You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?" (Matthew 5:13a).
Sweet and sour chicken. Sweet and sour gumballs. Why do people eat things that are sweet and sour? Amazingly, they taste good. Why do people do crazy things like bungee jumping? I think it's because people like the thrill combined with the risk.
Likewise, I am convinced that sharing my faith takes the boredom out of Christianity! It's both risky and thrilling at the same time, and it also counts for eternity.
On Saturdays, I often partner with churches to train people how to share their testimony using a powerful new tool called, "One-Minute Witness."
After the initial training and a time practicing, we travel to a local gas station, knock 25-cents off per gallon of gas, and in no time at all, we have lines at every pump. This provides us with a one-minute opportunity to share our faith. It's what I call a Gas Buy-Down Event.
The first 15 minutes is kind of "sour." It's all risk at this point: we're scared stiff, we stutter, our palms are clammy, and we wonder just how we got roped into doing this. Yet, there is a little thrill in sight when something wonderful happens...
Around the fourth customer, we get our legs and some confidence, and we actually begin to enjoy the "sweet" part of this. The butterflies leave and a holy thrill takes over. We feel a sense of accomplishment when we share our testimony without stuttering and gas customers actually thank us. It's sort of like learning how to ride a bike for the first time. Victory sets in and another fear has been defeated.
When my desire to see others hear about Christ becomes greater than my fear of sharing my faith, then I am motivated to act. The fear is still there, but now I know what to say, and I can confidently enjoy both the "sweet and sour" parts of sharing my faith.
Tired of dried up religion? Learn to share your faith. It will add new spice to your life... God guarantees it.
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
