Telling about Jesus

Most of the time when people figure out I am not from Belgium or the Netherlands - they often cannot hear it in my speech - the first question they have is what we are doing here. My answer is always the same: we came here to tell people about Jesus. I am an evangelist, a spreader of the good news. Interestingly, many people are not at all surprised that this is something that needs to be done. In past years one might have thought: “Doesn’t everyone know about Jesus?” Not anymore. 

Telling people about Jesus and his wonderful love for us doesn’t always mean that people are willing or wanting to listen. Plenty of people say simply, “That’s nice for you.” But we keep talking about Jesus, because we simply cannot stop. He is amazing and we know that what He gives us makes everyone’s life better. So we want to share. 

This is something that all of us in the congregation are learning to do as well. Recently several members talked about the conversations they are having. Our brother who is a postman has a colleague who recently purchased a Bible and wanted to know how to read it, where he should start. Our sister who is a police officer (detective now) has a colleague who was asking about her faith and wanting to know how to approach God. 

God wants to use us as His body to reach all of those who are seeking. Sometimes we do not even know who is seeking until they come to us. The two sisters who came to us during the Covid years had been searching on their own for years. It is exciting to see how this growth comes because of what God is doing and because we keep trying to be faithful. 

My recent regular conversation with an atheist acquaintance brought this up. He mentioned that I had been talking with some people for many years (he and I have been talking for more than 10 years). He joked that I must not be very good if neither of these people have come to faith in God. I reminded him that my task is to faithfully speak. It is the Spirit who is convicting hearts and people who must make their own decisions. 

Interestingly, he mentioned that his granddaughter told him that she knew everything about Jesus - because he had taught her! He also regularly berated his colleagues who called themselves Christians, telling them that he, an atheist, read the Bible more than they did. I wonder how many people will in the end give their hearts to God because of an atheist - who by chance talked regularly to a Christian. God can use all circumstances to reach people. 

We pray that you are thinking about Jesus and the abundant blessings He brings and can bring to your life. And we pray that you are also faithfully speaking of this good news to whoever you meet. Don’t worry about what the “results” are, but remain faithful in proclaiming His love and truth. Thank you for your prayers for us as we try to do the same. 

(Photo of an outing with the team of the local neighborhood newspaper Scott works with)

Taking every opportunity

For the last while we as a congregation in Maastricht have been working through the Psalms. What a blessing to see how God listens, hears, responds and helps. It was so good to see how many of the writers obviously have the same emotions as we all do and that God allows these emotions in the right place. When we trust Him with our thoughts and desires, then things work much better for all.

As we have finished the psalms we are looking at a new set of lessons where we touch on the fundamentals of our faith and how they help us with the difficult questions presented us in our society. Last Wednesday evening we looked at the foundational truths that make up the truly good news of the gospel. One of the things we hope to be able to (re)emphasize is how we can speak with those around us. And as we were looking at these fundamentals we have been praying for the conversations that God presents us with each day. 

As usual, I was not prepared for how wonderfully God surprises. He loves to do what we do not expect or even think of. So the days after our study I had several good opportunities to talk about this very good news. One conversation was with someone who specifically asked what we believe, as he was not religious and wondered what kind of faith this could be. Another was with believers about the struggles we have in life. That same evening a dinner with friends brought conversation about God’s faithfulness and how we struggle to trust, but how good it is. 

This is the reality of every day. We try to keep our eyes open for every opportunity that God presents us to talk about His wonderful love and grace. Sometimes we do not really recognize these moments as opportunities until we are in the middle of a conversation. It is not that we are manipulating conversations. We are simply speaking of the One we love and the good that He has brought us. 

We are thankful that God wants to and can use us in every situation to bring His grace into the world. We pray that we are allowing Him to work through our conversation in all of our daily activities - as parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, shoppers in a store, drivers on the road or wherever else we may find ourselves. 

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6

Salted

I have to admit that this corona thing hit me a bit unexpectedly. I was just planning on starting several different opportunities to reach out in the city when we all had to go home, stay home and only meet digitally. For the church I feel we were ready and moved quickly and fairly seamlessly into not only meeting together but greatly encouraging one another. But looking at the opportunities to reach out with the gospel, I was at a loss for a while. The thing is, I have always believed that we should always be speaking of our King and Saviour - whenever we are talking. So when we talk to people on a walk, God enters our conversation there. When we go to the store, God is in our conversation as well, if in no other way than to thank and bless the cashier. 

But suddenly, people seemed to be wary about speaking. People even seemed wary to look you in the eye. And our digital contacts were minimal. It has been exciting to hear how some people have even increased there conversations, have come across people who are seeking Christ in these uncertain times. And this is great, because Jesus is indeed the only way to find peace and certainty. And a few of our conversations have indeed increased - opportunities to look at who Jesus is and consider how He desires to walk with us in giving real life. 

Am I making good use of my time and conversations? Maybe. Maybe not.  I AM thankful for all of the opportunities we are afforded. I have had much more time to record songs for use in the church - which means that God’s word will speak to those who listen. I have had the chance to write - as a matter of fact, it feels like I am doing more writing now than ever before. But perhaps that is good use of the time. I am writing and translating articles for a new website for those who are seeking God. Or writing lessons for summer camp - which may or may not be possible. So there is plenty to do. And perhaps some of the newer digital methods of reaching people will also light up as people become aware. 

In any case, I need to keep asking myself the question: am I using my time wisely. And I need to keep speaking of my Lord wherever I am. Be salty. 

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6