Growing up, nothing would get me off our red leather couch & send me dancing around the room in my favorite pair of Rustler, bellbottom jeans, like the greatest jingle in commercial history “Be a Pepper”, You know “I'm a Pepper, he's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, we're a Pepper, Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper, too? Be a Pepper ~ Drink Dr Pepper” COME ON!! BE A PEPPER, DRINK___ DR PEPPER…uh sorry, got a little over excited there.
When I remember this commercial, it makes me think of how most Christians look at sharing the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. You know like… “I’m a Christian, he’s a Christian, she’s a Christian, we’re Christians. Wouldn’t you like to be a Christian, too?” Some look at it as more of inviting friends to join a club kind of deal.
Do you realize that 70 to 80% of Americans claim to be Christian, when we share the gospel in this way, heck anybody can be a Christian. "Be a Christian, because I’m a Christian"…this isn’t Biblical witnessing.
There’s also another commercial that reminds me of how some go about witnessing. “Billy Mays here for…” is usually how they start. This dude sold everything from Oxi-Clean to health insurance…& did it all screaming. I often wonder if when he would go home, if he talks like that, “HONEY, I’M HOME…DINNER WAS GREAT TONIGHT…SURE I’LL SING THE BABY TO SLEEP, ROCKABY BABY ON THE TREE TOPS…
There’s also another commercial that reminds me of how some go about witnessing. “Billy Mays here for…” is usually how they start. This dude sold everything from Oxi-Clean to health insurance…& did it all screaming. I often wonder if when he would go home, if he talks like that, “HONEY, I’M HOME…DINNER WAS GREAT TONIGHT…SURE I’LL SING THE BABY TO SLEEP, ROCKABY BABY ON THE TREE TOPS…
WAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
SORRY HONEY, BUT I DON’T THINK THE BABY IS SLEEPY!”
Sometimes we can be very harsh & very pushy, when sharing the good news, often offending people & embarrassing them. “BILLY MAYS HERE FOR, HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN!!!!” This kind of witnessing is also not Biblical.
When we come to others in a harsh, “better than thou” way, they are usually turned off quickly. If we go at it in a “come on, join my club” way, we haven’t truly lead them to Christ.
Witnessing isn’t just something that you practice doing, it’s what overflows from the Holy Spirit living in you. When Peter in Acts 2, spoke to the “Men of Israel” what he was saying was flowing from the Holy Spirit. He didn’t save those people, God did, and Peter was just an instrument by which God spoke to them. He didn’t belittle them or raise himself up to be something great. He even called them “brothers”. Did he step on some toes? Yes, pretty much stomped them with words like this, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” He told them that they killed Jesus, but he did it in a caring way, he was sincere. When he was speaking, they could see & hear the love he had for them & the need they had. See we first need to realize that everyone has that need of salvation, that hunger to be made new…we have what they need.
It breaks my heart to walk out of the jail on Thursdays, knowing that there are those who haven’t accepted Christ, those who are still lonely, hurting & carrying the heavy load of their sins. But when I leave there, I always want to know that I shared with them out of my love for them & their need of Christ. I stand in the middle of convicted drug dealers, drug addicts, child molesters, rapists, con-men & often times murders, I can’t love them…humanly I can’t…but through the Holy Spirit I can & I do. I want those guys to see & hear the love that God has for them, as well as the broken heart he has for their sin. They also need to know that my love for them is through Christ & that I love them unconditionally…I don’t okay their sin, or think or say that they should not be in jail, but that doesn’t stop me from loving them & caring for them.
I also need to be that way daily, with everyone I meet. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t live a life daily the way I should. Actually there shouldn’t be a day that goes by that I don’t share the gospel with at least one person…but I often don’t...& I find myself missing out on sharing Jesus daily, as I should. But that is something that every believer needs to do daily. Imagine for a moment, if all believers shared Jesus every day…it would change this world in an instant.
We also need not look at those who are not Christians & expect them to live like Christians. So often we would rather whine & complain about the actions of others than share Christ with them, which would change their lives & morals.
“Dr. Christian” or “Billy Mays Christian” which are you, or do you just not share at all? Let’s make it a point today, to start building relationships with those who need Christ & look for a way to share the greatest news in the history of the world with all those that we come in contact with & do it through the strength of the Holy Spirit, with a heart of love & compassion.
Vern
Sometimes we can be very harsh & very pushy, when sharing the good news, often offending people & embarrassing them. “BILLY MAYS HERE FOR, HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN!!!!” This kind of witnessing is also not Biblical.
When we come to others in a harsh, “better than thou” way, they are usually turned off quickly. If we go at it in a “come on, join my club” way, we haven’t truly lead them to Christ.
Witnessing isn’t just something that you practice doing, it’s what overflows from the Holy Spirit living in you. When Peter in Acts 2, spoke to the “Men of Israel” what he was saying was flowing from the Holy Spirit. He didn’t save those people, God did, and Peter was just an instrument by which God spoke to them. He didn’t belittle them or raise himself up to be something great. He even called them “brothers”. Did he step on some toes? Yes, pretty much stomped them with words like this, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” He told them that they killed Jesus, but he did it in a caring way, he was sincere. When he was speaking, they could see & hear the love he had for them & the need they had. See we first need to realize that everyone has that need of salvation, that hunger to be made new…we have what they need.
It breaks my heart to walk out of the jail on Thursdays, knowing that there are those who haven’t accepted Christ, those who are still lonely, hurting & carrying the heavy load of their sins. But when I leave there, I always want to know that I shared with them out of my love for them & their need of Christ. I stand in the middle of convicted drug dealers, drug addicts, child molesters, rapists, con-men & often times murders, I can’t love them…humanly I can’t…but through the Holy Spirit I can & I do. I want those guys to see & hear the love that God has for them, as well as the broken heart he has for their sin. They also need to know that my love for them is through Christ & that I love them unconditionally…I don’t okay their sin, or think or say that they should not be in jail, but that doesn’t stop me from loving them & caring for them.
I also need to be that way daily, with everyone I meet. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t live a life daily the way I should. Actually there shouldn’t be a day that goes by that I don’t share the gospel with at least one person…but I often don’t...& I find myself missing out on sharing Jesus daily, as I should. But that is something that every believer needs to do daily. Imagine for a moment, if all believers shared Jesus every day…it would change this world in an instant.
We also need not look at those who are not Christians & expect them to live like Christians. So often we would rather whine & complain about the actions of others than share Christ with them, which would change their lives & morals.
“Dr. Christian” or “Billy Mays Christian” which are you, or do you just not share at all? Let’s make it a point today, to start building relationships with those who need Christ & look for a way to share the greatest news in the history of the world with all those that we come in contact with & do it through the strength of the Holy Spirit, with a heart of love & compassion.
Vern
1 comment:
hey mr. Vern Jonathan again this was a good one
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