I believe in the Gospel again. Yep,
again. It's weird to say and I don't really know how to explain it,
but in the past couple weeks, the Gospel has come to life in my heart once
again. It's as if I believe it for the first time. I know I believed
in the Gospel before, as it was very real to me, but God opened my heart in a new way. It happened while my wife and I were in Florida. We were
having dinner and I realized that our waitress needed Jesus. In the midst of this thought, I
looked at the tables surrounding us and I realized that every person
sitting around us needed Jesus. I thought about my life and about how
Christ literally changed the person I was into a new person. I thought
about grace, love, joy, and peace that I know. So in the midst of all these
thoughts, I asked my wife, "Do you really believe in the Gospel?" She
looked up with a strange look on her face trying to anticipate what I
meant. After she asked what I meant, I said, "Sometimes I live my life as if I don't truly believe the Gospel, but I do!" I believe in
the Gospel again.
People need the Gospel. Regardless of what they think it is, where they come from, or how they've dismissed it, they need it more than they can ever know. The crazy thing is, I know something that they desperately need to know. Whether it's our waitress or the people sitting at the table next to us or perhaps is the person sitting next to us on the airplane; people need the Gospel. So many times in the past, I knew this deep down, but I was too insecure to say anything or even have it on the forefront of my mind. But, if I truly believe the Gospel, it's going to be on the forefront of my thoughts. It's not going to hide in the back corner of my mind waiting to come out during my next sermon; it's going to saturate every word and every action - that is my hope and my aim. People need Christ. I have Christ. I need to learn how to share what I have! People need the Gospel.
If I believe the Gospel and people need it, I need to go where people are. Isn't this the idea behind the incarnation? Tonight, on my way home from the store, I saw a bunch of people playing basketball in the park. After dinner and after the kids were bathed, I asked my wife (for permission) if I could go down and play basketball. After arriving, I played a couple games before some of the guys had to leave. Then, Dylan, who is finsihing his 8th grade year, came down and we began playing some shooting competitions. After we were warmed up, we played a couple games of one on one. I won, but that's not the point. The point is, now I have an acquaintance with Dylan. As I was leaving, he asked me to come to the park tomorrow and play at 5pm. I think this is true evangelism. After I get to know him a little better, I'll begin asking him some life questions and talking to him about my faith. Dylan needs the Gospel. Perhaps some of his friends will join in on the conversation as well. I pray that the LORD opens doors in this whole situation. But whatever the case, I believe the Gospel again, I believe people need the Gospel, and I need to go where people are.
I praise God for opening my eyes and my heart again. Even if it feels like I believe in Christ for the very first time, I'm grateful for the way He's worked in my life for the past eight years since I devoted my heart to Him. I pray that I can continue to worship Him in the way I relate with people, in the way I relate with my family, myself, and in every situation I have the grace and opportunity to live.
People need the Gospel. Regardless of what they think it is, where they come from, or how they've dismissed it, they need it more than they can ever know. The crazy thing is, I know something that they desperately need to know. Whether it's our waitress or the people sitting at the table next to us or perhaps is the person sitting next to us on the airplane; people need the Gospel. So many times in the past, I knew this deep down, but I was too insecure to say anything or even have it on the forefront of my mind. But, if I truly believe the Gospel, it's going to be on the forefront of my thoughts. It's not going to hide in the back corner of my mind waiting to come out during my next sermon; it's going to saturate every word and every action - that is my hope and my aim. People need Christ. I have Christ. I need to learn how to share what I have! People need the Gospel.
If I believe the Gospel and people need it, I need to go where people are. Isn't this the idea behind the incarnation? Tonight, on my way home from the store, I saw a bunch of people playing basketball in the park. After dinner and after the kids were bathed, I asked my wife (for permission) if I could go down and play basketball. After arriving, I played a couple games before some of the guys had to leave. Then, Dylan, who is finsihing his 8th grade year, came down and we began playing some shooting competitions. After we were warmed up, we played a couple games of one on one. I won, but that's not the point. The point is, now I have an acquaintance with Dylan. As I was leaving, he asked me to come to the park tomorrow and play at 5pm. I think this is true evangelism. After I get to know him a little better, I'll begin asking him some life questions and talking to him about my faith. Dylan needs the Gospel. Perhaps some of his friends will join in on the conversation as well. I pray that the LORD opens doors in this whole situation. But whatever the case, I believe the Gospel again, I believe people need the Gospel, and I need to go where people are.
I praise God for opening my eyes and my heart again. Even if it feels like I believe in Christ for the very first time, I'm grateful for the way He's worked in my life for the past eight years since I devoted my heart to Him. I pray that I can continue to worship Him in the way I relate with people, in the way I relate with my family, myself, and in every situation I have the grace and opportunity to live.
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