A Recent Study Showed:

82% of unchurched folks said they were likely to go to church if invited. It also revealed that only 2% of people in church ever invite anyone.

this week be like Andrew with his brother Peter, “Come and see!”

sounds easy, doesn’t it? it is.

Day 27 Adventure

We need to know a lot more about what we believe. Not to convince ourselves, but to have the beginning of answers for those who are searching. We shy away from this because one of our biggest fears is that we have to be a theologian to share our faith with others.

We have to be honest and do what Paul says “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for your hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15.

Let’s dig in!

you can check out this facebook cause – people are talking, join the conversation!

I had to laugh when I read this chapter this morning. Yesterday I had two conversations with folks that had such similar experiences – thinking that they had to do so much more than God intended from them. Just like Mark thinking he needed to be a theologian to his friend Kyle, the following stories illustrate that this partnership with God calling His own to Himself is more natural and rewarding than we might expect.

“We were trying to find a church!”

I’ve got a buddy who is a counseling pastor. He’s a GREAT counseling pastor. He claims he is a lousy evangelist. He sends me all his hard cases. I send him all my impossible (impossible for me) counseling cases. 

The short story he told me yesterday was that after sailing last weekend with his wife he bumped into a couple of nurses who were having fun sailing the bay as well. They struck up a friendly conversation that led to them asking what he did for a living. When he told them that he was a pastor they both shieked “We’ve been searching for a church!” They traded contact info and are headed for his church this weekend.

So there’s the formula – talk to people and answer their questions! Sounds challenging? Sounds natural to me. Simply partnering with what God is already doing.

“Persuasive Speech”

A young lady brought a wise friend of mine her idea for a persuasive presentation in her college speech class. She planned to persuade everyone to go to church. She was really nervous. My friend said that she’d be nervous trying to do that speech as well. She suggested that instead she might take “In Times of Trouble”, a great book of testimonies from real people who have had amazing experiences with God,  and simply presuade them to read the book by sharing a couple of the stories. The college student loved the idea!

She brought enough books for everyone in the class. Not only did this turn out to be a great presentation but many of the students were persuaded to pick up a copy of the book and later told her that it really spoke to the trial that they were going through.

Like Mark said in this chapter, we are a team – a family – and we have resources and wisdom that we don’t realize.

Keep Posting!

Convicted.

Who am I regularly praying for? Who  have I “given up on” – by my lack of prayer?

The good thing about this conviction is that it is easily “overturned” by simply commiting today. I’m writing down the people who the Holy Spirit prompts me to pray for and praying for them consistently.

How did you respond to this chapter?

I’ve been camping at the beach this week and the computer went down, so this is my first chance to check out what you guys have been up to and to share what I’ve been hearing during this adventure. “Living intentionally” keeps popping up.

During this week I’ve been waking up praying “Lord, who and what do you have for me today? Give me eyes to see and the courage and wisdom to seize the opportunities that you trust me with. I lay down my lazy, casual life for You today.”

This adventure is a different way of life. It’s really living. What do you think?

Who has really loved you like Jesus?

I think examples of people who have really loved us inspire us to love others. Nothing eternal gets done without love. Post a short example of how someone in your life has been an example of God’s love to you.

I just got this note from God Conversations on Facebook

“the people that I have talked to recently about God already have an idea of Who He Is, but it seems they are defining Him. Meaning, they understand He created us all, and He is The Almighty but they have a put a strange spin on Him. As in, why would He not love the people who are gay and why would He send them to hell? This is my immediate supervisor where I have only been working a few weeks. The other big boss is a Christian also, but I get the feeling from her, that she cannot even understand how I EVER could have been a drug addict and caused such devastation to my kids lives. It is a very interesting world out there, and I really want to live by example. I want to be loving and kind and a good example of being a type of Christian that my Daddy would be happy about…. I don\’t want to be harsh with people. I want to share my testimony and let people know that God is merciful and forgiving and very real…. He saved my life!!! I was a no good for nothing drug addict that had all my kids taken away by CPS.”

“Kevin, I’ve been reading the Bible. I started in Genesis. I just got to Hebrews. I’ve got some questions for you.”

This statement came from Will, a friend of mine who was a bartender, who didn’t particularly like people all that much, and was far from God. For some reason he liked me and our conversations over the years had been meaningful. We discussed everything, sometimes even God, but he never told me he had ever opened the Bible.

“Wow. you never told me you were reading the Bible. What started you and what questions do you have?”

“Our conversations started me, and I want to know why you and I can’t start a religion where everyone is good to each other and we just do away with all this “God” stuff.”

This question began a sincere discussion, that continues to this day about “good” without “God”, how God would feel “being done away with”, and why Will even asked the question. One important point sticks with me. I never thought I was getting anywhere in my conversations with Will. Then, bam, He’s been reading the Bible from Genesis to Hebrews and he had questions for the only guy he would ever talk to about God.

Keep these relationships. Don’t give up on them. Don’t insulant yourself from the people that God loves so much. The shepherd leaves the 99 to go get the 1. Let’s be like Him.

Keep “stumbling”!

We just don’t see things like God does.

Today, I wonder what He has in store for those of us who are willing to simply wake up, pray up, look for opportunities, and step out of our comfort zone to share His love.

Today. I wonder.