God is a relational God and we see that through our understanding of the Trinity. There are three persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit that make up the one God. The relation to one another is so close that God is one. It is God’s desire to share that relationship with all of humankind.[1] God’s desire is to restore relationships. He wants to use us as instruments to bring that message of restoration to the world. Believers are part of a family of believers.
They come together with God into a community of believers who have been restored from the severed relationship that once was. When we live in community with God his love flows out from us to people who we engage with in our daily lives. It is important to see people as God sees them. We are to love others as God loves us. We engage others to build loving relationships with them. When we go to work or to school or while we live our daily lives, we engage others in meaningful ways through the roles that we have. We let the spirit guide us in our effort to love our neighbors or anyone that may cross our paths.
I think it is very important to be a good listener, to be an empathetic listener. When you listen to someone with empathy the person that you are listening to knows that you truly care for them. I have always gone out of my way to be engaged with people on a regular basis. I know that God loves each individual I smile and say hello to others. I often hold the door open for people. I am always trying to affirm to people how valuable they are through my kindness. When I evangelize it is important to keep in mind how important the other person is to God. It is important to break down barriers. It is important for me to get out of my comfort zone for me to be an effective participate in God’s work. When we listen to others, we need to remind ourselves that they were made in God’s image. We also need for them to understand that as well.
I need to be a better listener and open up my ears, eyes, and heart. If we want to be effective evangelicals then we must be better listeners. We cannot continue down this road of indifference we must get involved and be relational to all people that we get into contact with.
Bibliography
McRaney, Will. The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman, 2003.
[1] Will McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture (Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman, 2003), 17.
OJ! Overwhelming Joy 