At St. Paul’s, Nobleton, we just completed a Sunday morning series on the importance of sharing our faith with others.  It all sounds good and noble, and we can be kind of pumped about talking about the Lord with others when we’re at church, but once we get back out into the world, it’s a different story for many people.  There’s just that innate fear of being rejected, or being asked a question we can’t answer, or of being so nervous that we say something wrong.  It’s a pretty common fear.

While going into a conversation with someone with the express intent of helping them come to know Jesus is daunting, there are other, perhaps more natural, ways to share our faith, too.  Let me tell you about an experience I had one day last week.

I went to a big-box store in a nearby town to pick up some water softener salt, and as I was paying for it, I noticed that the cashier was wearing a large cross made mostly of large clear stones.  So, to make conversation (and share my faith a little), I said to her, “That’s some pretty big ‘Jesus bling’ you’ve got there!”

The store was not busy, so this got her talking at some length about what the cross means to her (and the fact that this one was of the costume jewellery variety).  She talked a bit about religion, and I was able to say to her, “It’s all about what you do with Jesus.”  I said it two or three times throughout the very pleasant conversation, and my hope was that she would remember that phrase.

Before I left, she asked me to keep her in my prayers, which I promised to do.  This enabled me to give her my business card and invite her to email me with updates so that I could pray for her more effectively.  (This also served as an invitation to worship.)

Did I leave having given her a theological bone to chew on?  Possibly.  Did she get down on her knees and pray a sinner’s prayer right there in the store?  No.  But I did share my faith with her.  Often, with strangers, it is very difficult to share faith in a personal way because the relationship doesn’t exist.  Unless that cashier gets back in touch with me, or I’m back in the store and she remembers me, there may not be an opportunity for me to build on the conversation we had.  But the conversation was positive, and she was certainly left with something to think about.  I sowed some seed.  I tilled some ground.  Perhaps here, perhaps in heaven, I’ll see what God may have done with my effort.

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3.6, NLT).  When we all participate in sharing our faith, each of us can play a role in helping people come to know the Lord.  Who knows?  You might meet up with that young cashier and have an opportunity to talk about Jesus, too, and through us, working together, God may draw her to himself in faith.

When you share your faith, make it natural.  Let the love of God flow through you.  In that way, whether you’re on a “committee” or not, you participate in your congregation’s outreach.

If you’ve been a serious fisher at some point in your life, you’ve probably got a story about a fish that got away.  Depending on how good a story-teller you are, your fish tale might be pretty dramatic!  When we fish for people, though, as God calls his followers to do, the stories of the ones that get away are far more heartbreaking.

Why?  Because the Bible makes it clear that there are two possibilities for the eternal destiny of all people.  Each is equally real, though if we admit it, most of us are far more keen to think about heaven than hell – especially the Bible’s picture of hell.

As you listen to this message, you’ll hear me say that many people have a tolerable picture of hell that they have created with their own imaginations.  Yet none of the religious traditions that depict hell paint a tolerable picture of it.  If we take seriously what the Old Testament, the New Testament, or even the Qu’ran say, you’ll find that hell is not a place anyone would want to go.

This was a hard message to prepare and to preach; after all, talking about the devil’s domain is not something he wants God’s people doing – he’d rather we have these tolerable pictures of hell so that we will be less likely to come to the One who has the power to redeem us from the real hell that we deserve.  Jesus’ death and resurrection were, once-for-all, what it took to snatch us from the hands of the devil.  All we need to do is trust him.

I based the message on Luke 16.19-31, the story of the rich man and Lazarus. 

You can listen to the message by clicking this link.  A few times throughout the message, you’ll hear long pauses, but don’t stop – keep listening.

The qeustions based on the message for November 15, 2009 can be found here.

I don’t know about you, but when I do my devotions (that’s churchy-speak for a time followers of Jesus set aside each day for Bible reading and prayer), sometimes  – not every day, but sometimes – there’s something that stands out for me among all the things I read.  One day last week, something stood out for me in a profound way.  My Bible reading for the day was Zechariah 2.

Zechariah’s book is among the 12 ‘minor’ prophets – so-called because their books were smaller, rather than because their writing was less important than others’.  Zechariah prophesied during the time that the people of God were coming back to the promised land from captivity in Babylon and Persia.  And in chapter 2, a chapter reminiscent of the writing style of John in Revelation, Zechariah sees a man with a measuring line in his hand.  He was getting ready to measure Jerusalem to build its new walls.

Through one of his messengers, the Lord said that there wasn’t any point in building a wall around Jerusalem, because its population would be too great to contain it.  And then he said this, which so struck me:  “’And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within’” (Zechariah 2.5, NIV).

I shared this with our elders last Tuesday night, saying, “Wouldn’t it be great if the Lord himself were our wall of fire?  Wouldn’t it be great if God were the source of glory within the church?”  For our gang, I meant it as encouragement, because I believe, in so many ways, that this is true for our church.  And my heart wishes it would be true for every church.

Some churches seek their glory from the amount of money they can amass in trust, to save for a rainy day.  Others seek their glory from community service, being the go-to place for whatever ails you.  Still others seek their glory from a prominent radio or television ministry.  I believe Zechariah’s prophecy had it right:  let the Lord himself be the glory within the church, and that glory will shine through the church.

Easy to say, but how does that happen?

First, understand that God wants to be the glory of the church.  If the people are willing, and will submit to the Lord in worship and seek to follow his will, God will be the glory of the church.

Second, when our focus is on pleasing God, rather than satisfying the desires of others or on seeking community prominence in other ways, God will be the glory of the church.  We can focus on pleasing God through our study of his Word in Scripture, and through our application of what we study in prayer and service.

Let me challenge you:  first, if you are in leadership, to lead your church around that great statement in Zechariah 2.5.  Second, if you are not in leadership, to pray for your church’s leaders, to the end that Zechariah 2.5 would be true in your church.  God can do better than serve as a hedge of protection around your church; he can be a wall of fire around it!  And he will be its glory within.  Let it be so!

Sharing our faith is not an easy thing.  People who love Jesus, in our culture today, often find it very difficult to talk about the Lord without great fear – of inadequate answers to questions, of persecution, of embarrassment – so they don’t.

God has called each believer to ‘go fish’, but it takes guts!  Peter and John had guts, and the community of believers prayed for them, and for each other, to have boldness in Acts 4.23-31.

You can listen to the message by clicking here.

The LifeConnect Group discussion questions for the message, “Fish Guts”, can be found here.

We had a new curler playing with our team at the rink last night.  It was about his third time playing; he’s very enthusiastic, and he’s trying hard.  But he has quite a lot to learn about how to deliver a stone.

And it has implicitly fallen to me to try to teach him some skill – to mentor him as a curler.

I encouraged him all night, every time he did something right.  I reminded him that there is a great deal to think about when it comes to throwing a rock:  weight, turn, line for the stone – and all the body alignment issues that contribute toward weight, turn and line.  I fear for his knees if he doesn’t adopt a more proper delivery soon!

I marvel at the irony of this situation.  You see, I’m still learning technique myself, eleven-and-a-half years after throwing my first stone.  I’ve only recently managed to be happy with a consistent delivery style.  And now I’m supposed to teach someone else?!

One of the great things about teaching a sport – or anything else – is that you don’t have to be perfect at it to be able to mentor a beginner.  You don’t have to have all the answers.  You just have to care enough to share what you know.

The same is true with our faith.  When we talk about Jesus with other people – a daunting thing for any of us to do – we often fear that we just don’t know enough to be able to face the potential questions we’ll face.  But there’s no need to shrink back at this prospect.  We don’t need all the answers.  We don’t need to be Bible experts.  What we need is faith that Jesus is who he claimed to be, and enough love for others to care enough to share what you know.

I want to teach my young curling friend how to throw a rock because I’m concerned that the cartilage in his knees will be no better than spaghetti in a few years if he doesn’t change how he’s delivering the stone soon.  And I want to share my faith with others because I’m concerned that their eternal destiny is at stake.

“No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2.23, NIV).  This is just one of the Scripture passages that makes it clear that Jesus is the way to God – not a way, but the way.  That’s not very politically correct these days, but then, the Bible was never known for its political correctness.  This is what drives us to share our faith – a conviction that Jesus is not just the way to God ‘for me’, but that he is the way to God ‘for all’. 

There are several safe ways that can render a curling stone to the place of the skip’s choosing.  But there is only one way that will render a person’s eternal destiny in heaven.  His name is Jesus.

Don’t be afraid that you don’t know enough.  God will give you the words to say.  And he also has given you a faith community to support your evangelistic endeavours.  I encourage you to lean into your church family when you share your faith.  Introduce your Christian friends to those with whom you are sharing the Lord.  Rely on your small group leader or your pastor to help you get answers to questions that your as-yet-unbelieving friends are asking.

 In so doing, you are not just going to church.  You’re being the church – just as God intended.

Two interesting occurrences will befall us this Saturday evening:  Hallowe’en, and the changing of the clocks back to Standard Time.  (Well, there is a third happening, which interests me more than the other two:  my beloved Habs play on their home ice against the four-pointed Leafs that evening!)  As a spiritual discipline, however, I will limit my thoughts to the first two matters.

 There are divergent opinions on what followers of Jesus should do about Hallowe’en.  Is it just an evening for kids to dress up and collect mountains of candy from trusted neighbours, or is it a celebration of all things evil?  I think the answer to that question really depends on the individual’s perspective.

 Hallowe’en is a shortened name for “All Hallows Eve”, which in the ancient and mediaeval church was (and, for many today, still is) the night before All Saints’ Day – a day when the Church remembers, with thanksgiving, those who have laboured for the Lord and have gone on to heaven.  Like Easter, whose name and timing find their roots in a Christianized pagan feast, Hallowe’en stems from an ancient Celtic festival for Samhain, the lord of the dead.  When the Romans conquered Celtic lands, there was some intermingling of practices.  It was in 835 that All Saints’ Day was moved to November 1, and that’s when October 31 became All Hallows’ Eve (or Hallowe’en).

 Some say Christ-followers shouldn’t have anything to do with an event that celebrates a pagan deity.  And to be sure, there is a disturbing reality that goes with Hallowe’en among those who continue to follow the Celtic rituals.  I won’t go into the details here, but there are practices that go along with the ‘religious’ side of Hallowe’en that would make you sick to your stomach (and would cause your spirit to recoil in horror).

 Other believers see Hallowe’en as an evangelistic opportunity – a chance to share the light of Jesus on a dark night with people who willingly come to your door looking for goodies.  With the candy you give, you could offer a printed message of good news and a blessing for those who come.

 Still others see Hallowe’en as just a fun night for kids.  As Christians, how can we make a fun night for kids into something that can be potentially life-changing?  Pray about that one!

 “Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97.10, NIV).

 How about the switch to Standard Time?  (If you’re in Saskatchewan reading this, you may think this doesn’t affect you, but read on.  When my wife and I were travelling through Saskatchewan this summer, we couldn’t remember whether their time equated with Alberta or Manitoba!)  The use of Daylight Saving Time in the warmer months has its name as its purpose:  to make the best use of daylight. 

 Again, this is a secular activity that has little spiritual bearing – or does it?  Can God’s people make use of something as seemingly innocuous as the time shift to share the good news?

 Maybe it’s too late for this time, but think about it:  we shift the time because we want to take advantage of the light.  What does the apostle John say?  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1.7, NIV).  It’s simple, but it can have an impact.  Give it some thought.

 By the way, don’t forget to turn your clocks back on Saturday night after the Canadiens win the hockey game.  You’ll get an extra hour of sleep, and you won’t find yourself arriving at worship on Sunday before the doors are unlocked!

I have two good tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot on Friday, November 20 that I need to sell, or trade for a different night. If you’re interested (and I’m willing to deal!), send an email to jeff (dot) loach (at) yahoo (dot) ca. Thanks!

You can check out the LifeConnect Group questions for this past Sunday’s message, “We were all fish once…” by clicking here.