Jeff's story
I have a vivid memory of being at a family reunion, when the topic of religion was raised. As a Bible believing Christian, of course I had all the answers, and I wasn’t shy about sharing them. However, while I may have shared a very accurate presentation of the Gospel, I did not share the “heart” of the Gospel – and the way I shared it, certainly did not represent Jesus well. The end result of my sharing was some family members who never spoke to each other again. When I look back on this experience (and other similar events in my life) I see that there must be a better way. That with your children, your co-workers, your friend circle, or on social media, the followers of Jesus need to present an honest, biblical and loving description of the beauty of Jesus and what it means to follow him. The Gospel is meant to be attractive, not repulsive.
I believe that Paul gives a good description of how this can be done. In his letter to the Ephesians, he explores what Christian maturity looks like. In this, he writes the phrase “speaking the truth in love”. What this seems to mean, in the context of what we are discussing, is that we cannot shape the message of the Gospel in a way that is more palpable for people, nor can we share it in a way that gives the impression that God wants people to change before he can love them. Neither of those approaches are biblical.
In this complex (and some would say very divided) world, Christians often face questions that require complex answers. Peter, in his first letter, lays out how we should respond to these questions, “..worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.” Peter is saying; be ready, be gentle, and be respectful. It’s not that we don’t always know what the answers are – we do! We just may not have good language to express it, in a gentle and respectful way. I believe that this is where J. Hill Ministries can be a help. Click HERE to see some of the ways we do that.
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