Jesus

Jesus

The short excerpt is by an unknown author, and the Scripture is Luke 2:30-33 But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.  He grew up in another village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty.  Then for three years He was a preacher.  He never wrote a book.  He never held an office.  He never had a family or owned a home.  He did not go to college.  He never visited a big city.  He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born.  He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.  He had no credentials but Himself. 

 

He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against Him.  His friends ran away.  One of them denied Him.  He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.  He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.

 

While He was dying . . . His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He had on earth.  When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.  Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race.

 

All armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that ONE SOLITARY LIFE.

 

Champions, have a Merry Christmas!-David Vining

 

Authentic Evangelism-Part 2

Authentic Evangelism-Part 2

 

The short excerpt is continued from last week by former Greystone counselor Heather Brown Holleman, and the Scripture is Colossians 4:5-6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

 

Does it bother you that I talk so much about Jesus?  I asked one neighbor one day.  No!  Keep talking about Jesus, she said.  I love hearing about Him.

 

Within a few months, we started asking families to join us at out church.  One family comes regularly, and the wife has become a Christian.  Her Atheist husband joins her at our church and loves it.  He has started to read his Bible daily to learn more about Christianity.  Another family comes to our church once a month because on Sunday they normally maintain a meditation schedule as part of their Yoga commitment.  But just recently, that family asked me to pray in the name of Jesus for the wife to figure out what was making her feel so sick everyday.  I prayed for that neighbor on the phone and in my living room, and that night, I was in my kitchen and I remembered something I had read in a book about thyroid imbalances.  Sure enough, that neighbor was suffering from a hormone imbalance that she could correct.  When I showed her the book, she called all her friends to tell them that Jesus supernaturally revealed the sickness to her so she could get well.

 

There are so many more stories of natural, authentic evangelism happening with our neighbors.  Everyday, the Lord is teaching us more and more about His plan to draw people to Himself.  When our goal is to love our neighbors, God enters into that space naturally.  The initial goal was not to preach the gospel.  The goal was a fitness group to love and serve the neighbors.  And in that place, God has allowed us to preach the gospel.  We have learned to listen to others stories, ask good questions, remain silent until God prompts us to speak, and to openly share with others-as if they already were believers-the great things that Jesus offers.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Authentic Evangelism-Part 1

Authentic Evangelism-Part 1

 

The short excerpt is by former Greystone counselor Heather Brown Holleman, and the Scripture is Colossians 4:5-6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

 

Last August, I noticed that no children were playing outside in our neighborhood.  They were all inside, playing computer games or watching TV.  I did not want our children to grow up in a neighborhood like that, so one Saturday, I got out the phone book, found families that lived on or near our street, and picked up the phone.  I said this:  Hi, this is Heather Holleman.  You do not know me, but I have two daughters who would love to play outside with your family tonight.  If you are interested in coming to play outside, please come by my front yard after dinner.  I will have jump ropes, bikes, hula hoops, and games for them.

 

I left so many messages.  I was not sure what would happen.  Well that night, 11 children and their parents came to our front yard.  I taught our children how to play the old neighborhood games we grew up with.  We decided to invite these children and their parents to come every night after dinner for one hour.  And they came!  Families bought bikes for their children for the first time, and one Dad cut rope from his garage for the children to have a long jumping rope.

 

When it got too dark as Autumn approached, we moved our gathering time up.  And when it got too cold, we decided to mover our fitness group into our basement for dancing and exercise.  As a group, we decided to commit to healthy eating, good habits, and exercise.  We pledged to walk to school every day-a one mile walk-and we made t-shirts to celebrate the 100 miles on the 100^th day of school.  Those children were honored in the local newspaper and in a big school assembly.

 

Fitness was the goal.  Getting children to play outside was my vision.  But God did so much more.  Those families involved in the neighborhood fitness group became fast friends.  We planned monthly potlucks, the dads planned a guys night, and the women had a ladies night.  We have Atheist, Agnostic, New Age, and Buddhist families.  When you spend that much time with people who do not know Jesus, it is impossible not to share your love of Christ with them.  For the first time in our lives, we experienced what natural, authentic evangelism looks like.  We just talk to our neighbors about Jesus because He is so important to us.  We share what we are learning when we read the Bible, and we talk about ways God answers prayer.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining