Taking and Making Opportunities
Mike Mellor, Bournemouth
OK, I’ll come clean right at the start. I’m a shy coward. Talking to people never comes easy to me, and my only real qualification for writing this article is that I’ve proved time and time again that God not only gives us the opportunities to speak of him, but also provides the grace and guts to take them. As soundly taught believers we are only too aware that sharing our faith is an essential part of the Christian life, but if we are honest it is not lack of knowledge but lack of motivation that is our problem.
Sadly churches have too many ‘Mr Blobby’ type members who can hardly move due to the fact that they have been so well fed. They have not ‘worked off’ the rich food they have received, and have failed to share even the scraps that could be the means of saving many. They waddle from meeting to meeting and are even proud of being so well fed, whilst multitudes around perish without the Bread of Life. Having said this, the greatest motivation for seeking to share our faith comes neither from guilt, nor from the desire to fill our churches, but from love to our Saviour, and for the poor around us living and dying without hope. We need the Holy Spirit to stir our hearts and set us on fire for God. It must all begin here.
Seeking to be as practical as possible, I will outline how we should be as we seek to make the most of the opportunities that will come our way.
1. Be prayerful
Of course we all know this, but do you actually pray each day for God to give you an opportunity to speak to an unconverted person about their soul? Often, we do not have because we do not ask.
2. Be prepared
If you have prayed for an opportunity, God will give you one! So watch and be ready that we might recognise this God given opportunity when it actually comes. Be expectant and be prepared, and then seize the moment. Salvation is God’s work, evangelism is ours, and we should ever be on the lookout for those Divine appointments.
We should always carry tracts with us. Never go out without having some of these ‘silent evangelists’ in your pockets or handbags. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to enter into a conversation, you may just have time to smile and say, ‘Could I give you this to read? You’ll find it interesting!’ Be prepared at all times, in shops, restaurants, queues, schools, buses, trains, indeed anywhere and everywhere. We are always on ‘gospel duty’.
3. Be polite
Three things to avoid…
- A superior self-righteous attitude
- Arguments
- Talking too much (preachers especially beware!)
4. Be pleasant
Should I really have to write this for Christians? We must commend the gospel with gentleness and respect. However, that can be difficult when people are not pleasant to you, but are rude and insulting. We are to remember that we are going to graceless people who are still in Satan’s grip. They may well be irritated or angry when we begin to present the claims of Christ and so we need to be filled with the Spirit and with love that we might be able to bless those who curse us. Remember, it is not our aim to win an argument or have the last word, but to leave a person with the savour of Christ!
5. Be practical
An act of kindness can work wonders with the hardest of hearts, and can break down all kinds of prejudices, preparing the way for the gospel. Maybe with some this will have to take place before you get to speak even a word.
6. Be pointed
It is probably here that we are at our weakest. We all find it much easier to build a relationship than we do actually to speak about Christ and the person’s need of salvation. But, there are times when we must ‘go for it!’ It is not enough to speak about the church, our minister or even our faith. We must get around to talking of their need of forgiveness and new life in Christ Jesus.
A friend of mine, whilst in a supermarket with his wife (faithfully doing his duty pushing the trolley), found himself next to a vicar in a similar position. ‘Are you born again?’ Geoff asked pleasantly. ‘No!’ snapped back the vicar. Ten minutes later they met in another aisle. ‘Actually when I was baptised as a child I was born again,’ offered the vicar. Geoff answered with a twinkle in his eye, ‘Water makes you wetter, but it doesn’t make you better!’
Some people think that they mustn’t be pushy, and they don’t want to embarrass people, but there have to be times when we put the sickle in. If we really believe that every person who dies in their sins faces eternal punishment in hell, then we do unsaved people no favours by keeping quiet. Love must overcome our reluctance and cause us to break our sinful silence.
7. Be patient
- With yourself. Remember that this is an area in which we are still learning and growing. Even after many years of experience, the best soul winners still make blunders. The treasure truly is in cracked pots!
- With others. Remember that unbelievers are in great darkness. Don’t expect them to behave like Christians when they are still unconverted. There may well be many links in the chain of salvation, so just do your part faithfully.
8. Be persevering
Never forget it is God’s work! Don’t lose faith in the power of God’s Word, the witness of your life, a word spoken or tract placed in someone’s hand. We have all heard of people converted years and years after the seed was sown.