...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;
ESV
If you had to right now could you share the Gospel with someone? As the scripture says, are you "prepared to make a defense" for the hope that you have? Do you truly believe that apart from Christ a person has no hope for eternity?
Penn Jillette, a strong atheist from the famous duo Penn and Teller said in a recent blog, "How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them?" He then goes on to say, and I am summarizing here, if I saw a truck barreling down on you and was about to crush you at some point I would have to tackle you and get you out of the way! Pretty profound comments from someone who says that he is convinced that there is no God!
If we truly believe that there is a heaven and a hell and if a person does not repent and put their faith in Jesus then what is stopping us? Hell is much worse than getting hit by that truck...and it's forever! The fact that it could be socially awkward should not be a reason to hold back. I believe fear plays a big part here. I can say that because fear has held me back before. I still struggle with it. One thing has helped me in overcoming that fear and that is being prepared!
There are many quality resourses out there that will help you to give an accurate presentation of the gospel. One of my favorites is found at www.wayofthemaster.com. You may recognize Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains and more recently the movie Fireproof. I encourage you to take the time to watch the video that starts when you go to the homepage. Then click on "1", "2" and especially "3" where you will hear the message "Hell's Best Kept Secret."
Another good resource is Sharing Jesus Without Fear which can be found at http://www.lifeway.com/e3/shop/?id=005170871
Take some time and get yourself ready. Know your scriptures, prepare a plan and let God do the talking. Present the facts and with God's help you will bring someone to a point of accepting the truth or rejecting it. Keep in mind It is not our job to sell someone on Jesus. It is not our job to convince people. That's God's job! (John 6:44) The power is in the message! We are just the messengers and it is our responsibility to KNOW and bring that message!
Go and share your faith...while you still have time!
Good stuff Carl! I was just talking to someone going through a job loss and asked him if he had his elevator pitch for his next job. (An elevator pitch is 30 seconds to 2 minutes of what you could bring to a job if you met your dream employer on an elevator.)
ReplyDeleteThe links you mentioned in your post are our "elevator pitches" for the gospel (Kirk Camerons stuff is excellent!) and we should all have them!
Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks Tim! Elevator Pitch! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI my world of sales we call it a "Hallway Presentation." When you have 2 minutes with a customer as you see them in the hallway you need to be ready to deliver your message! The RIGHT message at the RIGHT time!
It's always the right time if you ask me but are we giving the right message? The TRUE gospel. Not a watered down, modern day gospel that has been distorted over the years. I believe that is going on in churches all across the world today. These 2 websites are an example of how to avoid that!
Thanks for the input! Good stuff!