Dear Mountain View Family,
Many years ago, the Apostle John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:12-13 ESV)
Earthquakes and pandemics and even death itself are not ultimate threats to us as believers, because we know that we have life that will continue even when this earthly one is finished. We have confidence that because of the perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have eternal life right now and into eternity.
Not everyone has that same confidence. Not everyone is ready to stand before their Creator.
We don't want this pandemic to sidetrack us from what King Jesus has commanded us to do: Go and make disciples. We want to love our neighbors by sharing the best news ever - God's free gift of reconciliation with him. But at the same time, we also want to love our neighbors, especially those who are most vulnerable among us, by taking stringent action to protect them from getting sick. We need to follow our Governor's directive to "stay safe, stay home". So how can we share the gospel at the same time? Here are some suggestions:
Keep praying for the lost! If you are regularly walking in your neighborhood, make those walks a time to pray for your neighbors and unchurched family, friends, and coworkers.
Post evangelistically to social media. Share a brief testimony of your peace in Christ during this turbulent time. Post a video sharing how you became a believer or what difference Christ is making in your life right now. Link to articles, videos, or songs that share the gospel. (One of my favorites is The Heart Test)
Write a letter (or email), sharing your testimony. It may seem awkward, but you could simply begin by saying "We've been friends for a long time, but I've never told you about the most important part of my life. I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you what God has done for me..."
Share a movie or movie recommendation. There are several Christian films and documentaries that present the gospel and/or give apologetics for believing Christianity. To name just a few: Fireproof, The Case for Christ, Genesis: Paradise Lost, Is Genesis History?
Share a book. Consider gifting a book or e-book to someone. The Prodigal God by Tim Keller is one of my favorites to give out, but there are many others.
Invite the unchurched to join our livestream. We're streaming every Sunday morning on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MVBCLive
Host an evangelistic Bible study or book study with a group of unchurched friends via an online platform like Google Hangouts or Zoom.
Can you think of other creative yet safe ways to share the gospel right now? We'd love to hear your ideas.
Finally, don't lose your marbles! We want to continue to measure our faithfulness to the Great Commission by tracking our sharing with the good news tree. Please keep track of your sharing since the time we switched to online services until we resume meetings OR send us emails so we can drop the marbles in for you. Reminder of the color scheme:
Green - invited someone to church service (online or in person)
Red - shared the gospel
Yellow - shared a biblical truth or your testimony or prayed with someone
May we be found faithful to share, especially in these difficult days.
In Christ,
Pastor Charles
Many years ago, the Apostle John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:12-13 ESV)
Earthquakes and pandemics and even death itself are not ultimate threats to us as believers, because we know that we have life that will continue even when this earthly one is finished. We have confidence that because of the perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have eternal life right now and into eternity.
Not everyone has that same confidence. Not everyone is ready to stand before their Creator.
We don't want this pandemic to sidetrack us from what King Jesus has commanded us to do: Go and make disciples. We want to love our neighbors by sharing the best news ever - God's free gift of reconciliation with him. But at the same time, we also want to love our neighbors, especially those who are most vulnerable among us, by taking stringent action to protect them from getting sick. We need to follow our Governor's directive to "stay safe, stay home". So how can we share the gospel at the same time? Here are some suggestions:
Keep praying for the lost! If you are regularly walking in your neighborhood, make those walks a time to pray for your neighbors and unchurched family, friends, and coworkers.
Post evangelistically to social media. Share a brief testimony of your peace in Christ during this turbulent time. Post a video sharing how you became a believer or what difference Christ is making in your life right now. Link to articles, videos, or songs that share the gospel. (One of my favorites is The Heart Test)
Write a letter (or email), sharing your testimony. It may seem awkward, but you could simply begin by saying "We've been friends for a long time, but I've never told you about the most important part of my life. I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you what God has done for me..."
Share a movie or movie recommendation. There are several Christian films and documentaries that present the gospel and/or give apologetics for believing Christianity. To name just a few: Fireproof, The Case for Christ, Genesis: Paradise Lost, Is Genesis History?
Share a book. Consider gifting a book or e-book to someone. The Prodigal God by Tim Keller is one of my favorites to give out, but there are many others.
Invite the unchurched to join our livestream. We're streaming every Sunday morning on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MVBCLive
Host an evangelistic Bible study or book study with a group of unchurched friends via an online platform like Google Hangouts or Zoom.
Can you think of other creative yet safe ways to share the gospel right now? We'd love to hear your ideas.
Finally, don't lose your marbles! We want to continue to measure our faithfulness to the Great Commission by tracking our sharing with the good news tree. Please keep track of your sharing since the time we switched to online services until we resume meetings OR send us emails so we can drop the marbles in for you. Reminder of the color scheme:
Green - invited someone to church service (online or in person)
Red - shared the gospel
Yellow - shared a biblical truth or your testimony or prayed with someone
May we be found faithful to share, especially in these difficult days.
In Christ,
Pastor Charles
RSS Feed