The Ministry Around You

Recently, I had the incredible privilege of talking to seven people in twenty-four hours about the hope and forgiveness they can find in Jesus Christ!

Each encounter is its own story, so I will try to write them individually in the next week or two. Until then, here’s an overview of the amazing twenty-four hour day.

The Main Object of Life for C. S. Lewis

“I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.” C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

No Fear

The next time you are fearful about sharing your faith, remember this 92-year-old woman.

The Sower Blogroll

I decided today to add a Blogroll to The Sower. I hope these other sites will be a great resource to you.

I know of a lot more blogs than the three I started with today, but maybe you also know some websites that encourage evangelism or missions. Thank you for adding your suggestions in the comments.

I plan to add a Blogroll to The Sower: Tools and Tips, as well. Those links will be to evangelistic sites while this Blogroll will be more for instruction and encouragement.

Quotes from Tim Keller

We had the privilege of learning from Tim Keller, the pastor of Redeemer Church in Manhattan, as he taught from Luke 10 at a Campus Crusade conference this past July. Tim explained some key elements of the Gospel and how we should carefully communicate God’s message. He encouraged us to go out into the world as Good Messengers and to live in this world as Good Neighbors.

QUOTES:

“Justification means that the only Person in the universe, whose opinion counts, absolutely delights in you.”

“You never are called into a new relationship with God without being radically sent out into the world to live for others. Every Christian man and woman is a man and woman in mission”.

Learn more from Tim in a video interview where he gives insights on urban ministries and also on reaching the poor.

Caring for the Earth … and for People

I glanced at a jade pendant dangling about two feet from my face.

“Your necklace is interesting,” I said as Lindsay tied a latex strap around my arm.

“It is a Japanese good luck charm,” Lindsay said, as she gently tapped my vein.

I found out within a few minutes that this young phlebotomist was a Buddhist.

“That’s obviously your choice,” I commented, looking at her pale skin and blue eyes. “Why did you choose Buddhism?”

“I like the way they respect all of life. That’s also why I went into this work.”

I commended her for wanting to help people and then asked, “Well, did you know that Christianity also teaches us to take care of the earth?”

No,” Lindsay admitted.

I encouraged Lindsay to go to my blog site to watch a YouTube presentation of the Good News. I wrote down the blog address on a piece of paper and then asked, “Will you take some time to investigate what Christianity really is?”

Lindsay assured me that she would.

I left the clinic rejoicing for God’s work in Lindsay’s life.

NOTE: Sending her to the right link was a little complicated, but I have improved this technique. Click here for more ideas about sharing web addresses when witnessing.

The Lived Out Gospel by Judy Douglass

The young woman who would be my seatmate on a flight from Ghana had a very heavy carry-on bag. The overhead bin seemed full, but the coat of the man in front of us was taking up half of it. He told her that her bag was too big and that was his space. He was rude. She was bewildered. I spoke up, reminding him calmly but firmly that the bin was shared space and his coat could go on top of the suitcase. He grumbled as he lifted his coat out. I helped her lift her bag.

Later the young woman turned to me and said, “Why are you so different? Why did you do that for me?” We had a wonderful conversation about our Lord. This is evidence of the lived out gospel. (I wish I always lived it out well.)

When we share Christ with someone who doesn’t know us, God can use the combined power of the truth of the gospel and His grace to open a heart to repentance and salvation even using imperfect vessels like us to communicate His message. But often winning takes time and relationship, especially in a generation where relationship is supreme. We must live out the gospel before them even as we tell them the truth.

What does the lived out gospel look like? God gives us many characteristics of the Spirit-filled life as evidence of this. Three stand out to me as key.

Without question, the first is love. The Lord Jesus Himself said the first commandment is to love God, then others. He even said we are to love as He loved, which was to lay down his life. Are we to lay down our lives for others? Some of us may be asked to make that sacrifice. But most of us give our lives to people in love by giving of our time, our abilities, our finances. Sometimes love is just being there. Other times we love by listening, encouraging, praying. Sometimes we give the shirts off our backs, or buy a meal or provide shelter.

This lived out love that gives is a powerful witness.

A second witness is grace. Grace is often an unclear or vague concept for us, so here are a few synonyms to help us grasp the meaning of this essential truth: mercy, forgiveness, benevolence, charity, clemency, compassion, favor, forbearance, generosity, good will, goodness, indulgence, kindliness, kindness, leniency, pardon, reprieve, responsiveness, tenderness.

Grace doesn’t hold a grudge, or refuse to forgive, or demand what’s due or insist on its own way. Grace does overlook an offense, extend time or help, speak kindly when verbally attacked, believe the best about another.

Lived out grace is also a powerful witness.

A third evidence of walking with God is authenticity. How many times have you heard someone say something about “hypocrites in the church”? Authenticity means we speak truth in a generation with no absolutes, we live what we say as much as possible, we wear no masks. We consider the impact our words and actions have on those watching. We are even willing to be vulnerable. Those are risky actions. We could be misunderstood, disapproved of, even shunned—or taken advantage of. But we wouldn’t be hypocrites. We would be true, real—authentic.

And lived out authenticity is a powerful witness.

My prayer for you and for myself is that we will live out the gospel so that people actually see Jesus in us.

Used by permission from Judy Douglass

Rate The Sower’s Posts

It’s been a very busy twelve months. I hope to be back on a regular schedule for posting.

As I was cleaning up my different websites, I discovered I could add ratings, so please rate any of these posts, so I know what you most enjoy reading.

Thanks for reading the Sower!

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.

Meaningful Tweets

John Piper sees Twitter as an opportunity to add something meaningful to the Twittersphere. Read more of his perspective on using Twitter to minister.

Here are a few examples from his Twitter page:

DEALING WITH YOUR SIN: Don’t minimize how many times you’ve failed. But magnify how firmly they’ve been nailed (Col. 2:14).

Through the years I sought peace. I found ecstasy, anguish, madness, loneliness. But peace I did not find. Bertrand Russell

“I have no business to object to the universe as long as I have nothing to offer myself–and we are all bankrupt.” CS Lewis

NOTE: You can also subscribe through RSS feed if you would like to receive his Tweets in your reader.

I have added his Tweets to The Sower sidebar.