Shine Jesus Shine

In my teens I was involved in what was called a “Make Way!” march. I hid behind a drumkit on a flatbed lorry one Saturday afternoon, while we banged out Christian songs as people marched behind singing. It was a great event that brought all the churches of the town together.

I don’t know how many people got saved though.

What I do know is that the next morning one of my friends asked me about it in school.

“Yeah, that would have been me you saw.”

“Oh it wasn’t me, it was my dad. He came home saying, ‘I was trying to get into the bookies to place a bet and I couldn’t get in. I was blocked by your mate Jon Petts on the drums and everybody singing Jesus wants me for a **** sunbeam.’”

I have been involved in many forms of street evangelism. They have ranged from super-cringe to not so cringy. Sometimes I cringe unnecessarily because I just feel awkward. Don’t judge, I’m human.

What is evangelism?

Evangelism is, “The spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness,” and can take many forms. Today I want to set you free from any awkward or uncomfortable stereotypes and release you to let others know about Jesus in a way you are called to.

Engel scale

The Engel scale was developed by James F. Engel, as a way of representing the journey from no knowledge of God, through to spiritual maturity as a Christian believer. Some have criticised it as too linear and simplistic but it does help us understand that although there is a decisive moment when someone chooses Christ, there is a journey leading up to that decision. And a journey afterwards too. Here’s one version taken from greatcommission.co.uk:

Mark 4

Jesus told this story which has been made famous by Church children’s workers around the world. I’ll warn you, it’s not gripping, there’s no suspense and the ending is pretty predictable. But at least there is a happy ending. For some. Ready? Here’s my short version:

A farmer sowed some seed. Some fell on a path, some in rocky places, some among thorns and some on good soil. The seed in good soil grew and reproduced. The End.

Not much of a story in a literary sense. No twist at the end. No suspense.

Really Jesus? You’re telling me that if a seed hits good soil it grows better than other seeds in rocky, thorny places or on a path? This is not earth-shattering news. We all know this! You’re telling people who live in a farming community. What are you really telling us?

Let’s break it down.

The Farmer

Jesus said,

¹⁴ The farmer sows the word.

You are the farmer. Yes, God sent Jesus, the Word, but in this context, we’re talking about anyone who proclaims the gospel. And all disciples are called to do that. We’re told to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel. So first up, this story is about you.

May I say this kindly, if you’re not sharing your faith with anyone around you, you’re not a Christian.

Now let me qualify that in two ways. Stay with me.

1. A Christian is a Christ-follower. And if you are following Christ, you’ll be doing what he tells you to do. And he told his disciples clearly to go and make disciples. By definition, Christians share Christ. But before you get too uncomfortable, it’s not always all about preaching to your neighbour over the garden fence or handing out leaflets in the street. You could do both of those things and be a lousy Christian. You could do those things and not be a Christian at all.
2. A Christian is a changed person. You share Jesus automatically when people see that change. Or if you meet them for the first time and they don’t know what you used to be like, they will see a difference. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come in. you’re a new creation. If this is genuinely true of you, if you have fully surrendered you whole life to the Lordship of Jesus, something changed on the inside of you that will show on the outside. People will see a difference.

Anyway, a farmer sows the word. And that means you. So that’s the first response to God. The farmer has to make the choice to sow the seed. The follower has to make the decision to share the word.

Let’s read on.

The Path

¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

In the story it was birds. Jesus says they symbolise Satan. This is like when you share your faith with someone, and they just don’t get it at all. They might see you do some genuine good works but totally miss that it was Jesus who inspired you. Someone else might see Jesus in you but not this person. You shared love, good deeds, or even shared the good news about Jesus and it went in one ear and out the other.

But why does Jesus say it’s Satan? Why not just say, ‘These are the people who don’t listen’?

Because we’re in a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6 tells us we do not battle against flesh and blood (physical things) but against the rulers, powers and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Further, the New Testament is clear that unbelievers are under the power of Satan and that he has blinded their eyes (Acts 26:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:4). So when we see someone unreceptive to the gospel it looks like it goes in one ear and out the other. But that’s the surface symptom. The cause is that they are blinded.

What’s our response to these people?

1. Pray for them. And don’t give up.
2. Love them. Show love in deeds as well as words, even when it’s not received. That’s what Jesus did.
3. Be consistent.
4. Move on. Don’t spend hours in meaningless debate. With these people it is better to spend one hour in prayer than one minute in philosophical debate.

The next three soil types receive the seed gladly but only one takes root properly and reproduces. So, when we manage to see someone join the kingdom, let’s be warned and ready to disciple them.

Rocky Times

¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

These are people who not only receive the word with a mental agreement, but they receive it with joy. Someone might come to faith at an evangelistic event and have a genuine experience of God. It happens. But after some time, they realise that there is a cost. Jesus warned in Matthew 24 that there will be a time of persecution and many will fall away. Despite the infinite glorious inheritance for the Christian, if we cannot see past our present sufferings and catch a glimpse of the glory that is to be revealed in us, it is easy to let difficult circumstances get the better of us. You may be on the verge of this yourself, but assuming you’re not…

What’s our response to these people?

1. Don’t be discouraged. You might have had a hand in leading them to the Lord, and you might think you failed. Remember, it’s their choice. You can only introduce them to Jesus. You can’t make decisions for them. Jesus warned that this would happen (hence the parable!).
2. Don’t judge. That’s not your place.
3. Don’t try to fix things. Talk, listen, pray, but don’t play God.
4. Stay in touch. Offer to pray with them, meet with them. Don’t cut them off. Try and remember the joy they had when they first believed, and

Thorny Issues

¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Similar to the last soil type, these people hear the word. It doesn’t bounce off them like the seed on the path did. But two things get in the way of a fruitful relationship with Jesus: worries and wealth. These are intimately interlinked. It’s often money that causes worry. And money is, I believe, God’s number 1 competitor for your attention. Jesus told his disciples not to worry about this life, and all the things that money is required for. God knows you need them. A truly surrendered life will commit all financial worries to Jesus.

Unlike those who give up due to persecution, these people do not even receive the word with joy. That’s how powerful worry can be. That’s the force of Mammon. Think about the rich man who came to Jesus. He thought he had everything, but Jesus said, ‘one thing you lack’. He was unable to give up his wealth for God. Money was too important.

What’s our response to these people?

1. Jesus looked on the rich young man and loved him. It was not a judgemental finger-pointing statement when he said, ‘One thing you lack.’
2. Live a happy life, with out being reliant on a huge stash of cash. You can have money as long as money doesn’t have you. If God is first in your life it will show. And something about your life will always be magnetic.
3. Be honest. Jesus was very honest with the rich young man. You can tell people in a loving way that the true riches Jesus offers will never rot or rust. But pick your moment; wait for the Holy Spirit to show you when there is a crack in the door of their heart.
4. Offer help. This seed was sown amongst thorns; people are living among the thorns of worry and financial difficulty. If you can remove a few thorns first, the gospel may get through. That’s why the CAP money course is so successful. If we can deal with a few material problems, some people will find head-space for the word.

Good Soil

²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.’

Finally, a happy ending to the story! These people hear the word and accept it. Notice there is no need for joy! Sometimes there is great sorrow in repentance. The true convert has recognised their own sinfulness in the face of the almighty and holy God. Once repentance takes place, joy does indeed follow.

Not only does joy fill the convert’s heart but reproduction. Remember the woman at the well who said, come and see this man! And the times Jesus told someone he’d healed not to tell anyone, but they couldn’t help themselves.

These people are now fellow-farmers at the beginning of the story

What’s our response to these people?

1. Rejoice!
2. Encourage them to get baptised and filled with the Spirit.
3. Bring them to church.
4. Ensure they are on a discipleship programme.
5. Ensure they are connected to other Christians.

Encouraging Growth

What can we do to encourage growth? For now let’s consider two things.

1. Love each other. Jesus said, that this is how others will know that we are his disciples, that we love one another the way he loved us. let’s continue to put that into action while the world looks on and doesn’t know us for our policies, programmes or protests. Let’s be the group everyone wants to join.
2. Take the pressure off yourself. Find out what your way of sharing your faith is. Be aware that not everyone is ready. Remember the Engels scale.

Let’s get ready

Let’s pray that as we prepare for growth, God will send the increase. This is for his glory. Won’t it be wonderful to see him glorified in new people’s lives?

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