Who's Going to Tell Them?

Last night as I listened to Graham bring the lesson to the Senior High Youth (26 of them in total!), I was struck by an interesting thought. Graham was talking about some of the things that keep us from sharing our faith with others: we don't want to look like hypocrites, we're worried about being rejected, we're worried about not having the right answers, etc, etc, etc...

I then thought to myself, "I wonder how many believers in our youth group (and in the world for that matter) have ever just audibly heard God say to them, 'Hey, salvation lies in believing in my Son Jesus.'" The Holy Spirit speaks to us in mighty ways to convict us of God's truth, but I'm willing to wager (and I'm not a betting man) that just about 100% of the believers that have ever walked this earth, were told about the good news of Jesus Christ through someone else.

"God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth so we could listen twice as much." That's absolutely fantastic, until someone asks you why you are filled with so much joy all the time...it's then time to stop listening and use that mouth God gave you to glorify Him and share the good news!

If you don't tell them, who's going to?

For Him,

Joe

Share your style

On Wednesday night, the Jr. High youth took a test to learn their particular style for sharing the Gospel. The four areas include the talker (uses creative and funny ways to present their message.), the buddy (a "true friend" that builds strong relationship to share), the brain (uses logic and organization to present a strong case for Christ.), and the stalker (uses direct, bold, and blunt methods of winning others to Christ).

Which word describes you most?
A. Funny
B. Bold
C. Caring
D. Logical
Sometimes I tend to…
A. Joke around too much.
B. Hurt people’s feelings with my directness.
C. Worry about what other people think of me.
D. Get frustrated with others who don’t “get it” when it comes to thought problems and mental images.
Your friends would probably describe you as...
A. The life of the party.
B. The leader of the pack.
C. A friend who really listens.
D. The smart kid.
I tend to get in trouble for…
A. Too much joking.
B. Being to blunt.
C. Not much.
D. Arguing.
How would you bring up the Gospel with total strangers?
A. Get them laughing, get them talking, and then switch gears to Jesus naturally.
B. Ask them if they know for sure they are going to heaven when they die.
C. Try to talk to them and wait to see if they want to talk at all.
D. Ask them questions about who they think Jesus was and if they are open to proof that He was the Son of God.

If you scored mostly...
A's: you are talker.
B's: you are a stalker
C's: you are a buddy
D's: you are a brain

After taking the test, I found myself to be a "stalker". That is not necessarily my personality, but it is how I share the Gospel with others.

These styles are not hard pressed, you may find yourself a mixture of them. Jesus is the perfect example of a mixture of all of them. Strive to do the same.
Serving Christ,
Graham

The Simpleton's and a Simple Message

It's interesting how God chooses people to carry out His will, isn't it? Especially in the Bible...now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying God doesn't or won't use a famous or extremely talented person (he certainly does), but he does seem to look for the most unlikely people. Greg Stier, from the book Outbreak said to consider this; God decided to use:

• A novice boat builder named Noah
• An elderly patriarch name Abraham
• A patient ex-con named Joseph
• A stuttering shepherd named Moses
• A confident senior citizen named Caleb
• A God-fearing prostitute name Rahab
• A terrified Benjamite named Gideon
• A frisky warrior named Samson
• A prejudiced preacher named Jonah
• A fig-picking prophet name Amos
• A young dreamer name Daniel
• A reluctant queen named Esther
• A determined cupbearer name Nehemiah
• A converted tax collector named Matthew
• A cricket-eating, camel-fur wearing, water-drenched baptizer named John

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says this, "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

And this leads me to another interesting observation I've come across recently...it seems THE SIMPLER we share the Gospel with someone, the MORE POWER it has. Of course it's because of the power of Christ (1 Corinthinas 1:23-34), but I also think it has a little bit to do with shock value. The good news of Jesus Christ is simple...you don't have to do anything to go to Heaven, but simply believe in Jesus Christ. It's almost too good to be true, isn't it!?

I'm glad God gave us a bunch of examples of leftovers, nobodies, and simpletons to carry out His will in the Bible. Furthermore, I'm even more glad the message of Jesus Christ is so simple to convey...after all, I'm a simpleton myself.

For Him,

Joe

P.S. Pray. Pursue. Persuade.