Becoming a Contagious Christian

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To Tom Giesler: Whose transformed life serves notice to the world that God is alive and well.

To Effa Mittelberg: Whose contagious Christianity influenced her entire family for five generations.

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BECOMING A

CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIAN

BILL HYBELS MARK MITTELBERG

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Becoming a Contagious Christian Adobe® Acrobat® eBook Reader® format Copyright © 1994 by Bill Hybels All rights reserved. Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 ISBN-10: 0-310-27849-X ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27849-8 In the interests of privacy, some names have been changed. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Illustrations on pp. 157 – 59 adapted from The Bridge © 1981 by The Navigators. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies call 1-800-366-7788. Interior design by Mark Sheeres Cover design by Caleb Kuhl Cover photo by Andrew Kolb/Masterfile

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CONTENTS SECTION 1: Why Become a Contagious Christian? Chapter 1: People Matter to God Chapter 2: The Rewards of Contagious Christianity Chapter 3: A Formula for Impacting Your World

11 25 39

SECTION 2: The Prerequisite of High Potency Chapter 4: The Attractiveness of Authenticity Chapter 5: The Pull of Compassion Chapter 6: The Strength of Sacrifice

53 67 81

SECTION 3: The Potential of Close Proximity Chapter 7: Strategic Opportunities in Relationships Chapter 8: Rubbing Shoulders with Irreligious People Chapter 9: Finding the Approach that Fits You

95 105 119

SECTION 4: The Power of Clear Communication Chapter 10: Starting Spiritual Conversations Chapter 11: Making the Message Clear Chapter 12: Breaking the Barriers to Belief

135 149 165

SECTION 5: The Payoff: Maximum Impact Chapter 13: Crossing the Line of Faith 181 Chapter 14: Contagious Christians and Contagious Churches 197 Chapter 15: Investing Your Life in People 211 About the Authors About the Publisher

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks for pausing here as we acknowledge the support and help we’ve received from some highly contagious Christians. Topping the list are our wives, Lynne Hybels and Heidi Mittelberg, who’ve been our consistent partners in ministry and great encouragers as we’ve written this book. Next, deep appreciation goes to our friend and coworker, Lee Strobel, who generously gave of his time and expertise to sharpen our thoughts, as well as to John Sloan and John Raymond at Zondervan for their valuable editorial input. Finally, we owe a debt of gratitude to the following people for their encouragement and constructive criticism of various parts of the manuscript: Jean Blount, Julie Harney, Chad Meister, Brad Mitchell, Gretchen and the late Bob Passantino, Garry Poole, and Russ Robinson.

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S E C T I O N

O N E

WHY BECOME A CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIAN?

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CHAPTER ONE

PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD

Not long after Tom stepped onto the sailboat, it became clear that he was a first-class sailor, a fierce competitor, and someone who thrived on living at the edge of adventure. Beyond that, this latest member of our racing crew had an infectious personality. He wanted the music turned up loud, lots of friends around, and plenty of excitement after the race. He wanted to win, but he wanted to have a good time doing it. I hardly knew Tom when I asked him to join us. As our friendship developed, I found out that he was an all-or-nothing kind of individual. When he believed in something and was excited about it, there was no stopping him. But if he wasn’t interested, there was almost no way to get him started. And therein was the challenge. You see, Tom had little time for spiritual matters of any kind. Then one night Tom showed up for our regatta with his arm in a sling. When I asked him what had happened, he explained that he had been out racing go-carts the night before, had imbibed too much alcohol, had gotten a bit out of control, and ended up getting into a fight. By this time he knew I was a minister, so he half-kiddingly asked if I could help him out by praying over him. “Maybe sometime,” I replied, “but right now I have a Scripture verse for you.” 11

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Why Become a Contagious Christian? “All right,” he said, “what is it?” I said, “The Bible says in Galatians 6:7 that ‘a man reaps what he sows.’ ” To my surprise, Tom seemed stunned. “It doesn’t really say that, does it?” he asked. “It absolutely does,” I told him. “It says that if you want to sow the kind of seed you were sowing last night, you’re going to reap the kind of sling you’re wearing today.” “You’re putting me on!” he shot back. “I’m not kidding you,” I assured him, “and I think maybe you ought to commit that verse to memory!” Over the next few days, I’d chide him a little by asking if he’d learned it yet. Before long, he’d just look me in the eye and quote it. In fact, that whole incident became somewhat of a standing joke between us that summer, and it opened up the door to some conversations about spiritual matters. The following season Tom showed a few more signs that he was willing to take it a bit further. One night when we were having dinner in a restaurant he asked me, “How does a person go about getting a Bible? I’ve thought about trying to read one, but I didn’t know if regular stores sell them.” “Well, I could probably fix you up with one,” I told him, trying to be nonchalant about the fact that finally, after two years of prayer and relationshipbuilding, he was starting to display some genuine interest. Later that fall, Tom actually drove a couple of hundred miles from Michigan to Chicago in order to visit our church and to spend some time hanging out at my house and talking together. After he got back home, he called me and said, “I feel different on the inside. It seems like I’m starting to fit some puzzle pieces together. I don’t know how it’s all going to turn out, but I really like what’s happening to me, even if I don’t completely understand it.” One evening after a two-hour talk about what it means to be a Christian, I told him, “Tommy, you’re going to make a great Christian someday. You’re honest to the core, flat-out dedicated to whatever you commit yourself to, and more concerned about what’s true than about what other people think.” He conceded that I might be right. But he wasn’t ready. He was in the process and moving in the right direction, but he wasn’t about to sign on any dotted lines. Not yet. . . . I’ll never forget those talks with Tom. They were unpredictable, they were risky, they were exhilarating, they were give-and-take, they were 12

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People Matter to God up-and-down. And they reminded me of something I’d known for a long time: there’s nothing in life that’s as exciting as befriending, loving, and leading wayward people toward faith in Christ. Nothing.

ı ı ı ıı ı In their heart of hearts, I think all true followers of Christ long to become contagious Christians. Though unsure about how to do so or the risks involved, deep down they sense that there isn’t anything as rewarding as opening a person up to God’s love and truth. But though we might like the idea of having a spiritual impact on others, we won’t take decisive In their heart of action unless we first raise our motivation level. hearts, I think all true And one of the best ways to do that is to get God’s perspective on the matter. followers of Christ Let’s begin with two lessons, both from unexlong to become conpected sources. One is from the realm of science, tagious Christians. the other is from the world of business. The first Though unsure about describes the way things are. The second prescribes how to do so or the the way things ought to be.

A SURPRISING SOURCE

risks involved, deep down they sense that there isn’t anything as rewarding as opening a person up to God’s love and truth.

First, there is the Anthropic Principle. It’s creating a lot of controversy these days among intellectuals. “Of course,” you say, “the Anthropic Principle. I was just reading about that last night before I went to bed!” Simply stated, the Anthropic Principle implies that when we look at the world around us, it would seem, at least at first blush, that the universe was somehow designed to support and nourish human life. This concept, which is very prevalent in the world of secular science and philosophy, didn’t originate with Christian scholars. But the evidence points so overwhelmingly toward this apparent design in the universe that it’s virtually undeniable by experts of every religious and nonreligious stripe. This has sent skeptics scurrying to find some sort of natural explanation for this apparently supernatural phenomenon.

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Why Become a Contagious Christian? Here are a few of the hard facts: