who died for their very souls.