I hate it when people share Jesus with me

I hate it when people share Jesus with me out of nowhere.

Really. It bothers me that someone can have the audacity and gall to approach me out of left field and tell me that Jesus died for me while trying to get me to repeat after them a prayer of repentance. It has happened to me before and I wasn’t impressed.

That sounds a bit harsh, I know. Especially coming from a pastor. But it’s because I am a pastor that I hate this kind of “evangelism.” Now, before I get too many emails, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t “share Jesus” with people or that we shouldn’t evangelize. Calm down. I take evangelism very seriously because Jesus told us to. It’s in how we do it that makes all the difference.

This isn’t coming out of thin air. I’ve been thinking about proselytizing lately. A friend of mine was recently telling me about a sidewalk evangelist in a small Ohio town who “evangelizes” by mocking people as they pass by. He literally tells people that they are going to hell while commenting on their clothing, tattoos and the music they listen to. When people ignore him or shout back it just fuels his fire (I’ll avoid the pun here).

What a way to introduce people to Jesus. Moron. Trying to scare people out of hell doesn’t work. It’s about as effective as telling a butcher’s dog not to drool.

Fair warning: If I don’t know you and you come up to me to talk about the “good life in Jesus” that I can have if I just trust in Him…I will jack you up. I will say things to you that will challenge your faith and you just may leave wishing you had never shoved that irrelevant gospel tract in my face. I will ask questions that you have no idea what the answer is. I will blow your mind with things you haven’t thought of in your rehearsed speech. Trust me, it’s not a pretty thing to witness. And I’m a Christ-follower. Imagine if I wasn’t.

I don’t know a single person who has become a follower of Jesus because they were attacked by some well-meaning street preacher and convinced that they are doomed to the eternal fires of hell (if you are one of these people PLEASE let me know. I’d love to hear your story. Seriously). It’s obvious why this approach doesn’t work so there’s no need for me to go on and on. You get where I’m going.

So what does work? How about relationships:

• if you have spent time with me
• if you really know me and I really know you
• if we have lived life together and I have seen you in good times and bad times
• if you have cried with me over something
• if you have attended my kid’s birthday party
• if you’ve helped me move, paint, haul or build anything
• if I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you want what’s best for me

…if you have done any of these things, then you have earned the right to share whatever you’d like with me, including my need for Jesus.

I was once told that people come to Jesus by believing either 1) heaven sounds really good, or 2) hell sounds really bad. I used to believe that this is true (I grew up in a church that preached the really bad part nearly every week). Now that I’m a little older, a little wiser, and I’ve offended a few of those well-meaning street “evangelists,” I think I have a clearer picture of the most effective way to share Jesus with people. One word…friendship.

p.s. If you think I’m hard on the street “evangelists,” guess what…Jesus was too (see Luke 18:9-14, Matt. 9:10-13, and Matt. 12:22-37 to name a few).

p.p.s. Catalyst is a church that believes in a literal heaven and hell. Someday we’ll all be in one place or the other.

whatever comes after p.p.s…We care about people because Jesus does.