I’m SURE you are an evangelist…

I understand that people sometimes feel ill at ease sharing their faith, but my guess is that we are actually all evangelists in some aspects of our lives.

No really!

A few years ago we discovered VOIP telephones, (voice over internet protocol) and were amazed at how much money we saved. Our phone bill dropped from $90.00 a month down to $25.00 and the quality of service was almost as good as Telstra.

I found myself speaking to all my friends about VOIP and telling them they needed to make the switch and preaching to them the ‘gospel’ of VOIP which I felt was very very good news! Precious few converted, but it didn’t daunt me. I knew the goodness of VOIP and had proven its value in our own lives so I kept on being a VOIP evangelist.

I’m sure you have other aspects of your own life that you can’t stop of speaking of to others. Think of all those weird Macbook people who just can’t help themselves…

Oddly enough I feel no embarrassment or awkwardness when I present VOI P to my friends. I do so because I genuinely believe that without VOIP their life is so much the poorer… ok so I jest a little, but I am convinced that everyone ought to go this route.

As I pondered my VOIPish evangelistic tendencies I noticed the following:

- I am not rewarded in any way for my friends getting onto VOIP. I speak to them because I am sure this is the best thing for them

- I am not worried at all if people reject my offers to help them switch to VOIP. I don’t take it personally. I don’t get ashamed of my VOIPishness and I don’t feel scared about going back to them with it again.

- I don’t care how they get onto VOIP just so long as they do. Their conversion is what matters – not whether I get the credit or not.

Now, just draw the analogies with Christian evangelism and ask ‘what do I learn?’

I think the comparisons are obvious and in some ways disturbing.

- Maybe we share our faith because we seek some status in our Christyian peer group.

- Maybe we feel it is compulsory and we must do it.

- We often feel rejected personally if people don’t accept our view and never go back to try again.

- We want to be the one who clinches the deal rather than just being happy that the deal gets done.

I could go on, but you get the point.

Whatever we are passionate we will pass on to others. I guess the relevant question is ‘what am I passionate about?…