Start by listening to the stories of others

When Paul spoke to the learned people in Athens, he noted that they had built a statue “to an unknown God!” (Acts 17:23). They had done this as a safety measure,  just in case they had missed out on one of the many gods – they wanted to cover all their bases. 

What I like about Paul's response to this statue is that he didn't dismiss their religious efforts outright, but rather used it as a bridge to the gospel of Jesus. We would be wise to use this approach even in our own lives as people are still seeking God today. Sadly they are not looking for God in the church, as the church may have failed a lot of people over the years. 

However, it is good to remember that we are not offering them the church (per se), we are offering them Jesus.

Philip Moore offers us this advice: “Luke tells us to stop dismissing people’s stories and instead use them to point people towards Jesus. When we listen for ways to build bridges and point out Jesus where people have missed him, opportunities to call people to repentance are never far away. God is looking for tour guides – ordinary people like you and me.”

What do you make of this? 

Whose story do you need to listen to today? 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The Conspiracy of Kindness - changing the world by simply being kind

In his book, “The Conspiracy of Kindness,” Steve Sjogren makes an interesting observation. He states that less than 10% of Christians have the spiritual gift of evangelism, but around 90% have the gift of serving. He then goes on to speak about how we can witness to people through our acts of kindness and service. 

I find this a very thought provoking point, especially in the light of sharing our faith. When we speak to congregation members about sharing our experience of Christ, many people glaze over and become very scared. All the excuses in the book are then put forward as to why they can't evangelise and I fully understand how intimidating it can be. However, every person has the ability to 'serve' someone else and to show kindness. 

Imagine if we all ventured out into the world with the idea of sharing God's love with people through our actions and service?

In Acts 9 we read of a woman named Tabitha, who did exactly that. If you are interested in knowing more about her, then please check out our latest sermon on this remarkable woman. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Do you want it badly enough?

If you want something badly enough, you will make every effort to get it - that is how most people work! Often the things we 'want' are good and godly, but sometimes they are not. Many people have sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of that one thing (relationship, career, money, car, house) and have ended up devastated.

The Sherwood Baptist Church has a large banner in their Church that says: "Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them." This refers to the next generation of people and in case you didn't know, there is a war raging for them. The world desperately wants the next generation, while the Church seems content to sit idly by.

This challenges me greatly. We need to do something about this. How badly do we want people to experience the love and mercy of Jesus? How badly do we want people to know Jesus and the abundant life He offers us?

So what are we willing to do about it?

Just asking...

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Lausanne Movement

Working together to spread the Good News! Is this something that actually happens in your experience? Do we see Churches working together to share the Gospel? Sadly, we don't see it enough. BUT things are looking up. The Lausanne Movement is a worldwide movement that mobilizes Christian leaders to collaborate for world evangelization. This is an incredible movement and one which we pray will have a profound impact on the world.

Lausanne usually only meets once a decade, because of the shear size of the gathering, and what's even more impressive is that they are meeting in Cape Town from the 16-25 October 2010. In Christian circles this is even bigger than the World Cup Soccer so please listen out for Lausanne.

John 17:22-23 - "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

If you want to know more about Lausanne click here for a 3 minute video clip.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3