"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"
1 Peter 3:15
"They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. "
Revelation 12:11
Recently I had an opportunity to share my testimony with an Jewish atheist. Yes, there is such a thing...and in fact I was also one. When I think about what an atheist should "look" like she did not fit that bill at all. She was an older woman in her 70's, very cordial. She told me that she was a "rational and intelligent thinker", and was an epidemiologist. She only believed in what she could see, measure, and evaluate.
But there was something in life that is missing for her...
I didn't debate with her, instead the answer I gave her was what Yeshua had done in and is doing through me, my history. As I recounted how I came to know this Yeshua/Jesus, the tremendous impact of reading the bible (Gospel of John) for the first time, the tears welled up in her eyes as they did mine, and I could see that her hardened heart was touched, that a seed had been planted.
"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building."
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
Eric Liddell, the Scottish runner/missionary immortalized in the film, Chariots of Fire, said:
"We are all missionaries…wherever we go, we either bring people nearer to Christ, or we repel them from Christ."
We never know how the things we say or do may influence those around us.
Sometimes it is not the "information" but what has been imparted that makes an impact.
Sometimes we plant, sometimes we water, and sometimes we harvest.
Those around us are watching and listening.
Let's remember that the fields are ripe with the harvest,
and we are all called to tend those fields.
1 Peter 3:15
"They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. "
Revelation 12:11
Recently I had an opportunity to share my testimony with an Jewish atheist. Yes, there is such a thing...and in fact I was also one. When I think about what an atheist should "look" like she did not fit that bill at all. She was an older woman in her 70's, very cordial. She told me that she was a "rational and intelligent thinker", and was an epidemiologist. She only believed in what she could see, measure, and evaluate.
But there was something in life that is missing for her...
I didn't debate with her, instead the answer I gave her was what Yeshua had done in and is doing through me, my history. As I recounted how I came to know this Yeshua/Jesus, the tremendous impact of reading the bible (Gospel of John) for the first time, the tears welled up in her eyes as they did mine, and I could see that her hardened heart was touched, that a seed had been planted.
"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building."
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
Eric Liddell, the Scottish runner/missionary immortalized in the film, Chariots of Fire, said:
"We are all missionaries…wherever we go, we either bring people nearer to Christ, or we repel them from Christ."
We never know how the things we say or do may influence those around us.
Sometimes it is not the "information" but what has been imparted that makes an impact.
Sometimes we plant, sometimes we water, and sometimes we harvest.
Those around us are watching and listening.
Let's remember that the fields are ripe with the harvest,
and we are all called to tend those fields.
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