There’s a subplot in the movie “Back to The Future” whereMarty McFly (our teenage protagonist who accidentally time travels from 1985 to 1955) tries
to warn his friend, Doctor Emmett L. Brown (the 1955 version), that he will be
murdered by Libyan terrorists in 30 years.
Like any responsible scholar of time travel, Doc refuses to listen
because “no man should know too much about his own destiny.” Marty persists and
attempts to inform his friend in a letter, but Doc sees through this wily ploy
and rips it up without reading it.
because “no man should know too much about his own destiny.” Marty persists and
attempts to inform his friend in a letter, but Doc sees through this wily ploy
and rips it up without reading it.
Marty returns to 1985 on the night of Doc’s impending death
and races to the Twin Pines Mall just in time to see Doc get gunned down. But
to Marty’s surprise, Doc is still very much alive and unbuttons his shirt,
revealing a bulletproof vest. Then he pulls out the letter he had torn up in
1955, and Marty sees that it is taped together. Doc had heeded Marty’s 30-year-old
warning, and it saved his life.
and races to the Twin Pines Mall just in time to see Doc get gunned down. But
to Marty’s surprise, Doc is still very much alive and unbuttons his shirt,
revealing a bulletproof vest. Then he pulls out the letter he had torn up in
1955, and Marty sees that it is taped together. Doc had heeded Marty’s 30-year-old
warning, and it saved his life.
So why do I mention this cinematic gem from the 80s? Well as
it turns out, “Back to The Future” has a lot in common with evangelism.
it turns out, “Back to The Future” has a lot in common with evangelism.
During our three months in Africa, evangelism became a
lifestyle. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania … the country didn’t matter. Our churches needed
us to take the salvation message to their communities. So that’s what we did. We visited homes, marketplaces, and
universities and spoke to anyone who wanted to listen.
lifestyle. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania … the country didn’t matter. Our churches needed
us to take the salvation message to their communities. So that’s what we did. We visited homes, marketplaces, and
universities and spoke to anyone who wanted to listen.
Like Marty trying to save Doc, we are trying to save people by telling them salvation is God’s gift to everyone. Not a select few. Everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. Salvation is a free gift, and all you have to do is accept it. You can’t earn it … it’s free.
Also like Marty, our message was met with a bit of opposition. Most people listened, but a few walked away, and some just stared blankly into space. I found myself getting most frustrated by the latter. It’s eerie how many people cheerfully welcome you to speak and then, at the first mention of Jesus Christ, they’ll immediately slip into this emotionless gaze like someone flipped an off switch in their brain.
But then again, I can understand why many people put up a wall when they hear about Christianity. You don’t have to search too hard to find examples of Christians being hypocrites, liars, cheaters, adulterers, haters, and snobs. Many Christians put up this fake facade of perfection … like they never sin.
Yeah, that’s not true. The Bible says “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
My friend (shout out to Rob Smith, he’s single ladies!) recently used this quote from Pastor Alistair Begg: “We make it very, very hard for people who have struggles in their Christian life, when we present no struggles in our Christian life.” Christians aren’t perfect, and if you meet any who say they are, punch them in the nose. I’m kidding, don’t do that. I don’t advocate violence. I just thought that sentence sounded funny in my mind, and then I wanted to see what it looked like on my computer screen, and it made me laugh so I kept it. Yes, I’m easily entertained.My point is … don’t base your assessment of Christianity on the actions of its followers because, sooner or later (most likely sooner), we will always let you down. Base your assessment of Christianity on the source: God. Christianity isn’t a message of hate. It’s a message of love. If God hated us and wanted us to burn in hell, he wouldn’t have sacrificed His Son to pay the penalty we all deserve. He did it because He loves us … more intensely than we will ever realize.
When I first started evangelizing, I put too much pressure
on myself. I had the mindset that I needed to say all the right things and present
the message in a way that was hip and cool, like one would tailor an
advertisement to make it appeal to its target audience. I doubted what God
could do through me.
But the truth is, there is power in the Word. My job is to
proclaim God’s gift of salvation for everyone and let God do His thing. What
people choose to do with that message is between them and God.
on myself. I had the mindset that I needed to say all the right things and present
the message in a way that was hip and cool, like one would tailor an
advertisement to make it appeal to its target audience. I doubted what God
could do through me.
But the truth is, there is power in the Word. My job is toproclaim God’s gift of salvation for everyone and let God do His thing. What
people choose to do with that message is between them and God.
As much as Marty wanted to save Doc’s life in “Back to The Future,” he could only pass along the message. Doc had to strap on the bulletproof vest by himself. Likewise, as much as I want to save someone’s life by sharing
my faith with them, I can’t force them to become a born again Christian. I can
beat them over the head with Scripture (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, John 3:3,
John 14:6, Romans 10:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:15, etc.) until I’m ready to pass
out, but ultimately, each person has to accept the message and believe it for
themselves.
my faith with them, I can’t force them to become a born again Christian. I can
beat them over the head with Scripture (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, John 3:3,
John 14:6, Romans 10:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:15, etc.) until I’m ready to pass
out, but ultimately, each person has to accept the message and believe it for
themselves.
I read somewhere that the average person has to hear the salvation message seven times before they become a Christian. If you evangelize to someone, and they disregard the message, it’s not a failure. You just got them one step closer to seven, or however many it may take.
I mean, Marty didn’t even get Doc to accept his message on the first shot. Or the second or third. For all we know, Doc could have waited 25 years before he taped up Marty’s letter and read it. But eventually, he trusted his friend’s judgment and listened to his warning.
And it saved his life.
