This podcast stays in the realm of Bible teaching this week – or rather faith sharing. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, how easy is it for you to share with others your faith in Him? For many, I would say that it is probably difficult. My home congregation is trying to make it easy for everyone to share the story of their faith. So, I am pleased to share the first of several messages about sharing. Today, we learn how being a BLESS-ing can help you share your faith in Christ. BLESS is an acronym to help you remember some basic steps in sharing. Take a listen for more details!
The scriptures used today and some notes are below:
Begin with prayer (Acts 4:23-24, 29-31)
- God, how you want me to bless the people and the places that you’ve sent me?
Listen (James 1:19)
- Don’t talk, but listen to people – their struggles, their pains in the places that God has sent you
Eat (Acts 2:46-47)
- Eat. Having a meal with people builds relationships.
Serve (Matthew 20:25-28)
- Serve
Story (1 Peter 3:15)
- When the time is right, jump in.
Most of the time we read passages like Luke 21 in light of an end-of-times narrative. However, I think that Jesus’ hearers – his disciples and apostles – would have heard this narrative in a different way. Jesus was preparing his disciples with instructions for survival in perilous times. In their day, Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, the church was to be scattered through persecution, and disciples would be killed. How would they get through those times?
My friend, Becky Wooley, has written a murder mystery/clerical crime/satire called Non-Prophet Murders which is full of spiritual ideas. While making you scratch your head trying to figure out “who-dun-it”, Becky challenges you to think about the Church and your beliefs and allows you to laugh, too. How does she do it? Well, you have to listen to the podcast to find out!!
