Boldly Share the Greatest Message in the World!

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.    Romans 1:16   NIV

    

    The Gospel is the greatest message in the world. The King of kings is making peace with his enemies.  The loving Heavenly Father is inviting his wayward children to come home.  The Savior of the World is rescuing the lost.  He who formed life is transforming lives. The Great Physician is healing the hurt and the broken.  The Giver of all gifts is generously sharing his extravagant goodness.  The All-Powerful One is overcoming evil and injustice.  The Judge of all mankind is granting forgiveness. The Creator of the universe is restoring his creation.  Through Jesus Christ we can have peace with God and live in his kingdom now and forever. Embrace this message and share it with joy!  

What will you do THIS week to live and share this message of infinite hope?  What will you do THIS week to represent your King and his kingdom?  Here’s some help.

1.Set aside some time to reflect on the first paragraph above.  As you do, consider how the Gospel has impacted your life.  Has God healed your hurt?  Have you felt the Father’s love?  Have you experienced God’s goodness?  Have you found peace?  Write a paragraph about how God has changed your life through the Gospel.

2.Ask God for an opportunity to share a 30 second story about his goodness and power in your life.  Ask God to make you ready for the opportunity and to help you speak with confidence.  Be bold!  This is a great AND powerful message.  The Gospel has the power to rescue everyone who puts their trust in Christ and restore them with the goodness of God.

Believing in Jesus for our Friends

Some men came, bringing to Him [Jesus] a paralyzed man, carried by the four of them.      Mark 2:3  NIV

   Do you believe that Jesus can revolutionize and transform the lives of your friends?   If so, how is your belief demonstrated by your actions?  Are you as desperate for your friends as these men were for their friend?   They tore a hole in the roof of someone’s house just to get their friend to Jesus.

   What can you do to bring your friends to Jesus this Christmas season?  Could you invite them to a regular worship service or to a Christmas Eve celebration?  Could you commit to praying for them everyday between now and Christmas?  Could you introduce them to other Christian friends so they have more friends who care about  them getting to know Jesus?  Could you simply ask God for an opportunity to share your story of faith with them?

   One of the best gifts we can give our non-believing friends is to believe in Jesus’ power for them.  That won’t save them, but it will increase our desire bring them to who can save them.  Believing in Jesus’ power for them may also give us the boldness to do something daring on their behalf.  Take some time this week and ask God to give you a burden for one of your non-believing friends and then ask God for opportunities to bring this person to Jesus.

Increasing Your Awareness for Sharing the Good News

I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.          John 4:35  NIV

   

    Jesus spoke these words to his disciples so they would open their eyes to see the people all around them who are ready to respond to God.  It’s very easy to think that people are not open to the message of God’s grace, that they won’t want us to share God’s kindness with them.  The truth is that there are many people who are open to God and would love to talk with us about trusting him.  It doesn’t mean they will trust God immediately, but we may help them move closer to trusting him.

    Sometimes a short, often-prayed prayer can change the way we look at the people around us.  This week, pray this one sentence prayer for the people around you.

      “Father, please help this person discover your goodness and trust your

       wisdom.”  [Use their name if you know it.]

You can pray it for your coworker or for the person in the car next to you at a traffic light.  You can pray this prayer for a believer or a nonbeliever.  No matter where we are on our journey, we all need to discover more of God’s goodness and trust more of his wisdom.  Pray it as often as you can.  You can pray it many times for the same person.  Simply pray it for anyone and everyone that crosses your path this week.