Evangelism – Gregory Scott Blog

Why Being Available Trumps Being Prepared in the Kingdom of God

I’m a preparer. No, actually, I’m an over-preparer.

I’ve been that way for most of my life, but because I’m hard wired as a hard worker, I’ve been able accomodate my need to prepare.

As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve realized that when it comes to the things of the kingdom of God, there is something more important than being prepared, and that is being available.

By being available I mean being willing in the moment with no advanced warning to share the gospel, help, minster, or pray for someone. I rarely tell someone anymore, “Let me think about it and get back to you” because (1) I am far too busy and know I’m likely to forget; and (2) such help is best received by the individual when they make their need known to me. The best time to provide help is usually at the point someone is willing to ask for it.

Being available is more important than being prepared because we exist in a reality cabined by time. While God can and certainly has tampered with time in the past (e.g. Joshua 10:12-14), it certainly appears that His default is to work within the confines of time.

This means it is unlikely another person will present their need to you at a time most convenient for you. It is more likely that the moment when someone needs you to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit is a time when you are engaged in something else.

The Backstory To Paul’s Athens Visit

When the Apostle Paul preached in Athens, he probably had no idea who was in his audience, but when he finished preaching, “…some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite…” (Acts 17:34).

Dionysius was an important man in Athens. He was a member of the Areopagus, which was essentially the Athens Supreme Court.

There is a legend concerning this Dionysius, a backstory, that may or may not be true, but as my friend George Grant says, most legend is rooted in some fact. So, here’s how this legend goes.

Viking Travel Journal––Day 12

Not every swing is a hit.

Some are strikes.

Seydisfjordur, Iceland was a complete whiff…at least for me.

The length of the offered excursions should have been a clue; they were mostly between 4 hours and 7 hours long by bus.

If you have to drive that far away to find something worth seeing or doing, that might be an indication that where you are is not exactly a destination.

I opted for the self-guided tour of the town, and besides the natural beauty of the surroundings there was nothing to see. Nada. The highlight for me was when I sat down when I was about to collapse from sheer boredom and was approached by a local cat—I assume he was local, I hadn’t seen him on the ship—who let me pet him. Continue reading “Viking Travel Journal––Day 12”

On Workplace Evangelism – 6

This is the last post in this series on workplace evangelism.

In this series I’ve been looking at the Parable of the Shrewd Manager as a primer on workplace evangelism.

I’ve addressed the first two lessons from the parable: 1) use your workplace to develop relationships; and 2) use money to develop relationships.

The third lesson from the parable is found in verse 8: “And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. Luke 16:8 (emphasis added).

Jesus emphasizes that the manager, while commendably shrewd, was dishonest. The manager was dishonest because the money he used to make friends was not his, but his employer’s. By reducing the bills of customers for his own purposes without his employer’s permission the manager was, in effect, stealing from his employer. It was dishonest. Continue reading “On Workplace Evangelism – 6”

On Workplace Evangelism – 5

In the last post I wrote about the first lesson about workplace evangelism that comes from the Parable of the Shrewd Manager.

The second lesson concerns the issue of money.

Jesus said to use money to make friends. Luke 16:9 (NIV).

This might seem like an odd command at first, perhaps even unspiritual to some.

But money is a powerful means by which one can make friends. Think about it: What is most important to the prevailing culture of those who do not know God? What is it that people who do not know God spend their careers pursuing, often at the expense of family and friends? What is it that people who don’t know God think if they just had more of they would be happy? Obviously this is not true of all people who do not know God, but who can deny it is true for the prevailing secular culture? Continue reading “On Workplace Evangelism – 5”