Sharing Christ While Experiencing "Crowded Solitude"

Bill Westfall wrote a post, Crowded Solitude in Pittsburgh, for his blog, Earth's Edge Perspective, that got me thinking today — especially the first 4 paragraphs. It got me thinking first how easy it is for me to withdraw into solitude in a crowd or even when there's not much of a crowd but when I'm around people I don't know. Last night, for instance, I was at the airport waiting for my parents to arrive from the US for a visit. There was a crowd there but I poked my nose in my (digital) book and withdrew into solitude.

Then I got to thinking how necessary it is to be intentional in engaging people when we're around them. Many of us (OK, maybe this is a case of projection, pointing and realizing that while I'm pointing at someone else, 3 fingers are pointing back at me) are more comfortable with choosing the time and place in which to engage people. We fail to take advantage of natural opportunities to talk with people, just be friendly, find out where they hurt or what their needs are, and then present Christ to them. And, I'm not talking just about "sharing a Gospel witness." I think we want and must get to that point but we may begin presenting Christ to people by simply loving them enough to care about them as individuals.

The key is that we have to be intentional...

• ... intentional in engaging people
• ... intentional in loving people
• ... intentional in caring about people
• ... intentional in talking about the deep issues of life with people
• ... intentional in sharing the truth of the Gospel with people

According to Paul, the truth of the Gospel is ... Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.... (Colossians 1:21-22 NIV but see the whole passage, Colossians 1:12-23). We have to be intentional in sharing that.

• So, what do you think — can we share Christ while experiencing crowded solitude?

For the Kingdom,

Bob A