Ignite with Barry Meguiar Podcast

The reason America has become a Post Christian Nation is that Christians have stopped sharing their faith AND stopped having fun. Forget what you’ve been told! Faith Sharing is Fun – and EASY! If you want to have the time of your life – for the rest of your life – you’re going to love this message!

Here’s the truth: The term ‘Evangelism’ is no longer attractive – to anyone. No one wants to Evangelize and no one wants to be Evangelized. Announce that you’re holding an ‘Evangelism Class’ in your church and two people will show up.

While Evangelism IS more important than ever – all of us are called to do it – we need to stop using the term ‘Evangelism’ AND the things we’ve always done TO Evangelize people. They’re not working!

Now, mind you, God’s Word will never return void. However we proclaim the good news – it will always impact lives . . . but it can also repulse lives at the same time – and that’s not good.

I passed a guy on a street corner this week yelling, with a megaphone, the world is coming to an end, come to Jesus now! And I thought to myself, God Bless him for his zeal, and maybe someone will be stirred with his message, but how many others are being be repulsed by it?

When we were first married, Karen and I actually went knocking on doors AT NIGHT in the neighborhood around our church in Detroit. You can’t do that today. No one would open the door! We’d probably get shot! And for sure, the family wouldn’t want to stop what they’re doing, to invite us into their house to give them a sales pitch on Jesus. That actually worked back in the day, but not now.

Most Americans have their defenses up today. It’s a different world. You can’t encroach on people’s space. And people don’t want to be sold something they don’t want – by someone they don’t know. That’s why Social-Media is so successful today!

And then there’s the pent-up anger in America, that’s killing innocent people every day across the country, for doing nothing wrong! Without question: The dynamics of talking to people who are lost and without God – has clearly changed

The message that all have sinned and are heading to Hell is not where you want to start conversations with the lost today. The last thing they need to hear is that they’re a sinner. They probably already know that – and believe that God hates them. IF they believe in God, they probably believe that God is angry at them . . . and have no idea that God Loves them. No one gets mad at you for telling them that God Loves Them!

All of this explains why Jesus said they will know you’re my disciple – by your love. Not by your memorization of scripture or bullet points or even your life story! All those things may be helpful at some point, but – loving on people is how relationships are formed. And building relationships is the essence of Evangelism.

The surprise comes in how fast you can build relationships with complete strangers, by simply – loving on them. Most people are starving for love and when they see your love is for real, they’ll tell you things they wouldn’t tell their best friend. Seriously, it can happen in less that ten minutes of casual conversation, when you block everything out and focus all of your thoughts and your love – on them.

Quite frankly, sharing your faith is effortless, when you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself. There’s nothing left for you to do. You have no excuse! You can start right now!

God knows you can’t prepare for spontaneous conversations with complete strangers – because you have no idea where their conversation will take you. THIS is where the fun begins. This is where you begin to have an intimacy with God that cannot be achieved any other way.

This is why God tells us in Isaiah 43:10: I appointed you as my witness so that YOU will believe. Faith sharing explodes YOUR Faith!

You simply allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of an illustration or a life experience or a passage of scripture, that you may not have thought about for years, and you watch it speak to the heart of the persons need and you see life change and emotions – and you know God is speaking through you at that very moment. Luke 12:12 tells us The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at the moment you need them. It’s supernatural!

This is way more than Evangelism! It’s being all in with God, knowing He created you, He owns you, He Loves you into Salvation and wants to love everyone around you into Salvation – through you. And when you allow Him to do that . . . it just doesn’t get any better!

See You Next time!