When people meet you, do they meet Jesus?

My wife Desiree was recently preparing a message to preach at our local church and asked me to listen to the outline of what she was going to say. What she shared challenged me as she looked at me and asked, “Moray, when people meet you, do they meet Jesus”? The question stayed on my mind and my answer to it to be totally honest is “Well, the truth is, not all of the time”.

Considering this, I am unable to leave it there.  I feel prompted to ask you the very same question.

When people meet you, do they meet Jesus?

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”  Matthew 5: 13-16

When I was a young manager in a wholesale business, my boss was known for his very changeable moods. From one day to the next you never knew where you were with him. I learned quite quickly that if he came to say good morning to me when he arrived at work, it would be a good day. However, if he went straight to his office, it meant the exact opposite. He would be miserable, grumpy and even angry for the whole day. On such days experience taught me it was wiser to keep my head down and avoid him like the plague. 

If one day he had told me that he was a Bible-believing Christian and perhaps explained to me how Jesus Christ had changed him for good, I would have been somewhat confused. Jesus is loving, not moody, grumpy or miserable. Where would the evidence be that Jesus had changed him?

As Christians we have to let our lights shine before men and be salt and light to them. We have to be like Jesus and people must see the effect of Him in our lives. Is that easy to do? My answer to that is yes it’s very easy……… when things are going well, when we are on top of the mountain and not in the valley, when we are not under stress or are just having one of those days. The truth is that in these times it is sometimes difficult to be loving, encouraging and positive.

I often say that living the Christian life is against the grain; at times it can be tough. Jesus said that we should forgive those that hurt us, pray for our enemies, share our possessions, give money anonymously. Oh, and turn the other cheek. It is only God’s grace upon your life and the Holy Spirit dwelling in your heart that enables you to do things like this.

Key point: Tough times in our lives become great opportunities for us to let the light of Jesus shine in our lives

In these times there is a great opportunity for you to let the light of Jesus shine. It has been said many times before that very often we are the only Bible that non believers will read. People that we know personally will watch and remember how we handle life’s challenges and difficulties. It is also good to be mindful that they will in all probability point out when you get things wrong. That is proof that your every move is being observed.

Are you the light of the world? Or is it just sometimes?

It is vital that we let our lives shine with Jesus. We have all met Christians who never seem to be totally happy and can even be miserable most of the time. When they go to church they look as if they are going for a root canal at the dentists’ surgery, and what’s more they come out of church looking like they have just had one! God’s “Chosen Frozen” as I have heard them described in the past.

When we have difficulties or tough days we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us to be like the One who died for us. We must be Jesus to our work colleagues, our families, the beggar on the street, yes ‘anyone’ that we come into contact with. Let your light shine through your personality, your lifestyle and your good deeds. This will give you a good witness and testimony. Very importantly people will be more willing to listen to you when you have the opportunity to share the Gospel because the way you live your life backs it up.

My wife and I had some very difficult situations to deal with which affected our family greatly. Some of her work colleagues knew all about it. On a number of occasions her co-workers have asked how she was able to remain positive with a smile on her face.  This has opened the door for Desiree to share her faith and as a result a number of them have come to church and accepted Chist as saviour. God is good. Believe me, people do watch us.

Are you salt? Or is it just when life is OK?

Salt is a flavour enhancer, it adds taste, making food more enjoyable to eat. Just watch a TV chef to see what they add when they cook. As believers in Christ we must be salt to those around us. The Holy Spirit will always help us with that. We must be ‘prayed up’ and ask the Lord to aid us in this area. He will if we ask Him.

Being salty means being positive, encouraging and simply a good person to be around. In other words where there is stress, being calm, where there is sadness or sorrow, being love. Let Jesus shine and be salt and light to the world around you.

When people meet you, who do they really meet?

Shared Jesus and nothing happened?

 

Have you ever witnessed for Christ and had the thought that what you are saying seems to have no effect on your listener? In your conversation you explain with passion and great conviction about how Jesus died for our sins on the cross of Calvary. You continue to talk about His resurrection from the dead, about how He is in Heaven interceding for us. “You need Jesus” you say, or something like it. After what may have been your best ever Gospel presentation, nothing seems to have happened at all.

I have separated the scripture below into four groups. I will explain why as you read through this:

“Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown” 

GROUP ONE: “As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them” Mark 4:15

GROUP TWO: “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away”  Mark 4:16-18

GROUP THREE: “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful”  Mark 4:19

GROUP FOUR: “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown” Mark 4: 15-20

The first three groups are very important. We must never shy away from sharing the good news with anyone. We must share the gospel out of our gratitude, love and obedience to Christ, and importantly when we* do, we must expect the Gospel to do its work.   

We know that people will reject the message on occasion, while others will receive it well, and cool off fairly quickly, still some others will accept the Gospel but let other things in their lives get in the way. These are facts of life. After all Jesus said these words.

It is worth sharing the Good News though, because Jesus said that some will accept it.  Brilliant! We must never give up on those who don’t receive the message well. I say that because once a seed has been planted in someone’s heart, amazing things happen.

My message today is about the sowing of the seed. I am not a gifted gardener, but I have planted seed before and I have reaped a harvest. As eleven year olds at school we were given seeds to plant in our allotments. We would water the seed on a daily basis, but initially nothing seemed to be happening. The day that I saw the first shoots of my carrots and radishes poking through the soil, I was thrilled. A few weeks later I proudly took my harvest home to show my mother.

We have to remember that when we sow the seed of the Gospel in someone’s heart we must be prepared to be patient, although on occasion you will reap a harvest almost immediately with some. That will often be because someone else has shared Jesus with them in the past, and they have been constantly watering that seed with prayer.

Key Point: Sometimes you will have to be patient when you sow the seed of the Gospel

When we sow, some of the seed will not germinate; others will start well and then not pull through, while some will germinate in the form of souls won for Christ. Sometimes you will reap them and experience the wonderful joy as you lead them to Christ, while others may accept Jesus days, weeks, months, or even years later.

I attended a men’s weekend in Scotland some years ago. A number of us shared our testimonies with the group. One man, who was a Rumanian told us how as a teenager, on one day out of the blue, his mother and father returned home with joy on their faces, explaining with great excitement how they had attended a meeting where their lives had changed as a result of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord.

He had eleven brothers and sisters all of which gradually over a couple of years accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. His parents always talked about the Lord and encouraged him to repent and believe the Gospel. He rejected it totally, leaving home and going his own way. His mother continued to pray for him every day without fail for the next thirty years, until the day he called on Jesus to come into his heart.

He was a giant of a man who was completely unashamed as he shared his story weeping with tears running down his cheeks. God is so good. We will reap a harvest if we believe and do not faint. 

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” Galatians 6:9

Over the years I have spoken to people who have heard the message and later accepted Christ. At the time of hearing it, they were either not interested in the things of God while some were vehemently against it.

The seed will germinate in many hearts. People have told me how after hearing about Jesus, that some years later they suddenly had a desire to read the Bible, or they have dreams about the Lord. Others start to ask themselves is Jesus real, is there life after death? Many have a desire to go to church or just start asking questions. The Holy Spirit can move on the hardest of hearts. I know that for a fact, because he moved on mine.

Over twenty years ago someone witnessed to me and sowed the seed of the Gospel in my heart, which was totally hardened and against God. It was then watered in prayer and 18 months later I received Christ. I thank God for those men’s obedience.

Let’s get sowing the seed, because we never know what happens to it. It can come up quickly, or it can take a little time. Water the seed in prayer and wait.

As my wise old Grandfather used to say, “Patience is a virtue”.

 

 

Christian ... do you believe the bible is true?

The question is very simple and direct. I will ask it again with some more detail. If you are a born again believer in Christ, do you believe that the Bible is true? You may be saying to yourself, “That’s a strange question to ask”, or perhaps you are saying “Well of course I believe that the Bible is true”.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man”  Matthew 24: 36-37

If you believe what the scriptures say, that is great. I made a decision to believe the word of God many years ago, from the index at the beginning to the maps at the back.

I am not going to get into discussions about eschatology, the tribulation or a post, mid or pre-tribulation rapture, or debates on what should or should not be fulfilled or anything like that. It is a contentious subject for some, while others become fearful if it is discussed, while some people even avoid talking about it. The subject is one that is not preached very often today for many reasons, the main one being a seeker sensitive approach. Simply I make the statement that Jesus is coming soon…..very soon, yes it could even be today, even while you are reading this. Scripture tells me that if you are not ready when He returns, it will be too late.

If you say you believe the scriptures, I suggest it raises a few very important questions that you should be asking yourself.

·         Do you believe that the return of Christ is really imminent?

·         If you do, how does it affect the way you live your life?

·         How does your belief in this affect your Christian witnessing?

In a recent blog called “Are you grateful for the cross” I stated that real gratitude to Jesus for His atoning death at Calvary should compel us to witness for Him. The realisation of the truth of what Christ has saved us from becomes outworked through a willingness to share the Gospel with those that don’t know Him.

Your belief in the scripture mentioned above will undoubtedly determine your attitude towards sharing your faith with others. If you genuinely believed that the world was going to end tomorrow, or that a catastrophic event like an earthquake or tsunami was coming to your area, would you keep it to yourself, or would you tell everyone that you knew about the impending danger?

In that situation you would surely do the latter. The truth is that Jesus is coming soon. We need a sense of urgency to share the Gospel, because we don’t know the day or the hour.

For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. Hebrew 3: 7

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” Revelation 22: 12

I am not suggesting that you buy a megaphone, get a sandwich board and stand on the corner of the high street bellowing out “The end of the world is nigh”. Rather, I am asking you what you truly believe. We are living in a time where some churches ……. dare I say it ….. are either sugar coating or diluting the Gospel so that it becomes more palatable. 

Key Point: Be honest with yourself about what you truly believe

This isn’t preached very often because to speak of it means having to face up to some hard truths. I am not suggesting that you preach it either, but instead be honest with yourself and examine how your belief in the scripture you have read determines the urgency you have in your heart to be a witness for Christ.

The scriptures are not all easy to accept. In fact many of them are very direct and challenging. Jesus knew what He was saying when He spoke these words:

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law  a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” Matthew 10: 34-36

I included that scripture in a message I preached a few years ago. At the end of the meeting one of the church elders spoke to me and told me that he hadn’t heard the scripture preached on for ages. On another occasion I shared about Christ’s return. Some people told me that they had never heard a message on the subject, while one elderly couple said that they were gripped by the message and scriptures they heard. As a result they couldn’t sleep that night. Those people were God fearing, Bible-believing Christians.

What we believe determines our attitudes. Ask yourself about your beliefs with regards to this important topic.

My first pastor of sixteen years once told me to study this area, to discover what I really believed and importantly, to find out why I believed it.

Why don’t you find out for yourself?

What type of Christian witness am I?

What type of Christian witness am I?

Have you ever asked yourself “What type of Christian witness am I”? By that I mean, how exactly do you go about getting the message of the Gospel across to people? We are all different and so naturally the way we share the good news about Jesus will vary too.

Some people are very direct while others have the opposite approach. Here are some different witnessing personality types for you to consider.

Does the way in which you witness fit with any of these descriptions?

Key Point: There will be a method of witnessing that you feel most comfortable using

You may be like me and use many, or even all, of the suggestions listed below. However, there is likely to be one method which you use more than any of the others because it feels the most comfortable way to you and therefore you are more confident with it, too.

1) Confrontational:   Do you confront people's fears or objections in a very direct manner when you are witnessing? Ever been told that you are quite blunt when you share the Gospel? If so, there is a good possibility that you may be like Peter, with a very straight forward and confrontational style.

Jesus was like this at times, when He asked direct questions and expected direct responses from His listeners, such as the occasion when He asked the disciples a vitally important question: 

"But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?"  Matthew 8: 29

2) Invitational: Both the Samaritan woman and Levi are great examples of this when they invited people to meet Christ. Some Christians take this approach, inviting friends and others to church services or church events and activities, hoping that they will be able to see God in action. It is a ‘low pressure’ way of bringing someone along to a meeting. Some Christians are very successful in inviting others always managing to bring someone along with them to church for almost any event. My wife Desiree is outstanding at this method, as people respond readily to her outgoing and friendly manner when she invites them.

"Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them." Luke 5: 29

"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" John 4: 29

3) Intellectual: Many people have an intellectual viewpoint often developed through their education or working environment. Paul the apostle favoured this approach to witnessing. In fact, he often used logic to get his message across. An excellent demonstration of this is found in the book of Acts where he gave logical reasons to believe in the "Invisible God”. 

"For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." 

Acts 17:31

4) Testimonial: Sharing your personal testimony of salvation through Jesus Christ is extremely powerful.  Explaining the way God helped you through some tough times or how you came to realise that Jesus was a real person often gets people to listen with interest, because people love to hear stories, especially ones that are true. If you share in this way, then you are similar to the blind man in John 9 when he told the Pharisees he believed because Jesus healed him. His incredible testimony helped others see that Jesus really was the Way. 

"The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." John 9:30-33

5) Bridge Builder: Some Christians much prefer to witness individually. Sometimes there can be a period of time before they are ready to share their faith. They like to get to know the people that they share their faith with, and they tailor their conversation to each person. Jesus often did this with small groups as well as individually. He showed this with the Canaanite woman, when initially He appeared uninterested in her request for help. Then He responded to her with these words:

"Then Jesus answered, 'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.' And her daughter was healed from that very hour" Matthew 15:2

6) Service: Some Christians prefer to be examples of Christ through their lives, allowing the light of Jesus to shine for all to see: in other words, living out an evangelistic lifestyle. Dorcas was a very good example of this through helping the poor and leading by example. Many missionaries witness through service rather than through words alone. Witnessing in this way speaks volumes as there is a practical demonstration of the love of God behind the actions. 

"In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor." Acts 9:36

Which style matched your personality?

Do you possess this good Christian habit?

Years ago I worked in a dynamic direct sales business that thrived on its salespeople building a positive mental attitude. We used phrases which kept our minds from negative “Stinking thinking” as we called it. Every day we would repeat, “You can if you think you can”, “What the mind can conceive it will achieve” and other such mantras. One positive phrase that has stuck in my memory is about creating good habits. My boss always said “If you do something consecutively for sixteen days, it will become a habit”. 

Food for thought! Whether this is true or not I suppose we will never know. Recently I have been pondering about what sort of habits a Christian should have when it comes to witnessing. 

Key Point: Purpose to have an evangelistic lifestyle for sixteen consecutive days. Expect things to happen.

As believers we are representatives of Christ and as such we ought to be ready and willing to share the good news of the Gospel. Jesus has given each of us a job to do which should become our way of life. There are many scriptures that I could use to back this up. Here are just two that shed some light on the subject:

“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:17-18

Witnessing about Jesus should be a natural thing for a Christian. We readily tell others about how we spend our time – where we have been, who with, food we have enjoyed and films we have seen. We tell them about what we feel is important or of interest. We should all be ready and able to share the Gospel with someone just as easily!

Here are five suggestions which are helpful when it comes to effective witnessing. Using the scale below, assess your current position on each of the statements. My aim is to inspire Christians to obey the command of Jesus and “Go”. Be honest with your self when you answer.

Scale

Cold             Cool            Warm            Hot          Boiling

 0 --- 1 ---- 2 --- 3 --- 4 ---- 5 ---- 6 ---- 7 ----- 8 ---- 9 ---- 10

Lifestyle witnesses:

Are prayed up: One of my mentors in evangelism says that prayer and witnessing go hand in hand. Praying for people you know and asking God for opportunities is essential. If you ask Him sincerely, God will put people in your path who will be ready to hear the message. What score did you give yourself?

Are trained, studied and prepared: This is a vital area if you want to be effective. Studying the word and what it has to say about winning the lost; undergoing training, reading books, listening to evangelistic preaching and spending time with soul winners all help you learn how to share the Gospel.

“He that wins souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30. 

It makes sense that mixing with people who witness will help you considerably. 

“He who walks with the wise grows wise” 

Proverbs 13: 20 

Are ready to take up opportunities: Soul winners share Christ at any time and anywhere; are always open to talking about Jesus at the office (if the situation allows), in a restaurant, on a plane, over the phone - in fact at any and every opportunity! Are you like that? How did you rate yourself here?

Are never worried about the results: These people understand the fact that they cannot save anyone. They appreciate that people come to Christ only through the work of the Holy Spirit. They just share the Gospel, believe in its power and leave the Holy Spirit to do the work.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”  Romans 1:16 

How did you score?

They see their interactions with people as Divine appointments: They begin each day with a sense of anticipation and view themselves as instruments of God’s grace to others.

They let the light of Jesus shine through the way they live and will often seek to make the most of their encounters with people, purposely leading a conversation into spiritual areas.

Do people see Jesus in you? Do you make the most of these divine appointments? How did you score yourself on this area?

The answers you gave may reveal a need to spend more time and prayer in order to become the ready and prepared witness that Jesus wants you to be. Will praying about witnessing and studying what God has to say on the subject  for a period of time, (perhaps even 16 days) make a difference to the way you think about it? Would it even become a habit?

What do you think?

Are you grateful for the cross?

When someone does a big favour for you, or perhaps gives you a lovely present, do you find it easy to show your gratitude? How grateful would you be if a fireman saved you from certain death in a house fire? Or perhaps a person pushed you out of the way of a bus that was going to run you over? How would you demonstrate your thanks?

You would surely agree that after this you would tell everyone about your amazing near death experience. People would listen because you would enthusiastically explain every detail of the dramatic event that took place.

Well, if you know Jesus as Lord of your life then you have been saved from a lost eternity away from God in a place of torment. If you don’t already do so, shouldn’t you tell people about it? I will quote key scriptures repeatedly as they are the truth and help us share important points effectively.

“Go and preach the Gospel to all creation” Matthew 16: 15

When Jesus gave the command in the well known scripture above, He wasn’t just talking to the disciples. No, He was talking to you and me too. The other point to remember is that He wasn’t making a suggestion. In other words “Go” is not a discussion point. Yes, He was giving us a command, but knowing because of our love for Him that we should be ready and willing to act upon His will. 

"If you love me, you will obey what I command” 

John 14: 15

This scripture leaves us with an important question that needs to be asked:

How do you demonstrate your gratitude for the cross?

The simple fact is that unless we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour by repenting of our sin, we really are destined for a miserable lost eternity in a place that was prepared for Satan and his cohorts. Jesus died a horrific death so that we might be saved and go to heaven. The question is how do we show that we are grateful for the work of the Cross and how is that outworked in our Christian walk?

Key Point: Your gratitude for the work of the cross should be outworked in your life and be there for all to see

One of my favourite scriptures is in Jeremiah 29: 11 where we read something amazing. God says through the prophet:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29: 11

I love reading that verse. I am very grateful that the Lord is saying it to me and you. No doubt you feel the same way as I do when you read about the amazing plan that God has for you. For many, a good part of a person’s gratitude is shown by communing in prayer, praising God, worshipping Him and spending time in His word.

When we consider the mighty redemptive work that Jesus did through his death for us at Calvary, shouldn’t it compel us to witness?

As I write this, the words of the old Hymn “At the cross” come to mind. The words of the verses and the chorus explain why we should be sharing the Gospel. Hymn writers wrote out of their experience of coming to faith in Jesus Christ. I love to read these because they are full of the Gospel.

Alas! and did my Saviour bleed

And did my Sov’reign die?

Would He devote that sacred head

For such a worm as I?

But drops of grief can ne’er repay

The debt of love I owe:

Here, Lord, I give myself away,

’Tis all that I can do.

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,

And the burden of my heart rolled away,

It was there by faith I received my sight,

And now I am happy all the day!

A “Witness” is a person who testifies for a cause or has personal knowledge of a particular event that has taken place. A Christian witness must have a first-hand experience of Christ. You will know that hearsay is not acceptable if you are a witness in a court of law. You must tell the facts as they are.

As believers we need to be able to express verbally and also witness practically - through our lifestyle, our work, our relationships, our attitudes and through the problems and the many challenges in life that will inevitably come our way.

Sadly, too many believers have stopped becoming ‘fishers of men’. We must make His great commission our mission. If we really love Jesus and are thankful for what He did for us at Calvary, we will and that includes getting involved in activity to grow individually within the church as well as witnessing outside of church.

Our gratitude should be demonstrative. At the very least, we should be as keen to share the Gospel as much as we are when speak to others of how we saved money on petrol, or discovered a good restaurant.

We had a lovely meal the other day. We experienced friendly service, a nice atmosphere, excellent food and above all it was at a good price. We have told quite a number of friends about it. I am sure you have done the same when you have a good experience.

Jesus knew what He was going to have to endure to purchase our salvation, yet He still did it. As the old saying goes, “While He was on the cross, you were on His mind”.

In the light if this, the very least we can do is to tell people about Him.

Have you left your light on? What is an evangelistic lifestyle? (Part Two)

We can all get a little stressed from time to time and situations come along which test us. It is on occasions like these that others look at us and notice how we handle problems and trials.

The saying that ‘we are often the only Bible that people read’, may be a cliché to some people, but I believe that it is very true. Do people that you know see a different “You” when you are not at church? When people find out that you are a Christian, it should not be a surprise, but rather a confirmation that there is something different about you.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15

This scripture came to mind immediately as I started to write this. Part of an evangelistic lifestyle means letting others see Jesus in our lives. Having the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts changes us. The change should be evident in our lifestyle for everyone to notice – not just the people at church on a Sunday or at prayer meetings.

Lifestyle Evangelists let the light of Jesus in their lives shine for all to see: In a fellowship that I used to attend, part of my responsibility as a leader was to open up the building and ensure everything was ready for people when they arrived. I did this every Sunday for a number of years. This meant I needed to leave home early and my wife Desiree and the children would arrive later, nearer the start of the service. Recently we moved to a new church and so now we travel to meetings together as a family.

At church we have all seen people arriving with big smiles on their faces saying “Good Morning Pastor”, “God Bless You” looking and sounding like very godly people. It is the same for me, but I must admit that over the preceding years I forgot what it was like getting my children ready and driving to church.

On the second Sunday at our new fellowship we were running late and the children were taking ages to get ready. They had been slow to get out of bed, then they had been forgetting things, losing things and it seemed they were doing it intentionally.

Finally - as if to test me - they wanted a last minute visit to the bathroom! My stress level kept escalating and when they were all at the front door eventually ready to go, I roared “Get in the car”!!! (I am certain that the roar came from my Celtic roots). It ended up that we weren’t late for the meeting at all, and though agitated on our ten minute journey, I arrived and managed to put a big smile on my face and said “Good Morning Pastor”, “God Bless You”. All parents, I am sure, will have experienced similar events in their own families.

This is a simple example, but the point I am making is that we need to reflect the light of Jesus in our lives, in all situations. People do genuinely watch us to see how we react to such challenges. You will have heard people say, perhaps jokingly, “I thought you were supposed to be a Christian”, as if we are meant to be perfect. The truth is though, when someone says that, it means that they really are watching you!

Key Point: People are watching what you do and say especially in difficult situations and challenges

When we shine the light of Jesus in our lives it does something quite amazing: It points people towards Him.

Thankfully, people didn’t comment if they saw or heard me as I raised my voice on that Sunday morning. The way we act and handle situations really does speak volumes. I am far from perfect and have got it wrong on many occasions and I probably will again.

Lifestyle evangelism is constant: An evangelistic lifestyle reveals a great deal about the reality of our faith and includes all aspects of our lives; our ambition, approach, accountability - all with the aim to do one thing:  to point people to our  Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our lives should consistently reflect our belief and trust in God to help us, whatever our circumstances. It is not easy, but relying on God’s word to guide us and remaining faithful in prayer daily will help considerably.  

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

Over the years I have been blessed to lead people to Christ through preaching, testifying and on a one to one basis sharing the Gospel. It made me pause and think, “Does my life reflect Jesus in the way it should, and does it point people to Christ?” The truthful answer is “In part” because there is much room for improvement.  

How much light does your lifestyle show?

It is a tough, but necessary question to ask ourselves. Living an evangelistic lifestyle is something that needs to be worked at, always mindful that we should ‘walk the talk’. Let’s pray that the light of Jesus in our lives will reveal the truth to others who will see, hear and believe our faith is real because of how we live. We must be a light wherever we are, whoever we are with and in whatever we say and do.

It’s a conscious decision that we must make, each day of our lives. Just like the old song goes:

“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!”