Reaching Others With the Gospel, Isaiah 53 and Israel

 Has anyone ever told you they were surprised Christians had fun? Some have had very bad experiences with legalism, as we discussed. So, don’t assume these people want the world’s kind. They may need to see the joy we have as believers.

Christians should have the most fun of anyone. We’re forgiven & equal before the cross. We don’t have to try to be better than others. We don’t have to use fake fronts. We can be silly and admit mistakes. We laughed like crazy after a goof I made in our first regular online meeting last Thursday – I thought Angel referred to her 11YO brother when she meant her 17YO one.

You’re loved by God just as much as God loves Sal or I or the greatest evangelist or the biggest giver. We can all afford to be ourselves. Some people act a certain way so as not to let fears, anxiety, etc. show. But we can tell God and should be able to trust our friends, though some will be better able to listen and help, based on their skills.

Jesus always humbled Himself as a servant. Sure, friends goof around and have fun. You can think of plenty of examples in your own lives, I’m sure. They’re great to share. But friends are also there to serve. Remember how my friend Rick always made sure others had rides? That’s just one example of how God’s people should strive to serve others.

As you share Jesus, remember, a person who is one way at home & another at school may have lots of hidden anxiety, or think only certain people understand them. Usually we see serving as cooking, cleaning, etc.. But, listening is service, too. We have to understand people to help them. Say someone yells “help!” and you run to them. They’re crying with a bowling ball on their foot. You think “they broke some toes and maybe their foot.” That might be, but they might be more worried about the fact that now, they can’t watch their toddler brother. As you listen, youc an offer to babysit. Or, maybe it’s a Nerf ball, it doesn’t hurt, and they’re upset about something else. People need to see we care before they’ll tell us big details.

We’ll talk about returning to God in prayer again next week, but one key is to listen to the Holy Spirit inside you as a believer. He’ll guide you in what to say. That’s important because we can get confused by this world. Some things can have either a normal meaning or a scary one. Someone saying their soul is totally black might be showing support for black people and working to help make life better for them. But, they could be saying they are in a very dark place emotionally, as if they are suffering from depression.

Some people prefer investigating Jesus on their own. Sander was like that. A Jewish friend in college, Paul Wexler (not the same as my online friend Paul) became a Messianic Jew at some point later. I didn’t learn till I shared some basics, like Isaiah 53, from the Old Testament and asked if he had considered Jesus as Messiah when I asked if he would like to be on my mailing list for Youthquake prayer letters. He replied with a huge thumbs up. For these people, you can still point the way.

One important thing to remember is to pray for the Jewish people, too. They believe their Messiah is near, but they will worship a false Messiah for 3.5 years before realizing that Jesus is and has always been their true Messiah/Saviour. The Church has never replaced Israel. The Jews are still God’s chosen people. Just wishing someone Happy Jewish New Year (it is Friday) you can show God’s love. And, perhaps someone will welcome when you offer to read Isaiah 53 and discuss it with them. There are many ways to reach others.