Share Your Faith…
October 16th, 2009 Pastor Dan
What to be a part of something that is life changing…?
Over the past year, I have been praying and struggling with something. It is really something that has always been a passion of mine…to start a grass roots missional movement. You may ask, “What the heck is that, Dan?”
Brandon Heath has a song called Give Me Your Eyes. He is asking God to open his eyes to the see the dozens of people that he interacts with on a daily basis that are full of questions, despair, fear and guilt. I often find myself thinking, “If only we could just share with them the fact that Jesus offers them the one and only answer to their questions, their despair, their fear, and especially their guilt!” But how? A billboard that says, “Down in the mouth — it’s time for a faith lift!”? No. Standing on a corner and telling people that they are going to hell without Jesus? No. Is it just to sit here comfortably in our own church and wait for someone to stumble through the doors? No.
What if you and I did what the Bible says we as followers of Jesus are supposed to? We are not to all be pastors or missionaries, but we are all to be missional. Check out what Peter says in I Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
We are to live in a way that is transparent, changed, different, though not perfect. We are not called to scream, yell, stuff faith down people’s throat, but live in a way that makes people say, “You are like me, but you have something different than me. You react to life differently. Why?” Live in a way that makes people ask the question!
Are you living in a way that makes people wonder what’s different about you? Do you handle conflict differently than most? Do you live your life in a way that people see that you have experienced forgiveness, have purpose, and know peace, even when things aren’t going great?
Are you looking and listening for the questions? I believe that people commonly ask followers of Jesus about their faith, but rarely in blatantly overt ways. Usually they ask through fringe comments and questions. Are you looking for the opportunities when they come and are you taking them?
Are you prepared to give an answer? You may feel ill-equipped, but each of us, no matter how long we have been a Christian, no matter how much we know the Bible, can have an answer. We just need to be ready. We need to think through what Jesus means to us, what He has done in our lives, and we need to be able to share the Good News of Jesus, that He died for you!
We want you to be prepared. This Sunday in our Life Lesson series, How to Lose Your Faith in 4 Easy Steps our message is entitled “Don’t Talk About Jesus.” We will be talking about how to have an answer for the Hope we have. We will talk about intentionally opening the doors for people to ask you the question. And finally, we are going to give you some tools to use.
Invite Card: On Sunday we will have small invite to CrossPoint cards for you to pick up at the info table. Put them in your purse, your wallet, or your car. When someone asks about your faith, your hope, you can use this card as a way to invite them to join you here at CrossPoint to ask their questions and learn even more about Jesus.
Lunch: I would love to meet up with you for lunch and help answer any questions you have about having your answer for the hope that you have. I would like to help you share your faith story so that you are ready to share with others. I am also willing to meet with you and your friend to answer any questions they have. You can e-mail me or call me at 832.373.7523.
The number one way that this community will know Jesus is through you and me being ready and willing to tell them. We don’t have to have all the answers; we just have to be able to point them to Jesus and share with them how Jesus has changed our lives!
Will you join me in this organic missional movement? Want to know more? Contact me and let’s talk!
Pastor Dan
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