I have one… a Christian hat that is; it has a verse from 1 Corinthians listed on it and has a nice looking cross in the middle. I wore it for a few days and thought I was pretty cool since I was “spreading the good news” when I was walking through the mall or grocery store. After all, I didn’t have to do anything except wear a hat, and the lost and undecided would be exposed to the message that I have been commanded to share. That’s right everyone, I figured out how to easily share the message of Christ without having to get out of my comfort zone! I even started thinking about writing a book labeled ‘Evangelizing for Dummies’ – hats, bumper stickers, shirts, ties, tattoos and on and on – all of these things that we could simply display and the message is spread!
Good stuff, right?
Well, it was at about the time of my mapping out the future of evangelism when I was walking through a store wearing my awesome “Good News Hat” as I had come to call it… that I got rather upset at a cashier who decided to let the customers at the end of a very long line become first in his line. It just wasn’t fair… I had been waiting for nearly 2 minutes in the first long line, why should someone who just got in line be first before me?? So, I called the cashier out – sternly, I informed the cashier that I should have been first as I was before them in line – I normally don’t do this, but I was ready to get home to get everything ready for a party. The other customers agreed, and I was welcomed into the new line with apologies from the cashier who also pointed out that this line was a ’10 item or less’ line… Well, I had a shopping cart full of items for a birthday party, so I felt pretty terrible… then once I paid, I couldn’t help but notice the cashier noticing my “Good News Hat”. Whoops!
Alright, it probably wasn’t the end of the world that I was a rude customer for a moment while I was wearing a Christian hat, but the fact remains that if that cashier was a person who was trying to find answers, then I probably put a dent in his attitude to not only Christians, but also towards Christ. My initial goal was to share the message, which I vaguely did by wearing a hat with scripture on it… in the end my great idea didn’t hold much water in actually spreading the message, all it did was allow me to think that wearing a tacky hat with a cross on it would actually prompt change in people that I encountered. The other issue with this is that since I was wearing the hat and displayed a rude attitude, I effectively did the opposite of sharing the message of Christ.
It all comes down to this: if we, as Christians, want to change the world then we can’t do it with material things. We can’t do it with buying Christian stuff, whether with humble intentions or not, the fact remains that true change can only come from a joyful heart and obedient lifestyle. My actions are worthless unless done with these internal components. Christ didn’t walk around with a shirt saying “I am the way!” No, rather he showed us his love by humbling himself before us, and confirmed that love by following through with his plan of salvation by giving himself as a sacrifice.
Go ahead and wear hats, sweaters, and whatever else you think is cool, but remember that it’s not the artwork or message on the clothes that matter, but rather how that message compares with the way that you live and the way you love others. Forget “Evangelizing for Dummies,” I’m going straight to the source, and I encourage you to do the same – Don’t follow my footsteps, follow his!
In Christ,
Jon
Good stuff, right?
Well, it was at about the time of my mapping out the future of evangelism when I was walking through a store wearing my awesome “Good News Hat” as I had come to call it… that I got rather upset at a cashier who decided to let the customers at the end of a very long line become first in his line. It just wasn’t fair… I had been waiting for nearly 2 minutes in the first long line, why should someone who just got in line be first before me?? So, I called the cashier out – sternly, I informed the cashier that I should have been first as I was before them in line – I normally don’t do this, but I was ready to get home to get everything ready for a party. The other customers agreed, and I was welcomed into the new line with apologies from the cashier who also pointed out that this line was a ’10 item or less’ line… Well, I had a shopping cart full of items for a birthday party, so I felt pretty terrible… then once I paid, I couldn’t help but notice the cashier noticing my “Good News Hat”. Whoops!
Alright, it probably wasn’t the end of the world that I was a rude customer for a moment while I was wearing a Christian hat, but the fact remains that if that cashier was a person who was trying to find answers, then I probably put a dent in his attitude to not only Christians, but also towards Christ. My initial goal was to share the message, which I vaguely did by wearing a hat with scripture on it… in the end my great idea didn’t hold much water in actually spreading the message, all it did was allow me to think that wearing a tacky hat with a cross on it would actually prompt change in people that I encountered. The other issue with this is that since I was wearing the hat and displayed a rude attitude, I effectively did the opposite of sharing the message of Christ.
It all comes down to this: if we, as Christians, want to change the world then we can’t do it with material things. We can’t do it with buying Christian stuff, whether with humble intentions or not, the fact remains that true change can only come from a joyful heart and obedient lifestyle. My actions are worthless unless done with these internal components. Christ didn’t walk around with a shirt saying “I am the way!” No, rather he showed us his love by humbling himself before us, and confirmed that love by following through with his plan of salvation by giving himself as a sacrifice.
Go ahead and wear hats, sweaters, and whatever else you think is cool, but remember that it’s not the artwork or message on the clothes that matter, but rather how that message compares with the way that you live and the way you love others. Forget “Evangelizing for Dummies,” I’m going straight to the source, and I encourage you to do the same – Don’t follow my footsteps, follow his!
In Christ,
Jon
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