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Do More Than Wear Green on St. Patrick’s Day

Published by Jeff Kennon on March 17, 2014

I think there’s quite a bit of confusion on exactly who St. Patrick was? And why does he get his own day? When I was growing up, St. Patrick’s day meant “wear something green or get pinched.” I owned only one green piece of clothing in my whole closet and never remembered to wear it. Oh how I loved March 17 in elementary school.

I’m not going to post a long biography here of Patrick, but instead, want to refer you to Kevin DeYoung’s recent article on Who Was St. Patrick? It’s a short piece that will give you a bit of background on St. Patrick and his embrace of God’s missionary mandate.

DeYoung writes: In his Confessio Patrick writes movingly about his burden to evangelize the Irish. He explicitly links his vocation to the commands of Scripture. Biblical allusions like “the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth” and “I have put you as a light among the nations” and “I shall make you fishers of men” flow from his pen. Seeing his life’s work through the lens of Matthew 28 and Acts 1, Patrick prayed that God would “never allow me to be separated from His people whom He has won in the end of the earth.” For Patrick, the ends of the earth was Ireland.

So maybe this St. Patrick’s day, in light of who St. Patrick was, we should do more than wear green. Maybe we should embrace the mission of God and develop a few conversations about the gospel. Maybe we should, as Patrick was, become “soaked in the Bible” and grasp the glorious power of the gospel and become one who is not ashamed of it (Romans 1:16).

Jesus told us that all authority and power had been given to him. He then continued to tell us to “go and make disciple of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). I pray that much like St. Patrick, these truths grab our hearts and minds today and as a result, push us to develop a burden for those without Christ.

So go and celebrate St. Patrick’s day today by yearning to have his heart for the world. And then “go and make disciples!”

Sidenote: If you have elementary children, please put some green on them! Just say’in!

Read This Chapter BEFORE Sharing the Gospel

Published by Jeff Kennon on March 12, 2014

Very rarely will I purchase a book because of it’s title, much less one of it’s chapter titles. But this changed for me when I glanced at the table of contents of John S. Leonard’s book Get Real: Sharing Your Faith Every Day. Leonard’s title of Chapter 4, For Christ’s Sake, Be Normal, drew me in.

In this chapter, Leonard writes that in our desire to show others how different we are because of Christ, we’re not making ourselves any more appealing to the nonbelievers around us. In fact, we are presenting ourselves as weird, strange, and bizarre (p. 42-43).

How do we become normal?

By being real. By quitting our act that everything is always “fine” and letting people see that we actually encounter trials and pain. When we’re normal and open about our difficulties and struggles, writes Leonard, Christ in all his power and glory will come pouring out of the cracks in our lives (p. 43).

Could it be that what others need to see in us is not super sainthood but a daily need of Christ’s grace and mercy? Leonard makes it clear that it is not the super-spiritual examples who generally have the greatest impact upon non-Christians. He writes that those who have the greatest influence are those of us who have to live what are considered ordinary lives, but who live them for Christ (p. 47).

A Great Example

Leonard shares how he uses Halloween as his attempt at being normal. Halloween, which he thinks is an incredible time to meet neighbors, is his time to be extra friendly and generous by giving away tons of great candy to all who knock on his door. What kid will not remember the house that gave out the best candy in the neighborhood?

Shouldn’t you give out some kind of gospel tract or Bible with that candy? Not according to Leonard. He writes: I am not against passing out Bibles and tracts–just don’t do it on Halloween, especially instead of giving out candy. It isn’t what people are expecting, and you cheapen the faith by doing so (p. 49).

Be interested in others

We should not think, however, that being normal means that we as Christians are not distinct from the world. If we follow Christ, people will think we are “crazy” at times. But we should go out of our way not to be weird (p. 47). And for Leonard, this means becoming interested in the things that most interest others (p. 48). This does not give us an excuse to sin but to instead show others what it means to follow Christ in the everyday events of life.

Get The Book!

Now though I was enticed to buy this book because of one chapter, the entire book is worth examining. It is an encouraging read and one that I think will be of great benefit to those who need help in sharing the gospel with others.

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5 Questions To Ask Ourselves When Sharing the Gospel

Published by Jeff Kennon on March 7, 2014

As we think about sharing the gospel with those around us, there are some questions I believe we need to ask ourselves.

1. Do we realize how much WE need the gospel?

We are prone to look at those around us, especially those who are not as moral as us, and are quick to say, “He/she really needs Jesus!” Now I’m not saying they don’t, I’m just wanting us to realize that we still need Christ just as much as the person we would consider the vilest of sinners. We have not graduated beyond the gospel ourselves.

Peter writes that we should “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Therefore, we need to preach the gospel to ourselves daily for it is the gospel of grace that develops within us “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control” (Galatians 5:22-23). It is the gospel that causes us “to count others more significant” than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3). And, when it comes to sharing our faith, it is the gospel, the message of the cross, that develops in us an attitude of humility instead of judgment.

I realize I’ve written quite a bit on us grasping our own need for Christ, but I think everything hinges on this realization. We cannot develop a servant’s heart and become one who listens to, cares for, and helps others without the gospel doing its work in our lives.

2. Are we interested in others?

Being interested in others cuts across the grain of our me-centered culture. I’m amazed at my tendency to make everything about me. This is why I need the gospel.

We should be fascinated by the stories and lives of others. There is not a boring person on the planet. All are created in the image of God. We just don’t take the time to understand and listen.

Can I offer a practical tip here? I think cell phones can be a distraction to showing interest in others. My phone is a great example. It beeps, honks, and rings at me when I get emails, texts, and calls. Can I encourage you (and me) to turn the thing off when talking with others? What does it say about our interest in others when we stop a conversation to answer a text?

3. Do we listen more than we speak?

Sharing the gospel with those around us is a dialogue and not a monologue. In other words, it’s a conversation over coffee. So learn to ask good questions. And listen, listen, listen. Seek to understand before you seek to be understood. Could it be that the greatest need of some is to find someone to listen?

4. Are we helpful?

When I think of being helpful, I am really thinking about helping others in what some might call “trivial” things. I think most of us do well in jumping in to to help those who are going through a major crisis, but what about when your co-worker is having a rough morning because he/she woke up late and didn’t get his/her normal cup of coffee? I guess it boils down to really learn to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).

5. Are we praying?

I know we know to pray! But moving from knowledge to praxis can be a journey of many miles. One thing that affects our praying is the fact that we live in an impatient society. We have fast-food restaurants, high-speed Internet, and on-demand movies. We are not conditioned to wait for anything. When we pray and nothing appears to happen, what do we do? Let us not give up!

Tag: Sharing the gospel