Don’t Be Afraid Of Sharing The Gospel!

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Jesus said,>”Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”’ (Matthew 10:32)

Today I find myself in the little town of Helen, Georgia in the southern Appalachians.  It is a Bavarian-themed village, full of German restaurants and shops geared toward Alpine and central Europe goods.

For some reason, Sasquatch (aka Bigfoot) is also ‘big’ here, with depictions of him walking around town, playing the banjo, and other activities.  Being similar-looking to him (except for height and being bald on top), no one has tried to capture me for their exhibit or take my picture.  (We still have a day to go, however.)

As my wife and I are vacationing in northern Georgia, it is of course much cooler here than in southwest Florida, but we have found the people very easy to talk to and accommodating. 

Most of those who we talk to and begin conversations with are also open to the first question we typically ask, ‘Is there anything we can pray for you about?’  One young woman confided she was recently kicked out of her mother’s home, while another told us of an impending biopsy she was about to have.

Some, as what we encounter in Florida, will want to talk about anything other than prayer needs, and if attempting to bring Jesus more into the conversation brings more resistance. 

A gentleman came by to help us with the propane fireplace in our cabin, and although very friendly and talkative, shunned any conversation about prayer needs or of the Lord.  Now, he was wearing a ‘Bah, Humbug’ message on his sweatshirt, so that may have been a clue (though I share that sentiment on the commercial aspects of Christmas).

Nevertheless, we would not have known about the prayer needs of the people who positively responded, and the prayer needs of those who did not (namely, their prayer need is for a soft heart to allow the Gospel message to be heard).  We cannot be ashamed or fear rejection by those who don’t respond, and we should not fear that we failed Jesus by their resistance. 

In case of the gentleman, we conversed a bit longer, not pushing upon him what he did not want to hear.  Hopefully, we cracked his shell just a little bit and perhaps this Christmas season that shell will break apart and open him up to hearing the Gospel message.

As Christians, we (should) have learned that we need not fear anyone but God.  We should not be ashamed nor afraid of sharing the Gospel with anyone.  Jesus’ own words state this; how would you feel if Jesus was ashamed to acknowledge you to Father God when you stand/kneel before Him? 

Imagine one of two conversations occurring when I enter the ‘Pearly Gates’ of Heaven, with me standing beside Jesus as He is talking to Our Father:

‘Well, I know Elmer’s here, Father, but really – I don’t know him all that well… and I don’t think I want to know him, either.  He never mentioned Us at all in conversation.  I’ll just ask Gabriel and Michael to escort him out to the ‘back 40’, OK?’  This is a conversation I pray Jesus does not have with God over me. 

I pray it would be more like, ‘Father, I’d like to introduce you to Elmer; he’s obviously not perfect but he’s been pretty good with what I’ve asked him to do (even though he has this thing about wearing camo), and tried to share the Gospel to many who he met, so I think he should stay here with Us.’  Insert your name in place of mine and you can determine which of the two statements Jesus could make would be right for you…

In any situation, we can always attempt to bring in the Lord.  Each visit I have with the doctor, I try to bring in the Lord’s name with him.  So far, he’s been, for the most part, noncommittal (and I suspect, though it has not been confirmed, that he may be Jewish). 

But he has become more open in stating things indirectly about God; ‘prayerfully, this should work’, for example, when changing a prescription.  Sometimes to dig a tunnel requires a spoon to chip away the rock and not a sledgehammer. 

If he is indeed starting to crack, I pray I will soon learn more about another member of the Family of God and perhaps gain new perspectives, and strengthen each other’s Faith.  Either way, I will acknowledge Jesus, not only during this time of year as we celebrate His arrival on Earth but every day, that He is my Lord and Savior.