Remember when…
Remember when you first believed in Christ? Like a new parent showing off baby pictures, you would tell anyone who would listen about the gospel—you couldn’t help it! Being an ambassador of Christ was exciting and natural.
But after a while, we sometimes find that our joy, as believers, begins to wane, as well as our zeal for sharing the good news with others. Why does that happen? Is there a way back to where we began?
The world over, people are coming to a simple but profound new understanding and appreciation of the Bible’s message. A clearly understood gospel is a powerful gospel—it saves! But it also saves us from a life of joyless toil and ineffectiveness.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~ Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Meet Daryl…
Meet Daryl, a 38-year-old Christian. Twice a week for the last several months, he’s been leading studies about the Bible at his home and at a local coffee shop. If someone had told him a year ago that he would soon be leading a number of his own unsaved friends and family to understand and believe in the good news of Christ for salvation, he would have had some serious questions: “I’m not a gifted evangelist! How could I ever do such a thing!”
Daryl’s story began almost 20 years ago when his college roommate invited him to a campus Bible study. Everyone in the group was genuine and friendly. Songs were sung and meals were shared. Scripture was read aloud and there were intriguing discussions. One evening, the leader invited Daryl to trust Jesus as his Saviour. He eagerly responded and for the next three years, between college classes, Daryl joyfully studied the Bible, memorized Scripture and got involved in a local church. Those were the days!
After university, Daryl married and had two children. Between his job, church activities and everything else, life was hectic! Soon his Bible study and prayer times became sporadic, and Daryl secretly struggled with doubts about his faith. It bothered him that he had never worked up the nerve to say anything about God to his unsaved family and friends.
Many of us can relate with Daryl. Whether we were saved a lifetime ago or only recently, we find that the joy of our salvation has diminished. We know Bible passages about our mandate to “go into all the world” (Matthew 28:18-20) as “ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20), always being “ready to give an answer” (1 Peter 3:15), but somehow we don’t have the capacity to make it happen in our lives. So we leave those things to the preachers, evangelists and missionaries.
But Daryl discovered something that changed all of that. His joy and confidence was renewed, his hunger for God’s Word returned and his zeal to share the gospel became uncontainable! Before long, friends and family were asking him to help them understand the Bible’s message. It was almost as if God was nudging people his way! Daryl couldn’t have been happier.
How did it happen? And could God do the same for you?
Jump-start on the road to Emmaus
When a car battery loses its charge, sometimes the engine can be jump-started. With a push from friends, a charge powerful enough to turn over the engine is created so that the car can continue along the road.
In the same way, when we as believers sense that our spiritual batteries are low, sometimes what we need is a jump-start!
“The gospel… is the power of God unto salvation…” ~ Romans 1:16 (ESV)
One could rightly say that the two disciples on the road to Emmaus were in need of a jump-start. They were disheartened, doubtful and confused about all that had happened in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified.
“That very day two of them were going to… Emmaus… they were talking about all these things that had happened… Jesus himself drew alongside them… And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” ~ Luke 24:13-15, 27 (ESV)
Though the two had spent considerable time with Jesus, he helped them understand the significance of the Old Testament accounts and how they all pointed to his death, burial and resurrection. In the course of their conversation, their “hearts were warmed” until suddenly adrenalin kicked in and the two ran all the way back to Jerusalem to tell their friends what they learned. What two disciples discovered on the road to Emmaus jump-started a whole new way of life.
An understood gospel is a powerful gospel
Daryl thought his life would roll along just as it always had until a friend had given him The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, a book that explains in an easy-to-understand way what the Bible is all about. As he read, he began to make connections between Old and New Testament—Bible stories he had known for years, but never realized their intended meaning. Every page, he discovered, was about Jesus and God’s plan to save mankind from sin and death. It was the same simple good news he had believed back in college, but this time what he found was more profound. Over and over he found himself saying, “God did that for me?!” Even before Daryl finished the book, he found himself in conversations with friends, naturally sharing with them what he was learning. When he finished The Stranger he gave it to a co-worker who also read it, understood, and believed in Christ for salvation. Daryl has been busy ever since, making the most of the opportunities God gives him every day to share the gospel.
Truly, an understood gospel is a powerful gospel!
Be ready for your own journey through the Bible
All GoodSeed tools are designed so that anyone can take their own journey through the Bible, even if they have never read it before. Each one is objective—there is no arm-twisting or preaching. Instead, there is an educational, common sense approach to learning. What you believe is entirely your choice.
When you find yourself needing a jump-start in life, please consider making time to journey through the Bible’s message from creation to the cross. You’re certain to make new discoveries along the way and refresh your heart and mind on the good news.
There are a number of learning options available:
- Do you like to learn online at your own pace? Learn about our Bible online course.
- Do you prefer to learn by reading, watching or listening? Use our Tool Selector to choose the tool that suits you best.
Be ready to share what you discover
Don’t be surprised to find that like Daryl and countless others, soon you’ll have opportunities to share what you’ve learned with friends and family.
How to be ready to GIVE away the gospel »
How to be ready to GUIDE a course »
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