The next few posts on FIRST! Again are going to be in a series based on an article by author MIKE BECHTLE, which was published in the Mar/April and May/June 2010 issues of FIRST!
The material is so helpful, and we received such good feedback from our readers, that we are running it again on our online digest only a year after it was in print. Part 1 is below and the remaining parts will be posted throughout the week.
MIKE BECHTLE writes:
Photo by Atif Gulzar
IF YOU’RE A TYPICAL INTROVERT, you’re probably starting this article thinking “maybe it’ll give me hope”.
When you saw the title, you expected to see suggestions to be more bold, more obedient and more committed in sharing your faith. You don’t really want to read that, but you’re thinking, “If I can learn some new techniques, maybe I’ll be more successful and see more results, and God (and others) will be pleased with me.” You really want to share your faith, but it seems so hard.
Sorry—this article won’t go there.
Witnessing will never get easier if you’re focusing on techniques. If it’s hard and you inwardly dread sharing your faith, it’s probably because you’re trying to do something in ways that don’t match the way God designed you.
For years I wanted to be an effective witness. I took classes, listened to sermons and read books about evangelism. I tried every method I could find, but it seemed to get harder instead of easier. I wondered, “If God wanted me to share my faith, why didn’t he give me a more outgoing personality? Why should it be so hard?”
I finally gave up on evangelism, because I got tired of feeling guilty.
That began a journey from guilt-based sharing to grace-based caring and sharing. I discovered that God made me in exactly the way he wanted so he could work through that temperament. He didn’t want me to become something I wasn’t; he wanted me to be me.
The Value of Being an Introvert
When David fought Goliath, everyone assumed he would wear Saul’s armour. They thought it would be ridiculous to go into combat without that protection. But when he tried it on, it didn’t fit. It was only when he used his unique set of skills that he found victory, even though it didn’t fit the pattern that worked for everyone else.
How God made me
Most books on evangelism focus on witnessing methods more suited for extroverts. There’s nothing wrong with those methods. But for an introvert, those methods don’t go far enough. Reading them, I always felt like a turtle being taught by birds the best way to walk. I discovered that my guilt in sharing came from trying to use methods that didn’t fit.
When I heard sermons on boldness, I assumed it meant “outgoing and forceful.” But that wasn’t how God made me. I was designed for quiet persuasion, reaching people who will never respond to an aggressive approach.
Other people’s patterns
If God designed introverts, doesn’t it make sense that he would want them to do his work through that personality? When introverts spend time trying to function like extroverts, they’re doing more than just wasting time. They’re actually robbing themselves of the very tools God gave them to do his work. If sharing your faith is something you inwardly dread, it’s probably because you’re working outside of God’s unique design. You’re following other people’s patterns instead of God’s.
PART 2 of this article—Introverts are different – and that’s good!— will be in our next post.
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MIKE BECHTLE is the author of Evangelism for the Rest of Us: Sharing Christ Within Your Personality Style (Baker Books), on which this article is based and used by kind permission. You can visit Mike’s website www.mikebechtle.com for more information and resources.