I Shared the Gospel!

Yesterday I got a call in the middle of the day from a college single in the church.

His first words,

"Rob! I shared the gospel!"

He went on to tell me the details about how the Lord impressed him to share the gospel with a guy he met and how he struggled through his fears until he called him up and shared the good news of salvation through Jesus. It's an amazing story.

I was stoked.

About a half hour later I'm washing my hands in the restroom and noticed a guy who works landscape next to me washing what looked like pears.

I left the restroom and suddenly remembered the story of how God used my friend, and considered the guy still in the restroom. The thought crossed my mind that we had Spanish-written booklets in the office. I could grab one and come back.

So...I did.

I came back to the restroom. There was the guy. There were the pears.

"Do you speak Spanish? [affirmative]

"Hey here's a booklet in Spanish that talks about Jesus." [grateful response]

He went on in broken English to tell me he is from Honduras and spoke favorably about Christianity. He even said that based on my pronunciation of his name and the word "Honduras" that I should consider taking more Spanish because I'm "good" at it.

Thankful for God's work in my friends life. His work with the guy with the pears. His getting me through Spanish 3. His getting me out of what has felt like a dry and weary land.

Pray for Boldness...

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13

One thing I'm painfully aware that I should have been painfully aware of the past few weeks in my growing decrease of talking with people about Jesus Christ has been my lack of being with Jesus Christ, asking for what I need most.

You see, it's tough to talk boldly about Someone you're not seeking boldly.

Moreover, it's tough to have the kind of burden that embraces people when you're lacking time in prayer asking God for it.

Yesterday I was in Subway eating a $2.50 turkey sandwich a few feet from a white collar guy with his tie tucked in his shirt. He was a furious eater, but didn't seem like he was too much in a hurry. We're just digging in. Seemed like a ripe opportunity to say...I don't know...something...anything to talk about Jesus.

Here's where I started...

[....................]

And the more I thought about it, I considered saying...

[.....................]

Then on second thought, I wondered about this approach...

[....................]

So, after a while of nothing, I left Subway. That's right. Back to my cozy chair in my sheltered office consoling myself the way you do when you missed an opportunity, "oh...well...better effort next time."

Today I'm aware that what was missing was not a card, a booklet, a catch-phrase, a penetrating question, a mysterious Christian t-shirt, the offer of a minty Testimint, a U2 cross-over, or something ultra-relate-able that would be a Golden Gate Bridge to gospel conversation.

I was missing a boldness that only comes from being with Jesus.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Gloriously and painfully simple.

Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Do you remember that song from Sesame Street? Can you answer that question?

Michelle and I are now living in a new neighborhood.

So far we've been here for 2 weeks since the move. With all the activity that goes with a new move, I don't want to miss out on an opportunity to connect with my neighbors and set a good tone. My experience has been that it's much more difficult to reach out to your neighbors after 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, go by and you haven't walked across the street yet.

I once read something challenging in a Willowcreek magazine that basically charged folks to be known on your block as the most compassionate person around as a witness for Christ--to pursue people in such a way that they know they can turn to you in need.

Please send me any suggestions you have that have worked for you, or that you've seen demonstrated in others that incarnate the greatness of Jesus in a neighborhood...

rob@gracechurchfrisco.org

Going Solo in Subway...

Last week I was in Subway attempting to read Your Jesus is too Safe. I am never able to eat and read at the same time. Plus I hate getting honey mustard and smudges on a new book. So, I settled for perusing at best. Stetzer writes a great introduction and I was surprised by the data he collected on what young professing Christians feel unable to affirm strongly--including the resurrection of Jesus.

I noticed two guys sitting next to me that appeared Indian. With little thought (and in reflection almost zero prayer contributing to the progress of the conversation) I decided to ask them if the resurrection of Jesus would matter to them.

"Sorry to interrupt. Just reading a book about the resurrection of Jesus and was curious if you believed in the resurrection of Jesus and if it matters to you."

Both guys were cordial--one guy talked for them. "It doesn't matter. It wouldn't matter."

"So if you knew with certainty Jesus rose from the dead proving himself to be God--basically that Christianity was true--it wouldn't matter?"

He said confidently it would not. He and his friends are Hindus. We talked a little bit about how he believed in many gods and sins are forgiven simply by appealing to the god(s) of your family and saying you're sorry. When I asked him if the many hundreds of gods would compete for your alliance he said, "it doesn't work that way" and said the gods of your family pretty much stay with you. Up until now it was cordial but very cold--with no seeming interest I just felt totally at loss to keep the conversation going. In retrospect I was foolish to go into that flying solo without really pausing to call on God's power and help.

The "this is awkward" part came when I said thanks and was picking up my things to leave. I felt like I couldn't at least invite them to church. When I said I was a pastor and would love to have them come to the church sometime I received an immediate shaking of the head like I was selling a new and exciting business opportunity.

"no. no. uh uh" while heads wagged to say, "never in a million years." I said thanks but turned around licking my wounded pride at the tiny rejection and wondering if anyone in Subway saw the evangelical shoot the air ball.

These moments are good for me. It teaches me about my total need for God's help and dependence on Him. It reminds me that I've got no power on my own and only God's power can deliver. It reminds me that I'm often more concerned about my reputation and the way I look than about people.

Do you have a Church you go to?

One of the easiest ways to bridge to the gospel in a churched culture is to talk about "church." Literally every person you pass by on the street, sit next to at work, or live by as some affiliation--past or present--with a church. Inviting someone to church is one of the easiest ways to potentially get into a conversation about the gospel.

Last night we