Grace Community Christian Church

 

Archived Things Above

Ordinary Attempts (4/29/05)

I said in my last Things Above that winning the world to Christ was as simple as Christ-followers simply treating their servers better & being more generous with their tips. Seeing them not just as people serving us, but as people loved by God & therefore important to us. Then I discovered Ordinary Attempts at www.off-the-map.org. You've got to check this site out!

What if . . .
  • It was normal for Christians to evangelize?
  • It wasn't a program, didn't cost money, didn't take much time & could be done by ordinary people?
  • Evangelism was just another spiritual practice like reading the Bible or praying?
  • You didn't have to be brave to evangelize?
  • Ordinary Christians could evangelize without becoming evangelistic?
  • Evangelism was simply making a connection with another person?

    An Ordinary Attempt (OA) is simply a relational act of kindness: free attention giveaways. Jesus said, "If you give a cup of cold water to a little child because you are my disciple, you won't lose your reward." (Matthew 10:42) What is our culture's equivalent of "a cup of cold water?" Attention! People crave it!

  • Ask questions like: How are you? What do you do? What do you think?
  • Practice listening by silently counting to three in your mind.
  • Pretend you are being paid by the minute to listen.
  • Reflect on the word LEARN. Find the three-letter word in the middle.
  • Practice listening. Ask follow up questions & if you don't know what to say, simply say 'Wow'! People love that.

    I challenged our Adult Sunday School class to choose & intentionally approach an acquaintance (someone with whom you have regular encounter: waitress, expresso worker, bus driver, grocery clerk, nurse, student, teacher, colleague, etc.) & ask this question: "How's it going?" And then listen & don't interrupt with your own story.

    What will the outcome be?
  • You'll create a niche in your missing friend's heart.
  • You'll grow spiritually as you resist the urge to preach.
  • You'll create a relational beachhead in your friend's life.

    What if all of us took this challenge & simply got intentional about using existing relationships to connect Jesus with the people he died for? What if we began telling stories around here of how God is wooing all sorts of people through our Ordinary Attempts to care & listen?!

    Pay attention to the invisible people in your everyday world, & soon they'll be paying attention to the God they sense in you.

    Hidden with Christ,


    Jim Dewar --

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