Preach The Gospel, Sometimes Use Words

The young missionary recruit was so excited finally to be on the mission field.  He had finished his first year of seminary and had been accepted for a summer internship in Mexico City with a veteran missionary. His first day was spent walking around in the city, talking to people, but with no preaching.  The intern said to the veteran missionary, “This was a very interesting day. There were many opportunities for you and me to preach or at least share our feelings about Jesus.  When do I get to start preaching?”

The veteran missionary’s response has stayed with me for decades.  It is simple; it is powerful.  He said, “Everywhere we went today they marked us as we walked.  They judged us as we talked. There will be plenty of time to preach with words; today we preached with no words.” And then he told the youngster what his seminary professor had taught him decades ago:  we are called to Preach the Gospel, Sometimes Use Words.

So, what is the connection, if there is a connection, between Preach the Gospel, Sometimes Use Words and The Merton Prayer?  I will tell you my answer, but first a qualifier.  I am ordained as a pastor, an elder, and a deacon!  My friend Chuck Foster told me, after my most recent ordination as a deacon, “Denny, you are working backwards, and church janitor is next!”    If anyone should feel comfortable preaching on a street corner to a perfect stranger it should be I; however, it is not I.  And I suspect many reading this blog may feel the same.

The Merton Prayer’s “I hope that I have the desire to please you in everything I do” gives me permission to focus on the “sometimes” of the missionary’s statement.  I am very comfortable using words sharing the gospel “sometimes,” but only with people with whom I have a relationship. Let us build non-superficial relationships with people, and then one day, a person just may directly or indirectly (more likely) open a door for honest and deep discussion, perhaps even, “Please tell me about your faith in Jesus!” 

Preach the Gospel, Sometimes Use Words could be a powerful mechanism for evangelism that just might be way more effective and successful than standing on a sidewalk shouting out scriptures and telling strangers who walk by that they are going to hell unless they repent. That may work for some, but for me the goal is to spend my energy building sincere relationships so that when the questions come, and they will come, I am ready to share the gospel “with words.” My two cents!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   [NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please use the contact tab and let me know!  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

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