Scripture Reading:
Matthew 28:18-20
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them . . . and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Matthew 28:19
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I never would have predicted that I would be preaching live on the internet. I would have thought that would be my worst nightmare. But God opened the way for hometown preachers like me to share the good news of Jesus to a world hunkered down by a deadly virus.
But as the months dragged on, viewers dwindled. Surveys show that most people come to know Christ through personal interaction with others whose faith and actions are appealing and consistent.
Before returning to heaven, Jesus instructed his disciples (and us) to spread the story about him—how he paved the way for us to be set free from sin and to live fully and forever by God’s grace. This news is too good not to share.
My brother-in-law who is Muslim, my manicurist who is Buddhist, my oncologist who is New Age, and my friends who are turned off by “evangelical Christians” are all watching and listening to me. Your neighbors are watching and listening to you. Is the Jesus living in us someone they want to know? Can Jesus use us to love them into the fold?
As we walk our neighborhoods, go shopping, get haircuts, attend sporting events, and go to church, let us speak freely about Jesus’ saving grace.
We don’t feel worthy to represent you, Jesus, but your Spirit empowers us for this awesome task. Help us to live in a way that draws others to find life in you. Amen. (BMB)
