The most important evangelistic habit

31 March 2024 | Bob Prouty |

Remember that I said that evangelistic habits eat evangelistic events for lunch?

Well, here is your first habit.  The most important and the hardest for me.

Let me tell you about a time when God reminded me of its importance.  It was just after I finished visiting some neighbours in Sydney, Australia.  

John and his wife are from Ireland.  My wife, Chris, and I are from the USA.  So language was not really much of a problem.

My wife loves spending time with John’s wife, so when we go over to their house I know it is going to be a long visit. The women will talk in one room while I spend time with John.

And that is where the problem starts to build.  John is a chain smoker.  I am allergic to smoke. 

John loves to drink.  I have a medical condition which prevents me from taking any alcohol. 

John is engrossed in the soccer game on the TV.  I don’t really care about the game. 

The conversation is dreadful.

After what seems like an eternity, Chris signals that it is time for us to leave. 

In the street I blow up.  “Don’t ever take me back there again”, I cried.

And immediately it seemed like God asked, “So why did I send you to Sydney?”.

Ouch.

Loving people who are different from us is hard.  I get it.

But didn’t Jesus say that the two greatest commands are to love God and to love our neighbour (Matt 22:37-39).

So, the first and most important habit is to love people and to show that love not only in our attitude, but also in our actions.

Will you join me in prayer today?

“Lord Jesus, I know that you want us to love our neighbours.  Some days I find that really hard.  Some days I am judgemental.  Some days preoccupied with myself.  I pray that you will change me and the person reading this email so that we are known by our love.  Thank you that your Holy Spirit will transform us and will also be working in the hearts of the people that we talk with about you.  Amen.

Have a great week, looking for ways that you can demonstrate love to your neighours.  Maybe you might want to:

  • call someone and encourage them
  • meet a practical need
  • give them a gift (most everyone likes cookies)
  • pray for someone you might see later in the week
  • invited them out for coffee or a meal

Next week I will tell you about a habit that was reinforced when I was on a medical mission in the Philippines.

Till then,