Evangelism In Light Of Who God Is - How to Live Jesus Out Loud

“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, NLT)

Thousands of years ago, Moses delivered this command to the Israelites. Devout Jews ever since have started and ended each day by reciting it as a prayer that forms the beginning of a passage known as the Shema.

The words of the Shema were written on the doorways of Jewish homes, bound up in scrolls on their hands, and even placed on their foreheads. This passage had to be always within sight, always on their minds, and everywhere at the forefront of their actions.

The prayer begins with a word that means to listen or hear: “Hear, O Israel . . .” But this word, Shema, doesn’t align with the simple English definition of “hearing.” In English, we can “hear” something but disregard it. That’s why frustrated parents sometimes yell at their kids, “Are you even listening to me?”

We often think of hearing as simply knowing that someone is talking to us, and it can be disconnected from responding to what the person says. But in Hebrew, Shema is altogether different. It means to listen attentively and respond obediently. Shema is the act of giving our attention to something so fully that hearing and doing become one and the same.

Proclaiming that “the LORD our God . . . is one” becomes “loving him with all our heart and soul and might.”

In other words, our response to God’s character is to love him with all that we are. Though the Shema has been foundational to Judaism since the time of Moses, it is not confined to Jewish tradition. Jesus said that the Shema is the pinnacle of the Christian walk as well. It is the commandment to sum up all commandments.

When Moses gave the Shema, he didn’t just tell the people what to do; he also told them how to do it:

“These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, ESV)

The most tangible expression of your love for God is talking about him.

When you get up in the morning, talk about God. When you’re walking down the street, talk about God. When you are sitting at home, taking your kids to the park, eating at a restaurant, or commuting to work, talk about God. God should be at the forefront of your mind. You should speak like a person who is almost preoccupied with him. Everything points to him, relates to him, comes from him, reflects him, reminds you of him—and you can’t help but express it in almost everything you say.

Reflect:

The more deeply and fully you love God, the more naturally this language will flow out of you. This is the heart of evangelism and it’s where sharing the gospel moves from a strategy you employ to an identity you live out. What is one way you can bring up God in a conversation with someone today?