Gospel: discovering a style that fits

 

Styles of clothing – all different – the centre aisle a catwalk

Different styles of witnessing for Jesus – we would expect that to be the case because God has wired up each person differently.

• partly by nature – your DNA that was inherited from your parents
• partly by nurture – the experiences God has given you in life so far

Sometimes we try to communicate Christ in a style that we’re ill-equipped for?

• Rather like wearing clothes that don’t fit – or just look stupid – mutton dressed up as lamb!
• We each have an internal script that influences how we talk about Jesus

Today I want to encourage you to find your style and develop your skill by using it

When you find the style that best fits you, your witnessing for Jesus will suddenly become a whole lot more natural!

But first – what is the gospel? in a nutshell

• God made us >>>
• sin damaged us >>>
• Christ rescues us >>>
• The Holy Spirit empowers us. >>>

Now for moments when we’ll be talking about Jesus, what do our different styles of communication look like?

the story teller

You might be a story teller if you spontaneously find out about people’s stories and don’t mind them knowing your own. You’re the kind of person who will share your mistakes and struggles with people so you can identify with them and their story just fascinates you!

• And when it comes to talking about Jesus you can easily spin the story so your friend will grasp it and enjoy the ride.
• Story tellers tend to be very good listeners too, and able to say the right thing at the right moment. They make you feel at ease!

E.g. the man born blind John 9:

“One I was blind but now I can see!”

• that’s a very compelling story! But he was hounded by the authorities about it, he stuck to his story and just told it like it was.

I often notice about story tellers that they will signpost their friend to the next step. The man born blind signposted people to Jesus. It was unforced and plain.

The confronters

These people are in yer face.

You might be a confronter if, when you’re in conversation, you like to attack issues directly. If people who beat about the bush wind you up, and you want to get the truth out quickly and clearly.

But beware!

• I was doing some training a little while ago (somewhere else, not here) and I was giving them some pastoral scenarios to talk about. These people were church leaders, each had pastoral responsibility for a section of the church’s ministry.
• Scenario “In your small group it’s become obvious that Sophie is sleeping with her boyfriend” –
• IN their groups I got them talking about questions like “what is she feeling?” “what is the Bibles view on the situation” “what would be the best way of helping her?” “what (if anything) would you do?”

The first person to speak in the feedback was a man who said “Just tell her it’s wrong!”

• and I tried to draw out of him what it might feel like to be on the receiving end of his message
• And while he accepted that it might come over as a little direct, he still persisted “However you dress it up, you’re just go to tell her!”

Now there is a place for being direct. Sometimes the right thing to do is to tell it straight. And if that’s you, you may also need to tune up your empathy radar to get a handle on how you might come over.

• Sometimes, however, when done with compassion, it’s the right thing to do
• E.g. “I know you’re trying to dodge God at the moment, because he’s making claims about what you’re doing, but there will come a day when you ‘ll have to give account to him. You need to know that!”

Probably the best example in the Bible is Peter.

• He was a confrontational evangelist.
• Peter had the tact of a mallet. He even tried to put Jesus in his place. On one occasion Jesus was being very vulnerable with his disciples:

Jesus had begun to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer … at the hands of the elders and chief priests … and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

• You might have hoped that the disciples would rally round Jesus, that at least one of them would put his arm across Jesus shoulder and say something gentle and encouraging. BUT here’s what actually happened

Matthew 16:22 Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; …

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their own cross and follow me.

You might think a personality like Peter’s is a liability to the kingdom – but not a bit of it.

When the Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost, who did God have waiting in the wings to confront the crowd with the truth about what was going on? He had Peter.

Acts 2:22 ‘Fellow Israelites, listen to this: You know that Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, … and with the help of wicked men you put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

(how to win friends …)

24 But God raised him from the dead, … because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him!

That’s pretty forceful stuff and at that moment it was exactly what needed to be said. (and 3,000 were converted)

Peter was a confronter

the reasoners.

You might be a reasoner if you like the cut and thrust of debate.

• You like investigating things and reasoning them through.
• You like examining the arguments and coming to a confident conclusion – and helping other people to do the same.

• In conversations, you naturally key in on questions that are holding up a person’s understanding or progress.

• You have a strong tendency to be inquisitive, analytical, logical, and far more on what people are thinking than how they are feeling.

Negatively, those within this category are often perceived as a bit cold, aloof, insensitive, impersonal and uncaring.

A good example of a reasoner in Paul

• At one time he was the church’s greatest enemy, but he became the church’s most powerful advocate.

We sometimes think that when Saul of Tarsus met Christ in the road to Damascus that he had a personality change. But that isn’t true.

• Even before he became a Christian he was a leader, an intellectual and an intensely driven man who didn’t suffer fools gladly

After his conversion, many of those traits stayed put. But God had channelled his drive to achieve and to understand and to lead in a completely different direction.

• To glorify Christ, not to vilify him

• to build the church, not to destroy it.

When Paul was in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks,

• then went to the market place to do the same with whoever happened to be there.

18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, ‘What is this babbler trying to say?’ Others remarked, ‘He seems to be advocating foreign gods.’ They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.’

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: ‘People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship – and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

Paul systematically reasoned through the faith – and he started for where they were. Worshippers of multiple gods and yet still uncertain of themselves spiritually.

the empathisers

You might be an empathiser if you are a “people person” and you place a high value on friendship.

• You would rather delve into personal life issues than fuss with abstract theoretical ideas. You’ll prefer discussing your friend’s life before getting into the details of their beliefs and opinions.
• In fact you’ll enjoy long talks with friends, and it doesn’t matter much where we are or where we’re going.

If that sounds like you then you’re probably an empathiser.

• You have a bias towards being warm, compassionate, and focused upon people and their needs.

A Biblical example: Matthew (Luke 5:29-32)

Matthew had just been called to follow Jesus and the first thing he did was to go home and throw a party.

To that party he invited all his tax collector friends and his family and a few others he’d got to know (on facebook?)

His motive was simple. “If I get these people into a room, and get Jesus there too then something wonderful could happen. As I, Matthew, share my story and talk with my friends, maybe, just maybe, some spiritual sparks will get ignited that God can fan into flame later on.”

And this interpersonal approach to getting his faith across impacted the lives of people in his world.

He became the person through whom his friends found out about Jesus because he empathised with them – one of the most effective and long-lasting ways of getting the message across.

the inviters

An inviter is a person who will invite a friend to something where they might hear about Jesus

Good Biblical example:

John 1:40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

What if he hadn’t? What if he’d thought “I’ve got something better to do?”

• We would have missed out on >>>
• Andrew invited Peter and God did the rest!

This is one of the easiest and also most effective styles of evangelism! Almost any of us can do it!

How about inviting someone to ‘the God particle’ or to church on a Sunday?

the servers

You might be a server if you quickly spot needs in people’s lives that others often overlook. If you find fulfilment in helping others, often in behind-the-scenes ways you’re probably a servant witness.

A wonderful example was Tabitha

• Tabitha was always doing good and helping the poor but she became ill and died
• The believers knew that Peter was nearby so they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’

Acts 9:39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood round him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning towards the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.

41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.

So valuable was Dorcas serving ministry that God even raised from the dead to continue!

42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

I’d like you to take a look at this video clip:

 

Which styles do you see?

• Kim – empathiser – sitting patiently with Lisa, listening to her
• Lisa – inviter – she invited her boss to church – often by the look of it!
• Thomas – confronter – often true of public speakers because we challenge people and preach for a verdict.
• James – server – served his family to make up for lost time and then served the boys in the basketball club

Pray