But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth. (Mark 2:10)
This past summer I was under steady and obnoxious levels of conviction. God wouldn’t let up. Most of my life, I have been timid about sharing Jesus with others and fairly isolated from people who were spiritually lost. I hid behind well-crafted arguments and theological training. Last summer that changed. I took the “be fishers of men” thing seriously. Not knowing how to begin, I just began.
We hosted neighborhood block parties. I walked around and offered to pray for people, and I shared my story about Jesus. When I sensed the Spirit’s nudge, I’d even talk to strangers in the store. In three months, I met a lot of hurting people. Within seconds of meeting me, people shared about their drug addiction, impending divorce, murdered son, childhood sexual abuse, and financial needs. I was blown away!
Before you will share Jesus with others, you have to face this substratal question: Do you really believe Jesus can change people’s lives? Many Americans are embarrassed to talk about Jesus these days. We keep to our private faith. We find comfort in our churches. Have we lost confidence in the gospel? Does Christ really have the authority to free people from addiction? Can he forgive sins, even horrific sins, and make people clean-hearted? Is he capable of rewriting a tragedy into the story of new life?
Share about Jesus with someone this week.
Jarod Osborne is lead pastor of Pathway [Wesleyan] Church, in Warsaw, Indiana. He is the author of Jaded Faith (WPH).
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
