CHRISTMAS IS COMING! As I write this I realize that it is only 30 days until the time we historically celebrate "Christmas" - Jesus Christ - God coming to live among us. He did this to become our Savior, offering men & women, boys & girls the "Ultimate Gift" of forgiveness and eternal life!
The Bible says, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16,17)
IN REALITY CHRISTMAS IS ALREADY HERE! Isaiah told of Jesus' coming long before it happened (Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10) and was confirmed in Mathew 1:23, "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,*which means ‘God is with us.' "
Immanuel means, "God Is With Us!" We have the greatest gift to give to people. The great message: God is with us and wants to give His forgiveness & eternal life in a personal relationship to our friends, family, neighbors, teammates, coworkers & people we meet every day. My friend Dave offered the following steps to help share with those who are lost without knowing Jesus. I want to pass them onto you and ask us all to give the gift of Jesus!
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1. Pray for open doors. When we specifically ask God to open doors to speak to people about Him, it is amazing what He does. Often we don't see the open doors because we haven't prayed for them.
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2. Don't wait for smooth transitions. Rarely do we get the perfect question or elegant transitions that lead into the gospel. Jesus often shifted abruptly into talking about the good news, and the Apostles did as well. If all else fails, just say "I'm curious, what do you think about God", and follow up with the question, "Could I tell you how I came to know God?"
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3. Tell your story and His story. People love stories. Be ready to tell the main points of Christ's story as well as how he has changed your life. This is often more powerful than clever arguments or skillful apologetics*(defense of our faith).
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4. Always leave them with a challenge. Even if they are not ready to put their faith in Christ, there is always a "next step" you can challenge them to. Many times this involves reading the Bible for themselves, or meeting with you again for coffee to discuss spiritual things. With the Spirit's help, try to determine what the next step for them would be and then Challenge them to take it.
Let's Care & Share the Gospel - "The Good News" - more than ever with or lost friends, family, neighbors & people we meet every day.
"God Is With Us!"
Pastor Greg
