December 29, 2024
Greetings and blessings to all of you. A New Year is here. It means new opportunities. God has given us another opportunity to bear testimony on our relationship to Him to others before we pass. This could be the time when we will share the Gospel or Good News to others. We can impact or influence not just each other in the church life but we can impact communities, cities, countries, the whole world. All we have to do is share our faith. I know most of us are reluctant to integrate our faith in day- to -day conversations because we focus on how speaking with others will affect us. For example, we may say “if I share…. what if I offend them. And if I offend them; I will not be liked.” But we forget…sharing the Good News is not about you and me; it is about the Lord we serve and the love He has for everyone. We must stay focused on the Gospel’s life changing power rather than other’s negative reactions. Today as you look around you will notice that our society has become secular. Secularism is a worldview that separates religion from the culture; putting greater emphasis on nonreligious aspects of human life. And because our nation has forgotten God, sharing/integrating our faith poses real challenges. In Matt. 10:16 Jesus told His disciples: “Look I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.” Souls are forever…they are either going to heaven or hell. Do we love God’s creatures? People need to know the Savior…our Lord. Our embodiment of the Holy Spirit’s nature is our great witness…meaning the more we abide in Him, the greater the fruit. The Holy Spirit will reproduce His character in us so that we can share with others; his love, peace, joy, patience, etc. Our expressions and words of love, joy and peace and the Holy Spirit are what draw others to us so they want to hear the gospel. It is when we live in the Spirit reflecting the nature of the Holy Spirit to others that the Holy Spirit uses our witness to convict the unbelievers of sin. Understand that it is Christ in us sharing and all we are doing is abiding. Are we reluctant to express our enthusiasm about Jesus Christ with other people? Maybe this New Year we can be like the Samaritan woman who could not wait to tell everyone she knew about her encounter with Jesus. So, instead of keeping the Good News to ourselves this NewYear- tell somebody.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC