Step Out of the Boat – Jeff Cavins Part 2

I experienced a second conversion when I was a FOCUS missionary. I loved making friends and developing a relationship. And I loved the more catechetical moments where I was able to teach someone about the faith or teach them how to pray the rosary, but talking about Jesus and what he had done for my life…that made me uncomfortable because it didn’t fit with the culture I was trying to reach.

However, I was convicted by the writings of JPII when he says that the proclamation of Jesus Christ and the salvation that he offers all people is the “hinge on which all evangelization turns” (Redemptoris Missio, 44).Today, I was renewed in this conviction by the words of Jeff Cavins. He tells us, “The proclamation of the gospel is about going into a hurting world and telling them the truth about life.”

This may seem daunting at first, but Jeff makes it so very simple to do! Here are 4 of the 7 things he asks us to tell people:

1. God loves you. He has an amazing plan for your life.
2. Sin has wrecked this.
3. Jesus Christ has died for you. He loves you so much, and he died for your sin.
4. He wants you to respond to that love by radically reorienting yourself to him.

And here are some first steps to help you make this a habit in your life:

1. Pray – Ask God to open your heart to love, justice, mercy and kindness. Ask God to open your heart to sharing the most important thing in your life with other people. And admit to the Lord, “I’m scared. I’m nervous. I don’t know exactly what to do.”
2. Memorize the points and make of game of sharing them. It will only take two or three times before you’re over the hurdle, and you will be saying, “I can’t believe this is coming out of my mouth.”

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