Serving the Lost Sheep

“Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be thrown down”

That is all Jonah needed to say to make the great city immediately turn to repentance and go as far as making their animals fast.

When the Samaritan woman who knew very little about Judaism encountered Christ and was touched by him, she went out and said, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be Christ?”

So, how can such little words change the hearts of large numbers of people?

The answer lies in the response of the Samaritans that returned to Saint Photini saying, “"Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed Christ, the Savior of the world."

Constantly, people assume that it takes lengthy debates and advanced knowledge to preach the name of God. Unfortunately, many say that they are not meant to evangelize and are called to pastoral care. This seems at first a reasonable point until we realize that we are commanded by God to “always be prepared to provide a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” as well as to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

If it was a general commandment for all people to preach the gospel, then there cannot be a requirement of fancy speech and apologetic experience. What we do need is an interaction with God and a submission into his love.

Since it is clear that all Christians are called to evangelize and all christians who talk to God regularly, abiding in him, are qualified, let's explore the different ways we can expose the true faith to those who have not submitted to Christ.

Avoid “slogan” terms-

We learned many terms because we grew up in the church such as “God is Love” or “Christ is 1 nature out of 2” but we tend to neglect seeking further explanations of their meaning. To someone who does not know the bible or God, these terms can make absolutely no sense. Therefore if we decide to use these terms, we should be prepared to provide an explanation.

Identify their real questions-

Someone can come and ask the typical, “who do bad things happen to good people?” A Christian might give them a generic answer, not realizing that this person likely has heard similar answers. Someone who is struggling with this question could be better served if they were asked, “why are you asking this question?”. Oftentimes the question then changes to, “why do bad things happen to me?” with the Christian offering an opportunity to answer the person's question in a way they will better understand and cater to their true needs

Know who you are talking to

If they are from a different denominational background, have an understanding of their basic beliefs. For example, when St. Paul visited Athens, he said, "For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’. Athens is the home of Greek philosophy and Saint Paul the Apostle knew this. So when he was preaching to them, he quoted their own Philosophers (Aratus and Cleanthes) in this verse to help better their understanding of the message he is trying to give.

But are we all called to preach?

As St. John Chrysostom has said, “There is nothing colder than a Christian who is not concerned about the salvation of others” You are called to care for your brother and sister. You are called to be the light of the world. No matter how you are preaching, through speech, actions, or thoughts, you are called to be the salt that preserves the good in the world. You have been gifted the truth and also the responsibility to spread the truth. So that your brother and sister may live.

Penn Jillette, an atheist said, “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”

Let us embrace the same unwavering determination of St. Paul, who, despite enduring shipwrecks and stoning, remained committed to his mission of spreading faith. In the same way, the joy and love that St. Photini experienced from Jesus inspired her to share that love with others. As new people are encountered each day, may this same passion and commitment shine through.