How To Become An Effective Evangelist…
Our world is in trouble. If you get discouraged watching or reading the national news, you are not alone. The word battle comes to my mind every time I listen to the “no spin” discussions in the news media. Not to mention all the interesting and combative comments so bravely posted in social media. You do not hear the word battle used much today because in a politically correct world we are not supposed to be in conflict; we are to protect everyone’s rights. Right? So why do so many political discussions lead to arguments? Our world has become very sensitive about protecting rights, yet we are somehow desensitized when it comes to protecting the most important foundation of life, religious freedom and Jesus!
I read a lot of books and I love history; it is true, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The battles fought in wars for centuries over property or religion were all influenced by an evil ideology. There is a song, titled “Love Remains,” by Collin Raye. The words so beautifully remind us that God’s love is all that we need to be protected in this world. Kingdoms come and go but they don’t last, before you know the future is the past, in spite of what’s been lost or what’s been gained, you know we are living proof that love remains. Hope lives on because the Kingdom of God and His love are everlasting!
There is still real war going on today. It is physically and emotionally damaging to human life. In some countries the violence never ceases. But all over the world the real battle is an enemy that does not use physical weapons. Our current battles are more of a spiritual nature and the enemy is very shrewd.
Fear not! There is another song to sing! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The strife is o'er, the battle done; now is the Victor's triumph won; now be the song of praise begun. Alleluia! The author of the words to this beautiful hymn is unknown; it was translated from Latin to English by Francis Pott who studied at Brasenose College, Oxford. He was ordained a deacon in 1856 and a priest in 1857. This hymn is typically an Easter song celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, but the message is something we should reflect on every moment of the day, as we strive to overcome the temptations of the world. God is so good to us. The Easter Promise of eternal life and the great gift of the Holy Spirit are the additional power we need to conquer the evil prowling about the world.
Our communities are prey to the pressures of the secular world where the media mocks the Gospel and cheapens a person’s worth as a child of God. When our community is weakened there is breakdown of family, decrease in priestly vocations and religious life, and there is wasteful consumption, while we neglect the poor. People of faith must develop a deeper and more personal relationship with Christ. There is something else we do not hear much about these days, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to the Apostles at Pentecost, but guess what; they are available to us today. Just like Timothy, we are urged to “fan into flame” these gifts (2 Tim 1:6) We are challenged to awaken the baptismal gift we receive in our own Sacraments of Initiation, where we truly receive the Holy Spirit.
Conversion flows from the Church’s work of evangelization. This openness to conversion does not propose that your relationship with Christ will progress from mountaintop experience to mountaintop experience. In fact, quite the opposite is true; Christian life is lived mostly in the valleys and often in the desert.
We are called by the Spirit as a Church community to be like Mary and the Apostles in the Upper Room, embracing all that God has to offer us with His gifts. This mission will lead us all back to the Father, for without the Holy Spirit, God is far away. He is counting on us to free the world of all the battles, and He supplies us with the power to do so. Hope lives on because the Kingdom of God is everlasting. Since the Spirit is our life, let us be led by the Spirit!” (Gal 5:25) Amen!
