The E Word

If you live the life of a real Christian you will be open to and often make opportunities to be able to speak about your faith.

I had a wild idea this week that I tested once already. Let’s take just a minute for the ushers and my youth helpers to hand out some candy.

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Most of you know that I serve as the Wesley Fellowship director for Shorter College. I meet with students, mostly Methodist, each week and we have a Bible study and I encourage them to step up to the ministry that God has called them to on their campus.

This week I we used this same set of scriptures. At the end of the lesson I asked how they felt about evangelism and they were timid and felt like they would have trouble approaching people.

I suggested that what they needed was a little experience.

Ya’ll know what I mean when I say, “the deer in the headlight look?”

Sort of a surprised and scared stare. Not even a blink.

I told these girls that I wanted them to go to each table in chick-fel-a and tell the people that Jesus loves them.

Uh UH, no way, even bigger stares. I reminded them that they had all claimed to be Christians and that Christians share their faith. So I wanted them to do what Christians say that they should do. To witness to people.

I had more resistance and nobody moved.

So I brought our a bag of candy and I said, can you go to all the tables and put candy bars down on the table and say, Jesus loves you.

They were not real excided about it but agreed that they could do that and off they went. I watched from our table and they went to every person in sight and then went out of sight to talk to all the tables in the other part of the restaurant and then to the people in line.

They retuned to the table giggling and smiling and saying that was fun.

Folks, the E word is often scary because we don’t know how people will react. So because we are afraid we often ignore opportunities to share our faith. We ignore opportunities to help people in pain and act as the presence of God.

I ask the girls what happened as they approached people.

They said that most smiled and said thanks. Some had a deer in the headlight look as they did not know how to respond. A few asked, why are you doing this and they briefly told them that they were members of the Wesley group and wanted to tell them about Jesus.

One said, I was told that I am that person’s new best friend.

Here is the main thing that you need to take away this morning. You have received the gift of salvation. The gift of a relationship with God the creator of the universe and you got it absolutely free. According to Paul you are an evangelist.

You should be living in such a way that you have opportunities to share your faith. Perhaps you see opportunities where you ask someone if you can pray for and maybe even with them. You live in such a way that people know you are a Christian and they ask you questions about your experience.

Folks, I hope your faith is as sweet as the candy we handed out this morning. I hope that you will actively be aware of opportunities to give away the good news.