The Pun
The Prayer
Sometimes I don't know what to say to those who hold a drastically different worldview than my own. Without any basic common ground, I can find myself turning to strategies of avoiding, looking down on, and berating them (even if it be secretly in my heart). I have received teaching on evangelism from many sources which almost all focus on finding the right words to say. And certainly, words of truth are essential to sharing the gospel. Without truth there is no 'news' in good news.
But really, I know the truth; it is simple. The man whose blindness was healed and the thief on the cross who repented knew very little about Jesus and were more than able to share a good witness. And so I suspect any error I have may have more to do with the 'good' part than the 'news' part.
I am in some ways a product of a faith heritage that rightfully goes through great pains to avoid the heresies of false gospels but puts a somewhat lesser value on protecting the message from any bitterness or blandness that might affect its sweetness. As we communicate the good news, it is just as much an error to distort the news of it as it is to distort the goodness of it. Christ taught that our words are an overflow of the heart (Luke 6:45). In order to speak good news, a good heart is prerequisite. And Paul promised that a heart geared toward grace will lead to lips that know what to say:
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:5-6) So, I can curse the bitterness of coffee or add cream. I can refuse a bland vegetable or add salt. I can avoid, berate, or tear down sinners Or I can speak words of Grace into their waywardness, Joy into their despair, Meaning into their emptiness, Comfort into their coldness, Goodness into their need, Peace into their tumult And counsel into their lostness.
And it is in the message of the cross that the greatest graces can be found to meet each of these needs. I have no better, joyful, good thing to add into someone else's life than the word of Christ. We are the salt of the earth. What good are we if we cannot add flavor to a bland and bitter world?