Out of the salt shaker
My sister let me borrow an old book recently (which I think has now been reprinted in the last 8 years), Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life.
Convicting stuff.
Questions which have been swirling around in my head today: How do I make evangelism a way of life? Am I willing to be "dumped out" of my comfort zone in order to share Christ with a lost and dying world? Am I willing to take risks to share Christ? How do I find the balance of being "in the world but not of the world" - am I leaning too far to one side or the other? How often am I praying for opportunities to share Christ?
I'd love to hear from you: How are you actively seeking to be salt and light where God has placed you?
Convicting stuff.
Questions which have been swirling around in my head today: How do I make evangelism a way of life? Am I willing to be "dumped out" of my comfort zone in order to share Christ with a lost and dying world? Am I willing to take risks to share Christ? How do I find the balance of being "in the world but not of the world" - am I leaning too far to one side or the other? How often am I praying for opportunities to share Christ?
I'd love to hear from you: How are you actively seeking to be salt and light where God has placed you?
posted by Crystal Paine at 5:18 PM
13 Comments:
Right now I mostly focus on the two people God has placed into my hands for training, my son and daughter. My daughter has professed a faith in Jesus as her savior, but my son, 6, still doesn't completely understand it. So, I'm working with them and training them. Sometimes God will place someone else in my path as well, but for now I think it's clear who he wants me to share the gospel with. They are my ministry.
I don't believe we are to be seeking to be salt and light in the world...in the sense that it is human effort rather than our being conformed to the image of Christ. We are to be abiding in Him and drawing life from Him...just as fruit on a tree simply abides and draws all it needs from the rooted tree. We are God's workmanship and it is His responsibility to have salt and light be evident via us. We simply yield in "being" the sheep that hear His voice and follow Him.
When fruit of the Spirit/Father/Jesus is evident, the believer is yielded. Jesus is the Light of the World...and He is Salt(in the sense that He is cleansing, healing, preserving, humble and not withdrawing from a world with sin...ever hear folks proclaim someone to be the salt of the earth?, wisdom, pure and natural rather than extraction-processed like chemically-altered table salt or like salt that has been mixed with substances to be offered for more personal profit...such salt cannot lose it's flavor, etc.). We are to "be" salt and light just as we are to "be" Christians. It's a matter of whether we want others to see, hear, elevate us(the yielding is to the flesh and sin and Satan) or if we are like lavender in that when we are bumped or we touch others in the slightest way, the savour(scent) of Jesus naturally is evident. Fruit doesn't seek or strain to be produced. Just abide in the One that is Abundant Life. Go where He leads and grow where He plants. Blogging, with neighbors, in the grocery store, keeping the home...just abide and others will see Jesus working in and through the believer.
There is simplicity in Christ. He is good. Be salt and light and when tried by fire, there will be remaining works that result in crowns that rightly belong to our precious Lord and Savior because He's been the one producing the reality.
Hmmm, I am in a season of my life where the couch and toliet are my best friend. So, I am trying not to feel real guilty that all my normal evanglistic desires and doings are on the back side of this new season in my life with a pregnancy. It is hard though.
Chrissy
The Lord is teaching me about grace and peace (I Peter 1.2), as well as Biblical womanhood. As I am the only Christian in my family, and being a young woman who homeschools, I have entire days to let my light shine to them. The seeds of mature fruit have lain dormant for the past two years (since I came to the Lord) and are now beginning to sprout. It is really exciting to see the changes God has worked in my life and the things he is teaching me. Homeschooling again this year is such a blessing!! Lately, providential circumstances have changed my heart and provided me with opportunities to serve women with babies and toddlers, and I have gained a desire to be a mother and to serve in my home and church. (Amazing: two years ago I was planning university and a possible military nursing career!)
I just started reading "Lord, I Wish My Family Would Get Saved" (very encouraging) and have requested the Saltshaker book from the library. An hour of early morning devotions has been fertilizer to the garden of my spiritual life, as has Elizabeth George's Bible study book on I Peter.
God can do so much in our lives if only we let Him! It has been a great blessing for me to be home! And Crystal, thank you so much for your website and blog. It is a great encouragement to me. God bless you, ladies!
Over the summer, I felt directed to join our local getting moms together group, as a friendship evangelism tool. I found it uncomfortable at times. I would much rather sit with/talk to "my" friends who live like me, talk like me, look like me...you get the picture. It was ironic, however, that although I felt directed to become part of this group to minister, I have been ministered to. A month ago, my 2 year old son broke his femur (his 6th fracture due to a congenital collagen deficiency) and this group brought loads of books and toys to our house for him to play with.
I love your blog, many congrats on your pregnancy!
Amy
I think Lydia would be most interested in my idea. I love her blog, too! I joined the Nurse's Christian Fellowship. They give you a pin (similar to your school pin) that you can put on your name badge. Patients and staff ask about it and it opens up conversation. Aside from being a great group for Christian nurses, it's a chance to open a conversation about Christianity. When people see the good example I set and then see the pin, it makes witnessing easy.
Crystal,
One great idea of lifestyle evangelism shared with me was to repeatedly go to the same places of business, and to the same check-out clerk, go to the same restuarant and ask for the same waiter/waitress. Build relationships this way in your busy life as a wife and mother. Keep a notebook in your car and jot down the names of the people you see as you run your errands, what information they shared with you about their life, etc. The next time, before you go into the store/restuarant/cleaners/etc., look at your notebook and then ask about how their life is. They will be shocked that you remembered and you built a bridge into their life. They will remember you and begin looking for you. Then take it from there as the Lord leads.
Thank you for blogging. You are a blessing to many.
Wow, bevtn, what a great comment.
Crystal, you have to just DO it. Whenever you get out of the house, ask God to give the chance to share the Gospel to you... and He will. Then, just start talking. If you find yourself next to someone at the grocery store or in line at the bank, strike up a conversation- about the weather, about your daughter, about the busy day. As soon as you have a chance in that conversation, link WHATEVER you are doing to the Gospel, and the conversation will go from there. People are SO ready and eager to talk about spiritual things, and your confidence will only charm them. Just do it.
Also, you have thousands of readers here! You have an amazing evangelism tool that many Christians could only dream about. Why not run a weekly post on apologetics or evangelism techniques? Why not post some of your readers' testimonies of their conversions to Christ as a witness to unsaved readers? Those of us with many non Christian readers would probably be excited to link to some wonderful testimonies...
Way to go, sister:)
I recently read a fantastic book called Ambassador Families by Mitali Perkins, teaching and training your family/children to be ambassadors for Christ in the world of popular culture AND how to use popular culture for the kingdom instead of being ruled and driven by it. It was eye opening for me and I'm so glad I read it now. My girls are 3 and 9 months so they are still at an age where I need to protect them from most of what is out there, but the author had wonderful suggestions on how to introduce your children as they start to get older.
Hi Crystal, this is an area I struggle with. Sometimes I feel like I live in a "holy huddle." My social life is dominated by church friends, bible study friends, home school mom friends, and my children's Christian school. Of course, I know my primary ministry right now is my family, but I do feel like I spend more of social time "fellowshipping" rather than shining in a dark world.
This is something on my heart lately. And I find it very interesting that the post on being quiverful generated 6 times as many comments as the one on bringing people into the kingdom. A sad commentary, perhaps?
brooke
Hello, Crystal! My in-laws are both Muslim. One is born and raised, the other a convert from Catholicism. My husband is a Christian. My husband likes to just live and let live to keep peace, but I feel my in-laws are my mission field. Since I am submitted to my husband and understand his desire for peace in the family, I shine Christ's light quietly, with impeccable behavior and morals, kindness and generosity to those in need, regular Bible reading and Church attendence, modest dress, etc. I also keep a coop of the Koran on the bookshelf with our MANY Bibles and other Christian literature. Is there anything more I should be doing or is this enough? Can you think of anything else? I would greatly appreciate any insight you could give me, but also understand that in your present condition you might not feel up to it. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
hmmm I really struggle with this. ALthough moist everyone I meet knows I am a Christian, it doesn't seem like I get many opportunities to share, and whenever I do, it seems like I say the wrong thing or am just not very good at it. But I'll keep praying that God will use me.
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