Sharing Jesus With Others, Part I

Hi Friends,

I have been enjoying the book The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. One of my husband's co-workers thought I would enjoy it, and she was right! The author an atheist, went and visited several of the world's most educated, or the best trained theologist, or best historians around the world, and asked for PROOF that Jesus existed.  Not just as a person who taught others, but PROOF that He was the Son of God, The Messiah, the Lord of Lords.  PROOF that Jesus is our Savior and Lord.  PROOF about what is really true about Jesus in the Bible.

I remember him looking at John 1:12: "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."  He turned it into a mathematical equation of verbs from the Scripture.  This is what he came up with:

God' s family: believe + receive = become

Mr. Strobel read in the Bible that sin separated him from God, who is holy and morally pure.  He made a moral inventory and realized he lived a life of many different sins.  He states in his book, "Certainly God, whose existence I had denied for years, seemed extremely distant, and it became obvious to me that I needed the cross of Jesus to bridge that gulf.  All of this I now believed.  The evidence of history and of my own personal experience was too strong to ignore."

As far as "receiving" this is what Mr. Strobel had to say:

"Every other faith system I studied during my investigation was based on the "do" plan.  In other words, it was necessary for people to do something---for example, use a Tibetan prayer wheel, pay alms, go on pilgrimages, undergo reincarnations, work off karma from past misdeeds, reform their character--to try to somehow earn their way back to God.  Despite their best efforts, lots of sincere people just wouldn't make it."

"Christianity is unique.  It's based on the "done" plan-- Jesus has done for us on the cross what we can not do for ourselves;  He has paid the death penalty that we deserve for our rebellion and wrongdoing, so we can become reconciled with God."
 
"I didn't have to struggle and strive to try to do the impossible of making myself worthy.  It's called grace--amazing  grace, unmerited favor.  It's available to anyone who receives it in a sincere prayer of repentance.  Even someone like me."

"So on November 8, 1981, I talked with God in a heartfelt and unedited prayer, admitting and turning from my wrongdoing, and receiving the gift of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus.  I told Him that with His help I wanted to follow Him and His ways from here on out."

 So, this is how Mr. Strobel came to believe and receive (from his verbal equation listed above.)  Just wait until you learn how he came to become the man he is today...a Child of God!  That will be the focus of the next post.

The book The Case for Christ is a wonderful book for anyone who is struggling to make the decision for Christ. It's great for the people who think this decision can be made in "their head."  It is a treasure hunt of facts that lead to the very best gift any of us can receive! I strongly recommend it if you have a non-Believer in your life.  It is also a great tool to read and share if you often find yourself in "strong conversations" trying to persuade others to live for Him, and they don't want to read the Bible.  I believe that prayer and being as good of a Christian example as you can be is the most persuasive way to share Him.

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The Winner of The He IS Able Blog's Card of the Week is jcb!

Congratulations, jcb! 

 

  jcb please email me your current mailing address by Tuesday, and I will send you a wonderful card made by one of our readers. If I don't get that email with your current address, I will put the card back in the stash of cards.  And trust me, you will want this card!

 

 I haven't learned how to download photos to this laptop yet, so I will describe it: It is absolutely amazing.  It has a floral background, with Psalm 47:2 on it, "How awesome is the Lord most high, The great king over all the earth!"  The Scripture is hanging off of a railing, and there is a butterfly on the card.  It is really perfect to share with a friend.

 

 Here is her comment that was randomly chosen:

 

jcb     February 27, 2014

Thanks for the reminder of Abigail's life. I enjoy reading my Bible!



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I'm so glad that you visited this week!  I would love to read different ways you share Jesus to people in the comment section.  Also, please feel free to share any prayer needs you may have.  If you want to keep it confidential, please feel free to email me.  If you do this, please put "He IS Able" in the subject area.  I will pray for you...happily. Have a blessed week!

Remember...He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather