Practice Makes…

What does it mean to “practice”? Well, it doesn’t mean to do over and over to become perfect. I don’t know if perfection is even attainable from a Biblical standpoint. But one thing that I do know is that practice does move you towards the completion of a goal.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Phlippians 3:12-14 ESV

That goal must be reachable. It’s the end result, not how it is supposed to look.

Is perfection attainable?

Sometimes, you just get lucky and nail something on the first try without even practicing. Take this woman in the video below. She probably never shot a hockey puck in her life, yet won a car by shooting one into an opening big enough for it to fit from across the ice. A miracle indeed, but obviously not impossible! The staff at the rink were probably so worried about her falling that they gave her a helmet just in case she slipped.

What does practice do?

Practice really makes progress.

Biblically speaking, practice moves us closer to an attainable goal in our sanctification and towards maturity. Perfection, in my mind anyway, seems so unattainable, and will discourage me more than anything. If I do something with perfection in mind, I would never write, or at the very least, sit at my computer till I conjure up the perfect sentence. Every national best-seller started off as garbage; it wasn’t till after many editing attempts that it became readable and understandable.

Continued progress makes the goal. As long as you set a realistic goal in mind. There has to be an end to something.

How about in evangelism?

Perfection is not the goal in evangelism…it’s faithfulness. We cannot save anyone—God does, but we can faithfully share the gospel as we go through our day. You never arrive at witnessing, because once a person receives the Lord and the Holy Spirit, the discipleship process begins, and when they become mature in their faith, they will multiply and disciple others.

This is why we need to practice sharing the gospel on the street with those we don’t know, so that we can be ready for the “big game” when we do it with those we love. Engaging with strangers allows us to build confidence and refine our message, ensuring that we communicate clearly and effectively. Through these interactions, we learn to connect with different perspectives and backgrounds, which enriches our understanding of the gospel itself. Additionally, by stepping out of our comfort zones and sharing our faith in everyday settings, we prepare ourselves for those intimate moments when we can share the same message with family and friends, making it more personal and impactful.

Your witnessing encounters will never be “perfect”, but God will perfectly use them for His glory and can take our garbage words and edit them in the mind of those He wants to transform.