Diet Style Evangelism (click to comment)

Have you ever been on a diet? My friend Steve Biggerstaff has. Last summer, we were having lunch together and for the first time in world history, Steve ordered a salad. I said, “Are you okay? Do you need some Rolaids? A doctor?” He said, “I’m on a diet.” Now understand, I liked Steve the way he was. You want Steve on your football team, not your track team; you put this guy on the line in football and opponents leave the field. God made some people fast; He made Steve big.

This is when I made a mistake. I said, “Tell you what. I’ll donate $10 to the ministry of Laugh Again for every pound you lose, on one condition. That you donate $10 to the ministry of Laugh Again for every pound you gain back.” Soon I wrote out the first cheque and I decided to start sending Steve chocolate bars and triple-heart-attack cheesecakes. He wouldn’t eat them. He kept riding his little treadmill and eating his dainty little salads. He told me he liked this new lifestyle. He felt better. To date, Steve’s diet has cost me $800. He’s lost 80 pounds. He looks great. He feels great too. Ask him how and he’ll smile and say, “One day at a time, brother. One calorie at a time.”

I wonder sometimes if we think of sharing our faith like we think of dieting. We get excited about it after some sermon or book. And we say, “I’m gonna tell others about Jesus.” Then after a few weeks we’re back at the same old buffet loading up on ham. But what if we simply take small steps like Steve? What if we just decide to be a faithful follower of Jesus today? We wake up and pray to be faithful. We read a few words from the Bible in the morning. We start a conversation with co-workers, neighbours, or complete strangers on the bus. We talk to God through the day as we would a friend, and we find ourselves being a little friendlier with the guy at the gym or the office, simply because we see others as people God loves lavishly. At night we read His words and before we know it we’re telling others the story of what He has done for us. Try this out. Let me know what happens.

One more suggestion: would you send a package to Back to the Bible Canada? Put on it, “Attn: Steve Biggerstaff.” Throw in 20 pounds of chocolate. And let us know if you have a great story about a time that you told someone about Jesus. You can click to leave your comment below. We love to hear from you.