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The Introduction
by Steve Countryman When you attend a formal gathering, it is common practice for the host to introduce each arriving guest to the rest of the room. Even at informal gatherings a host will introduce guests to other guests. It is the proper thing for the host to do. That is when it hit me. We Christians are to introduce Jesus to others that we come in contact with. The more I thought of it the more it made perfect sense. Jesus lives in each of us through the Holy Spirit. That makes each of us the host of His dwelling! God places opportunities before us daily. Opportunities to be a blessing to others, to bless others or to show others by our daily lives what being a true Christian is. What God requires of us is to believe in Him and to be obedient to His Word and His voice. God gives us the opportunity by those He brings into our daily lives. In turn we are to give God the opportunity to be a blessing to those same people. We do this by way of introducing Jesus to those people. It is similar to telling someone about a great restaurant that you like or a movie you saw recently. It is your recommendation and introduction that can make a life-changing event happen for someone. I only wish that I would step out more often to introduce Jesus to others. There are all kinds of reasons or should I say excuses not to do so. But what kind of Christian would we be if we did nothing? How can we prove how awesome and wonderful our Lord is if we keep it a secret? We are Jesus' witnesses and He is our testimony. How can people know the love of God if we His children don't show it to others by our caring? Caring enough that we will not allow another soul to go to hell without hearing the salvation work of the cross. We should not allow political correctness, tolerance and diversity to rule over us. Fear of offending others must take a back seat to loving all people. The Holy Spirit is your great enabler. It is by your faith, courage and boldness that you take the first step. Your first step is a step of faith as you step out in faith putting your faith into action. You may wonder how the opportunities come. All you have to do is listen. People will tell you what problems they are having. It might be physical a pain, a sore joint, a test that they have to go in for, upcoming surgery or disease they are coping with. It could be relational a fight with a family member, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, boss or co-worker. With today's economy it might be financial no job, no money, slow business, loss of home or loss of retirement money. It might be addictions always getting drunk, loves to party or get "high" or always talking about sex. It could be spiritual... can't sleep, having bad thoughts, depression, anger, confused thinking or mixed beliefs. When the opportunity comes, and it will come, you will be the one to introduce Jesus to them. Your introduction of Jesus will lead to prayer. Your prayer represents an acknowledgement of your faith in your God, acknowledgement of a loving God who loves them, acknowledgement of God's power and promises. Your prayer represents your thankfulness of your God who hears and answers your prayers. Introducing your God who is the great healer, your God who is the deliverer, your God who is the rescuer, your God who is Love, your God who is peace and joy, your God who owns all of the gold and silver and your God who is your redeemer! Nothing is impossible to your God! "But what if God doesn't show up? What if I pray and nothing happens? I don't want to look foolish. Besides I don't FEEL like I should be the one to do something when it should be a pastor's job." What you need to understand is that it is all of our jobs. That is why we are here, to fulfill the "Great Commission" by way of introduction. God didn't put each of us here so He could listen to us whine, complain and beg Him for OUR miracles. We are here as Jesus, to serve others and bring God the glory! You need to step out in faith if you feel like it or not. You need to introduce Jesus to them, pray, declare His Word and thank Him for answering your prayers then it is all up to God. The pressure is on God to perform His will; it is not up to you. If nothing happens and you don't see a miracle takes place doesn't mean that a miracle didn't happen. Sometimes the most important thing that we Christians can do is to plant the seed of the Gospel into someone's heart and mind. Miracles can be instantaneous or like seeds they may take time to take root and sprout. So the miracle that you expected may just need some time and some watering of your faith and continued prayers to sprout. It is up to you to introduce God to the people, the rest is up to God! Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |