“Jesus is not a product. He’s a Person.”
Jessica Leep Fick knows what it’s like to struggle with evangelism, even though she feels called to do it. In her book , she urges us to step out in faith and share the gospel according to the way God has gifted us – but it’s not a sales pitch.
“That is not what the church is meant to be about – just getting numbers and butts in seats. ”
That very consumer-driven mindset has chased many young people from the church. For them, faith can’t be a commodity. It can’t be a way to build a youth group or a church. The gospel isn’t a means to an end or a duty to check off the list – it needs to be an invitation to abundant life with God.
Jessica realized that her calling was, in fact, becoming a burden for her. She needed to step back and reassess – and she encourages us to do the same.
“I started to feel like I have to live up to this expectation and I created a lot of pressure on myself. It was really through spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude that the Lord was able to speak to me and just say ‘I love you, I love you, I love you for you, not because of what you can do or how hard you can work or how much you can share Me.’”
Intellectually we know this. but it has to get down into our soul. It’s when we’re in a place of being known and loved by God that we can truly share Him with others. True evangelism comes from a place of joy, not obligation. It is so much more than a sales pitch.
“It’s really about saying ‘We want to bless you and love you because that’s who God is, and that’s the kind of life we want to have.’”
God is madly in love with you and passionate about connecting with you. In this kind of love relationship, the natural next step is inviting your friends to connect with God. That’s the heart of evangelism.
Key Scriptures: Romans 10:15
Featured Songs: The Maker by Chris August; In Jesus’ Name by Darlene Zchech; I Will Go by Emmanuel Live
