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Today’s devotional, from Delve Into Jesus, calls to mind a vigorous discussion about street evangelism we had late last year. Delve Into Jesus’ Michael Lane asks us to be open to whatever form of evangelism God calls us to—even if it’s a manner of witnessing that we think annoying or ineffective. Here’s the devotional’s closing challenge:

Each of us has unique needs, a unique background and a unique personality. Thus, the method of witnessing which will be the most effective is unique to each individual. You may find televangelism pointless because it would never have been effective in leading you to the Lord, but many thousands have been touched by television ministry, even if you are not among them. As an unbeliever, you may never have responded to that young pastor inviting you to attend service. But I did.

….The moment when an act of witness captures the attention of an unbeliever is a mysterious and sacred act between God and his creation. It defies all of our projections and predictions about what ought to be effective….

How is the Spirit asking you and your congregation to witness? Is it perhaps a little unconventional? Would it seem to require extraordinary faith and courage? Understand that when God places a desire in our heart to serve Him, it never comes without the necessary strength and courage. Follow the calling of the Spirit boldly with the knowledge that someone very special and unique is waiting for you to proclaim the Gospel in your own special and unique way.

Read the full devotional at Delve into Jesus.

Let’s set aside the specific issue of street preaching (which you can discuss here if you want) and ponder the devotional’s central question: how is God calling you to be a Christian witness?

Has God ever called you to share the Gospel in an unconventional or uncomfortable way? What was the result, both for you and for the people you witnessed to?

Evangelism—sharing our faith in Jesus with people who don’t know the Gospel—is at the core of the Christian faith. There exist countless ministries, organizations, and publications aimed at introducing people to the Gospel, or at encouraging individual Christians to do so. Yet it’s my impression that the idea of witnessing to others is a daunting one for most Christians.

Do you actively and consciously share your faith with others? What part does witnessing play in your everyday spiritual life? And what does your witness usually look like—is it a traditional verbal presentation of the basics points of your faith? Do you try to witness with actions but not words? Something in between?

How often do you share your faith with others, and how do you tend to do so?

Share your thoughts!

I recently heard an interesting statement from a pastor regarding charitable giving. He explained that he only supported explicitly Christian ministries and charities with his charitable giving—no public radio, no Red Cross, and presumably no Girl Scout cookies.

He explained that there wasn’t anything wrong or immoral about those non-Christian organizations and charities. But he felt that the Great Commission obligated him to put his finite funds toward organizations that actively furthered the spread of the Gospel. Other charities might do valuable work, but they were a lower priority than evangelistic organizations. (And since there’s never going to be a shortage of evangelism needs or Christian organizations in need of help, that essentially means never supporting a non-Christian charity at all.)

This was a personal decision for him, and he didn’t try to argue that it was a rule for all Christians. But he clearly felt that this was a natural implication of the Great Commission in the modern world.

What do you think about that? Do you give higher (or sole) priority in your giving to evangelistic ministries?

Christ commanded Christians to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. It’s an inspiring thought, but have you ever thought about the sheer numbers involved in bringing the Gospel to the entire world’s population? Is the Great Commission an impossible task?

In a short but interesting essay over at Uplook Ministries, Jabe Nicholson crunches the numbers and concludes that the Great Commission isn’t as unrealistic an undertaking as you might think. (And of course, regardless of how the numbers work out, it’s worth remembering that when God is involved, words like “impossible” have a way of losing their punch.)