One Life at a Time - Part 2

​by Veronica Navarro

What does it mean to follow Jesus?
 
Does it mean that we are supposed to let our good works outweigh our bad?

​Does it mean we are generally supposed to be “good people?”
 
Following Christ means that we are called to make disciples who make disciples. Our mission as a church is essentially to impact our world for Christ. This means that we need to go out and spread the Gospel, influencing other believers, and those whom we reach, to share it as well. 
 
So how do we do this? How do we share our faith?

First we must acknowledge that it is our responsibility to share the Good News.

We have no problem sharing other things we may consider to be “good news,” like our favorite football team winning a game, or a wedding in the family. Why are we afraid to share the best news of all? Especially if this news has actually changed you!
 
2 Corinthians 5:17 reads: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” 
 
This means that if we know Jesus Christ and we put our faith and trust in Him, we are forgiven of our sins, and change will be seen in our lives! We now have a new hope, new future, a fresh start, and peace with God. If we are saved by God, we are born again!
 
So, are we going to let the “how-to” keep us from spreading the Gospel? Ultimately, we are ambassadors of Christ, acting on behalf of Him. We represent Him for everyone on Earth. It is our job to show the world His love. 
 
“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16
 
God loves the world so much, so we should show His love to the people here!
 
It is the church’s responsibility to evangelize, make disciples, and find joy in doing so! A church that does not go and make disciples is a contradiction within itself! Just like a fire that does not burn is a contradiction, so is a Christian who does not evangelize and make disciples! This responsibility is not solely that of the pastors and leaders, it is our responsibility as followers of Jesus—each and every one of us!
 
Second, we must make sure that we understand the basics of the Gospel!
 
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” -2 Corinthians 18-19.
 
The fact is, we have been reconciled with God, and He is not going to charge us or hold us accountable for each of our sins. 
 
God did not create all of the brokenness in the world, we did, by sinning! Because of our sin, we are separated from Him. The wage for the separation is death. 
 
How many murders does it take for an individual to become a murderer? 
 
How many sins does it take for an individual to become a sinner?
 
No matter how many “good deeds” we do, or how nice we are, it all means nothing without Jesus in our lives. We are separated from Him by nature! 
 
“To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” -John 1:12
 
The Good News is that once we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we get to spend an eternity with Him! It’s that simple!
 
So how do you share your faith? Here are some practical ways:
 

1. We have to be friendly! We have to reach out and have the desire to build relationships with them. On a daily basis, how many strangers do you stand in silence with? We have to get out of our comfort zones and ignite conversation to begin talking about Jesus.
   
2. We should ask questions and listen. This means that we have to pay attention. We have to listen much more than we speak!  “Do you ever think about spiritual things?” “Do you ever think about life after death?” Even a simple, “Hey, how are you?” Can lead into a conversation regarding Jesus! From there, we have to let God open doors for Him to come in. Look for an open door!
3. We should use our stories. Rather than learn a list, our stories of what we were like before Jesus and now after Jesus are powerful in and of themselves.

While we're on this subject, has anyone ever asked you the most important question ever asked? Where will you spend your eternity?

​Listen to the message from which this post is based: