Deeper Devotional

Read Matthew 10:7; 16:24-28

This week John Correll shared with us some things that he had learned about expressing his faith at work. If you missed it, here is part of that interview and some great points that he shared:

1. God delights in using ordinary and even unlikely people to accomplish His work.
John says, “I am pretty ordinary and an unlikely person to share. I am overweight (though losing it), bald, and wear glasses.

2. People respond to friendliness, but be genuine.
I’ve talked to people who are typically pretty guarded. Friendliness tends to remove the barrier.

3. You don’t need to force it. Relax.
While I’ll sometimes have the opportunity to share my faith with others fairly quickly, it usually doesn’t happen immediately. It may take a few times just getting to know them and them getting to know you. Sometimes they will then share a crisis in their lives, which opens the door to tell them how faith in Christ has helped you get through your own difficult situations.

4. Find a common interest. Ask about their families, their interests. Be natural.
One of my interests is genealogy. When I meet someone, I’ll typically ask about their family origin, etc. Then quite naturally, I ask what faith their ancestors followed and what faith they practice today. If they practice no faith, I ask (out of curiosity) “why?” which typically opens the door to share my testimony of coming to faith in Christ.

5. This is not hard. Don’t worry if you feel that you don’t know enough Scripture.
I have been reading the Book of Acts recently, and Paul often shared his testimony of his encounter with Christ. We all have a testimony. Don’t worry if you feel that yours is not dramatic. Any encounter with God is dramatic! Once you begin sharing your faith with others, you’ll find it becomes easier, and you’ll learn to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. You will also find that you hear the same objections to the Christian faith which over time you will learn to answer. Don’t worry if you can’t answer all their questions. Just being a good listener is very powerful.

6. Don’t berate yourself if you feel that you did a poor job. God is pleased with your obedience, and it’s His work anyway.

7. Alpha is a tremendous resource.

If you’ll pay attention, you’ll notice that KPC consistently offers something called “Alpha.” This is an informal, relaxed setting built around a meal. The “Alpha” material is well-presented, thoughtful, and geared towards the questions nonbelievers most often ask about the Christian faith. It includes question-and-answer time as well as group discussion.

Alpha is a great setting to bring your friends to. Its low-key atmosphere is non-threatening and its relational approach is engaging. Alpha is also great for Christ-followers who either want to get a firmer handle on their faith or who want some training in how to dialogue creatively and meaningfully with nonbelievers.

John also shared examples of recent encounters he had that illustrate three common types of situations we may experience.

1. LONG-HAUL/ON-GOING: A co-worker learned that I graduated from a college where he used to “party.” Hoping to share our “partying” experiences, God turned the conversation to a discussion of the Christian faith (I can’t even tell how it happened — just being available I guess). In the process, I was able to share my faith in Christ. He thought that was good for me, but he was not interested. There was no further conversation for a few months until I told him about my recent health scare where the doctors thought I’d had a heart attack. I told him how God worked through the situation, and he listened intently. He then told me that he’d had a similar situation. I asked for his advice, which he was more than happy to provide. This whole conversation has renewed our relationship, and I pray it will lead to further conversations about Christ.

2. REINFORCEMENT: Sometimes when you share your faith with others, you will find other Christians. This has happened on several occasions where I work and is a good thing. As a result, our Tuesday lunchtime Bible study has grown. Among other things, we encourage each other to share our faith with our unchurched co-workers. In one case, I shared my faith in Christ with a co-worker who was under a lot of stress and wanted advice on how to deal with it. He had asked another Christian from the Bible study the same question. We both gave the same answer which really confounded him. I met a man a few months ago who came to Christ only after being told the Good News five times. Sometimes when we share our Christ with others, we may be reinforcing a message they have heard before. When they hear the message several times, they may be more open to the possibility that it is true!

3. UNEXPECTED: This past week, I had to get some blood work done in preparation for a complete physical examination. I sat next to a man with whom I engaged in conversation. We found a common experience — he was retired Navy and I work for the Navy as a civilian. We then talked about why were at the doctor’s office. I told him how I had been hospitalized, how God had blessed me through it, and how KPC had lovingly responded to my family and me. I asked if he went to church. He told me that he used to but was turned off by the hypocrisy of its members. I told him that people will let you down, but that God never will! Let me emphasize that I was not trying to be clever. In fact, I had no idea how the conversation would end, but God literally gave me the words! He’ll do the same for you!

Jesus went about preaching that the Kingdom of God is at hand. He calls us to be a part of His Kingdom.

Psalm 26:2-3 (NIV) Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.
Take a moment and pray that the Lord will speak to you in this time of study.
Read Acts 11:19-24

It is always exciting to see the Lord [...]

Read: John 4:1-30

When it comes to sharing our faith with others we can all anticipate “awkward moments.” There is usually that point when the conversation turns from the day to day pleasantries to a spiritual topic or question. There is a pause or moment of silence in the conversation when the person you are talking to realizes that this conversation is going in a direction that they had not anticipated and they are wondering what to say – or how to respond.

When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan women at the well there were several awkward moments. But in each case, Jesus used those moments to redirect the conversation toward the Gospel (the Messiah has come).

When Jesus asks the women for a drink of water (John 4:7) the woman challenges Him: “men do not talk to women who are strangers and Jews do not talk to Samaritans! Why are you?” (John 4:9) …Awkward! Jesus replies, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you ‘Give Me a drink,’ (I, the Messiah), “you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10) Then the woman responds, “So, how are you going to do this? You are not greater than our father Jacob “(who dug the well). (John 4:11-12) …Awkward! Jesus says, “…whoever drinks of the water that I (the Messiah) will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14) Still not ‘getting’ what Jesus is saying, the woman says, “Give me the water so I don’t have to come to the well.” Jesus responds, “Go call your husband and come here.” …Awkward! Woman… “I have no husband.” Jesus, “…you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” …Very…Awkward! (John 4:15-18)

Acknowledging that Jesus may at least be a prophet, the woman tries to deal with her feelings of awkwardness by challenging Him with a theological question, which Jesus answers. (John 4:19-24) The woman then makes a statement that finally begs the question, “Are you the Messiah?” Jesus answers, “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:25-26)

You and I probably will not have to engage in the kind of religious exchange that we see here. But the point is that Jesus ignored the awkward moments and focused on what was really important, the message that He, the Messiah, had come.

One of the things we have encouraged you to do this past week was to ask someone the question, “How could I pray that God would bless you today?” This past week I had the opportunity to ask this question. I was at the hospital having a minor medical procedure done and had been talking to the nurse. In our conversation I mentioned that I was a pastor and at the end of our time, I asked her, “I wonder if I might pray God’s blessing for you?” There was this moment of …awkward silence. I waited patiently and then she said “Yea, sure! Why not?” So I prayed, “Lord, I pray that you would bless _______ and provide for her and her family. I pray that you would care for her family and that they would prosper. I pray that you would keep them well and safe and may they know Your love for them.”

When I finished a big smile came over her face and she said, “That was really nice. Thank you for doing that.” She thanked me again before I left.

When we pray for people in this manner, we point them toward the Father. We point them toward the Savior. We sow a seed of awareness that the Holy Spirit begins to water. There will always be those moments of awkwardness. Learn to ignore them and go beyond them. The Messiah has come. He is here now. Take the initiative to introduce others to Him.

Read Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV

It is always an encouragement to see God work in the lives of other people. It is also a great encouragement to hear what God does as we obey Him and he blesses us. As we have talked this week about taking that step of faith to reach out to other people; to offer to pray for them for a need or to pray for them for God’s blessing it is an encouragement to hear some of the stories of what God is doing. Here is a great story from Lily Bateman about what happened when her family decided to “just do it.”

Just this morning my family and I were getting ready to enjoy our breakfast at a local restaurant. I personally hadn’t shared my faith in awhile and frankly I wanted to get back “in the game” so to speak so….We asked our server, “As we bless our food, how might we pray for you?” She made a simple request and we prayed.

After our meal, I went off to the bathroom and who do you think came in to speak to me? Yep, our server. She shared that she was a Christian, a minister in fact, and she had a word of encouragement for me. After receiving my blessing,, I asked her if I might pray for her. The Holy Spirit encouraged us both. Your just never know how the Lord will use our simple acts of obedience and faithfulness. Yey, God…Let’s encourage each other to “just do it”.

Lily B.

Consider what a great lesson we give to our children when they see us willing to pray for someone in a public setting. It teaches them that our faith is not just a bunch of ideas, but a vibrant faith that can be lived out each day. It speaks to who we are and how we live. It communicates to them the importance and seriousness of the Gospel. It encourages them to have a heart for the lost as well.

Read 1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NASB)

The past couple of weeks we have been asking you to do three things. One is to pray that the Lord will give you a heart, broken for the lost. Two, that you would ask someone the question, “How could I pray that God would bless you today?” And finally, to make a list of three people that you would commit to pray for each day that the Lord would bring them to a saving knowledge of Himself.

Some of you have been gracious enough to share your experiences. Joy Gray, our KPC receptionist gives this account:

When Pastor Nate encouraged us during the service last Sunday to ask God to reveal someone close to us we could reach out to with the Gospel, I heard one name loud and clear. It was “John,” the US postal worker who drops off mail at the reception desk three to four times a week. I’ve dubbed him “Happy John,” because about 90% of the time when he walks through the front door he cheerfully blurts: “Hey … It’s just another day in paradise!”

I’ve tested the waters a few times with John to see where he might be spiritually, and he’s just one of those folks I’m not quite sure about.

While I was getting ready for work today, God brought “Happy John” to mind. I asked God to help me come up with a way to reach out to him when he comes in again. Immediately, God reminded me of some extraneous materials I received from Turning Point Ministries (Dr. David Jeremiah) when I recently ordered a teaching series on the subject of heaven. I’m doing a series on heaven right now with women at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center. I go there every week and talk with women about Jesus and the hope of heaven. The subject of heaven has simply been my angle at the jail to share the Gospel with broken women.

At God’s prompting this morning, I went digging for those extraneous materials and laughed when I discovered a colorful gift book entitled: Discover Paradise: A Guidebook to Heaven, Your True Home. I had totally forgotten about receiving that gift book when I ordered the teaching series. The gift book is put together like something you might get through a travel agency trying to entice you to make reservations at some exotic location. The book is full of scriptures about heaven, presents the Gospel, and includes an invitation.

I knew immediately that God answered my prayer this morning as to how I could initially reach out to Happy John.

Happy John just dropped off the mail, and I had a chance to give him the book, tell him how I was praying for him this morning, and God led me straight to that book to give him. He was appreciative of the book and told me how much it meant to him to know someone had been praying for him.

I was really excited for God to “come through” in such a specific and personalized way concerning the name He dropped on me during the service last Sunday.

I bet God is doing that with others this week also.

What happens time after time is that when we step out in faith, God is always there. When we are obedient to become a part of what God is already doing in the life of another person, then we get the blessing. As our reading indicates today, we “begin to take hold of life indeed.” This is living life at its fullest.

Read Esther 2:17-3:15

This week we’ve heard Pastor Nate make the comparison between the characters in the story of Esther, and our own modern day experience of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ve heard the account of how Esther became Queen of the Persian Empire under King Xerxes. Our reading today tells us how Esther’s people, the Jews came under a death sentence. Unless Esther intervenes on their behalf, they will all perish. We see the Jews as lost, even as people of today who have failed to respond to the Gospel and trust in Christ for their salvation are lost. It is Mordechai, Esther’s uncle, who challenges her to overcome her fears and intervene on behalf of her people. Thus, today we see Mordecai as a figure representing the Holy Spirit, who prods us to step forward, overcome our fears, and share the good news. The bottom line is this, we are all Esthers, called by God, “for such a time as this.”

There is another character in our story that has a strong parallel with today. That person is Haman, the personification of evil, who in his pride, arrogance and resentment plots to destroy the Jews. It doesn’t take much effort to see him as the representation of Satan himself. Satan seeks to kill and destroy. (1 Peter 5:8) He wants to destroy God’s plans. He wants to destroy God’s kingdom. He has power and authority in this world (John 12:31) and he seeks to destroy all who might become children of God.

Satan is a liar. (John 8:44) He tells you that you do not have time to befriend others. He tells you that if you talk about what Christ has done in your life, you will be ridiculed and rejected. He tells you that you are neither smart enough, nor knowledgeable enough to talk about spiritual things. He does not want the truth to be known.

In our story, Haman tells the King that there is a group of people (the Jews) who live in the King’s kingdom that are different from everybody else. Their laws are different and they do not observe the King’s laws. Therefore it is not in the King’s interest to allow them to remain. Then he bribes the King to have them executed. (Esther 3:8 – 9) He is not looking after the interests of the King, but rather his own selfish vengeance.

In the same manner when Satan lies to you and tells you that no one wants to hear you talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is not looking after your interests, he is looking after his own.

So how did Esther deal with Haman? First of all, she got everyone praying and fasting. She understood the power of prayer. So, we are asking that everyone begin praying that the Lord will give us hearts, “broken for the lost.” Pray for the opportunity to ask someone how you could “pray God’s blessing for them.” Pray for the opportunity and courage to share Christ with someone. (See also Ephesians 6:10 – 12)

Finally, Esther listened to Mordecai’s promptings, overcame her fear and spoke to the king on behalf of her people. In like manner, we need to overcome our own fears and speak the truth to those in need. (Ephesians 4:15; James 4:7)

As you pray today again seek the Lord for His Spirit to come upon you, to give you the opportunity, and the courage to speaking into the lives of those who are lost. Pray over your list of three people that you would like to see come to the Lord. (2 Timothy 2:24-26)