A Quiet Life Speaks Loudly

When I was young in the faith and even as a young minister, my view of evangelism was going door to door and taking every opportunity to share my faith and belief with others.  Whether I knew them or they wanted to know me made little difference, I intended to make them aware of my beliefs.

Certainly, that is one approach to evangelism, an approach some are equipped to take with a certain amount of success - some even very succesful.  However, I don't find that most people are very comfortable or very adept at going door to door evangelizing.  And, in our culture today, I don't believe that many people are at all open to that intrusion.

On my first mission trip to Honduras, we were given teeshirts that were imprinted with this saying, "Take the Gospel everywhere.  When necessary, use words."  The focus in Honduras was serving.  We served by building houses, giving away shoes, providing a clinic, etc.  Because we served without asking for anything, people were drawn to us and wanted to know what prompted us to do what we do.  Their desire to know provided us with an opportunity to share the hope of Christ within us.  This principle is what Peter was talking about in 1 Pet 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, the apostle Paul said to "Make it your ambition to lead a queit life, o mind your own business and to work with your hands, ust as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders..."  Notice that Peter encourages us to wait until asked and Paul says that our daily lives will win the respect of others.  This quiet and unintrusive life is sought out by others because of its beauty.  It speaks loudly about who we are and what we believe.

Paul's direction to mind our own business suggests that we keep our noses out of other people's business.  When we are busy about obeying God and serving others, we have  no time for being a busy body, no time or desire to sit in judgment on someoe else's life.  As people come to know us, they will respect us and want to know what makes us tick.  We will be taking the Gospel every where we go and we will have oppotunity to wxpress our faith in Him.  Jus' Sayn.