Acts 16:13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.

This is a significant verse in that it tells what Paul and crew did when there was no synagogue from which to start their ministry. They were apparently familiar enough with the local culture to know where to find religious-minded people, and they hit the nail on the head. Looking for religious people of a different religion has a much better chance of success in evangelism than the general population, even though it also has a higher chance of active opposition. Dr. Cal Guy, one of my seminary professors, always said that opposition was easier to overcome than indifference. They also had the flexibility to speak to the women they found, despite the risk of being thought to be “hitting on” them. Such social mores are different in different cultures and can be important, but in a sense, risk is the name of the game. We let all sorts of things deter us from sharing Christ, but the fundamental rule is, share! Failing to speak gets us nowhere. Research into culture, getting advice, and various techniques and programs can be helpful, but it all boils down to getting in there and doing it. Today in the US, “offense” is the name of the game, but we’ve got to remember that in most cases, being offended is that person’s choice. We need to remember that what we have to share means the difference between eternal life and eternal death for that person, and love them enough to make the effort. That doesn’t mean we’re to be obnoxious, but it very much means that we’ve got to take our eyes off of ourselves and our “comfort level” and care more about the person we’re speaking to than about the possibility we will be rejected.

I’m very much talking to myself here. I don’t feel I am gifted in evangelism, and indeed, people with Teacher gifting seldom are, so it takes a conscious choice on my part to get started. However, I need to remember that the proof I had that God had baptized me in His Spirit was that I started talking to a total stranger about Jesus, and so seek and follow Holy Spirit’s guidance in every encounter. I delight when He gives me “divine appointments” to share Christ, and I need to be looking out for them constantly. I particularly need to keep my eyes off of myself, and have a happy anticipation of whatever God wants to do through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m at a conference where I have plenty of opportunity to express Your love, but opportunities to explicitly share the Gospel have to be seized. Help me not be needlessly offensive, but share Christ in whatever ways You desire and make possible, so that more and more people, even in this network, may repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!