How to Share Your Faith Without Being Weird

Caesar: 00:00:01

I suggest you don't start off a conversation about religion or Christianity or Jesus by beginning with what you don't believe in common with the other person.

Heath: 00:00:09

Yeah.

Heath: 00:00:10

That never goes, yeah.

Caesar: 00:00:11

Don't look for like, oh, Buddhist huh??

Caesar: 00:00:15

Oh, don't go.

Caesar: 00:00:16

Oh, athiest huh?.

Caesar: 00:00:17

So now I'm just looking for the differences instead of the commonality.

Caesar: 00:00:20

So don't do that.

Caesar: 00:00:21

Don't dive into a debate with them.

Caesar: 00:00:23

We've said it before on the show, apologetics makes for really gnarly evangilsm . Apologetics is the defense of the faith within the faith community.

Caesar: 00:00:32

That's the purpose of it.

Caesar: 00:00:33

It's beautiful.

Caesar: 00:00:34

It's important, but apologetics is not evangelism rarely if ever in scripture.

Caesar: 00:00:39

Will you find it seriously?

Caesar: 00:00:40

We've talked about that.

Caesar: 00:00:41

I talk about that a lot, actually in my book, bigger gospel.

Caesar: 00:00:44

Apologetics Not a good evangelism.

Caesar: 00:00:46

So don't dive in debate with them and, or don't go after some specific sin that you believed you've observed in their life.

Heath: 00:01:14

Welcome to the Everyday Disciple podcast where you'll learn how to live with greater intentionality and an integrated faith that naturally fits into every area of life.

Heath: 00:01:22

In other words, discipleship as a lifestyle, this is the stuff your parents, pastors, and seminary professors probably forgot to tell you.

Heath: 00:01:29

And now here's your host Caesar.

Heath: 00:01:31

Kalinowski

Caesar: 00:01:32

all right.

Caesar: 00:01:33

You can't see it.

Caesar: 00:01:34

You can't see it, but I can see it.

Caesar: 00:01:37

And it is beautiful right here.

Caesar: 00:01:39

Yeah, I'm on vacation this week.

Caesar: 00:01:42

So that means I've prerecorded this, but, uh, when you're hearing this, I am on a rare, super rare 10 day vacation.

Caesar: 00:01:51

Never get enough time.

Caesar: 00:01:52

I feel like we always take a week and then you have a travel day on the front end, the travel day on the back end.

Caesar: 00:01:57

That leaves about five days.

Caesar: 00:01:58

It takes me about three to four, just to kind of.

Caesar: 00:02:01

Mellow out and come down.

Caesar: 00:02:03

And so you feel like you get maybe a day or two of vacation, so a 10 day vacation.

Caesar: 00:02:08

And this is amazing.

Caesar: 00:02:09

We are staying in Hawaii.

Caesar: 00:02:11

Some really great friends of ours have a place there that's oh.

Caesar: 00:02:15

Or here.

Caesar: 00:02:16

And it's amazing on the big island and talk about God's bubble of grace.

Caesar: 00:02:20

This place is so Swank and so beautiful and oh, anyway, not trying to make you jealous, but maybe just a little, I don't know.

Caesar: 00:02:28

I am loving it.

Caesar: 00:02:29

Tina's loving it.

Caesar: 00:02:30

We are praising God this week for an extended time of beauty and rest.

Caesar: 00:02:36

And yet here we are with another episode for ya, you can't miss.

Caesar: 00:02:40

Hey, have you recently left us a review on the podcast, whatever you listened to the podcast on.

Caesar: 00:02:46

If that system that

Caesar: 00:02:47

service allows you to leave a review, we'd really appreciate it

Caesar: 00:02:50

because that way other people, when they're checking out how many podcasts they want to listen to, or which one's a new one or whatever.

Caesar: 00:02:57

They say, searching through the podcast listings, how a lot of people find the podcast.

Caesar: 00:03:01

So if you leave some stars,

Caesar: 00:03:03

share your thoughts on it.

Caesar: 00:03:04

Doesn't have to be long, just a sentence or two that really helps people find the podcast.

Caesar: 00:03:09

So would you just share out the Everyday Disciple Podcast for us, share that with a friend, text, somebody put it in your Facebook grou.

Caesar: 00:03:18

You can send them to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash podcast, and then they'll find it they'll find it.

Caesar: 00:03:23

Or they don't have to listen to at our site.

Caesar: 00:03:25

They can listen anywhere, Spotify or iTunes or wherever they listen to podcasts.

Caesar: 00:03:30

But I'd sure appreciate if you do that for us.

Caesar: 00:03:33

Okay today, I'm going to talk to you about something that I'll bet you can relate to.

Caesar: 00:03:37

Have you ever felt super awkward when you're trying to share your faith or get into a spiritual discussion with someone?

Caesar: 00:03:44

It just, there's a, uh, there's a reticence to it or how's this going to go?

Caesar: 00:03:49

Or what are they going to feel about all this?

Caesar: 00:03:52

And even with someone close to you can feel that way.

Caesar: 00:03:54

In fact, maybe it's even harder at times with someone who's very close to you to talk about faith or bring the good news of the gospel.

Caesar: 00:04:02

Into the conversation, or maybe you've experienced this where you've shared your faith or talk to someone about Jesus, you felt good about it.

Caesar: 00:04:10

It seemed like it went well.

Caesar: 00:04:12

The other person wasn't weirded out.

Caesar: 00:04:14

But then after that you notice your relationship seems to have changed.

Caesar: 00:04:18

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:04:19

Something's just a little bit off or maybe they're avoiding you a bit.

Caesar: 00:04:23

Well, my buddy Heath, who you heard last week?

Caesar: 00:04:26

What a, what a good smart guy.

Caesar: 00:04:27

He and I had a great conversation about this, and I want you to hear it today.

Caesar: 00:04:31

I know it's going to encourage you.

Caesar: 00:04:33

It really will.

Caesar: 00:04:34

And hopefully it'll help give you some ideas on how to share your faith without it being weird for either you or being weird for them.

Caesar: 00:04:43

Take a listen.

Heath: 00:04:45

I've met some weird.

Heath: 00:04:47

Weird faith shares out there.

Caesar: 00:04:48

Gosh, see, share your faith.

Caesar: 00:04:50

It's always one of two things or both.

Caesar: 00:04:52

You feel like weirdo sharing your faith.

Caesar: 00:04:55

You think that someone thinks you're a weirdo for sharing your faith or both?

Caesar: 00:04:59

You're weirdo they're picking up on that.

Caesar: 00:05:02

You know, I think it's Jim Gafcon, he's got a bit.

Caesar: 00:05:05

The last thing anybody wants to hear from you in a conversation is like, can I talk to you about Jesus?

Caesar: 00:05:10

You can go up to the Pope and say that he'd be like, Hey, listen, weirdo.

Heath: 00:05:14

What is,

Heath: 00:05:15

I think the weirdest expression of faith sharing that I've experienced in my 34 years on earth was on a seven day Caribbean cruise.

Heath: 00:05:22

And there was some dude, he was a rogue gospel witness guy that, that kept laying those million dollar bills everywhere they have Jesus's face on the front.

Heath: 00:05:32

And by replacing the actual face of a million dollars.

Heath: 00:05:35

Yeah.

Heath: 00:05:35

Like instead of George Washington on a dollar, it was Jesus Christ on a million dollar bill.

Heath: 00:05:40

And like Romans wrote on the back or something.

Heath: 00:05:42

Yeah.

Heath: 00:05:42

It was like, you know, money will never buy you happiness, but Jesus will.

Heath: 00:05:45

And super helpful, you think by like day four or five, like he would have run out of these things.

Heath: 00:05:49

I'm pretty certain, he just had a suitcase full of them and like, he'd wake up the next morning.

Heath: 00:05:53

They're at the breakfast table and they're in the bathroom and that's super helpful.

Heath: 00:05:56

That was my weird.

Heath: 00:05:57

Have you had any weird experiences?

Caesar: 00:05:58

There's always, you know, we talk about the Bullhorn Guy.

Caesar: 00:06:01

And you know what I mean?

Caesar: 00:06:02

The guy's got eight people think that's fake.

Caesar: 00:06:04

That's real, at least here in Pacific Northwest.

Caesar: 00:06:06

There's a Tacoma guy and I've run into several times.

Caesar: 00:06:09

There's a guy down in Portland at the Saturday market that literally screams through a bull horn at people.

Caesar: 00:06:15

And all you hear, I mean, it's just, it's just him screaming about, you don't even know it's like this corner screen, right.

Caesar: 00:06:20

Mary's gallery.

Caesar: 00:06:20

And you just hear like the only words that kind of poke out of the cloud.

Caesar: 00:06:25

It's like a wrath.

Caesar: 00:06:26

of God I that, you know, and you're just like, wow.

Caesar: 00:06:31

So here's what I do.

Caesar: 00:06:31

Like, I shouldn't be admitting this, like over the airways here, but, um, I like to go up to those kinds of guys and I've done this several times.

Caesar: 00:06:38

My family, I was like, oh, dad's doing it again.

Caesar: 00:06:40

I always go up and I act like I'm interested in what their.

Caesar: 00:06:43

And they're always stoked because they're not getting a lot of action.

Caesar: 00:06:47

They're not sure, not a lot of sales.

Caesar: 00:06:49

And so I always go up and I go like, hi, how you doing to stoke now?

Caesar: 00:06:53

Right.

Caesar: 00:06:54

And then I go, is that a, is that a gospel that you're proclaiming there?

Caesar: 00:06:59

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:06:59

Drop a Christian word on.

Caesar: 00:07:00

And they're like, well.

Caesar: 00:07:01

Yes, it is.

Caesar: 00:07:01

And it goes to, the gospel is called good news.

Caesar: 00:07:03

Right.

Caesar: 00:07:03

And they're like, yes, it is.

Caesar: 00:07:05

You know, what's your name?

Caesar: 00:07:06

And then I always say it I'm like, so like w w where's the good news part.

Caesar: 00:07:10

I.

Caesar: 00:07:12

Is screaming about fire and wrath and gays and stuff that, you know, you're hating right now.

Caesar: 00:07:18

And where's the good news part.

Caesar: 00:07:21

And then the guy gets it.

Caesar: 00:07:21

Like his face drops.

Caesar: 00:07:22

He gets it like, I'm a ringer.

Caesar: 00:07:24

And he's like, oh, I actually one guy say to me, he says, oh, I get it.

Caesar: 00:07:29

You're one of those guys that thinks you should be friends with people first.

Caesar: 00:07:33

Wow.

Caesar: 00:07:35

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:07:35

You the link Jesus like a couple of years of doing life together.

Caesar: 00:07:39

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:07:39

I know how you might want to get to know somebody before you like scream at them about wrath that's coming.

Heath: 00:07:44

All right.

Heath: 00:07:44

So when we're talking about this concept of sharing your faith, Jesus seemed a more keen to have our lives match up to this kingdom lifestyle, rather than just going out and screaming words and preaching at People.

Caesar: 00:07:57

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:07:58

I mean, yes and no, Jesus proclaimed like his father all the time.

Caesar: 00:08:02

Okay.

Caesar: 00:08:02

But we see like these preaching words and scriptures, and then therefore preaching and evangelism in general is something done in the form of a sermon or rehearsed speech, but that's nearly not what Jesus did or modeled.

Caesar: 00:08:14

And when we see in the epistles, Paul and others talking about preaching the word.

Caesar: 00:08:19

We have to take it in the context of what was going on then, because that's not what we thought.

Caesar: 00:08:23

So for instance, Romans 10 14 says how, then this is apostle Paul talking, how then can they call him the one they've not believed in?

Caesar: 00:08:30

And how can they believe in the one whom they've not heard and how can they hear without someone.

Caesar: 00:08:35

Preaching to them.

Caesar: 00:08:36

Well, okay.

Caesar: 00:08:37

So we hear like, so that's why you gotta, you gotta be out there and you gotta be preaching.

Caesar: 00:08:40

And I know I grew up in that that just meant like, well, get a bull horn, you know, go out, stand on the street, get a soapbox and all that stuff.

Caesar: 00:08:46

Well, let's check it out.

Caesar: 00:08:47

I don't, I don't normally try to dive too deep into the Greek and Hebrew, but check it out because this word in Greek is pronounced like kerusso, a Kerusso or something like that.

Caesar: 00:08:56

Almost like Robinson Crusoe kerus, but the root.

Caesar: 00:09:00

The etymology of it's actually uncertain.

Caesar: 00:09:02

It's it's not the word that's used a ton of other forums or any of that, but it does, it did mean to sort of proclaim openly or to, um, be someone who brings a message kind of thing to Harold something.

Caesar: 00:09:15

And that wasn't something that the apostles made up and applied to the church.

Caesar: 00:09:18

That was something that was really kind, it was understood.

Caesar: 00:09:21

In their lifestyle and their life living in, you know, under Roman rule in all that, because for then a king would have someone whose job it was, was to go out and give his message, the king wouldn't go out and square and tell everybody what they wanted.

Caesar: 00:09:34

And so the person that did this was called the Kerusso.

Caesar: 00:09:38

So they would kerus, they would proclaim that kerusso.

Caesar: 00:09:40

So they, they were called the.

Caesar: 00:09:42

Yeah, that's what I meant to say.

Caesar: 00:09:43

So they would go out and they're proclaiming the kerusso and that's what they did.

Caesar: 00:09:47

They were the kerus.

Caesar: 00:09:48

And so their job, the position of this kerus was, was to kind of really, you know, king would call him to his court and he would have a message.

Caesar: 00:09:56

And that was a privilege.

Caesar: 00:09:58

It was a big deal.

Caesar: 00:09:59

And then the king would summon, the guy and he would come.

Caesar: 00:10:02

And he would carefully and accurately get the communication to king, write it all down.

Caesar: 00:10:06

And he would not only get like the message itself in technicality, but he also in tone and like what's the mood of the king and all that, and make sure that he was proclaiming that right.

Caesar: 00:10:15

Or cur kerusso-ing that right.

Caesar: 00:10:19

Preaching.

Caesar: 00:10:19

That's where we get the word.

Caesar: 00:10:20

Sure.

Caesar: 00:10:21

So preaching that accurately, just proclaiming that accurately.

Caesar: 00:10:25

It wasn't, it wasn't like everybody did it.

Caesar: 00:10:27

And it wasn't like, that was like, okay, so now everybody would go out.

Caesar: 00:10:30

That was so that's where it came from.

Caesar: 00:10:32

So when you see Paul saying, so how will, it's more like how someone know who Christ is and what he's done, if they don't hear it, how they hear it, if no one goes out and lets them know what's going on, what the king is about.

Caesar: 00:10:46

And that's really the tone there.

Caesar: 00:10:47

We got to understand that.

Caesar: 00:10:48

That word clearly.

Caesar: 00:10:51

And maybe there's gonna be some listeners that don't agree with it, but that were clearly is not.

Caesar: 00:10:54

So get a pulpit and get a room full of people and set them down and that do that, or get a soapbox or get a bull horn.

Caesar: 00:11:00

And so yes, we are called absolutely to proclaim this in all through scripture.

Caesar: 00:11:06

It says that, but it's not, we it's, it's really a disservice when we hear the word preach.

Heath: 00:11:10

Sure.

Heath: 00:11:11

Because preach is not that shut up and listen to me, tell you.

Caesar: 00:11:14

Yeah, exactly.

Caesar: 00:11:15

So that's just, I mean, and I'm not anti preaching.

Caesar: 00:11:19

Preaching when we say preaching is really that's, that's more of like, Hey, uh, sermonizing or what a professor does and things like that.

Caesar: 00:11:27

That is not the use of it in the new Testament.

Caesar: 00:11:29

When they're saying, Hey, go out and let people know,

Heath: 00:11:31

like probably a soul-winning proclaim.

Heath: 00:11:34

The good news.

Heath: 00:11:35

Yeah.

Heath: 00:11:35

So, yeah, I've had some soul winners that my door that went out in that circle.

Heath: 00:11:39

Yeah.

Heath: 00:11:39

Let's we're going out.

Heath: 00:11:40

We're preaching to the lost for three, three hours.

Heath: 00:11:43

They're like, yeah, I don't.

Heath: 00:11:45

And why do I need to believe?

Caesar: 00:11:46

Well, there again, it's because it's just the wrong understanding of the text.

Caesar: 00:11:49

And a lot of that comes from like Kings king, James versions and all, and it's just, and then the mushing together of it.

Caesar: 00:11:55

And then also just the lack of understanding of the gospel, that the message that, that was meant to be good news of Jesus.

Caesar: 00:12:01

In fact, now Lord of life and you're not.

Caesar: 00:12:03

And so you don't have to be any more and that's really good.

Caesar: 00:12:06

And the goal was never like when Paul said go out and proclaim it wasn't proclaimed so they can get saved as proclaimed.

Caesar: 00:12:12

So they can now live under his Lordship.

Caesar: 00:12:14

Sure.

Caesar: 00:12:14

He's king.

Caesar: 00:12:15

Hey, the Kings here.

Caesar: 00:12:15

And he's a good king.

Caesar: 00:12:16

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:12:17

So the whole thing was.

Caesar: 00:12:19

And we say back ass words, you know, like from the get go when we, when we use the word preach.

Caesar: 00:12:23

So, so yeah, you preach, you preach to proclaim claim, but that's not.

Caesar: 00:12:27

So we're talking about how do you share your faith or how do you talk about this king?

Caesar: 00:12:30

How do you proclaim good news to people without feeling weird about it?

Caesar: 00:12:34

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:12:34

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:12:35

You got to understand that first.

Caesar: 00:12:36

So don't feel bound by a misunderstanding of a pretty rare Greek word tied to a specific role.

Caesar: 00:12:43

You know what I mean?

Heath: 00:12:43

Yeah.

Heath: 00:12:44

I'm sorry.

Heath: 00:12:44

So how would you suggest that we share our faith and maybe.

Heath: 00:12:48

A more natural, less weird and creepy sort of way.

Caesar: 00:12:52

Well, there's a lot of ways.

Caesar: 00:12:54

Most people don't like sharing their faith because they feel like people are going to reject them or they don't know how to whatever.

Caesar: 00:12:59

But I had people say to me, I think my friends may be more open to actually what I think and learn about God, but I don't know how to articulate it to them.

Caesar: 00:13:08

Okay.

Caesar: 00:13:09

So that's why we're doing this episode.

Caesar: 00:13:10

Or I rarely talk to my friends or coworkers about my faith because I don't want to feel like.

Caesar: 00:13:16

I'm cramming it down their throats.

Caesar: 00:13:18

You ever heard that?

Caesar: 00:13:19

Absolutely.

Caesar: 00:13:20

Like what does that mean?

Caesar: 00:13:21

Cramming it and it's so well-worn the church.

Caesar: 00:13:23

Like we, we copywrote that term, you know, or hitting them over the head with a Bible.

Caesar: 00:13:27

Like, did that ha that must happen.

Caesar: 00:13:30

At some point in history, someone was preaching, even though they were bull Horning, somebody, they were jamming it down their throat, like the Torah page out, or they took the whole book and smashed him over the head.

Caesar: 00:13:40

I mean, it had to, because it's, there's only two or three of those phrases.

Caesar: 00:13:44

Oh, when I was a kid, someone was jamming it down my throat.

Caesar: 00:13:46

I don't want, like, can we come up with a new metaphor anyway, so getting into it, um, I want to say.

Caesar: 00:13:53

I suggest he don't start off a conversation about religion or Christianity or Jesus by beginning with what you don't believe in common with the other person.

Heath: 00:14:01

Yeah.

Heath: 00:14:02

That never goes on.

Caesar: 00:14:03

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:14:03

Don't look for like, oh, Buddhist.

Caesar: 00:14:06

Huh?

Caesar: 00:14:07

Oh, don't go.

Caesar: 00:14:08

Oh, atheist.

Caesar: 00:14:09

Huh.

Caesar: 00:14:09

So now I'm just looking for the differences instead of the commonality.

Caesar: 00:14:12

So don't do that.

Caesar: 00:14:13

Don't dive into a debate with them.

Caesar: 00:14:15

We've said it before on the show, apologetics makes for really gnarly evangelists.

Caesar: 00:14:21

Apologetics is the defense of the faith within the faith community.

Caesar: 00:14:24

That's the purpose of it.

Caesar: 00:14:25

It's beautiful.

Caesar: 00:14:26

It's important, but apologetics is not evangelism rarely if ever in scripture, will you find it seriously?

Caesar: 00:14:32

We've talked about that.

Caesar: 00:14:33

I talk about that a lot, actually in my book, bigger gospel apologetics, not a good evangelism.

Caesar: 00:14:38

So don't dive into debate with them and, or don't go after some specific sin that you believed you've observed in their life.

Caesar: 00:14:46

Literally, I can remember being like schooled in this when I was young guy growing up in the church and it's like here's how you'd talk to your neighbors who are living together, but they're not married.

Caesar: 00:14:56

Here's how you go to your friend who you saw smoking a cigarette out back, you know what he like, and here's basically how you'd rip them up.

Caesar: 00:15:01

Scripture, them up, shame them up.

Caesar: 00:15:04

And then I don't know what you know, like where do you leave em so I'm going to suggest to lose the bummer.

Caesar: 00:15:09

Don't start with what's wrong or differences.

Caesar: 00:15:12

It's just not, uh, th th Jesus wasn't.

Caesar: 00:15:14

It was remember of the gospel's good news.

Caesar: 00:15:17

So look for some good news.

Caesar: 00:15:18

That's when we sent this out.

Heath: 00:15:19

Yeah.

Heath: 00:15:19

It doesn't work that way in friendships or relationships or work environments, like yeah.

Caesar: 00:15:23

You know, you're cafe, you're at a pub and you're like, you know, I want to make some friends with that guy.

Caesar: 00:15:28

So I'm going to go up and I'm going to, I notice he's wearing like the opposing football team that I grew up liking.

Caesar: 00:15:32

I'm just gonna go up and rip that guy.

Caesar: 00:15:34

I hate the Packers.

Caesar: 00:15:35

Good start.

Caesar: 00:15:37

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:15:37

Good luck with that.

Caesar: 00:15:38

We wouldn't do it, but we haven't thought about that.

Caesar: 00:15:40

So anyway, here's what I like to do instead.

Caesar: 00:15:42

I like to, and this is what I think is a cool way to share your faith without being weird . Is, I love pointing out how someone is an example of the kingdom of God breaking in.

Caesar: 00:15:52

Like, I'll notice something that they did that reminds me of what Jesus or God is truly like.

Caesar: 00:15:58

And then I'll point it out.

Caesar: 00:15:59

It's cool.

Caesar: 00:16:00

It's like they flip out, like, by the way, if you just, you can do this with believer and it's like, oh my God, this is the most humbling, best compliment I ever got.

Caesar: 00:16:07

But remember, we're all image bearers so that stuff's in there.

Caesar: 00:16:09

Even if we're not restored yet, we're not believers.

Caesar: 00:16:12

We're still creating the image of God.

Caesar: 00:16:14

God's kingdom and glory, like Paul said, like even the rocks cry out, like all of nature proclaims it's so clearly all his image bearers still do in some ways.

Caesar: 00:16:22

So look for it and notice like, and I'll tell you what, it's powerful for people.

Caesar: 00:16:26

And it's a humble, and it's surprising form of evangelism, quote, unquote, as you connect their life directly to God's plans and his purposes.

Caesar: 00:16:36

So let me give you a couple examples.

Caesar: 00:16:37

Okay.

Caesar: 00:16:38

I once told a friend of mine who, uh, businessmen.

Caesar: 00:16:41

Entrepreneur, who's an atheist, but really smarter look really smart.

Caesar: 00:16:44

I once told him that the knowledge and wisdom with which he conducted his business was incredible to me.

Caesar: 00:16:50

And I S I told him, I believe that all wisdom comes from God.

Caesar: 00:16:53

Now I was in a relationship with this guy, but we were having lunch one day.

Caesar: 00:16:56

And I said, man, you are so smart with this stuff.

Caesar: 00:16:58

He's just done it forever.

Caesar: 00:16:59

And I said, you know what?

Caesar: 00:17:00

I believe that all wisdom comes from God.

Caesar: 00:17:02

And then I added, but I think you have God-given wisdom.

Caesar: 00:17:05

And some of the stuff that you say, you know, that you do in business and the way you communicate with people, it reminds me of what God's like, oh, it really does.

Caesar: 00:17:11

Now you'd have thought he's going to fall over.

Caesar: 00:17:13

I mean, he liked just melts.

Caesar: 00:17:15

This is a pretty tough, like man-made guy grew up in really bad parenting and it changed our relationship forever.

Caesar: 00:17:21

Now it wasn't weird to bring that stuff up because it was one of my first like really kind of moving towards them with spiritual.

Caesar: 00:17:28

things

Caesar: 00:17:28

But it was in the form of a compliment.

Caesar: 00:17:30

And then he just like, well, I don't know.

Caesar: 00:17:32

I've never, you know, I don't, I don't know.

Caesar: 00:17:34

And then he just, for the next 20 minutes, he never even took a breath.

Caesar: 00:17:37

He just kept giving me one.

Caesar: 00:17:38

You know what I mean?

Caesar: 00:17:38

It's cool.

Caesar: 00:17:39

Here's another example I told a really close neighbor of ours wants to the way that she had laid down her preferences in a particular situation, to be a blessing to my daughter right now, it's too long a story to get to.

Caesar: 00:17:51

She had done this and she has another, she had no faith and we shared the gospel many ways with them.

Caesar: 00:17:56

They were real close family, but she had laid down her preferences in a situation to bless my daughter.

Caesar: 00:18:01

And I told her that it reminded me of the way that Jesus laid down his life and just gave up his, he embraced him, man.

Caesar: 00:18:07

Right.

Caesar: 00:18:08

And she, she was like, I don't know if she, you know, it was all flushed a little bit and flattered.

Caesar: 00:18:12

I I'll have to think about it.

Caesar: 00:18:13

It's just kind of blown away.

Caesar: 00:18:14

It was crazy.

Caesar: 00:18:15

Right.

Caesar: 00:18:17

You see, we've talked about this before, man.

Caesar: 00:18:19

We've never looked at an, into the face of another person.

Caesar: 00:18:22

Who's not an image bearer of God or how broken someone is or addicted or violent or whatever they were created in the image of God.

Caesar: 00:18:29

And so why not start with that?

Caesar: 00:18:31

And here's the other thing, not only are we all created in the image of God.

Caesar: 00:18:34

Sure.

Caesar: 00:18:35

But guess what?

Caesar: 00:18:35

We have most in common bro, with every other freaking human being out there, our need for Christ.

Caesar: 00:18:41

There's so little about us.

Caesar: 00:18:42

That's different.

Caesar: 00:18:42

Like, Hey, are you a sinner?

Caesar: 00:18:43

I am.

Caesar: 00:18:44

You need Jesus yea, I do too

Caesar: 00:18:46

yeah.

Caesar: 00:18:46

Uh, okay.

Caesar: 00:18:47

Create an image of God.

Caesar: 00:18:48

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:18:48

Is he still showing the world what he's like through aspects of your life?

Caesar: 00:18:51

That's why you can go like, well, how come I know some Christians who are jerks and I know some atheists were just the nicest people in the world.

Caesar: 00:18:58

They're image bearers, and God is going to display his glory.

Caesar: 00:19:00

And why not start by pointing that kind of stuff out in people's lives.

Heath: 00:19:03

Yeah.

Heath: 00:19:03

I love that.

Heath: 00:19:04

And you actually had a tweet a while back that said you'll never look into the face of someone.

Heath: 00:19:08

Who's not an image bear.

Heath: 00:19:09

I'm like, man, that is so cool.

Heath: 00:19:12

What a great starting point worst enemy in the world - image bearer.

Caesar: 00:19:15

Yeah, that's

Caesar: 00:19:16

absolutely right.

Caesar: 00:19:16

If we don't want, we don't want to, we don't want acknowledge it, but see, not acknowledge that and others and having it as our starting point is really not acknowledging our own sinfulness need as well.

Caesar: 00:19:26

Because like I said, those are the two things we have most in common.

Caesar: 00:19:29

We had nothing to do with being created as image, and we've had everything to do with our need for a savior and we all have the same need.

Caesar: 00:19:36

So why have we been trained that qoute evangelism is proclaiming preaching a fiery hell fire message that starts with.

Caesar: 00:19:45

Sin and wrath instead of God and his goodness.

Caesar: 00:19:49

And let me think about this, the most common of sermons and, uh, evangelism messages all start in Genesis three, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Caesar: 00:20:03

That's Genesis three is when the fall happens and we all jumped to revelation 20.

Caesar: 00:20:08

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:20:08

And judgments.

Caesar: 00:20:10

It's coming.

Caesar: 00:20:10

Jesus is going to judge all everything, but we leave off Genesis one and two God is good and glorious and gracious and perfect.

Caesar: 00:20:18

And he created humans in his image to be like them and fill the world with his glory and be fruitful, multiply, and go.

Caesar: 00:20:23

And he walked with them in the cool of the day and he gave him and shared his authority and all that.

Caesar: 00:20:26

And we leave off revelation 21 and 22, where God is coming back one day to restore all things.

Caesar: 00:20:30

People and places.

Caesar: 00:20:32

And walk closely with man again.

Caesar: 00:20:33

So our whole

Heath: 00:20:34

story changes when he cut off the bookends.

Caesar: 00:20:36

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:20:36

We just go from Genesis three through relation 20.

Caesar: 00:20:39

So our good news isn't like, Hey, this is how you're created and . God wants that for you.

Caesar: 00:20:43

It's like you suck and you're going to pay for it then, you know, like that's not good news.

Caesar: 00:20:47

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:20:48

So how do you think seeing somebody as an image bear will change how evangelism is played out in our lives?

Caesar: 00:20:55

Well, I, like I said, it's the common ground, man.

Caesar: 00:20:57

It's the common ground aspect of it.

Caesar: 00:20:59

We're all in need of a restored relationship with God due to our own choices and our pride.

Caesar: 00:21:03

That's everybody.

Caesar: 00:21:04

I mean, just try it, just look at, think about someone right now that you know, you're listening to this.

Caesar: 00:21:08

Think about someone in your life believer or not believer that you don't like, it's not a sin and not like everybody, you know what I mean?

Caesar: 00:21:13

Sure.

Caesar: 00:21:13

But the reason we generally don't like someone is because it's a reflection of some part of us that we don't like.

Caesar: 00:21:18

But think about it when you think of like, I don't know this person, but like it's a certain politician maybe, you know, or it's a certain neighbor or is someone at work?

Caesar: 00:21:27

I don't like that person.

Caesar: 00:21:28

I don't like them.

Caesar: 00:21:29

Okay.

Caesar: 00:21:30

Image, bearer.

Caesar: 00:21:30

created in God's image.

Caesar: 00:21:31

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:21:33

Just exactly in need of grace in the way that you and I are.

Caesar: 00:21:37

What if every morning you got up and said, you know what?

Caesar: 00:21:39

I liked that person.

Caesar: 00:21:40

I'm going to pray for them, that they'd experience, the grace that I'm experiencing, and that I need, that I don't deserve.

Caesar: 00:21:45

And they don't deserve either, but they, and God, we're creating the same image.

Caesar: 00:21:48

And I wonder how God's created them to show his glory, but it's marred.

Caesar: 00:21:51

Like I'm going to look for that today.

Caesar: 00:21:52

Huh?

Caesar: 00:21:53

It's still looking for what I don't like about the person.

Caesar: 00:21:56

For what's kind of like God in them still, like what part of the kingdom do they display like generosity or patience, or, or smart or wise, or there's something that I'm telling you.

Caesar: 00:22:05

And if you look for that, instead of looking for the difference or the lack or wherever, so that common ground is a big thing, but even more importantly, back to the understanding of the kerus, remember the spokesman.

Caesar: 00:22:15

Okay.

Caesar: 00:22:16

We are these living representatives of our king that's true.

Caesar: 00:22:20

We are all keruss'.

Caesar: 00:22:21

Okay.

Caesar: 00:22:22

So we're representative that, that king and his kingdom and this amazing, good news that he is Lord of all, but as people now who stand at the same place of need and value, so we're all standing at the foot of the cross, so to speak, and we're not benevolently stooping down as Christians to our neighbor or to the culture.

Caesar: 00:22:41

To proclaim a confusing or harsh message of judgment from a high position, but like Jesus, we came proclaiming good news as a servant that you wouldn't all my dad's like, like, yeah, it's jacked up.

Caesar: 00:22:51

You jacked it up.

Caesar: 00:22:52

Here's what he's like.

Caesar: 00:22:53

And he shoulders our sin.

Caesar: 00:22:55

He says, I'll take the way to that bad choice.

Caesar: 00:22:57

Horrible choice hurt others.

Caesar: 00:22:58

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:22:59

Let me go ahead and take that for you.

Caesar: 00:23:01

I mean, just start your day, this way.

Caesar: 00:23:02

Look at people that way.

Caesar: 00:23:03

Start out looking.

Caesar: 00:23:05

I remember a few years back.

Caesar: 00:23:07

My house was only literally a two-minute walk to where my office was and our offices were, and we had a gathering place and all this.

Caesar: 00:23:14

Sure.

Caesar: 00:23:14

And I would walk past the same people every day and it was a bus stop on the corner.

Caesar: 00:23:17

Right in between.

Caesar: 00:23:18

And I, I can remember just doing my thing, walking past everybody.

Caesar: 00:23:21

Cause you know, I got to get to the office cause I'm pastor important a ministry to do.

Caesar: 00:23:25

And I remember God saying, you just walked past like dozens of image bearers and you didn't acknowledge any of them.

Caesar: 00:23:31

That's me.

Caesar: 00:23:31

That's my image.

Caesar: 00:23:32

Like wow, hard to hear.

Caesar: 00:23:34

So would you at least just say hi and like hello and like acknowledge them.

Caesar: 00:23:39

So then I kind of resolved, like I'm going to greet everybody as best I can.

Caesar: 00:23:43

And I got into the habit of like trying to greet everybody, Hey, how's it going?

Caesar: 00:23:46

And then I realized, oh, that's.

Caesar: 00:23:48

And they have to, they have to give an answer side, go like a good day or, Hey, good to see you.

Caesar: 00:23:52

They're like, Hey, waiting for the bus or, you know, something just acknowledge them as humans.

Caesar: 00:23:55

And then when I moved to New York for a couple of years, uh, that was harder because there's a billion people and they're moving really, really fast.

Caesar: 00:24:02

I'm like, hi.

Caesar: 00:24:04

Hi.

Caesar: 00:24:04

Hi.

Caesar: 00:24:04

Hi.

Caesar: 00:24:05

Hi.

Caesar: 00:24:05

Hi.

Caesar: 00:24:05

Hi.

Caesar: 00:24:07

All righty, that

Caesar: 00:24:08

should help you be or feel a little less weird or the people in your life feeling a little bit less weird.

Caesar: 00:24:15

So we really do want the good news to be good news to people.

Caesar: 00:24:19

And as you grow in your gospel fluency, And your ability to see the thing behind the thing and take some of what you heard here today.

Caesar: 00:24:27

I think you're going to grow in that confidence.

Caesar: 00:24:29

I'm happy to help

Caesar: 00:24:29

you with that.

Caesar: 00:24:30

That's a big part of what we do in our coaching.

Caesar: 00:24:33

I know I invite you into this often.

Caesar: 00:24:35

I want to do it again.

Caesar: 00:24:36

If you're interested in learning a full framework for discipleship or getting into some coaching where you get to be taught gospel fluency.

Caesar: 00:24:44

Grow in that ability.

Caesar: 00:24:46

Have someone walk through that with you, help you with all that, just check out the coaching that we offer.

Caesar: 00:24:51

If you go to over to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash coaching.

Caesar: 00:24:56

Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash coaching.

Caesar: 00:24:58

There's a bunch more information.

Caesar: 00:24:59

There's a little form you can fill out there.

Caesar: 00:25:01

You're not committing to anything but that formal say, Hey, I have some questions I'm interested and we'll set up a time to hop on a zoom call and talk about it.

Caesar: 00:25:08

I'd love to do that.

Caesar: 00:25:09

See if we can get you into some coaching.

Caesar: 00:25:11

All right.

Caesar: 00:25:12

So as always, we're going to give you the big three takeaways, the big three.

Caesar: 00:25:16

Hey, don't miss this.

Caesar: 00:25:17

If nothing else.

Caesar: 00:25:18

And they're available to you as a printable PD.

Caesar: 00:25:21

All you have to do is go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash big three.

Caesar: 00:25:26

And these are all nicely, beautifully on a page for you.

Caesar: 00:25:29

And you can use this to review the podcast or share it with someone else, or maybe just to reencourage your heart.

Caesar: 00:25:36

All right.

Caesar: 00:25:36

So here's the big three

Caesar: 00:25:38

for this week.

Caesar: 00:25:39

Number one, the ones creating the image of God.

Caesar: 00:25:41

Okay.

Caesar: 00:25:41

No matter how broken or jacked up or you don't like him or whatever God's image is now.

Caesar: 00:25:47

Completely gone or marred because they didn't have anything to do with getting it.

Caesar: 00:25:50

Okay.

Caesar: 00:25:51

Nor from you by that, by the way.

Caesar: 00:25:52

Okay.

Caesar: 00:25:53

So they have great value and God is looking to restore their lives to the fullness of his glory, the way he originally created them to be.

Caesar: 00:26:00

So just start out with that, to start out.

Caesar: 00:26:03

Don't miss that just the tomorrow as you're driving down the road and you look at a person next to you in the cargo image, bear, one of what they're going through.

Caesar: 00:26:09

I wonder what do they need to believe about themselves to believe about God?

Caesar: 00:26:12

Okay.

Caesar: 00:26:12

Second.

Caesar: 00:26:13

God's not keeping track.

Caesar: 00:26:15

Quote, evangelism points in your life, regardless of how effective you think you are at evangelism or not sure you are loved just the same amount by God.

Caesar: 00:26:25

Wow.

Caesar: 00:26:25

You no longer need to fear what he thinks of you in this area of your life and your witness.

Caesar: 00:26:30

And you no longer need to be locked up by fear of what others will think of you as you live out and share your life and the message of the gospel.

Caesar: 00:26:37

Hmm.

Caesar: 00:26:37

If you remember to, you know, lose the bummer, like I said, don't start off conversations about religion and Christianity by beginning with what you don't believe in common, or don't dive into the, some debate or pointing out sin, or, you know, like, don't start there with people.

Caesar: 00:26:52

You don't have to worry about what they're going to think.

Caesar: 00:26:54

We bring truly good.

Caesar: 00:26:56

And that's why, you know, just dropping that little tip on like, Hey, point out something in them and then connect it to like, that's what God's like.

Caesar: 00:27:02

And so, so pointing out how they show what God is like God's like in some area, it will be good news.

Caesar: 00:27:08

You just going to have to trust old uncle Frank and it'll build a bridge to further conversations.

Caesar: 00:27:14

Cause it's always like the saltiest thing ever.

Caesar: 00:27:15

No one's ever heard this before.

Caesar: 00:27:17

So remember we stand in need of grace.

Caesar: 00:27:18

Exactly.

Caesar: 00:27:19

The.

Caesar: 00:27:20

Uh, and in same ways that everyone else does, it's all it's available to them.

Caesar: 00:27:23

It's available to us because of Jesus and that's really good news.

Caesar: 00:27:28

Okay.

Caesar: 00:27:29

I hope that's an encouragement.

Caesar: 00:27:30

I feel confident that it will be, I'm going to get back to my vacation, been doing it the whole time.

Caesar: 00:27:35

You've been listening to.

Caesar: 00:27:37

And I will

Caesar: 00:27:37

talk to you soon.

Caesar: 00:27:40

Thanks for joining us today.

Caesar: 00:27:41

For more information on this show and to get loads of free discipleship resources, visit Everyday Disciple dot com.