By This Name – Page 7 – The GoodSeed Blog

Friendship with neighbours blossoms into opportunities

When the Lord brings unsaved people into our lives, it is sometimes difficult to know when is the right time to share the gospel. This is when we must be prayerfully sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s direction. At times, it seems the Lord asks us to wait, patiently attuned to his timing. This is what the Martins* learned as they desired to minister to their new neighbours.

Bob* remembers clearly when Jessica and Chris moved in across the street a few years ago. The young couple had invited their friends and new neighbours to an open house. Bob and his wife, Martha, who view every relationship as a potential for blessing others with Christ, saw this occasion as a good opportunity to establish a relationship with these newcomers to their community.

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Good News in the midst of chaos

During the unrest in Thailand at the beginning of the year, the military and police were stationed in many locations around Bangkok and the country. They spent long hours on the streets, doing their best to restore order to a country in chaos.

Many ordinary citizens stayed indoors, trying to avoid getting caught up in the protests. But for one group of people who were diligent ambassadors for Christ, they saw an opportunity to share the gospel message. They loaded up with copies of the Thai edition of By This Name as well as with booklets containing an excerpt of By This Name and testimonies of those who had read it. These dauntless believers then ventured into the streets, handing out the materials to soldiers and police officers. Many accepted the offer and proceeded to read the books at their posts! Please pray with us that many will come to a clear understanding of the gospel and put their trust in Jesus for salvation.

Drawing a blank when it comes to God’s name

Exchanging names is the starting point of any meaningful relationship.

Like a company trademark, one’s personal name carries the goodwill and reputation vested in it over the course of a lifetime. When we hear or read a person’s name, we immediately consult countless thousands of information files tucked away in the recesses of our brain. This phenomenon happens subconsciously, almost instantaneously. Upon locating a match, the metaphoric file opens, revealing all we know about that person.

If you are like me, it seems our retrieval capabilities slow down the older we get. We don’t recall names quite so fast as we once did. But those names with whom we have the most experience and first-hand knowledge, those belonging to our loved ones and closest friends, are usually the last names to fade from conscious memory.

Sometimes when a name is mentioned, our minds come up empty. This happens when we have no background knowledge or history with which to associate a name. We essentially draw a blank.

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Christ becomes real to a Chinese atheist

This is Lien’s testimony which was originally published in her church’s newsletter. We have edited it for brevity.

The Bible says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:4-5 NKJV). My name is Lien,* and up until just a few years ago, this verse made no sense to me as a young Chinese atheist.

Growing up in China without God

I grew up in Beijing, one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. I had seen people going into temples and giving money to idols, wishing for good fortune. I had grown tired of people saying, “Be good” so that we could come back in the next life with good fortune. I had also heard about western religions from movies and books. These left me with the general impression that only good people can go to Heaven. I considered religion to be nothing more than a man-created tool to manage society and to advocate for morality. At the time, I did not consider the more important question, namely, what is morality derived from?

I also thought that religious people were bribing their way into Heaven by giving money to the poor people, doing good works and, in some cases, not eating meat or getting married. This kind of thinking never made sense to me. None of my family members were religious and so I did not grow up believing that there was a God.

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“I wish I had done more listening”

My work at GoodSeed requires that I fly at times. These days, frugal airlines place their seats so close together that the travel experience they provide is one of shoulder-to-shoulder confinement. But it’s just not natural for us westerners to be sandwiched in so tightly with total strangers!

Recently, as I shoehorned my large frame into the assigned space, the unfortunate soul in the next seat gave me furtive glances, telling me that she was making her own spatial adjustments.

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A pint of frozen custard

Here is an email from our archives. We received this back in 2010 and it has not ceased to be a source of encouragement for us. Here is the story of one young person leading another to faith in Christ through the use of By This Name and frozen custard! We pray it might encourage you to do the same with someone in your life (well, except for the frozen custard). Here is Timothy’s* story.

I was putting away chairs and clearing up the hall after our youth group meeting. I’d been teaching the group and it had been a very good time of learning and fellowship. One of the new members of the group approached me. His name was Jake,* and without any preamble, he started talking. Though this was our first conversation, he wasn’t bashful or reserved. He spoke to me as if we were old friends.

As Jake shared bits and pieces about himself, I was able to piece together his life. Jake had started attending our youth group because he had fathered a child with one of the girls in the group. At age 16 and still in junior high, he was already a father. But it didn’t seem to trouble him at all.

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I see the problem of syncretism!

In-ká-hai cover with sticky notes A bright and cheery summer’s day is a great time to explore the local farmer’s market. For years, Sarah* has not only enjoyed visiting the market but has also had a booth—selling jewellery and women’s clothing. On her breaks, she enjoys strolling among the booths, admiring the wares on display and chatting with other vendors.

One Saturday, as she wended her way through the crowds, she passed Michael’s* booth. He was there with his hiking sticks. But these were no ordinary hiking sticks. Attached to the end of each was a leather cord strung with coloured beads: white, green, black, red and yellow. The hiking sticks were free for the asking. As Michael would hand out each stick, he would take the opportunity to give a brief explanation of the gospel using the beads.

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Stitching together the story of hope

Quilt Story Stacy* looked around the room. It was filled with women who were recovering addicts. Behind the expectant faces were stories of poor choices, wrong turns and heartaches of every kind. Stacy wasn’t sure why each of them had ended up in this room with her. But each lady had before her scraps of cloth, thread, and other materials. Today, they were gathered to learn quilting. As well, they were about to learn what God had to say about life, death, and life after death.

About four years earlier, Stacy had attended a GoodSeed TERM Seminar. There, she had been thrilled to learn a simple, clear and effective way to share the gospel. She had journeyed through By This Name and, since then, had been waiting for God to show her how she could share the good news with others.

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Seven baptisms one stormy Sunday

Thick black clouds and the threat of hail did not deter Abundant Grace Church from going ahead with plans for a summer baptism service. Instead of their usual venue—a rural swimming hole with picnic tables and lawn chairs, they gathered in the shelter of a local church.

Seven in all—from young boys and girls to parents—took turns standing waist-deep in the cool water of the baptismal tank. Each one spoke of the One in whom they had placed their faith.

Pastor Mark wrote to tell how GoodSeed resources were instrumental in bringing about this special day of celebration:

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Can I stretch the teaching of By This Name over a year?

Question:
I have a youth group that meets weekly. Can I use By This Name to teach over the course of a year?

Answer:
By This Name works very well with youths and young adults. It addresses many questions that they may have arising from New Age thinking, postmodernism and secularism.

In our teaching experience, and based on feedback from others who have taught it, we believe that By This Name works best when it is taught in as short a time as possible. This doesn’t mean you rush through the book but we would not encourage you to extend the study over a long period. This is because the gospel message is, in reality, a story—God’s Story. When it becomes stretched out—say over a year—the Story of God becomes a series of disjointed narratives.

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