We went to the Kroc center this afternoon to workout and swim. After my run, I walked over to the water fountain and saw one of the lifeguards watching an indoor soccer game from outside the gym. I walked up and asked if he was just getting off of work or taking a break. He said he was happy to be going home and was ready for some sleep. After a little small talk, I invited him to church and he said, "You know, I've been wanting to get back to church but I've just had some bad experiences at churches." I promised he would find just what he needed at Good News Church and then I asked how he got involved in church in the first place. He said he was really involved as a kid when the local church sent a van into the neighborhood to pick kids up.
I told him I didn't want to assume anything just because he attended church and that I needed to ask him an important question. Then I dropped the million dollar bomb on him. He said he thought he'd go to heaven because he was a good person. He said that he felt like the more good you do, the closer you get to God and the more bad you do, the closer you get to the devil. I told him that I could tell he seemed like a good person, but ultimately how good do you have to be to get into heaven? He nodded his head like he understood. I then shared the gospel with him and pointed out that there's no way we can be good enough and that's why God sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. I shared Romans 10:9 with him and asked if he'd ever prayed a prayer like that. He said he thought he had when he was a kid, but wanted to do it again because he felt like he needed to. I was happy to oblige and so I led him in the prayer of salvation. After our prayer, he said, "I really needed that today. I feel good now!" I continued to share with him about the benefits of salvation and encouraged him to come to church to grow in his faith. He said he'd like that.
Who can you share the gospel with today? Go out and give life! You could encourage someone. You could lead someone else to Christ. You could challenge another believer to share his faith. You could lay hands on the sick and heal them. You could do the works of Christ and join the most important ministry there is: the ministry of the believer!
Showing posts with label good deeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good deeds. Show all posts
10.13.2011
10.07.2011
.shockwave challenge - day 48
Kristen and I went on a date tonight and saw the movie Courageous. What a great flick! It was so inspiring and challenging in many ways. It even had a shockwave moment in there that reminded me that I hadn't done my challenge yet today.
After we left the movie, Tutti Frutti was calling our names, so we scooted over there to scarf down some delicious fro yo! On our way out, we invited a couple to church and talked to them about the gospel. They were both under the impression that they'd go to heaven because they were good people. The young girl had been raised Muslim and the guy was open minded but didn't have a clear understanding of who Jesus is. We did our best to present the gospel to them, but they didn't pray with us to be saved.
It's difficult sometimes to get the entire gospel out to someone in a conversation, especially when they have solid viewpoints and opinions about religion. I attempted to explain to them the major difference in other world religions and faith in Christ being that of human achievement versus divine accomplishment. In a very real sense, religion attempts to reach God on its own merit, while faith in Christ is belief and acceptance of what God accomplished for us through Jesus.
While getting to this point, he cut me off and I wasn't able to finish. We wish we had the chance to share further with them, but they insisted that they were on their way to the movies. She had mentioned earlier that she wanted us to pray for her brother so I used that opportunity to pray also for them that their eyes would be open and that they would see clearly God's plan for their lives. We believe other laborers will come across their path to water the seed we planted.
Will you be a laborer? Will you make a conscious decision to go out into the harvest fields to share what God has done for humanity and bring them to a point of decision about Christ? Take the challenge and rise to the occasion!
After we left the movie, Tutti Frutti was calling our names, so we scooted over there to scarf down some delicious fro yo! On our way out, we invited a couple to church and talked to them about the gospel. They were both under the impression that they'd go to heaven because they were good people. The young girl had been raised Muslim and the guy was open minded but didn't have a clear understanding of who Jesus is. We did our best to present the gospel to them, but they didn't pray with us to be saved.
It's difficult sometimes to get the entire gospel out to someone in a conversation, especially when they have solid viewpoints and opinions about religion. I attempted to explain to them the major difference in other world religions and faith in Christ being that of human achievement versus divine accomplishment. In a very real sense, religion attempts to reach God on its own merit, while faith in Christ is belief and acceptance of what God accomplished for us through Jesus.
While getting to this point, he cut me off and I wasn't able to finish. We wish we had the chance to share further with them, but they insisted that they were on their way to the movies. She had mentioned earlier that she wanted us to pray for her brother so I used that opportunity to pray also for them that their eyes would be open and that they would see clearly God's plan for their lives. We believe other laborers will come across their path to water the seed we planted.
Will you be a laborer? Will you make a conscious decision to go out into the harvest fields to share what God has done for humanity and bring them to a point of decision about Christ? Take the challenge and rise to the occasion!
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