On Friday morning, my postman delivered a padded manila envelope. I suspect that many of my pastoral colleagues have or soon will receive similar packages. Inside was a fancy pedometer and a USB cable. As part of the East Ohio Conference’s effort to reduce health care costs and improve the health of its clergy, they have joined with Virgin Health Miles, allowing pastors to earn cash incentives for keeping track of their daily steps.
As it arrived, I was working on my sermon for the week on rethinking evangelism. My guess is that at least a few of you have read Bill Hybels’ book, Just Walk Across the Room. The book challenges the reader to think about how they define evangelism. What if evangelism was as simple as walking across the room and introducing yourself to someone you don’t know? Rev. Hybels suggests if -10 is used to describe someone living for themselves and 0 is the point of salvation, then success in evangelism is any movement towards the right (towards 0). The average person takes about 10,000 steps every day. My pedometer is a constant reminder of that fact. But what if just a few of those steps could be used to make an eternal difference in the life of someone else’s life?
That, says Bill, is what Christ did. He left his circle of comfort (i.e., heaven) and, walking across the cosmos, He was born on earth so He could lead us to eternal life. Romans 5:8 sums it up pretty well. Like the adulterous woman in John 8, Jesus finds us in sin, deserving death, and instead he gives us new life as He says to us, “You are forgiven. Go and sin no more.”
There is one other point that needs to be stated. “The single greatest value in any evangelistic endeavor is to be in tune to and cooperating with the work of the Holy Spirit.” We need to walk when he prompts and stay put when he is silent. We speak when we feel so directed and remain silent when we don’t feel his guidance. To stay in tune, we need to be in prayer and carefully listen so we may discern that still small voice.
So as I count my steps and strive to be more intentional about my health, I pray that some of those steps will help others move towards spiritual life that will last forever. Maybe you will be challenged to do the same.
