Caring and Sharing
Scripture Reading — Acts 9:36-42
Dorcas . . . was always doing good and helping the poor. Acts 9:36
When you hear the word evangelist, what kind of a person comes to mind? If you’re like me, you may picture a very expressive, flamboyant, finger-pointing, Bible-waving man with big hair and a big voice--someone who borders on being vain and obnoxious. Who of us wants to be like that?
Misunderstandings like this lead many believers to conclude, “This business of evangelism is not for me. I’ll leave it to the preachers, professionals, and obnoxious extroverts of this world. I’m just not cut out for it.”
But you don’t have to be obnoxious, rude, flashy, or even extroverted to be an effective evangelist for the Lord. You can simply be who God made you to be. You don’t have to behave in ways that go against your personality or temperament. God has created you in such a way that you can reach people whom others can’t.
In Acts 9 we read about Dorcas, a seamstress from Joppa who was “always doing good and helping the poor.” She made a huge impact for Christ by doing small acts of kindness in her neighborhood. In her non-flamboyant way, Dorcas combined humble service with her own story about her motives--something like “I’m doing this because Jesus’ love has changed my life, and I want to share that love with you.” This was, and always will be, a powerful combination for evangelism.
Lord, remind us that people don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. May our joyful service be a powerful lead-in to sharing your message. Amen.
About the author — Dan Jongsma
Daniel Jongsma serves as an interim pastor in Fulton, Illinois. He has pastored congregations in Elmhurst and Fulton, Illinois; in Dearborn, Michigan; and in Nashville, Tennessee. Dan also served as a church planter in the Chicago area. He and his wife, Gloria, have three daughters and four grandchildren.
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