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In Your Shoes
Winning the
lost to Christ doesn’t have to be an in-your-face confrontation.
"In Your Shoes" Evangelism
By John Kramp
Most Christians have no idea what it feels like to be a non-Christian on the
receiving end of an evangelistic sales pitch. Raised in a “Leave It to Beaver”
home with godly parents, I cannot ever remember feeling uncomfortable in
church. Biblical truths are as much a part of my life as breathing. How can I
possibly communicate with unsaved people if I don’t know where they’re coming
from and how they feel?
To that end, I’m pleased to introduce the science of lostology, a new field
I’ve defined as “the study of being lost and what that experience can teach
Christians about evangelism.” If you draw on your experiences of being
physically lost to understand how people feel when they’re spiritually lost,
you’ll talk about faith more naturally, empathetically and convincingly.
You’ll get out of their faces and into their shoes. Click here.
Though it’s new science, lostology has its roots in the teachings of Jesus,
who described His mission on earth as coming “...to seek and to save what was
lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus knew anyone who can admit “I’m lost” is a person to
be envied.
If you’re lost, it means there is some place you need to be and you’re not
there. If you’re lost you have value; someone feels a sense of loss because
you’re not where you’re supposed to be. Without a destination you can say “I
lack direction.” When no one misses you, you can say “I’m alone.” But you
can’t say you’re lost.
In His parables about salvation and evangelism, Jesus often explained being
spiritually lost in terms of physical lostness. Look at the simple, profound
parables in Luke 15:
*A shepherd had a hundred sheep. When one got lost, he left the other 99 to
find it.
*A woman had 10 coins. When she lost one, she searched the house until she
found it.
*A father had two sons. One got lost, but the father waited expectantly and
eventually his son was found.
In each story Jesus makes a connection between physical and spiritual lostness.
As Christian insiders, we are called by God to reach the outsiders, the
spiritually lost. But we’ve been inside so long that often we can’t relate to
those on the outside. We don’t understand their disorientation and confusion.
We take the road map of salvation for granted and forget to tell lost
individuals about important landmarks along the way. Despite our best
intentions, we send them up a blind alley.
Not long after I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, I was invited to speak in
Princeton, Kentucky. I had never been to Kentucky before, and asked for
specific directions to Princeton. My host wrote back to say, “Princeton is two
hours from Nashville, right off I-24.” From his perspective, that was all the
information I needed.
Despite my apprehension, the first part of the trip was a breeze. But soon my
cockiness was tempered by the fact that it was pitch black, and I was parked
at the end of a country road on the far side of Princeton, hopelessly lost.
Breaking the universally sacred male oath, I asked for directions. Twice. I
felt like I had a bag over my head that said “Hi! I’m lost and I’m stupid.”
When I finally got to the church, I was frustrated out of my gourd. After
introducing himself, my host’s first question was, “Did you have any trouble
getting here?” I wanted to punch him! But I got dramatic proof of the need for
lostology. My host wanted me there. He was eager to help, but his directions
had confused me.
Later I asked, “How long have you lived in Princeton?” “Twenty-eight years,”
he replied. He had been there so long, he couldn’t see what it was like for me
trying to find it for the first time.
Searching and Waiting
Another property of lostology is that a search always reveals the values of
the searcher. To dedicate the time and resources to looking for anything, you
have to believe in it. In other words, if something is important to you,
you’ll look for it no matter what. You won’t make up excuses not to look.
Take wedding rings for example. Keeping up with small objects has never been
easy for me. Marriage did not alter that character flaw. Over the years I have
lost, searched for, and found my wedding ring numerous times. But the mother
of all ring losses came at a local park during a water balloon fight with kids
from my church. At some point during the skirmish, I lobbed my wedding ring
along with a water balloon. I didn’t realize the ring was gone until I got
back to my office.
Driven by dread and resolve, I began my search. “What are you looking for?”
people asked as I crept through the park with my nose inches from the grass.
“My wedding ring,” I replied, hoping they had picked it up. “Oh, that’s too
bad,” the women said, with pained expressions on their faces. The men simply
gave me knowing nods that said, “Your fat’s in the fire now, buddy.” They were
right.
I never found that ring. But I searched for it even when it was a hopeless
cause, because I valued it. (When I lose my new ring, I’ll search for it too.)
A search always reveals our values. If we value lost people, we won’t hide
behind excuses like, “Evangelism isn’t my gift,” or “I know it’s important,
but I don’t have time,” or “I need more training.” If lost people are
important enough to you, you’ll make time to search for them.
Sometimes the best plan of action for a lostologist is to stay put and let the
lost find you. On Thursday, July 7, 1988, 3-year-old Joseph Leffler was
reported lost in the woods near Estacada, Ore. Throughout the weekend his
parents waited anxiously as hundreds of rescue workers and volunteers combed
the forest.
Just before noon on Sunday, little Joseph came out of the woods on his own and
walked straight up to the coordinator of the search dogs. A front-page photo
taken later showed Joseph in his mother’s arms. The headline read: “Lost Boy
Finds Searchers.”
Letting the lost do the looking raises some interesting questions. In this
case, did little Joseph really find the searchers? What if no one had been
there when he wandered out of the forest? What if someone had been there who
could have hurt him?
However, simply being among the lost may be the most important thing we do in
evangelism. Jesus lived and trained His disciples in the middle of their
spiritual search area. He watched for lost people who were ready to be found.
Over and over again, the lost found the Searcher—Jesus.
You may know neighbors, co-workers or friends who are spiritually lost. Look
for natural ways to mention your faith. Get involved in the community; be
available to people who might be looking for you. If the lost find you, you
can make sure they find Jesus.
Although it sounds strange, waiting is an important part of searching. By
waiting, we communicate much of our attitudes and emotions. Once we stop
waiting, we indicate that hope and love have dimmed. Jesus’ story of the
prodigal son tells us more about the father than about his wayward child (see
Luke 15:11-32). What was the father doing when his son appeared on the road
home? Waiting.
Actively talking with lost friends about their spiritual commitment can become
counterproductive after repeated discussions and rejections. Further
discussion can create resentment and even damage relationships. Waiting may be
the only constructive choice. When we are willing to wait, we affirm that God
is ultimately in control of everything. Waiting gives us time to pray,
remembering that only God can draw lost people to Himself.
Waiting also allows faith to grow. While waiting we stretch our ability to
expect what we cannot see and hope for what appears to be impossible (see Heb.
11:1). Waiting gives us the opportunity to get up every day armed only with
God’s promises, and look down the road expecting the prodigal to come home.
A Race Against Time
The turning point for a lost person is when they realize they are lost. That’s
the moment God reveals a longing for Him in their hearts. Watch for any
indication that they sense they are lost. Once they recognize their
predicament, it’s time to move decisively and with confidence. Let the reality
of hell create an appropriate sense of urgency in your heart as you seek to
share Christ. The lost are in danger of spending eternity without God. Your
search is a race against time.
Evangelism doesn’t have to be an in-your-face confrontation. By applying the
laws of lostology, you can make it an “in your shoes” conversation instead.
Give it a try, and you may discover the best way to lead people to Jesus is to
get lost. |