I have just started to read a book called 'Out of the Saltshaker - Evangelism as a way of Life' by Rebecca Manley Pippert.

It states that 'Christians are called to be the salt of the earth' and the book encourages us to get out of the saltshaker and into life itself.

It also takes a closer look at Jesus, His ways and how people responded to Him and takes a look at our fears or doubts about evangelism.

Below is a quote from pages 29-30. It's a quote spoken by an atheist friend who the author ('Becky') was sharing Christ with:-

"But you know what affected me most? All my life I used to think 'how arrogant for someone to call himself a Christian - to think he's that good'. But then I got to know you and Becky, you are far from perfect, yet you call yourself a Christian. So my first shock was that you 'blow it' like I do. But the biggest shock was that you admitted it, where I couldn't. Suddenly I saw that being a Christian didn't mean never failing, but admitting when you've failed. I wanted to keep Christ in a box and let you be religious during our Bible studies. But the more you let me inside your life, the more impossible it became to keep the lid on Christianity. Even your admission of weakness drove me to Him."

So, I have been thinking about this. We HAVE to TELL people about Jesus, otherwise "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?....." Romans 10 v 14a. For me, sometimes when I'm talking to someone about Jesus I can be guilty of putting on 'evangelism head' and thinking I must say this; must say it this way; must use these scriptures... etc and of course there are things we must say, etc.

However, in this day and age when appearances seems to be so important to people, I think that we are just as likely to introduce people to Jesus when we are being ourselves. When people can see us experience the up's and down's of life but also see that we go through these things with prayer and conversations with Jesus, they will see that Christianity is not just for Sundays, or a set of rules and standards that are impossible to meet. They will see that our relationship with the living Lord Jesus Christ is something that is real and applies very much for this day and age.

I believe that as a Christian people will watch my life and could be ready to jump when I don't live up to their perceived standard - "Ha, call yourself a Christian do you?!"

What a wonderful freedom I have in Jesus to be able to say:

Yes, I am a Christian

Yes, I do mess up

No, I don't always behave or react as I should

No, I am not perfect

If I was perfect I wouldn't need my Saviour, Jesus Christ.

If I did everything right, I wouldn't need my Saviour, Jesus Christ.

If I didn't mess up, I wouldn't need my Saviour, Jesus Christ.

However, I DO need Jesus. Not only do I need Him, but I want my relationship with Him to deepen and flourish and go from strength to strength. Do I want to 'get life right'? Yes. But only through the working of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in me will I ever reach this.

Plus the only way to our Father in Heaven, is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

"..... No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14 v 6

So, as well as telling people, I would also like people to see me enjoying the journey of my life as a Christian, knowing that God is glorified in my utter humanity and not just in a spiritually programmed response.