Shoes and Evangelism

I think Lamictal withdrawal it has Side effects Buy clindamycin of mirtazapine been pretty Nifedipine xl clear recently that I have been enjoying some new shoes.  No worries, people.  This is not another post about my Vibram FiveFingers but it is a post inspired by them.  Great things inspire.  That is just a fact.  So what did my new, great shoes inspire me about, you ask?  Interestingly enough, evangelism.

So what do shoes and evangelism have in common?  I suppose not much if they are just shoes.  Great shoes, however, have much to do with evangelism.  Actually, anything we find in our lives that we think is great has everything to do with evangelism.  Why?  Because if you find something that you feel has great value, you want to tell others about it.

How many of us have found the latest and greatest (fill in the blank) and proceeded to tell all of our friends, coworkers, neighbors, or anyone who will listen without walking away about that (fill in the blank)?  In my case, that (fill in the blank) is my Vibram FiveFinger shoes.  I have written all about them on my blog.  I have told countless people how great they are, why I use them, and why they should.

If we have come to know Christ as our all in all, our end all be all, our everything then shouldn’t our response be the same?  He is our hope, our salvation, our substitute.  He makes our relationship with the God who created the universe possible.  If we accept his sacrifice and, through His power, make our life’s goal to be like Him then we will go to an eternity with Him.  All joy is found in Him.  Everything we have comes from Him.  What greater thing do we have to tell others about?

Back to evangelism and shoes.  What did I learn?  I’ll tell you.

Know and Tell

Before I got my FiveFingers I did some reading on them.  Why are they beneficial?  Why should I use them?  After I purchased them I dug even deeper.  I liked them.  I was excited about them.  I researched the benefits.  I watched videos and read blogs.  And I will probably end up reading a book about the subject.

The same can be said about telling others about Christ.  Once we know Him we should be compelled to know Him MORE.  The knowledge that we gain from His word and from the Holy Spirit will equip us to tell others why He is so important in our lives.  We will want others to know what we do so that they can know Him too.

If I just got my shoes and didn’t know anything about them I would have nothing to tell people when they ask.  Someone might come up and say, “Hey, those are weird shoes.  Why do you have them?”  My response would be to shrug.  If someone asks why I follow Christ I need to be able to answer.  I need to know about Christ.

Different Attracts

When I wear my shoes around, I get weird looks and questions.  People want to know about them. Or they think I am strange.  Either way they see the shoes and have a response to them.

In the same way, our lives as Christians should look different to people who aren’t.  Christ changes people.  He has set us apart.  If we just blend in with those around us, what good are we?  I want people to see, through my actions and words, that Christ has changed me.  If they give me weird looks, that is fine.  If I love Christ the way I should it won’t matter how people look at me because I am satisfied in Him.  If they ask me questions that is an opportunity to tell them about the great hope I have in Christ.  Either way, I have put before people the thing I value most: Christ.

When we are sold on something we tell others about it.  There are no two ways about it.  Whatever your passion of the moment is, you tell people.  If you see a movie and walk out of the theater thinking that it was the greatest thing to ever grace the silver screen, you will tell people about it.  You were sold on it. Well, I want to be so sold on Christ that He just tumbles out of my life onto others around me.

Lord, help me do this.  And thanks for teaching me through shoes.