Читать книгу Magnetic Christianity: Using Your God-Given Gifts to Build the Kingdom - Gus J.D. Lloyd - Страница 4

INTRODUCTION

Living out one’s faith is not an easy thing to do. I want to start this book by freely admitting that I am not always very good about sticking to the principles that I will talk about here. Like everyone, I have my share of foibles and follies. In fact, I probably have my share, your share and the shares of the bulk of the population of a large nation. But I take encouragement in my shortcomings, knowing that God still has plenty of work to do with me. If there is one thing I do well, it is keeping God busy!

For the past 25 years, I have been a Catholic evangelist. Now, to some, that may seem an oxymoron. Wait a minute, they’ll say. There’s no such thing as a Catholic evangelist. I remember a recent encounter I had with a woman in an airport. I was reading some Henri Nouwen on my Kindle. She was sitting next to me, flipping the pages of a bulky book. She looked over and asked me if I missed the feel of turning pages. (The answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no.) We struck up a conversation and she asked me what I do for a living. I told her I am a radio host and Catholic evangelist. At first she looked at me like I had three eyes. She crinkled her nose and said, “I didn’t know there was such a thing.” As God would have it, she was a wonderful Christian woman, very devoted to the Lord. We wound up having a very Spirit-filled conversation. She told me about some Catholic friends she has always admired and who had worked closely with her family in the pro-life movement. I told her they were Catholic evangelists, too!

Here is a brief synopsis of my faith story: I was raised Catholic, fell away from any faith in my late teens, then gave my life to Christ in my mid-to-late twenties. My wife, Michelle, and I began to worship at a non-denominational church. I read the Bible voraciously and grew strong in my faith. Then Michelle and I decided to look into the Catholic Church, which is where we both grew up. We rediscovered our Catholic faith and have been practicing since.

The reason I share this is to let you know that I have been on both sides of what some see as a great divide. It is part of my mission in life to help bridge this divide. While I am Catholic, many of my dearest friends are Protestant. For most people, this is no big deal. But there is a segment of the Christian population out there that does not believe that Catholics are Christian. While I understand that many of these people are well intentioned, they are dead wrong. Catholics are Christians!

Are there theological differences? Yes. There are arguments for and against each. In this book, I want nothing to do with the differences. Rather, I want to reflect on something that we hold dearly in common: the need to transform the culture. More and more people are walking away from any relationship with God. Watching Christians bicker with one another is something that I believe helps push people away. How will people see Christ in us when we can’t even seem to see Christ in one another? My prayer is that, wherever you worship, you will be able to grow in faith and grace and help bring others to know the One that has changed your life and will change theirs forever.

Believe it or not, all Christians are evangelists. At least, we’re supposed to be. We are called to fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Here’s Big Mistake #1 that too many Christians make: they think that Jesus’ command to make disciples (evangelize) is reserved only for priests and pastors and deacons and brothers and sisters and bishops and the pope and people who work for the Church. WRONG! While the clergy and religious have a special role to play in the Church and in the world, there are countless souls who may never even be exposed to one. Others may even look on them with indifference at best, and disdain at worst.

No, the real work of building up the Kingdom of God begins with me and you.

Now, I don’t mean to scare you off, but I must let you know that the world is watching us. This is happening whether we like it or not, whether we accept the responsibility or not. How many times have you heard a sports star say, “I don’t want to be a role model.” Well, whether they want to or not, they are. Kids listen to what they say, watch what they do and want to imitate them.

The same is true of you when you profess to be a Christian. You may not stand on street corners and shout about your religion. You may not quote the Bible or even feel comfortable praying in public, aside from church on Sunday. You may not even mention your faith to anyone. But people know. At least, they should know. By the way you speak and the way you conduct yourself, your words and actions should give you away.

Well, that’s all fine and good, you say. But I’m no evangelist. I’m not going to push my religion on anyone. Leave that stuff up to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. Let the Bible-thumping televangelists tell others how to live their life. I’ve got enough to worry about with just me.

This brings us to Big Mistake #2: To evangelize means to push your beliefs on someone else. WRONG! Evangelization has nothing to do with shoving your religion down someone else’s throat or telling anyone else how to live.

At its core, I believe that evangelization is simply telling others your story. Sharing the story of how God has worked and continues to work in your life. Just sharing your experiences, your journey. That’s it. No preaching necessary! I know that is awfully good news to most everyone. Because while very few people like to be preached at, even fewer like to preach.

So let’s start out by acknowledging that evangelization is a good thing. It is done best without being preachy, without trying to foist your beliefs on someone else. Evangelization is simply sharing the blessings that you have received. So how does one go about this evangelization process? That’s what I hope you’ll learn more about as you read through this book.

How To Use This Book

The beautiful thing about being human is that while we’re all part of the same family, we’re all quite different. God has created you as a unique, one-of-a-kind masterpiece creation of His. There has never been another human being on planet Earth that was exactly like you, and there will never ever be another person exactly like you. You have been given a distinct personality, and a very special set of gifts that only you have, and only you can use to benefit the Kingdom of God in the way that God has designed. I hope that makes you feel special, because you are!

Not only does God love you, but God wants you to use the special gifts and personality traits that you have to help others get to know you, and by getting to know you, to know God. As Christians, we have a great responsibility. We are responsible for using the gifts and talents that we have been given. We’ll discuss this in much more detail later.

As we begin this journey of examining and putting into practice the things that we’ll discuss, I realize that everyone has a distinctive personality. Some of the traits that we’ll look at are already a strong part of who you are. Some of them may not be. Some you will be able to relate to, and others may make you feel quite uncomfortable. But that’s okay. None of these traits are “better” than the others. Just because you or I may possess more of one trait or another doesn’t make us better or worse than anyone else.

The purpose of this book is to help us understand how to use those traits that God has given us to draw others to Christ, and to see if there are ways we can strengthen other traits that we may be underutilizing or are even afraid of. After each chapter, do an assessment of yourself and see if you may be strong or weak in that particular attribute. Ask God if this is something that He wants you to improve upon. I’m pretty sure that we can all use some degree of improvement in every area. If you find that you have been blessed with an abundance of a particular attribute, praise God! Use your strengths for God’s glory.

If you find that you may be weak in certain areas, praise God! These can be things that you can allow God to work on. Ask God to give you opportunities and put you into situations where you can work on those things, and allow Him to fill you with whatever you need.

You may choose to read this book from cover to cover in one shot. That’s fine and good. But if you do that, I suggest that, after you’ve finished, you go back and read it again, one chapter at a time. Spend a good bit of time with each chapter. Think of stories from your own life that may fit into the chapter. I hope you’ll find that God speaks to you through it all.

I’m excited about the journey we’re about to take! Are you ready? Then let’s get started!