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Encounter: The Original Evangelization Vlog

EncounterLG

(vlogvläɡ/ | noun | a blog in which the postings are primarily in video form.)

We as Christians have probably heard the Great Commission more times than we can actively count, and when pushed, we can probably regurgitate it verbatim: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). We know spreading the Gospel message is the ultimate mission of the Church and of all Christians because we want others to share in the joy of eternal life with Jesus.

Modern evangelization looks radically different than that of the apostles. Think about how the Gospel message was initially shared. There were no Facebook posts to share, “repost” was not available for the cool saint quote pictures on Instagram, and retweeting The Bible Geek was not an option. There were no websites to refer people if they were curious about the faith, and you couldn’t forward your morning devotional via text or email. There weren’t even yet books to share with curious minds (and it wasn’t like most people then were able to read them anyways).

No, the disciples were called to a more radical way of spreading the Gospel: encounter. “Encounter, the original Evangelization Vlog.”  They were called to share it face to face, to encounter another individual and speak openly with people about the joy they have in the Christ-message.

Whoa. How big is that. Even though we have the “Interwebs” for evangelizing, today’s Christians are given the ability to reach out to people with our words and actions and life! Pope Francis said, “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” If we humble ourselves and ask Him into the moment, all it takes is a “yes” to go speak to someone about what we believe. We never know how God is going to act through us in different encounters.

Biking for Babies provides an opportunity for young men and women to spread the Gospel in a radical way by offering themselves for the sake of others. We use our time and talents to serve each other as teammates and build each other up all for the sake of Christ. We encounter our teammates for five long days and have opportunities, as iron sharpens iron, to encourage more firm beliefs in the Gospel message of life. We are able to share with questioning strangers that although we may be doing this physical challenge, we are also doing it for the best cause imaginable: for life and for Christ. If we can witness through these teeny moments of encounter, even if they only last one big-eyed head nod, we as an organization are being the live Gospel vlog.