DOES YOUR LIFE MAKE IT EASIER FOR OTHERS TO BELIEVE IN JESUS?
by Tim Melton
Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-2
Does Your Life Make It Easier for Others to Believe in Jesus?
Tim Melton
Ephesians 5:1-2
If you are a follower of Christ, I would like to ask you, ''Who did God use to help draw you towards Jesus?'' Can you remember a face, a name or even a conversation?
Many are the believers who were ushered towards Christ by people that they knew. As you listen to their testimonies you hear words like, ''I had a neighbor . . . there was a coworker. . . I knew a classmate. . . I had a family member.'' They then tell how the life of that person impacted them in such a way that they became open to faith in Jesus Christ.
From the other side, if you sit and talk with a group of non-believers, you will at times hear their stories or stereotypes of people who claimed to be ''Christians'' whose lives caused the non-believer to reject the Christian faith. Maybe these supposed Christians were either so nominal in their faith that it stirred no desire in those around them to consider Christianity, or maybe the lives of the wayward Christians drove them away from pursuing a relationship with Christ.
In both cases we see the power of the living example. It brings us to the point of asking, ''Does my life make it easier or more difficult for those around me to believe in Jesus?''
In scripture we find both good and bad examples. In Acts 11:26b, in the story of the early church, we read, ''In Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.'' The name meant ''little Christs.'' What started out as a derogatory term used by people to mock Christians became the ultimate compliment. The fact that there was something about their lives that associated them with Jesus Christ was truly an honor. God would use those faithful, early believers, though small in number, and limited in resources, to spread Christianity throughout the entire Roman Empire.
The same principle was at work in Acts 4:13. This verse described the situation, after Jesus' ascension, when some of Jesus´ d ...
Tim Melton
Ephesians 5:1-2
If you are a follower of Christ, I would like to ask you, ''Who did God use to help draw you towards Jesus?'' Can you remember a face, a name or even a conversation?
Many are the believers who were ushered towards Christ by people that they knew. As you listen to their testimonies you hear words like, ''I had a neighbor . . . there was a coworker. . . I knew a classmate. . . I had a family member.'' They then tell how the life of that person impacted them in such a way that they became open to faith in Jesus Christ.
From the other side, if you sit and talk with a group of non-believers, you will at times hear their stories or stereotypes of people who claimed to be ''Christians'' whose lives caused the non-believer to reject the Christian faith. Maybe these supposed Christians were either so nominal in their faith that it stirred no desire in those around them to consider Christianity, or maybe the lives of the wayward Christians drove them away from pursuing a relationship with Christ.
In both cases we see the power of the living example. It brings us to the point of asking, ''Does my life make it easier or more difficult for those around me to believe in Jesus?''
In scripture we find both good and bad examples. In Acts 11:26b, in the story of the early church, we read, ''In Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.'' The name meant ''little Christs.'' What started out as a derogatory term used by people to mock Christians became the ultimate compliment. The fact that there was something about their lives that associated them with Jesus Christ was truly an honor. God would use those faithful, early believers, though small in number, and limited in resources, to spread Christianity throughout the entire Roman Empire.
The same principle was at work in Acts 4:13. This verse described the situation, after Jesus' ascension, when some of Jesus´ d ...
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