This week’s “Reflection” by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching PastorEveryone Can!
Acts 13
This week we started on the first of three road trips that will eventually finish up our study of Acts. My proposition for this week is that we are all missionary Christians, whether we like it or not – that is part of the responsibility God has given us – to be messengers of the good news. With that in mind, I’d love to hear your approach to sharing the good news. What is it you say? How do you start a spiritual conversation? Let’s share this on the @LBF Blog and learn from one another.
On Sunday I suggested that what people want to know today is how the story of God fits into the story of Jesus. Have you found that to be true? Download the attached pdf, “A Christian Meta-Narrative,” written by Millard Erickson in his book, “Truth or Consequences.” This meta-narrative helped me tremendously in knowing how to share God’s story with people. What do you think about this telling of the story of God?
The bottom line though, is that as messengers, we are ready. Are you ready? If so, great! If not, I encourage you to get ready and see how God works through you – your life will never be the same – trust me!
My approach to sharing the good news of Christ is that the person has to first believe there is a God, or is at least struggling with the existence of God. If she/he doesn't believe in God, period, then they won't believe the good news of salvation through Christ, and I will drop the subject. If, however, they believe in God or say they are struggling and would like to believe there is a God, then I usually start a spiritual conversation naturally. For example, I'll use my life's episodes: the good as well as the bad, the valleys as well as the heights - as examples of how God has moved through my life. If a person still seems interested in hearing more, then I'll talk about Jesus and who I personally think he was and is. I specifically mention that Jesus said, "The Father and I are one", meaning, that he was not only a man, but he was also divine. I then share how I was moved by that passage, as well as passages in which Christ said he can forgive sins. Most of the time, people don't respond, but they do listen if they've gone that far as to show more interest. I realize that all I can do is share, and it's not up to me to "save" someone so to say. It's the Holy Spirit who convicts and then He leads people into the truth of the good news which is salvation through Christ alone. As a messenger or ambassador to God, all I can do is share my take on things, and that's "only" if the person is interested or receptive to hearing this. But as I said, people first have to believe there is a God, or they won't be interested in hearing anything else about Jesus. I know this from many experiences in sparking up spiritual conversations and sharing my faith. I really liked the Christian Meta-Narrative you shared by Millard Erickson! I like the way he was able to condense the story of the beginning of God's works, the history of the Israelites, the subsequent entrance of Christ, and his sacrifice on the cross and what it meant. Excellent narrative which gives a summary of how one can share God's story with others. Sometimes it helps to see a snapshot, rather than the whole picture, and that's what this narrative does without leaving out pertinent facts and the good news of Christ!
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