The good news of Jesus...
Illustration
The good news of Jesus Christ is the quietest news that you'll ever hear. A pastor went out to dinner with his family and was saying grace when the waitress came over to the table. When the pastor finished the prayer the waitress apologized for intruding. The pastor told her that it was all right, in fact, he was glad that she was able to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, and then went on to tell his sons that as effective as prayer is, there are even more effective ways to be heard.
"One way," he said, "is to be an example. Nothing tells the good news better than being a good example of a life changed by the love Christ. I, for one, am not ashamed of gospel, so I try to live publicly the faith that I hold privately."
He went on as his sons listened, "Another way is to be a witness. The good news of Jesus Christ cannot be told unless there is someone to tell it. If you are not ashamed of the gospel, then speak publicly those beliefs that you hold personally."
"And finally," he told them, "be a willing listener to God. We are told in the book of Acts that Peter was a willing listener. He not only heard, but also acted upon what the Holy Spirit told him to do. Some people think that to be an effective witness one must be a good speaker, like a preacher. But this is just not true. What makes us an effective witness is our willingness to co-operate with God."
"One way," he said, "is to be an example. Nothing tells the good news better than being a good example of a life changed by the love Christ. I, for one, am not ashamed of gospel, so I try to live publicly the faith that I hold privately."
He went on as his sons listened, "Another way is to be a witness. The good news of Jesus Christ cannot be told unless there is someone to tell it. If you are not ashamed of the gospel, then speak publicly those beliefs that you hold personally."
"And finally," he told them, "be a willing listener to God. We are told in the book of Acts that Peter was a willing listener. He not only heard, but also acted upon what the Holy Spirit told him to do. Some people think that to be an effective witness one must be a good speaker, like a preacher. But this is just not true. What makes us an effective witness is our willingness to co-operate with God."
