Tag: witness

Posted in Gospel, Life

Yard sign evangelism?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On a recent dog-walk around the block, a couple of yard signs caught my eye. A homeowner displayed two familiar (at least to me) scripture verses in front of his or her house.

“Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

“Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die'” (John 11:25).

Classic words filled with gospel truth. As I walked by and got a picture, I wondered, “Who will those signs affect?”

Well, for one, it affected me. That good news certainly resonates with me, a follower of Jesus Christ.

But what if you aren’t a believer? Would a typical non-Christian even know the meaning of the words repent, resurrection, and gospel?

This neighbor’s intentions were good. God’s Word is powerful, creating, saving, and changing people’s lives.

But Jesus never delivered that good news in sound bites. These sentences are part of a relationship Jesus had with people. These words are part of a longer conversation Jesus had with people who were questioning, grieving, struggling, and searching for hope. When Jesus said, “Love your neighbor,” he didn’t mean hand out a brochure, tweet a bible verse, or put up a billboard. He meant get to know them, find out what they need, and then help them with that need. Let them experience the gospel before you talk about it.

Scripture verse signs simply blend in with the For Sale signs, contractor signs, clean-up-after-your-dog signs, political signs, security system signs, no soliciting signs, and yard sale signs scattered throughout the neighborhood.

Let’s honor Jesus with something a little more substantial. God sent the good news in the form of a person. He still does. It’s you.

Posted in Grace, Ministry

A chance to help

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Yesterday while I was working ahead on a bible class I'm teaching, a young man stopped by church looking for some help. He needed a place to stay and some gas for his truck. I'm often ready to help but always willing to converse, but I just felt like I needed to hear more of his story.

His name was Adam and he looked to be in his early twenties. He was from Missouri, and with neither parent alive, there was nothing left there for him. Like so many others, he thought he could find some opportunity in Florida. His pickup truck was running, it was filled with power washing equipment, and the driver's window wouldn't close. The previous nights showers interrupted his sleep as he spent the night in his truck.

I had him follow me up to the gas station to fill up, and though I couldn't get him a room, I did give him some money so he could eat. There may have been more to his story, but that wasn't all that important. I told him he might have a better chance of finding some work just down the road in Bunnell. And then I said, “I want you to know why I'm helping you today. I believe that a long time ago Jesus gave his life for me,and though I could never pay him back for that, I can thank him by helping others.” As I spoke, he slowly smiled and said, “I know he's my Lord and Savior. I know where I'm going!”

He drove off and I drove back to church. Our conversation was brief, but meaningful for me as well as Adam. I wonder what his version of the story would sound like.

 

Posted in Ministry

Professional worker’s conference (part 2)

Posted on by William Douthwaite
I came into today's conference sessions with high hopes. I was both disappointed and pleasantly surprised.

The first unexpected blessing was the coffee machine in the lounge on my floor (The sixth floor is the Club floor at this Sheraton.) At the push of a button, it ground the beans and made espresso! I could have cappuccino or a latte, too. Very nice.

Then I had a great conversation at breakfast with Jawed and Juliana Dass. They are Pakistani Christians doing mission work in Naples, FL among Muslims. Her ministry is called Sisters of Faith. She had some great stories of how God has opened doors for her witness. I'd like for her come up and speak for us sometime.

Unfortunately, The second half of Dr. Gibbs' presentation had a lot of good information, but just didn't hold my interest as well as last night.

After lunch, I went to a couple of break out sessions. The first, entitled “Pastors as Communicators,” just wasn't communicated very effectively. It as more of a rant about ill-prepared speakers. The second, a panel discussion about witnessing across cultural and generational boundaries was great, filled with personal stories of connecting with all kinds of different people in different situations. One pastor spoke about a ministry among gypsies; another helped his aging congregation connect with the community for the first time in years. And Juliana told of how she was able to relate to an atheist son of a Muslim family.

In the evening drove over to the campus of Concordia University at Ann Arbor for supper and worship. They have a beautiful chapel there and a fantastic organist accompanied the service.

Heading home tomorrow morning — after some espresso.