Becoming A Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels & Mark Mittelberg

Author:Bill Hybels & Mark Mittelberg [Hybels, Bill & Mittelberg, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-06-22T16:59:17+00:00

Kathy felt sad for her friend but excited about the opportunity to be used by God to love and encourage both of them, which she did wholeheartedly. In the process, she and Rae Ann became close again, and Kathy was able to help both of them put their trust in Christ. Though Rae Ann’s husband died within a few weeks, she had newfound hope that she’d see him in heaven. Shortly thereafter, Kathy and Rae Ann were baptized together. And it all started with a phone call to an old friend.

Who could you call? What address do you need to look up so you can drop a note of encouragement and reestablish a waiting-to-be-recovered friendship? Even if you’ve lost track of where the person lives, a little creative thinking and a couple of inquiries can usually get you the information you’ll need.

Call them out of curiosity. Call them for fun. But in the process, prayerfully watch for opportunities to talk about some of the changes God has affected in your life. They’ll probably be more interested than you’d expect.

PEOPLE YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW

Now we’ve come to the area that makes a lot of Christians nervous. Talking to people they know or even going back to reestablish old relationships doesn’t sound too bad. But trying to talk to strangers about God? That’s going a bit too far.

Relax. We’re not talking about spiritually accosting unsuspecting pass-ersby! The idea is to find ways to build rapport with people you come into contact with through natural means, with the hopes of eventually being able to discuss spiritual topics. I even have a fancy title for it: contagious consumerism.

Contagious Consumerism

Here’s how it works. All of us go to gas stations, restaurants, dry cleaners, grocery stores, clothing shops, and other places for the necessities of everyday life, right? Well, with a little forethought, those mundane errands can be turned into evangelistic adventures.

The first step is to approach the people working in these places not as objects to serve us but as people who matter to God and who are worthy of our love and concern. That’s the fundamental attitude necessary for every aspect of contagious Christianity.

When we approach individuals with that attitude, and when we frequent their place of business with courtesy and concern for their welfare, it’s pretty easy to get on a friendly first-name basis. The relationship will grow as we show genuine interest in their life, their family, their work, and their hobbies. Over time, we’ll begin to earn their trust and pique their curiosity about what it is that makes us different from so many other customers who don’t seem to care about them at all. In other words, the combination of high potency and close proximity will make you into some very effective salt.

I’ve developed a friendship in this way that has added a new dimension to my visits to a particular restaurant and that may one day serve to turn another wayward person toward Christ. It’s a place my son, Todd, and I like to frequent.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.