DEER HUNTING AND EVANGELISM
                                                                                                                                    <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
ENVY - Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
Proverbs 23:17 (KJV)
JUDGING - Judge not, that ye be not judged.  Matthew 7:1 (KJV)
ONLY GOD - For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
 Romans 11:36 (KJV)
THANK GOD - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
 
I am not certain where to start this story, as there are several preliminary thoughts that have triggered my feelings.  I have entertained some intersecting thoughts, events and messages that bring to mind things that God would have me meditate upon to learn more of His providential care.  For me the past week – in Ohio the week following Thanksgiving is deer gun hunting season – gave me ample time to think deer hunting, but also thoughts about evangelism.  The evangelism thoughts were reinforced by the content of a recent Sunday School lesson.  So I feel comfortable that God has been trying to lead me to reflect on how these two diverse subjects can be a teachable topic for His glory.  I will start with deer hunting, a very visible worldly activity, and let evangelism tag along as a complimentary activity. 
 
Maybe like some of you, I now realize that my theology has been an evolving phenomenon.  Yes, I believe in evolution – in the right place, time and for the right purposes.  As my theology has evolved so has my worldview, life style and associated practices, such as thoughts, consciousness of sin, resisting of sinful thoughts and actions, willingness to forgive others, love and trusting God.  Mind you, before you jump ahead of me to test me on those points, remember, I only said I was evolving – not finished and I know that I am still far from my Standard Bearer, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Thankfully, my sanctification is still in progress.
 
So much for the trite introduction that explains both my hope and continuing evolution.  From this meditative process has come to me a realization of just how interwoven and natural God's work should be in all facets of our lives.  Unfortunately, we are much more aware of the actions that we take in our worldly pursuits than those associated with our spiritual lives.  Without a conscious realization, we should be applying most of the same principles in both realms for His glorious purposes.
 
Deer hunting has been a part of my life for over sixty years – even before I understood the meaning and implication of theology and certainly before my personal version went beyond the stories from my mother as she read from that special book, 'Bible Stories for Children.'
 
In my earliest years, deer hunting was an annual celebration that started with the 'big boys' gathering at the local Izaac Walton hall for their annual opening-day eve smoker,  to make certain that everyone was on board.  For some reason, probably best for my health and moral stature, I was never able to attend a smoker.  I just had the privilege of walking by the building and hearing all of the roaring laughter and clapping from what must have been some pretty raucous hunting stories.  Those pre-opening day events were quite infamous and well attended by all who were properly politically connected.  We outsiders did learn that the comradeship enjoyed at the smoker did not always hold over to the next day's hunt, when each group would head for their favorite territories to struggle up the mountains with their smoke filled lungs wheezing and their alcohol clouded minds begging for more aspirin and sleep.  Back in those 'good old days' the government had not declared war on smoking nor had they suggested partygoers have a designated driver.  We amateur hunters knew that they would not be the first ones into the woods, but more importantly, we were taught that for safety reasons their hunting territories were off-limits for the first few days, which gave them time to either get clear heads or tire of the chase.  Their hunting protocols and methods were not always considered to be examples of the best sportsmanship.
 
At that time most of my hunting was on weekends, and holidays – opening day was one of those holidays.  Otherwise it was a matter of putting my rifle in the car, so I could rush from my last class and get to the woods to make use of the last several hours of light.  That also proved to be quite fruitful as the woods were often quieter and the deer start to move from their daytime beds to feed and water towards dark. 
 
To show how disconnected those days were from today, the gun was safe in my unlocked car – and the same applied to the guns and cars of my friends – we all knew the others had guns, as did the school staff.  The school did not go into lockdowns because the guns were on school property.  The disconnect isn't just about the guns but also my worldview – something I did not know I even had.  It never dawned on me that God was involved in my hunting.  It all depended upon my skill and luck.  The most commonly used phrase each morning was, 'Did you have any luck yesterday?'  While we did not consider God as an agent in the process, we also did not put skill at the same level for creating success as we did luck.
 
This process continued, with some interruptions, when I went to college.  It took another downturn when I entered the Air Force and spent three years in Japan.  It was almost thirteen years later before I was in a position that I could again arrange annual treks to the Black Hills to join my father to test my luck, and hopefully pick up some skill to improve my luck.  Dad had a good hunting partner who was more than willing to share many of his hunting trade secrets, and glorious stories, with me.  I was fortunate in being able to have my son join me on some of those adventures.  But, still I did not see God in the process because my religious understanding was founded upon my church affiliation and was still BBA, BBB and BSG.  Even though I was a church leader, Sunday School superintendent, and Church Man of the Year, my belief system had not been awakened to the actuality of God's true and full role in my life.  I knew I was a Christian because not only did it say so on my Pedo-Baptism Certificate and Church Membership Certificate, I was faithful in tithing and doing church work.  It was about this time that I was introduced to the concept of a sovereign God, which started a great evolutionary worldview process that began to open my mind to the full meaning of BBA (Before Born Again), BBB (Before Believer's Baptism) and BSG (Before Sovereign Grace).  However, this work was just starting and God still had a lot more for me to learn.
 
I was still able to hunt in the Black Hills for a few more years.  However, that became less attractive as South Dakota initiated a hunting license lottery system with sharply increased prices.  So hunting dropped off for several years.  By this time I was in a Sovereign Grace church.  One Sunday a fellow deacon approached me about hunting with a group from the church.  I thought this is great, I can hunt close to home instead of driving thirteen hundred miles and the price was right.  But, I still had problems with luck and skill.
 
When I would drive to the hunting area, usually the Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving, I would pass a number of campgrounds and hunter's camps.  I noted that while I had faithfully gone to church that morning, most of them had not and it looked like their preparatory activities were target practice, drinking beer and enjoying some crude form of the old Izaac Walton smoker I remembered from my early days.  This was further evidenced when I would stop at a local service station and note their purchases.  Well, that was their business and not mine so I continued to my hunting location.  There I joined a number of friends who had been in church with me and we had a great meal and an evening of Christian fellowship. 
 
The next day was when my troubles would start.  We would all get up early, have prayer, eat a good breakfast and be in the woods when the hunting season officially opened.  But, as the day would wear on I noticed that a lot of the shooting came from those who had been at the hunter's camp and not those who had been with me.  This was further confirmed when I would drive past the state deer check stations.  Also, I was bothered by such questions as; Am I in the correct location, Did I make too much noise coming in, or Have I stayed here too long?  After several years of this questioning the skill and luck issue, I started to think about the meaning of Psalms 37 and 73, which address the issue of the ungodly prospering relative to God's people.  If I am correct, those Psalms tell how the prosperity of the ungodly is but for a fleeting moment and will fade like the new-mown grass.  But the faithful will have all of eternity to prosper.  So I started to relax and thought, 'Go ahead, have your fun, but the best is yet to come.'  But, I was also reminded that all of that was truly God's business and not mine.  Envy was not to be my companion instead of delighting in God's graciousness.
 
As my worldview continued to evolve, in what I believe is a more accurate understanding of the sovereignty of God, my understanding of my 'success' in hunting was also tied to God's providential will.  Further, having been involved in some evangelism programs, I started to see just how related these two activities were, and that by understanding one the understanding of the other would become clearer.  The original problem was not with the hunting but with failing to understand that all of the steps in that process were taken according to the world's principles and I had failed to see that the very same principles should be just as clearly understood and applied in evangelism.  Up to that time, the evangelism process had been either spiritualized or understood on the terms that since God was involved He would bring the success and I was just along for the ride. 
 
Wrong, the steps are very similar.  It started to dawn on me that the process that I had followed to become a 'successful' deer hunter should become an example on how to become a 'successful' evangelist. 
 
First, if you are going to hunt you must make a commitment.  You do not just wake up one day and decide to hunt.  Your commitment must be enough in advance that you are legally licensed, have the proper clothing and equipment and that you know where and how to hunt.  You would probably do some preliminary work by gathering some sporting publications to learn about your query and some of the recommended methods to gain the conquest.  As an alternative, you could find a mentor who is willing to share his knowledge and escort you on some trips.  The Apostle Paul used this mentoring technique with his students while he also educated them.  He had personally studied and was well educated so that when he was called he had the proper knowledge.  So too, you must first make a commitment to be an evangelist if it is your intention to follow the Lord's command to go. 
 
A second step is that you need to do some research on where you might find success in hunting.  For most of us hunting is not just being outdoors with the proper clothing and equipment.  It also includes being where you anticipate some contact with your query.  If I wanted to take the easy route, without regard to success, I could just dress up in my hunting clothes, grab my gun and go out on my patio and sit in the snowy, chilly air for a few hours.  When I would finally come back indoors, I could tell the people how cold and difficult my hunting was.  But, in over thirteen years I have only seen deer tracks in the yard three times, have never seen a deer on the property and have only seen two deer, about two hundred yards away.  Not prime hunting territory.  So too, if you are going out to harvest souls you need to know where you are going to find the best gleaning.
 
Third, you must know how to approach your game to gain the best opportunity for success.  The very best hunters find most of their success when they hunt alone or with only a limited number of partners.  Some, who are not as capable, often join large parties and try to succeed by having one group force the deer into the presence of a second group.  A hunt like that often produces success but it does not provide the satisfaction that you were the victor, instead the group was the victor.  This is similar to participating in large evangelistic efforts.  While numbers of professions might be recorded, the lack of a one on one contact generally results in a poor long-range success.  When Paul was evangelizing, those he contacted knew exactly who he was and what he was saying.  It may not always have been one on one, but they still knew who was the one giving the outreach.  It was personal and up close, just like the shooting of a deer.
 
Fourth, when you come into contact with the object of your hunt, you need to have the skills necessary to properly send out your missile so that the hunt will be a success.  Just seeing deer will not put meat in the locker if you are such a poor shot that you cannot hit your target.  So too, when you are on the evangelism trail you must be prepared to use the proper technique and response that will fulfill the needs of the person you are contacting.  Paul had the ability to shift his approach so that his response was driven right to the heart of those he contacted. 
 
Lastly, once you have brought your game down, it is your responsibility to see that it is properly field dressed and then prepared for the freezer.  You cannot claim to be a responsible hunter if you do not see that what has been provided to you does not result in a wasted resource.  The same is true in evangelism.  Once you have developed a contact, it is your responsibility to see that the contact is provided with the proper follow-on care.  That is one of the problems with many crusades, they generate numbers of professions but when the evangelist leaves town those same people are left in the care of those who were not able to respond to their needs prior to the evangelistic crusade.
 
It became apparent to me how God expected me to use my worldly knowledge to prepare for His service when I saw how analogous the relationships were between the preparatory steps in both deer hunting and evangelism.  I also recalled that availability was the most important asset in evangelism, for God would provide the opportunity and the Holy Ghost would bring forth the proper words.  The same principle applies to deer hunting in that I must be prepared and available and that God will providentially provide.  Because, if God providentially wills that I should see a deer, I will.  If He providentially wills that I should shoot a deer, I will.  And, if he providentially wills that I should put meat in the freezer, I will.  So, just as we talk about God's providence, presence and will in our evangelism we must see the same in the rest of our lives.  Similarly, just as we go through a process to undertake an activity in the physical world, we must be prepared to undertake, with the same due diligence, a similar process to undertake an activity in our spiritual world. 
 
In essence, what I have come to believe is that it is all one world, all one God and all one ending.  For either, and for both, it is God that deserves all of the glory and praise.