The Ultimate Guide to Sharing Your Faith | Craig Springer

The Joycast –
Strategies to remove the awkward once and for all in talking about God. What I’ve been missing my whole life when it comes to sharing faith. Why didn’t someone tell me sooner?

For show more show notes and recipes visit:
www.margaretfeinberg.com/joycast

Transcript

spk_0:   0:00
I'm Margaret Feinberg, and this is the joy cast. Hi, friends. Welcome to another episode of the joy cast. The Half Hap Happiest half hour of your week. As always, I'm your host. Margaret Feinberg, author of the book and Bible Study. Taste and See. Discovering God among butchers, bakers and Fresh Food Makers, which looks at the way God is the ultimate host who sets a feast before us every time we gather around the table. Well, I'm kind of curious this week. Do you ever get clammy hands when it comes to sharing your faith? Because I do all the time. Sometimes I think it's ironic that my day job is literally to step on stages and sit behind a computer screen and communicate and tell people about the wonders of God. But when it comes to those one on one conversations, I get clammy hands. I stumble over my words. To be honest, there are times that I am trying to talk about Jesus, and the thought runs through my mind. How can anyone ever believe this at all? How does this not just some so crazy to the person I'm talking thio? Well, Matthew, Chapter 28 Verse 19 makes it clear. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is marching. Orders are crystal clear, but that leaves me wondering why, then, so often does it feel hard and awkward and scary and weird to introduce people to Jesus? My hunch is you might have felt this way too well. Today's conversation is with my friend Craig Springer, executive director of Alfa U. S. A. And if this conversation he gave me so much hope, so much freedom. I cannot even stand it. You see, I think I've been spending most of my life trying to convince people they need Jesus rather than relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus. I kept thinking what Craig said. It's so simple, and yet it's so liberating. Why didn't somebody tell me this sooner? And though I didn't plan it this way, this conversation is the perfect follow up to what we learned from Vivian Ma Boonie last week. So friends pull up a chair toe, one of the most powerful, practical and liberating episodes of the season. The joy cast would not be possible without our incredible sponsors like today. Sponsor Fab Fit. Fun If, for some reason you haven't heard of it, well, ton of my friends are, and they keep raving about it. It is the seasonal lifestyle beauty box that retails for 49 99 but it contains over $200 in amazing products from brands like Anthropology, Free People, Glam, Blow and so many More. I got my fall box recently and I loved it. There was this cute charcuterie board, a fabulous salt pepper grinder, which is perfect for someone who writes a book like Taste and See and some yummy lotions, makeup remover and so much more. Now, as a listener to the joy cast, you can save $10 off your first box, peaking at just 39 99 for more than $200 in product. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it's not. It really is this great. And with Christmas around the corner, it's so bond to stock up on some extra gifts. They even have on hand for those you know and love. So check out the sponsor of today's episode Fab Fit fun dot com and use the code Joy cast to save $10. Craig, it is such a joy toe. Have you on the joy cast?

spk_1:   4:27
I love it, Margaret. So good to hear you and be with you here.

spk_0:   4:31
I know. How did we first meet? I'm still trying to remember this,

spk_1:   4:34
You know, it was that church in Denver. We just got to know each other and you started cooking. You're amazing meals. And I was hooked forever.

spk_0:   4:42
I thought life was involved in that. He

spk_1:   4:45
got a

spk_0:   4:45
role in the kitchen that that pretty much like once you come over and latest cooking, people just keep running back

spk_1:   4:52
so serious for he does in case. So

spk_0:   4:55
all things are better with Kay. So

spk_1:   4:57
I agree.

spk_0:   4:58
Now, since then, you've transitioned from being an executive and teaching pastor at one of my favorite churches in Denver, Cherry Hills to a new rule with Alfa.

spk_1:   5:09
Yeah, just three years ago, a transition. So we were very involved in Alfa Cherry Hills and then jumped into full time leading Alfa.

spk_0:   5:18
So for a lot of our listeners, they have no idea what Alfa is can you help define and explain that for them,

spk_1:   5:24
Yeah, it's an evangelism program running in almost 160 countries over 26 million people. The last 30 years have gone through it, and it's a very simple experience for non Christians or un churched or people with questions and doubts to come into a group setting have a fantastic meal. Hospitality is number one toe open a parts and minds. And then there's a short talk or a film about the basics of the Christian faith, the meaning of life and then a group discussion. And we say that the talks were the chance for us to share a little bit of what we think. But the group discussion is all about listening that the Christian group hosts and helpers don't answer questions. Actually, they're just drawing people out and listening. So we say you can come with any thoughts. No judgment will occur. No one's gonna try and crack your point of view. But over time we find many people's walls come down to faith, and, um, I see yes to Christ. And so I laid out for us. We're in 6000 churches across the country 500 prisons, and last year we had over 360,000 people go through it. So really powerful ministry and experience me involved in

spk_0:   6:44
That's incredible. Uh, talk to me for a moment. Just about. You know, you touched really quickly on some different components there, but you touched on the component of hospitality in sharing fate. Took me what that looks like.

spk_1:   6:57
Yeah, Yeah. Jesus did more ministry in the Gospels around a table than he did in the temple and the power of being in a table, uh, connecting to people, giving them a space to belong to, eat with. And so every Alfa we just say if you're if you're not including food with some element of wow or heart, you're going to miss people bring in their whole heart to the conversation. So we we lead off with hospitality

spk_0:   7:27
as author of Taste and see, You are right. I know. I like when you look at the story of Jesus. He was either going to a meal coming from a meal when he wasn't multiplying a meal. I mean, that's just it's how we rolled. And there is something about when we come around the table when there is food and involved. I think there's this this unspoken confession in eating that when we eat together, we confess that we cannot. We cannot do life. We cannot exist on our own. We all need even something as basic as food in order to survive. And around that table, I think we also remember, uh, that we need each other.

spk_1:   8:01
That's so good. And I think it also adds unspoken statement that you're welcome. You're welcome in my life. You're welcome at this table. You're welcome in this home or this church without even having to use those words. Food and good hospitality communicates that

spk_0:   8:20
now. Is someone with your background? I'm just curious. When did you first encounter the Holy Spirit in your life as a facet of the Trinity that is vibrant and alive and working today?

spk_1:   8:33
It's interesting. I believe, that the constant Praveen Ian Grace, where God is at work, even in the lives of unbelievers. Even in the world around us, we were all before we say yes to Jesus and his crucifixion resurrection. We are still stamped with the image of God and a clean 63 11 says that he's placed eternity in our hearts and so well before I said yes to Christ. I felt this drawing this leading form or and and ultimately said yes to Jesus and very clearly at that moment received Ah, just that with that warmth, the love, the peace, the joy, the electricity of the Holy Spirit and I have had a long journey since then with lots of ups and downs in my relationship with Holy Spirit. But absolutely was Day one.

spk_0:   9:27
How does the Holy Spirit reveal himself in your life? I know, like for my husband, Life way have so many different ways. And I love the way recently had Vivian, uh, move Bobby on. And we talked about this idea that God does not work off in the same way twice that you know the way he freed the Israel lights. There were different ways that he did it. The way that he shows up with the Holy Spirit is constantly different. I know in my husband's life Ah, it's it's kind of bizarre, but he will have multiple dreams, the same dream, multiple times. And when that happens, all of our like his and my ears are highly attuned. Um, I know for me sometimes I mean obviously through the Scripture Bible coming alive. But sometimes I just have these images that come to mind, which I think is really sweet, as is being an author and a writer and a purveyor of ideas and imagery that God would would reveal on the hoist but would reveal things through that. Are there specific ways that you find that God kind of kind of taps you on the shoulder?

spk_1:   10:21
There's a handful of ways I think there's some mountain top moments that I've had with the Holy Spirit. They're very significant and intense seasons of life. And in those times, usually it's in a worship or a prayer setting where my heart is just horn open. For some reason, um, I remember, uh, praying for my son a few years back. It didn't seem like, you know, Faith was kind of digging deep into his heart, and I was crying out for him at actually a revival service. Think I revived my son and I had this intense conviction. That guy was actually wanting to turn the mirror on me and and revive me for hunger. for more of him, and I really do get this sense of electricity running through my body in those moments. So very physiologically, I experienced the Holy Spirit not in necessarily crazy fall down ways, but that there is a whole new level of voltage in my brain and my body and my heart on my worship. That doesn't happen often. That's maybe happened through four times in my life. Um, and one of the day to day is interesting. I recently heard someone talk about how we recognize temptation essentially either the devil's voice for the desire of the flesh and how that's happening so often in little ways in big ways and how much we owe how much we're aware of the voice of the enemy in her life by being aware of temptation. You flip it around. God must be with the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Living in us must be speaking, communicating to us all the more then the temptations that we're experiencing. If we're giving the enemy even a little bit of faith that his voice is breaking through, that God's voice must be breaking through. So impressions leading Zim stuck in a problem and and pray about it and then just get kind of that spark of an idea. And mostly, the Holy Spirit speaks very clearly to me in words or pictures when it comes to evangelism and sharing passing on his his good news, he kind of empowers me in a new way to sense someone struck. Go talk to that person. It's just an impression in my mind. You know, that person is wrestling with rejection, talked about how it can accept them, et cetera. So it's exciting.

spk_0:   13:00
That's amazing. Touch me. It's, uh, you know, the work of the Holy Spirit in evangelism. Ah, I recently spoke with a guest about that idea that you know, it's not us coming to that person with the, you know, with with our methodology and are right words and convincing them and our strength to to meet Christ or to interact with God. But it's rather God is the one at work. There was this beautiful picture of a trap. He's that, you know, artists that when you're the catcher, the person who catches the trapeze are the flyer. You know, it's all your responsibility, and the person is flying through the air. The the last thing they should do is try to catch the catcher. Rather, they just put their arms up and stay still and trust that the catcher has them. What does the Holy Spirit look like? Enough. Angela.

spk_1:   13:44
It's such a good picture. I love that I can relate to, depending on myself training, study effort, I mean, as a pastor and sort of big church environments were pouring time and money and productivity into evangelism and often seeing little fruit or seeing hands raised. But then lives not changed later. And I had a moment some time ago where I felt very convicted that Romans 1 16 says that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of those beliefs. And when I reviewed my evangelism, I was reaching out to others is if the gospel is the explanation of men for the salvation? Those who believe if I could just get that argument right, if I could just reword the gospel presentation with Ridge illustration a certain way, then they might cross the line. I realized we've we've actually and I have done this, unfortunately for many years in the past We've stripped out the the sacred in place of the cerebral in evangelism. And so nowadays, when I'm sharing faith often when I'm trying to do is not interest people to the doctrine of salvation but the person of Christ and experience with spirits. So the office is 10 week course, and we're giving people the chance through listening and hospitable belonging to get to a place where they can say, Hey, even if I don't believe this stuff, if God, Israel, then he will show up with his presence with his power. And so that's like a friend of mine, Jason, who was a police officer in a road Aurora, Colorado. He was one of the first responders at the Batman Theater Massacre and came to Alfa. I just said, My my heart has concrete around it. I've seen too much tragedy. There's no way good God can allow this stuff. And there's no explanation that could have broken through in that moment. And ultimately we got to this point. So Jason, just say God, if you're rials, show up. Come Holy spirit. That's the prayer. We taught him to pray, and he waited for about a minute or two and then just started weeping. And six or seven minutes later, we just pray God, Maura view come, Holy Spirit. It wouldn't make a big show of it. And at the end, he just said, I don't even know what happened. I felt concrete shatter off my heart. I felt love pour in on I love Jesus is incredible. He was baptized three weeks later, and and so when it comes to evangelism, we are. Job is it introduced people into the presence of God, not just the doctrine of faith. And that's on Lee. The role of the Holy Spirit.

spk_0:   16:37
Mmm, that's incredible story. I Wow! Wow. And it is that sense. And I love that I shared recently where I was, you know, with somebody who's kind of new to faith and asking tough questions. And I'll just be honest. Like I didn't have the answers to her tough questions. Anything I had just felt trite, an empty to the death of what she was asking and yet simply being there listening and then inviting the Holy Spirit. God, would you show up? Would you do what? What no human hand or mind or argument conduce? Oh, that's powerful. What does that look like in hell? For what? How do you How do you prepare a place through the Alfa course of inviting the Holy Spirit for people who are asking tough questions and trying to wrap their head around this invisible God?

spk_1:   17:24
Well, it does begin with food and hospitality, because people are first asking, Um, can I trust these people? Do they care about me or they? Are they trying to just convince me of something? And because it's over the course of 10 weeks, then the relationship builds. They feel connected, belonging. There's enough meaty discussion around, you know, challenging questions about faith and also the doctor and Christianity, and we then invite people onto. We call it an Alfa Weekend, and we're basically introducing the Holy Spirit, the concept that the presence of God can live in. You help you, um, give you peace, give you power and protection all these things. And we take people to that moment where we say, OK, let's try. I mean, Alfa is perfectly designed to fail in. This guy shows up.

spk_0:   18:24
I love that which should

spk_1:   18:27
be all of our sort of evangelism effort. Really All of our life, but were interesting people into a prayer experience as part of the journey towards faith. And, you know, first Corinthians 24 Paul says. It's not even come with you wise and persuasive words, but a demonstration of spirits power. Your faith won't rest on human wisdom, but in God's power. And so we really just say, Teach people that simple prayer come holy spirit when we wait in silence and there's been that buildup of belonging and acceptance and intellectual curiosity. And so he did this impact study of Alfa to try and understand how effective it is. And the barn. A group, reported that 82% of the non Christians who complete in Alfa report developing a relationship with Jesus on the other end. And it's powerful. And it's and it's nothing more than a ah container of belonging, of relationship, of listening and of good food that gets people a place where they can pray, and every one of those elements listening, belonging, hospitality, all those pieces. It's peeling back, a layer that is crowding out the voice of God's love in their heart and then when they're gently introduced to that prayer moment. It's usually when Ah yeah, I feel a sense of love pouring into like a warm blanket or had a a friend of mine just go through the course six months ago. And he said yes to Jesus in that moment and said, I felt like a new chamber and my lungs open up. I could breathe for the very first time, and it is a demonstration of power. It's an introduction to the presence of God at the same time that we're helping people understand the theology of our faith.

spk_0:   20:18
What does it do? And how is the Holy Spirit working in the lives of those who are hosting? Obviously this is this is you watch a video that's great, but it's creating that space. How have you seen or heard the lives of hosts change

spk_1:   20:32
well? The number one element of training for the Christian house and helpers is to be quiet with Just zip it way. Say your job is not here to teach her to train. We do have the film Siri's that gives. So it's not that we're not proclaiming the truth, but the communal experience that Christians are there to listen, and Jesus asked 307 questions. He only directly answered eight in the Gospels. So if we look at the flip of how much more Jesus went with listening or asking another question and you asked about the Holy Spirit, it's because we're waiting. We're listening. We're allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work, to do the heart, re weaving, to do the reframing in someone's heart and mind versus our words alone. And so every hosting helper goes through kind of a crisis of faith, because we're so used to sort of hammering the nail of truth into the two by four of someone's mind when it comes to evangelism and sever singing. And I'll find the work of God in that person's life and just point to it, draw it out through more questions. Let God do the work in this, and so over time it becomes very freeing. And instead of thinking about how you're going to give a rebuttal someone's question, you're desperately praying in the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, do your work. Show your heart to that person. Break down that insecurity or that fear that bear. So it's amped up the level of prayer and expectancy and dependency and anyone who gets involved. And the exciting thing is when enough people in a church get about, that starts to kind of centrifuge that expectancy out into the church and a greater level of prayer. Intercessory prayer surrounding Alfa and then entering to the church has been exciting. Journey be a part of

spk_0:   22:33
what does it look like? I know some people listening or thinking, man. I want to learn more about this. I want to possibly consider hosting or bringing this to my church or doing it in my community outside the walls of the church. What do you say to someone like that?

spk_1:   22:47
Do it. It's simple. That's part of why it's working so well because it doesn't depend. Then a master teacher, you need friends and make an easy invite. Throw a great meal and draw people. And it's so easy. We have all the training tips and everything on Alfie USA dot or GE, and it's totally free. We give it away. We're tryingto make any money off of anyone on it. So

spk_0:   23:10
with no funds, no no investment, I can literally start this in a community center in my town. I could do this in my house. I can go to my pastor and say, Hey, I'm I want to see if we can, you know, start introducing people to Jesus, and it's just it's all available.

spk_1:   23:26
Absolutely. Accept you. You gotta invest in a great meal. They have to taste. See, right?

spk_0:   23:31
Absolutely. So that is the only cost is the Is the food you serve. Exactly. Wow, that's incredible. Do people ever do this? E. I mean, where were kind of locations? Do people do this? It's homes. It's churches, worlds. Have you heard of this taking place

spk_1:   23:47
everywhere? I mean, you know, boardrooms in Hong Kong, Um, prison were massive prison network running Alfa in the U. S. 500 prisons. But that's happening globally in prisons. Uh, I've heard that there's a prison in Zambia where every inmate has gone through Alfa Now, at this point, um, tribal areas and in sort of rural India. Ah, but in terms of our, you know, made more Western context cafes, bars, it really does help if it's connected to a local church, because ultimately the discipleship on the other end, it needs to be plugged into a local church and most of the alphas in the U. S. R. Ministries embedded in a local church. And then offshoots happen where maybe people will take it to their their gym or their workplace or things like that.

spk_0:   24:44
What encouragement do you have for the person who has tried sharing their faith? Maybe you know, a few times dozens of times doesn't see anybody change. Come to know. Christ, what encouragement do you have for them?

spk_1:   24:57
When Jesus came to Peter, they were standing on the shores. They had been working all night long, thinks in Luke five, and they said we didn't catch anything. And the fishermen know they know all the ins and outs of the lake and the nets and the fish are and Jesus. So I want you to go back out to the deep cast your net on the right side of the boat basically said, Try again and try it my way. And the hall was so large that they could hardly carry it in. And that's the moment that he called them fishers of Men. And so I I believe I know we look at how Jesus shared faith. We can try again and will be successful. And it's it's listening. Jesus listened more than he spoke. It's introducing people to the presence of the father. It's what Jesus did. It is. It's It's around hospitality, bringing people to the table, not just the temple. Um, And I think ultimately we've got to fight that sense of defeat and try again. You know, with God, all things are possible. I may have a powerful experience, and if you have time for it now, but seeing my dad across the line of faith in his final years after 74 years of stiff arming God, he grew up Jewish but was really more like a secular Jew, had no desire to be involved in my faith and create all kinds of friction. And I just prayed and tried for 20 years, and I was so defeated. Um, but come near the end of his life had that sense of the Holy Spirit saying, I want you to try again. I want you to ask again. I want to invite again. And so we started meeting and we're praying for him and a slew. The walls broke down and and, um, he, uh, had Parkinson's. And it was this one moment I heard the Holy Spirit just say Right now, go share. And I said, Dad, remember last week when I I asked you to give power of attorney over because you can't you can't handle your mental and physical needs And I never thought of sharing the gospel. Is this the way before? And I said this time free to give power attorney over for your spirit and your soul, for the only one who can take care of your spiritual needs and give you peace with God. So will you trust in Jesus? And he said Yes. And it's just so powerful and I'll never forget. You know, if I'd stayed defeated and didn't sort of reach out one more time or pray one more time, I may have never seen him cross that line, and we had this amazing sort of moment of love and blessing together before he passed away. And and it is true with God, all things are possible.

spk_0:   27:47
You have inspired me and so many others with that story and with your wisdom and insights and encouragement, you began talking about the importance of hospitality and one of the things we love to do on the joy cast is to nurture that in, so we always give our listeners a recipe that they can follow. A posted at Margaret Feinberg dot com. Backslash Joy Cast What recipe in opening up our hearts and homes, The hospitality Would you like to share with our listeners?

spk_1:   28:14
That is so fun. I was so nervous about this part Margaret thing. This is the hardest part of the podcast. I could only think of what we call in our home daddy nachos, which is very simple. Take your favorite tortilla chips on a plate, spread amount wide and take your favorite barbecue sauce, which should be sweet Baby Ray's and I literally squirt a little dab of barbecue sauce on every single tortilla chip, and then I just smother it and shredded cheese and stick in the microwave for literally about a minute. So if that is not the worst recipe you've ever had on this podcast, But I promise you the plate will always be empty, especially if your kids have friends over.

spk_0:   29:01
I love that I love Daddy notches, and I'm confident that is a life approved ASAP. So good. So good. Thank you, Craig. We're so grateful for you. And, um, and in the work of Alfa, Thank you so much for being on the joy cast.

spk_1:   29:16
Thank you, Margaret. I'm so grateful to be with you on

spk_0:   29:19
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