Could you eat two scoops of Ice cream?
This whole “Eating an elephant one bite at a time”
thing can be problematic―especially when it comes to evangelism. It lulls us into complacency because is it an example
of something that none of us would ever do in reality. I’m never going to eat an elephant―not one
limb―not one shovelful―and not one bite at a time. If evangelism is about starting with small steps
likened to a bite of an elephant―then no thank you.
Eat an elephant? Yuck! Why even try.
A cow?
With the answer being, “You eat a cow one hamburger or tri-tip at a time.”
Maybe. Realistically, however it would
take the average person 10 years to eat the weight of a butchered cow… not
including hooves and eye-balls and other body parts. Maybe it is easier to image eating a cow over
the idea of eating an elephant, but in all reality “forget-about-it” because it’s
still too big of a project for the mere mortal to engage over the course of a year.
If the cow example doesn’t work, than let’s try this
one?
How do you eat a mountain of ice cream?
I love ice
cream and even though I’d like to give it a shot, I know it would be impossible
for me to eat a mountain of ice cream as big as Mount Everest.
You just couldn’t do it!
But
what if several million people all picked up a spoon and began eating.
Together,
we could indeed eat an entire mountain of ice cream.
When
we think of evangelism it would be easy to be overcome by the insurmountable
odds of getting the message of the gospel out to the billions who are perishing―that is like eating an elephant, a cow or a mountain of ice cream. But when we
understand that we are called into this together and that each one us only has
to eat two scoops of ice cream it suddenly makes the whole idea seem very simple (and if not enjoyable).
Even
with the faith of a mustard seed WE can move mountains. Don’t even begin to think it is something you must do by yourself. Simply pick up your spoon and influence the
couple people that God has placed around you. Trust God and have faith to be
used by Him in the course of everyday living in making Him known and extending
His glory. Become intentional with relationships. Pray for transformational encounters and actively encarnationally engage the world next door.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Eph 3:20-21
You are perfectly positioned and supernaturally equipped by God. Believe that He can use you to win one person in one year for the sake of His Holy Name. Pick up your spoon!
