Tim Isbell, May 2010
As I live my life of Ordinary Practices with unchurched people, sometimes the door opens for me to share something of my own journey to, or deeper into, Christian faith. These opportunities are not open for a long speech or even a 5-minute testimony. When the window opens. The opening is often unexpected and is open for a 1-minute response. Somewhere I ran across the concept of framing my response in 3 pieces:
What life was like before Christ
Intersecting with Christ
What life is like with Christ
Before: I was focused on performance and accomplishment, distracted by insecurity and fear of failure, and desperately needed to be right.
Then Christ: I spent 6 months between Thanksgiving and Easter reflecting on the love that Christ must have for me to die for my sin. Also, I contrasted the world's offer of a career based on performance with Jesus' offer to be my intimate ally based on my availability rather than my abilities. God helped me to identify with the kid who offered his lunch to Jesus and got a chance to be a partner in ministry. (John 6.1-15)
After: These drew me into a soul-satisfying life with God - now and forever. God made me fruitful in several areas; in others, God is still transforming me.
Before: Partially convinced of the truths and claims of Christ.
Then Christ: The Spirit of Christ showed me my own impure heart, and I began to notice the brokenness in every person around me - even those who seemed so perfect. I decided to offer myself to the one who shows me my problems and offers a better Way. In addition to my experience with the Spirit, my (Fuller) Seminary education convinced me of the solidness of putting my full trust in Christ.
After: Confident that the Good News of Jesus is the only hope of the world, I rearranged my life around sharing the Good News of salvation and restoration whenever God opens an opportunity. And I became a minister.
Before: I had a gnawing fear of pain and death.
Then Christ: In 2005, I had a major heart attack. Lying on a table in the catheterization lab at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, the Spirit of Christ met me through the crucifix on the wall and 1 Peter 4.1, So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.
After: I now see physical suffering as a form of living in solidarity with Jesus, who suffered much worse on my behalf than any suffering I will ever experience. Subsequently, God's Spirit has taught me the truth of 1 Peter 4.1b.