Nudge

1. Pay Attention: Every Bush is Burning

Evangelism is awakening each other to the God who is already there.

God is everywhere. The essence of evangelism is not bringing God to people, but helping them recognize the divine presence already in their lives. This approach requires a heightened awareness of our surroundings and the ability to perceive the sacred in the ordinary.

Nudging, not shoving. Evangelism should be gentle and inviting, like a nudge, rather than forceful or aggressive. It's about helping others see the burning bushes in their own lives – moments where God is speaking to them through everyday experiences.

Look for signs of God's presence in:

• Nature and beauty
• Acts of kindness and love
• Moments of inspiration or insight
• Unexpected connections or coincidences

2. Watch and Witness: The Two Phases of Paying Attention

Jesus is alive and active in our world.

Recognize divine activity. The first step in evangelism is to cultivate the ability to recognize how God is already working in people's lives. This requires developing a sensitivity to spiritual matters and learning to see beyond the surface of everyday events.

Bear witness to what you see. Once you've recognized God's activity, the next step is to gently point it out to others. This doesn't mean preaching or lecturing, but rather sharing your observations and inviting others to consider the possibility of divine presence in their own experiences.

Strategies for watching and witnessing:

• Practice mindfulness and present-moment awareness
• Look for patterns and connections in seemingly random events
• Share your own experiences of encountering God in unexpected places
• Ask open-ended questions that encourage reflection and exploration

3. Sensational Christianity: Engage All Five Senses

Christianity comes with so many tactile imperatives that it is a touch culture and the church a "touching place."

Holistic engagement. True faith involves more than just intellectual assent or emotional experiences. It engages all five senses, creating a rich, multidimensional experience of the divine.

Embodied spirituality. By embracing a more sensory approach to faith, we can connect with God and others in deeper, more meaningful ways. This approach recognizes that we are physical beings and that our bodies play an important role in our spiritual lives.

Ways to engage the senses in faith:

• Sight: Use visual art, nature, and symbols in worship and prayer
• Sound: Incorporate music, silence, and spoken word
• Touch: Practice laying on of hands, embrace, or use tactile prayer aids
• Taste: Share communion, meals, and fasting experiences
• Smell: Use incense, essential oils, or natural scents in spiritual practices

4. Pause: Use Your Ears to Hear Jesus

God is already present everywhere and anywhere. But God doesn't enter where God isn't invited.

Active listening. Developing the ability to truly listen – to others, to ourselves, and to God – is crucial for spiritual growth and effective evangelism. This requires creating space for silence and reflection in our lives.

Discernment through sound. Sound can be a powerful medium for encountering the divine. By tuning our ears to the "frequencies" of God's voice, we can better recognize His presence and guidance in our lives and the lives of others.

Practices for improving spiritual listening:

• Regular periods of silence and meditation
• Journaling to process thoughts and experiences
• Learning to recognize different "tones" of God's voice (e.g., comfort, conviction, guidance)
• Listening deeply to others without judgment or interruption

5. Presence: Taste the Kingdom of God

The gospel is a feast that God prepares and invites us to.

Savor the divine. The metaphor of taste reminds us that faith should be a rich, satisfying experience. We are invited to "taste and see that the Lord is good" – to fully experience and enjoy God's presence and goodness.

Hunger for righteousness. Just as physical hunger drives us to seek food, spiritual hunger should drive us to seek God and His kingdom. Cultivating this hunger and helping others recognize their own spiritual appetite is a key aspect of evangelism.

Ways to cultivate spiritual taste:

• Practice gratitude for God's blessings
• Engage in regular communion or shared meals
• Explore the richness of Scripture through lectio divina
• Share stories of "tasting" God's goodness with others

6. Picture: Use Your Eyes to See Jesus

Jesus is alive and working in our world today.

Develop spiritual vision. Learning to see Jesus in the world around us requires training our spiritual eyes. This involves looking beyond the surface of things to perceive the deeper reality of God's presence and activity.

Recognize Christ in others. A key aspect of this spiritual vision is the ability to see the image of Christ in other people, especially those who are often overlooked or marginalized.

Practices for improving spiritual sight:

• Study the life and teachings of Jesus to recognize His character
• Look for signs of God's kingdom (love, justice, mercy) in everyday situations
• Practice seeing people as God sees them – with love and compassion
• Use visual art or nature as a focus for contemplation and prayer

7. Ponder: Touch the Kingdom of God

For Jesus, to carry the holy was to reach out and touch, not the cherubim and seraphim, but the castaways and sinners.

Embodied faith. Touch reminds us that faith is not just an abstract concept, but a lived, embodied experience. Jesus often used touch to heal and bless, showing the power of physical connection in spiritual matters.

Reach out to others. Following Jesus' example, we are called to reach out and touch the lives of others, especially those who are often considered "untouchable" by society.

Ways to incorporate touch in faith and evangelism:

• Practice appropriate, consensual touch in prayer or blessing
• Engage in acts of service that involve physical labor or care
• Use tactile objects (prayer beads, crosses) in personal devotion
• Create welcoming, physically comfortable spaces for worship and fellowship

8. Promise: Use Your Nose to Smell Jesus

Nudge evangelism restores the art of seeing. The art of seeing is first the art of seeing things as they actually are, and then after being able to see the visible as truthfully as possible, to see the invisible.

Develop spiritual discernment. The sense of smell metaphorically represents our ability to discern spiritual realities. Just as a keen sense of smell can detect subtle odors, we can develop the ability to perceive the "aroma of Christ" in the world.

Leave a fragrant witness. As followers of Christ, we are called to be the "aroma of Christ" to those around us. Our lives should give off the fragrance of God's love, grace, and truth.

Practices for cultivating spiritual "smell":

• Learn to recognize the "scent" of authenticity in spiritual matters
• Be aware of the "aroma" your life gives off to others
• Use aromatherapy or natural scents to enhance prayer and meditation
• Reflect on the biblical use of fragrance in worship and its spiritual significance

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Last updated: September 6, 2024