More Than One Way

More Than One Way

Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

Colossians 4:3-4

SOMETHING’S BEEN BOTHERING ME for quite a while. I think it’s time for me to talk about it.

It’s the expression, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” We’ve all heard it. We’ve all probably even said it.

What’s wrong with us?

More than one way to skin a cat? First, who is skinning cats? And second, how many different ways are there? I can’t imagine more than just the basic way, and I don’t even want to imagine that!

I did some research. Apparently, the phrase goes back to at least the 1840s. The best evidence indicates that the debate was whether to skin a cat when it’s dead or still alive. Are you kidding me?

I also learned that another old British phrase was “There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream.” What? And another: “There are more ways of killing a dog than choking him with pudding.” What sicko tried to kill a dog with pudding?

More Than One Way

You might be wondering: If I’m supposed to talk to people about my faith, how do I do it? If I get the opportunity, what do I say?

I’ve got good news. It turns out there’s more than one way to talk about Jesus.

The book of Acts in the Bible is the history book of the first Christians, and all through it we see them telling people about Jesus. If you read it, you’ll notice that they do it in all kinds of ways. So if you think you don’t know the right way to do it, well, that’s not a problem, because there is no one right way to do it.

In Acts we see that instead of having a prepared speech they gave everyone, the Christians tried to meet people where they were at, then walk them toward God and faith in Jesus.

So make sure you meet people where they’re at. When I was in college, I had a friend named Dan. I wanted him to know Jesus. But if I had immediately thrown it all out there and asked Dan to believe, I’m convinced it wouldn’t have gone well.

So I was patient. I led with love, trying to be a good friend to Dan and looking for ways to serve him. When I had the opportunity, I would quickly mention to Dan something that happened in church or that I had read in the Bible. After months of that, I had earned trust with Dan, he was more open, and I found a good time to throw it all out there. I asked Dan to put his faith in Jesus. Pretty soon, he did.

Last year I made a new friend named Jeff. My plan was to do the same, to be patient and first develop our friendship. But immediately Jeff started telling me he was searching for something and asking me about my faith. I realized he was ready, so I threw it all out there. I asked Jeff to put his faith in Jesus. Pretty soon, he did.

Meet people where they’re at. After you’ve led with love and earned trust and the time is right, throw it all out there. When you do, make sure what you say is intelligible.

Don’t use religious language, like “That’s when I was washed in the blood of the Lamb and born again.”

Don’t show off the Bible words you know, like “And you, too, can experience justification.”

No, just talk in everyday language and try to make it as simple as you can.

You could say something as simple as, “There’s a God who loves you. You may have walked away from him, but he’s never stopped loving you. He sent Jesus for you. And he’s inviting you to come back to him. To have a relationship with him, that will give you a better life now and life with him forever in heaven.”

Or you could use a Bible verse. You don’t need to memorize thirty of them. You could just use one that you write down for your friend to read or that you show him or her in your Bible. For instance, Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Then you explain it: “It says wages. Wages are something you earn.

“It says sin. Sin is when we do wrong. When we make the wrong choice. When we live in a way that is not loving. When we dishonor God.

“It says death. Death is an ending, an unwanted separation, the end of relationship. So this verse says that what we have earned, through our sin, is death.

“Then the next word is but. ‘But the free gift of God.’ A gift is something you’re given that you haven’t earned. It’s something someone who loves you gives you just because her or she loves you.

“God has offered you the gift of eternal life. What is eternal life? It’s life without end, without separation. It’s life where relationship, specifically with God, never ends.

“How is that possible? The next phrase says, ‘through Christ Jesus our Lord.’ The idea is that this is only possible because of Jesus. When Jesus died, he took what we deserved by taking away our sin. He made it possible for God to offer us the gift of eternal life. And that gift is available to you if you just say yes.”

That’s not the right way to explain it; that’s just one way you can explain it. The key is to keep it simple.

Another thing we see the early Christians doing in the book of Acts—and it’s still very effective today—is sharing their stories. When you have the opportunity, share your story of how you came to believe and the difference it’s made in your life.

The truth is there’s more than one way to share your faith and present Jesus to people. And it’s something you have to do.

There is also more than one way to skin a cat. But fortunately, that is not something you have to do.

Now What?

• Read Acts 17:22-31 and Acts 26:1-29.
• In these passages we see Paul sharing his faith in different ways, in different situations, and with different audiences. One approach we see Paul take is to share his personal story. Have you ever shared your “God story” with anyone? Why don’t you take some time to prepare by outlining it? What was your life like before giving it to God? How did you come to faith? What has God done in your life since?
• Pray for your church. The mission of the church is to bring glory to God by making disciples out of people who are not currently believers. Pray that your church becomes increasingly effective in that mission.