Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Colossians 4:6, ESV
Prior to returning to the Christian faith a variety of Christian evangelism programs confronted me. Though I agree with the intent of many of these programs, I take issue with the methods. As Paul was reminding the people of Colossae, our greatest witness comes through listening before sharing. The issue that I took in the methods was not that they were sharing the Gospel, but that none of them truly tried to understand where I had issues with the Christian faith at the time. Each of the methods was begun with the end desire of bringing about conversion without knowing anything about why I had turned away from the Christian faith. As a teacher in the faith once shared with me, “People care less about what you know than they do about knowing that you care.” In our witness, it is best that we care about the person before we try to care for their souls.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.