“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1John 1:5)
Last Sunday we spend some time meditating on 1 John together. The focus of the message was on the light that God shines on our lives. In the light of God, we see ourselves for who we truly are. We are great sinners. In the light of God, we see Christ for who he truly is. Christ is a great savior.
This light is the truth that brings all of our lives into perspective, and in the light of that perspective, we can see what is truly most important. In the light of our sin and the salvation offered in Christ, there can be nothing more important than leading others to know and understand that offer of God’s grace in Christ. There can be nothing that is a higher priority on our to-do list.
But, how do busy people make time for sharing Christ? How does someone who works and has a family make that a reality? The answer must be that we make it a part of our everyday experience. We don’t try to add an event where we will share the gospel with someone. Instead, we look for those people in our lives whom we can engage about ultimate things within the parameters of our daily experience. I made this challenge on Sunday morning. Who is it in your life that you can speak with about Christ? Who is that person that you can invite into your life for the purpose of bringing them along with you as you walk out your faith?
I am convinced that we all have more than one of those people in our lives. Also, don’t neglect simply inviting people to attend our worship gathering with you. You could invite someone to attend your Small Group with you this fall. These are things you are doing already, and they provide a great starting point for real gospel conversations that are so much more than an information dump about Jesus’ death and resurrection.
This is our time church. We are on the precipice of beginning a new phase in the story of this church. We cannot wait until the building is finished. We cannot wait until we have the right program. We cannot wait until we have the perfect setting. We must engage in the messy and sometimes uncomfortable world that we live in right now. We must build relationships with unbelievers and then begin to have conversations with them about eternal things. This is our calling that is made evident in the light of God that is shining on us through His Word.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Charles