Stanley Cricket Ground

This blog is NOT about cricket.

Just been chatting to my good friend, (I'll use a pseudonym) - Mr Amoeba. :P But seriously... about something I've been pondering a bit lately, about how we "do evangelism". I'll confess, I've even started cringing just at the word "evangelism" lately. It just seems so detached and organised and like.... *shudder* I don't know.

Anyhow we're studying 1 Thessalonians in our CU Impact groups and were looking at how Paul was encouraged by the Thessalonian Christians, because he could see that they were REAL Christians because of how God had changed their lives so that they were willing to suffer for the Gospel. We chatted a bit about how this relates to us at uni and how much we suffer for the Gospel, and whether or not we are willing to say things that will bring opposition. i.e. the Gospel. The whole Gospel.

I was saying how I've come to realise that the best way of sharing the Gospel with others, is to actually be friends with people, and to just show it them and share it with them in your life. Not harpooning people in the street. I'm really scared of coming across as a crazy obsessive Christian... I had a bad experience with some Mormons the other week and just thought... "ahh, is this how people see us?!"

Mr Amoeba helped me to get some perspective right there... our motives for doing anything are always going to be crazy mixed up with the good and the bad. So I want to share the Gospel with people through my life because I think that's the best way, but also partly because I'm scared of what people will think of me, and facing opposition for doing it the "cheesy" way...

I hope this ramble is making some sense... kind of..

So here's where Stanley Cricket Ground comes in, in getting some perspective. It's to remember an acronym: SCG

S - Sovereignty
C- Confidence
G - Grace

Sovereignty
Acts 17:26 (Do you happen to remember a blog I did about this very verse a year or so ago?)
"From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands."


God is sovereign over the exact locations of everyone in the world. Even if it's a stranger walking past me at uni when I have a stack of flyers in my hand. He's put them there, and me there, for a reason.

Confidence
Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

It's the Gospel that is powerful to bring about salvation. Not me. It doesn't matter how I look or come across to people, that is not what is going to save them. God is. His Gospel is what it's all about.

Grace
Romans 1:17
"For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Whether or not someone becomes a Christian through "our evangelism" does not affect our standing before God. God does not love Rico Tice more than He loves me. We cannot gain or lose affection with God because our standing before God is based on our faith in JESUS. And Jesus is perfect and always before God. Our righteousness is always before God's eyes, he cannot say that we lack anything. (remember that old blog with the John Bunyan quote?)

Hope that encourages you a bit too, especially if you're coming up to missions week like us! (28th Feb-3rd March)