Community News 3/8/18

Day 4 of Wk 1: When Necessary- When Necessary

John 1:43-51, Psalms 34:8, Psalms 66:5

Now that we've talked about why we should talk to our friends about Jesus, the next question becomes: WHAT are we supposed to be talking to them about?

As you're about to read in these verses, there's a man named Philip who meets Jesus at the very beginning of His ministry. After being told to follow Jesus, he runs to his brother Nathanael & tells him all about Jesus. Nathanael is more than skeptical, even saying that nothing good could come from Jesus' hometown: they're a bunch of losers. Philip's words are powerful and they are the same words we use to invite someone to church: "come and see."

In other words, Jesus has changed my life, come and see what He can do in your life. We're simply beggars telling other beggars where to find food. Many times we make it more complicated than it is: we don't need to know everything about God or the Bible. All we need to know is what God did for us & tell our friends that He can do the same for them!

Practical Steps // Take the chance this week to invite at least one person to church. If they ask why, just tell them you want them to 'come and see' how awesome it is and how God could change their life.

Adapted From: Next Steps: Bring - You Version

Community News 3/7/18

Day 3 of Wk 1- When Necessary: Sharing Your Faith

Romans 1:16-17, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 9:23-26

If you think about it, the real question to ask isn't why to invite our friends to church, but why not? In other words, why DON'T we invite our friends to church - what makes it awkward or uncomfortable?

There are a few reasons we might feel odd or unprepared to invite our friends to church. Maybe when we're not at church on Sunday our life doesn't look like it's been changed by Christ so we don't want to seem like a hypocrite and invite them to be around us at church when we act 'holy.' Maybe we're afraid they'll think differently of us because obviously all Christians are 'weird.' Maybe we just forget what life was like before we had hope and have lost our urgency.

The truth is, the real reason behind all of these excuses is selfishness. We're more interested in what will make US feel comfortable than we are with caring about our lost friends. 

The harsh reality is that if we really cared about those around us, we would realize that their number one problem is that they don't know Christ. Why wouldn't we want to offer them the chance to respond to Him since we've been given that chance and it's changed our life? When God changes us, it motivates us to spread that great news to others!

Practical Steps // Being completely honest, list a few reasons why you've avoided inviting your friends to church. Then pray over each one of them - that God would give you compassion and courage instead of focusing on yourself.

Adapted From: Next Steps: Bring - You Version