Sharing News that Helps
MINISTER’S LETTER - 29 November 2024
Saint Andrew by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1611)
Friends in Christ, tomorrow, November 30, is St Andrew's Day.
Ever since I started serving at the Cathedral, I have believed our apostolic namesake, Andrew, gives us a great aim for us at our Cathedral with its unique location and beautiful presence in the city.
That great aim is to introduce people to Jesus!
We don't know as much about Andrew as an apostle, compared to his brother Peter or to James and John. But every time you meet Andrew in the Gospels, he is introducing someone to Jesus...
his own brother Simon Peter (John 1:40-42),
the boy with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8-9),
the Greeks who want to meet Jesus (John 12:20-22).
Now since I have shared news of my 'frozen shoulder' (a.k.a. 'adhesive capsulitis'), I've had the experience of being evangelised with many cures. People have wanted to share good news of what helped them with their shoulder problems... physiotherapy, injections, massage, acupuncture, panadol osteo, etc.
This has reminded me of a few great truths that should help when we want to share good news about Jesus.
Firstly the motivation. When something has helped you, it is natural to pass it on. Or at least it should be. It's an expression of love to care about someone who has a problem! You might even be a tiny bit pushy about it, if the person at first seems resistant to your suggestion.
Why not the same eagerness with introducing people to our Saviour, Jesus Christ? As Paul wrote:
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others... For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all... And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:11,14a,15)
Secondly, there should also be honesty. The research says no one really knows why frozen shoulder occurs, that not much is known about the best way to treat it, and that the pain and stiffness generally continues for months or even a couple of years. So if people were offering me quick miracle cures, it shouldn't surprise if I am a bit sceptical. I actually appreciate the physiotherapists who said their treatments may help, but may very well not.
And of course, we should be totally honest in our evangelism. We do not drop God's standards of holiness or ignore the reality of judgment. And we don't promise instant cures or a quick breakthrough to sinlessness, let alone "your best life now" to those who become Christians. As Paul says, "we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God" (2 Corinthians 4:2).
Alongside honesty, there is also the value of listening. If someone says they have a frozen shoulder, there's no point giving them advice about an AC joint or rotator cuff injury... They are different problems, and need different responses.
Of course, sometimes we don't know what our own problems are ourselves. At first, with my sore shoulder and limited movement, I thought I probably had a rotator cuff injury, so it wouldn't surprise me if someone heard that and later offered a solution for it, even after I had got the correct diagnosis.
And it's the same with evangelism. We shouldn't just repeat the same things about Jesus, without also listening carefully to the particular concerns of a person. You might hear about a bad experience in the background, or discover a misunderstanding they have. You might discover they are more influenced by personal testimony, or more concerned about historical evidence.
This is certainly not to say we should tailor, let alone hide the truth, to suit or please the listener. See points 1 and 2 above!
But it is respectful to pay attention to where a person is at if you want to communicate well with them.
Of course my last point is about prayer.
What I have appreciated most when I've mentioned my frozen shoulder is just how many people have assured me they have begun to pray for me.
That kindness is deeply moving... Because ultimately we are dependent on God for everything. Sometimes in his providence, a thorn in the flesh is not taken away for the foreseeable future. But God's grace and power is always sufficient in our weakness. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.)
And prayer is important in evangelism, since no human can change another person's heart (see 2 Cor 4:6). And God can over-rule and use our often weak and stumbling efforts, even when we didn't listen or don't express things as well as we could have. So we should always ask him to be at work!
Here is the lightly modified 'collect for St Andrew' that I often pray:
Almighty God, you gave such grace to your apostle Andrew, that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ to follow him, and brought his brother with him: grant that we who are called by your holy word may give ourselves at once to do what you command; and give us grace to tell the good news of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney