In each chapter Lee and Mark shared the story of how they took a chance and shared the Gospel message with someone.  Sometimes they saw incredible results and sometimes the outcome was still up in the air.  But these men were moved by God to take risks.  In their conclusion, they tell of a time when they were asked to go speak with a sports superstar about faith.  They were asked by his girlfriend.  And she let them know that he was a committed Muslim who didn’t like people evangelizing.  That’s a tough one, and they admit that they were both nervous.  But they did it.  And it’s resulted in another incredible adventure.

The reality is that we all love adventure in some shape or form.  Maybe you like exploring in the wild.  Maybe you like it in terms of sports.  Or even at your job or in what you read.  We all want adventure in our life, but with any adventure, there’s risk.  The reality is that God calls us to adventure, he calls us to take calculated risks for him.

And so I’m going to close this series (look for a new one to start next week from a new book) with a challenge that Lee and Mark have made to you (and to me).

“What phone call do you need to make, or what email do you know you ought to send?  Which neighbor should you invite over for a backyard barbecue?  What relative could you reach out to?  Who is the old friend you need to reestablish contact with?  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the steps you need to take- big or small- to engage in the unexpected adventure.  Then step out and follow his lead today.”

He tells the story of getting together with an old college buddy named Tariq.  They hadn’t seen each other in years, but Lee knew Tariq was going through some troubling changes in life and could use a friend.  They decided to get back together for a classic college-esque road trip.  Throughout the trip they had many conversations, about Tariq’s life and the changes that were coming, and also about Lee’s life and his newfound faith.  Throughout the trip Lee would bring up faith.  At the end of the journey, he talked to Tariq and was almost surprised when Tariq agreed to pray to the Lord and to enter into a relationship with Christ.

Lee says this is an example of hang time.  Punters want hang time, basketball players want hang time.  You want to maximize this kind of time and Lee says in evangelistic terms we maximize hang time by spending time with non-Christian friends.  This is true, but I think there’s something else to hang time that comes up here.  Lee spent an entire week with Tariq and brought up faith throughout, but he didn’t batter him with it.  He would bring up the conversation and if they also wanted to talk about old friends, life changes, etc, that was ok too.  Lee would bring up the Gospel and he’d let it hang there.

You see, sometimes hang time isn’t just about maximizing length, but putting something up there at the right time, and leaving it be.  Letting it come back to the person at just the right time.  How many times have you said something about faith or otherwise that they didn’t seem interested in, but they came back to later on.  Sometimes our Gospel sharing is at it’s most effective when we’re bold enough to put the faith out there, and then we let it just hang and le thte Holy Spirit do his work.

It’s something we’ve all experienced in our lives through Christ, but how real is it for you right now?  We all have experiences of grace that enliven this concept for us.

Lee Stroebel tells us a time when he received a call from some parents in his church.  They reported that their daughter had shoplifted a book from the church store and they wanted to bring her in for a life lesson.  Lee agreed.  The parents and daughter came into his office with the girl looking downcast.  They talked about it a little and the girl was clearly heartbroken and contrite over what she’d done.  Lee asked her what an apporpriate punishment would be and then suggested the cost of the book times three. The girl agreed, but Lee could see the panic on her 8 year old face- “how will I ever come up with that much money?”  Then he walked over to his desk, took out his personal checkbook, and made out a check for the entire sum and gave it to her. ”I know there’s now way you can pay the penalty that you deserve, so I’m going to apy it for you.  Do you know why I’d do that?  Because I love you.. . . And please remember this: that’s how Jesus feels about you too. Except even more.”

Think about a time when your parents showed you grace you didn’t deserve.  You showed up late for curfew.  They helped you pay for something you couldn’t afford.  Maybe a police officer has pulled you over and let you off with a warning.  You know that feeling.  The dread of knowing what you deserve, but then the freedom that comes when that debt is erased and forgiven.  And then we remember that God has done that in a far bigger way for us.

That’s why it’s important for us to bring these little lessons of grace into the lives of those around us too.  Let’s show grace to others and then help them connect the dots, let them truly start to experience the grace of Jesus through our hands.

Mark Mittelberg tells a story about his class reunion. He and another friend from his high school class were well known for just about everything other than faith during high school, but both had become Christians.  They were trying to think of a way to bring that faith to others during their reunion. Suddenly it came to them.  The only free block of time in the weekend was Sunday morning.  They could put together a worship service that would intrigue their fellow classmates.  They got it into the official program, scheduled it late on purpose to make a place for those who’d partied a little too late the evening before.  They included testimonies from well recognized faces from their class.  Everything was done to make the service different, but still a vehicle for God’s word to reach people.

I’ve seen faith shared in many ways.  I’ve seen magicians incorporate it into an act.  I’ve seen body builders draw analogies between building their muscles and their faiths.  I’ve heard athletes give testimonies and watched drama groups perform the faith.  There’s nothing wrong with tried and true methods.  That’s what we’ll normally use, especially the things that work best for us.  But if God’s ever pushed at you with a strange idea, maybe you should think it through a little more.  If there’s a person in your life that you really want to share with, but you haven’t found a way in yet, maybe it’s time to think outside the box.  Is there an activity you can do with them?  Do they have some kind of need, not just physical even?

Paul speaks to how important it is to be outside the box and bring our message to people in relevant ways- “I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. . . . To those not having the alw I became like one not having the law(though I am not free from God’ s law but am under Christ’s law) so as to win those not having the law.  To the wak, I became weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all people so that by all possibl emeans I might save some.”  I cor. 9:19-23

The same is true with sharing our faith.  Lee Stroebel shares the story of how he brought his father-in-law, Al, to faith.  The man had been a hardened atheist for his entire life.  Lee, after coming to faith himself, shared with him but was shut down and forcefully so.  Lee’s normal style of sharing isn’t very confrontational so that was rough.  And he did stay away from the subject largely for a long time.  But then Al had a stroke and the prognosis was that he would keep having strokes until he died.  So Lee was forced out of his comfort zone.  He knew he had to be more up front with Al.  So he got Al to himself and started sharing.  He kept sharing even as Al ignored him.  He spoke and got really bold, speaking under his breath, “Satan you can’t have him!”  Finally, he broke through and Al was crying, and responding.  Only hours later Al had a stroke that completely disoriented him and he died days later.  Nothing about this was comfortable for Lee, but it had to be done, and it happened just in the nick of time.

The challenge to us is this: most of the time we’re called to share the faith in a way that works well for us, whether thorugh building relationships, serving, discussing faith when it comes up in coversation, etc, but sometimes we’re thrust into emergency situations- someone is dying, in danger, or going off to a place where you don’t think they’ll get to hear about faith again.  In these situations we need to think like we do when a person’s life is in danger, and we might be called to get uncomfortable and bring them the life-saving news of Jesus directly.  Even when that’s not your style.

I’m generally a more gradual sharer, but I’m glad that I got a little more direct a few years ago.  I was working as a chaplain in a skilled nursing facility and a woman came in with cancer.  She was supposed to be there just for rehab and then to go home again.  But as she was sharing the story of her life, I engaged her on the questions of faith as well.  She had fallen away largely, but said she was still spiritual.  I pushed her though in ways I normally didn’t.  We talked about Jesus, and her baptism, and where he’d been through her whole life even as she suffered.  And she believed.  And days later she was in a hospital even worse.  We prayed that day, and I remember feeling such joy as she prayed in the name of Jesus.  I thought she’d get better and be back at the nursing home the next day.  Instead she died.  It might not have been my normal style to push the conversation that first time, but I’m glad I did.  Her family asked me to do the funeral and there was joy there that day in the midst of the sorrow.

Lee Stroebel opens by talking about a baptism service his church was having.  It was their practice to have those coming up to be baptized bring someone along who was significant in their life- from their family, faith, etc.  One of the women who walked up that day came accompanied by a brawny, tough looking man who didn’t appear all that interested or excited about his role.  After asking the woman about her faith, Lee was moved to turn to the man and ask him too.  One second the man’s expression was almost angry then it became a pained expression and he burst into tears.  He admitted that he wasn’t a believer but he wanted to become one.  They prayed together right then and there as God brought him into the faith.

Amazing, but it gets better. After the service another woman came up to Lee and said, “nine years”.  The woman was her sister-in-law and the man her brother.  She’d been praying for him for nine years to come to faith and never a hint of interest.  Lee asked if she’d ever thought of giving up and she said no, after all, it was her brother.

But then Lee challenged me- he challenges us.  Is there someone who you’ve prayed for that you’ve given up on.  Think back on all those you’ve prayed over for faith.  There’s probably someone who either consciously or unconsciously you’ve basically quit on.

But we’re called to persistence.  This cut me to the heart and there are a couple of people I’m trying to look up right now.  These people matter.  They’re God’s children, and I’d like them to understand that.  May the Lord strengthen me to never quit praying again.

He tells the story of a true adventure.  He had some old friends who planned a hunting trip out in the Badlands and at first, he decided not to go.  Then all of a sudden while out with other friends eating pizza, he changed his mind, realizing that these old friends needed to hear his story of conversion.  He convinced a friend who was a pilot to fly him out there and drop him off on a remote unmanned airstrip.  From there he took off with very little gear searching from country roads.  He didn’t actually find his friends so he was forced to hole up in his sleeping bag that night and the next morning he was awoken by a gruff rancher with a gun.  Well, the rancher softened and eventually let Mark come to his home, eat breakfast, and this started a faith sharing adventure as well.

So here’s the question, what’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken for God?  Have you ever gone out on a limb for Christ?  Done something that seemed kind of crazy- like a completely selfless act of service?  Forgiven someone for some real offense against you?  Put together some kind of an outreach program that people said just wouldn’t work?  Talked to someone that not only wasn’t a Christian but who’s made it clear they don’t want to hear about it?  There are a million possibilities.

We’re not talking about complete foolishness here, but God does call us to take some risks too.  Think of the words of Paul as they’re quoted at the end of this chapter.

“I have been constantly on the  move.  I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. . . I consider my life worht nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (2 Cor. 11:26-27; Acts 20:24)

I’m a Lutheran pastor and I know a lot of our readers are Lutherans who probably aren’t real comfortable with the whole concept of testimony, but listen for a moment.

Lee Strobel shares one of the experiences that started opening his heart toward faith and it was through the testimony of a man, Gary, he was covering for an article.  Gary had been a hardened gangster for most of his young life.  He’d had numerous run-ins with the law and finally got in deep trouble when he attempted to kill a rival gang member.  Miraculously, the Lord prevented the gun from actually firing, but Gary had to flee to Oregon to escape the law.  There he got a legitmate job and his coworkers brought him to faith.  He and his girlfriend got married, and started raising a Christian family.  Years went by, but Gary’s past always haunted him.  He finally decided to go back to Chicago and turn himself in so that justice could be served.  The judge was so moved by what he’d done and how he’d truly changed that he let him off with probation.  When Lee asked Gary about his reaction to the judge’s ruling, he said it was simply grace, a model of the grace God had already showed him in his life.  Lee couldn’t help but be moved.

Now you’ll agree this is a moving story, but isn’t that what testmonies are, just moving stories, ones desired to grab people’s emotions.  The reality is that the Bible is full of people’s stories and testimonies, designed to grab us and let us see how God works in people’s lives.  Just watch the witness of Paul throughout Acts.  One of the things he does repeatedly is tell people his story, transition from Christian persecutor to Christian witness.  If Paul promotes the technique, maybe we should give it some serious thought.

Another common objection to testimonies is that they’re always sensational.  Certainly Gary and Paul’s testimonies are pretty incredible.  And I can understand feeling kind of strange about sharing your experiences when you were baptized when you were a baby and raised up in the Christian faith.  How’s that going to move people?  Well, the reality is that many people can actually identify with the less spectacular stories even moreso than the incredible ones.  When you dig into the story of your faith you’ll find the blessings of God, maybe being raised in the faith, but also challenges- the teen years, problems at work, in your relationships, etc, places where you’ve seen God in your life.  When you hear people speaking about such challenges (or blessings), that’s where your “testimony” comes in.  It might not seem spectacular, but it’s where you can engage people’s lives with the story of God in your own.

Finally, I agree that my experiences and testimony can’t be the whole enchilada.  That’s why it’s good to think through the aspects of our lives and how God’s word has met our needs.  What Scriptures have been formative for you?  Which ones have helped you in hard times or good times?  Which ones work well to share as you’re sharing your experience?

So the action point here, start thinking about aspects of your “testimony” and what situations might come up where you can share.  Also start thinking about passages from the Bible relate.  And if it makes you feel better, you don’t have to call it a testimony.  In all honesty, I wouldn’t do so with mine as it saves one from the baggage some associate with that term.  You’re just sharing your story.  People are almost always open to that.

Mark shares a story of how he and his wife were eating out at a restaurant and making some plans when the hostess decided to seat another couple right next to them, even though the restaurant was near empty.  Mark was a little annoyed and he was even more annoyed when the couple kept looking over and listening in.  Finally the couple started engaging them in coversation and he was forced to start talking with them, interrupting his planning with his wife.  Well, they asked about his job, and when they found out he was a Christian author, they started arguing with him some as they were committed atheists.  The conversation didn’t go anywhere remarkable, but God did create an opportunity and as it happened, Mark had a copy of a book he’d written sitting in his briefcase which addressed many of their objections to faith.  The woman said she’d like to look at it and even got his email address so she could send him her thoughts.  Before and even during the conversation Mark was somewhat annoyed by the interruption, but as it progressed he realized it was from God. 

We need to take a step back sometimes and wonder about interruptions and delays.  I remember once standing in line in a grocery store when an old woman in front was buying just a few items.  I thought this was the perfect line as the purchase would be done quickly.  I could buy my stuff and rush on to work.  Of course, she presented them slowly, and then even more slowly she started to hunt for her money.  I was getting annoyed, and maybe she and the clerk could even notice that.  She discovered she was short and started looking at her items.  What would she give up.  As she struggled to decide I was getting even more annoyed.

Then it hit me, this might be an interruption and delay, but it was also opportunity.  I gave the clerk a few dollars to cover what she was short.  The woman looked at me and told me it was ok, that I didn’t have to do that.  I responded simply, “Don’t worry.  The Lord provides.  Blessings on your day.”  She thanked me profusely and walked on as I stayed to make my own purchase.  The teller also looked at me and thanked me.

What had been an interruption and delay became an opportunity, even a short one, to give witness to the Lord and his care.

When I was reading through the book about witnessing, Lee Stroebel’s chapter on how a man named Jack shared his faith definitely caught my attention.  Jack was an adult, but developmentally disabled with the abilities of a young child.  Despite his disabilities he witnessed to Lee of his strong faith any number of times.  And his witness wasn’t only for those inside the church.  In fact, he would continuously speak to those where he lived as well, including the staff.  One woman was finally overcome by his genuine care for her, checked out Jack’s church, and was won over by the Lord as well.

Childlike faith and the faith of children is amazing.  I love speaking to my kids about faith and hearing their questions.  Even moreso I love seeing them share their faith.  I’ve seen my son start “playing church” at the park.  I’m not sure exactly how it impacts the other kids, but they’re hearing about Jesus.  I’ve heard from preschool parents about how their kids tell other kids or adults “Jesus is alive!”, and just shout it out in public occasionally too. 

You see, with kids there is no fear and shame.  Should there be?

While we might not be able to pull this same technique off and be seen as genuine, what can we learn from our kids?

Share any times you’ve seen a child share their faith.