By Debbie Shelton
COCHRANE—As Christians, we often leave the evangelism responsibilities to the pastor. If we don’t feel that we have the “gift of evangelism” then that task is not part of our responsibility. But where is the truth in that statement? Paul’s charge to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5 was “do the work of an evangelist,” The truth is, all of us may not have the gift of evangelism but all of us can do the work of an evangelist.
I recently attended an Action 52 evangelism training class, led by Cesar Parra and Paul Johnson from the CNBC Share team. Nineteen people from our church, Tapestry, in Calgary, Alberta, spent a Saturday together learning how to share our testimonies and present the gospel using scripture verses and the Evangecube.
The Action 52 challenge is to plant the seeds of the gospel once a week for 52 weeks. Each person who is “activated” (committed to share the gospel) receives a packet of 52 sunflower seeds. Each time a person shares the gospel, he or she throws away a seed; the goal is to use all of the seeds in a year.
Steve Rathje, our pastor, reported that Tapestry has planted 28 seeds since May. Some of our most faithful “seed sowers” at Tapestry have been our kids. Mila, a nurse who attends our church, called to let him know she has recently shared the gospel with 5 people at work, two of them accepted Christ.
Here are some impressions of the Action 52 training day:
Steve (pastor) “Sometimes we tend to think that by practicing sharing the gospel that we’re somehow taking away from the sincerity or spiritual impact of the message, like polishing up a sales pitch. But that’s not the case at all. Practicing can actually help us be more effective at what the Scripture calls us to do: ‘If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it’ (1 Peter 3:15).”
Giselle (high school student) “For me, Action 52 was a whole new experience; I learned a lot and enjoyed every single minute of it. This training allowed me to learn more about sharing the gospel and the importance of it, and how it’s something every single believer must do with joy, love and glorifying God.”
Kevin (accountant) “Cesar gave us some ‘tools‘ to be able to share with others. I also thought that being able to share our story and to practice the e-cube with someone at the training was useful, so I could become more comfortable with these tools and be able to see that I can do this. I [became] more comfortable with the fact that not everyone will accept the gospel the first time and we have to be patient with people [and] not give up.”
Rosalba (mother and artist) “Thanks be to God for His Word ... Every day of our life, God through His words, make us capable to be a witness of His love and anywhere we are we must be ready to share His plan of salvation.”
Dan (technologist) “I believe all of us who claim to be Christians should be sharing our faith at every opportunity, and the biggest stumbling block to sharing is not having enough confidence that we could put the important points together in an understandable manner. This training can help everyone of us focus on the main points of the gospel and leave the converting to the Holy Spirit.”
Glenn (seminary professor) “It helped to stop and reflect on the fact that God’s work in my own life is a story that He can use in the life of someone else. We may not all have what most people would consider to be a dramatic story of conversion, but each of us has experienced God’s grace in a real and unique way.”
Bob (CNBC team leader) “It inspired me to see how many folks from Tapestry came out for the training. The training was personally helpful for me to remember to have a plan to share my story of what Christ has done in my life.”
Jana (grade 6 student) summed up the day: “At the Action 52 evangelism training session, I learned so much about how to share my story and tell others about God in only 5 minutes. Cesar taught me, and everyone, that there is no reason to be afraid and yet we still should have a fear.”
“We practiced sharing with another person and I felt scared even though I knew the person. But it was a good kind of fear because I knew that I would be doing it for God soon and that He would give me the words to say that would reach that person.
“Even though I was the only kid there, that didn’t make me feel discouraged at all; I actually felt better because I learned that even though I was just a kid, I can make a big difference just like any grown-up!”