True Story Reflection PDF

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Matthew Spiegel True Story Reflection James Choung’s book, True Story, was well balanced in that it addressed simple, yet vital questions. Nothing in this book was necessarily unheard of to me, but in its simplicity, it brought Christianity back to the basics. In retelling the story of Caleb and Anna, I was reminded of many important aspect of evangelism. Specifically, this book exemplified that one must know his or her beliefs before effectively evangelizing, disciples must clearly explain the foundation of Christianity as opposed to just urging for immediate change and commitment, and evangelism does require courage and boldness. I could definitely relate with Caleb from this book as He did not understand much of what he had been taught growing up and had a negative perception of Christianity. Without truly understanding what I believe, just like Caleb, I know that I will not be able to effectively communicate Christianity and answer the hard questions that people have. This is not to say that someone needs to have all the answers before the they share their faith. No one will ever have all the answers while still on this earth. However, a faith that is known and experienced is a faith that will be easily shared. In reading this book and through some of my own interactions with others, I am realizing that much of what I consider is common knowledge. This is because I have almost become desensitized to the language and concepts taught in church. So much so that I sometimes find myself using terms that I do not even fully understand, let alone phrases familiar to non-believers. In this book, Caleb refrained from making assumptions of previous knowledge, but clearly discussed the foundations of Christianity in a contextualized way so as to be more applicable to Anna. He learned this from his mentor,

Shalandra, who did the same to him. Evangelism is more effective through clear communication of foundational principles and a contextualized message. One of the most significant concepts I learned from this book is that evangelism takes courage and boldness. It may feel awkward at times, but peoples’ need for a Savior is more important that feeling comfortable. In Caleb’s interaction with Anna specifically, he knew that she did not want to hear what he had to say. He knew that every time he brought up Jesus, that he would be looked down upon and even threaten his friendship. But despite these potential ramifications and the mere awkwardness of continuing to bring the discussion deeper into the heart of Christianity, Caleb continued to discuss His faith. In retrospect, I know that it is foolish to neglect sharing the gospel with someone just because it feels awkward or may hurt my reputation, but this has prevented me from doing so in the past on more than one occasion. Like Caleb learned in this story, I desire to be bold in sharing my faith. Though True Story appeared as a simple book when reading it, I do believe that it teaches many valuable lesson about evangelism through the stories it recounts. Just as the main characters in this book learned, no one will be effective in evangelism unless they actually experiences, and truly believe the gospel. Through this comes a deeper understanding and true desire to share God’s Word with others. Additionally, the goal in evangelism should not be to force people into a purer way of life or to come to church regularly. Evangelism should start with clearly communicating the basics of the Bible for the purpose of helping people understand the joy of Christianity, as well as the kind of life that it demands and empowers. Finally, through this book, I was reminded that evangelism necessitates courage....