First and foremost; I'd like to say that God has listens to our prayers. He doesn't sleep, neither does He slumber. He will hearken to the desires of a sincere heart. With Him, it's never too late. Let's keep trusting Him. "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." Eccl 7:8. In due time, He will prove Himself mighty!
On a scale of 1 - 10, how difficult is it to share good news? 7 or maybe 8?
Okay, on a scale of 1-10, how easy is it to share a bad news? 10!!! Just highlight, copy, paste and send!
It doesn't make any logical sense, if you ask me.
Ideally, any good news should be shared with enthusiasm, especially the ones we experience personally. In just a few hours from now, millions of people across the world will be celebrating Christmas for many reasons - As just another public holiday, a day to visit friends and hangout with family, or to acknowledge the birth of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.
But how often do we sit down to reflect on how difficult our lives would have been without Jesus. Do we place enough value on SALVATION as we should?
I have come to understand that knowledge changes a man. When properly applied, it produces the desired results. Back in university, I used to be very 'spiritual.' My knowledge of God (in terms of a relationship with Him) lacked depth, and so my activities were way more than my service. I knew I loved God, and I had a passion to serve Him. But i just didn't think I was doing enough to prove that Love.
When I joined the Resistance Movement, a 'fellowship' on campus, I used to feel reluctant to stand and praise God with them, because a lot of people kept staring and wondering what I was doing there.
It was an unusual gathering. Their definition of 'fellowship' was simply amazing - not what you'd usually expect. You know, there's this expectation that if you don't have a halo over your head, walk in a certain manner, pray and shout in a certain tongue, dress very formal, or put on a firm countenance, then you're probably not serious with God.
I remember sharing invites to the Thursday meetings, along with other members of the fellowship in the Faculty of Law, Lagos State University, Ojo, when someone walked up to me and said "So you're no longer in our fellowship? You've joined them (Resistance Movement) I felt sorry for her. I felt extremely sorry for her, because she didn't know how happy I felt approaching people with a smile on my face, saying "Come and experience God"
"So that it your concern? That I'm out there trying to get people (who naturally wouldn't walk by the chapel for any reason) to come worship God in a style you feel is inappropriate?" (Those were the words that came to mind).
We were supposed to have a programme on a Thursday, (I think in one of the faculties, or so) but something truncated our plans so we decided to go to the 'most dreaded' faculty on campus, to evangelize.
Now, I happen to be one of the most reserved persons on earth (coughs) and I was like 'there's no way I was going to sit/stand face2face with someone to talk about Jesus' I'd rather just come for a service, enjoy the praise and worship, share the grace and take off.
Something significant happened that day. I tried to hide, but to no avail. I finally summoned courage and joined the group. On getting to the first floor, the crammed hallway drowned me with fear. My words started failing me before I could even utter them. I approached a dude, and it was obvious that he wasn't even interested in what I had to say.
One mistake we make is trying to impose our message on people, without preparing their hearts to receive it.
I asked him how his exams had been and what his challenges were. As soon as I was able to get him talking without any distraction, I told him how I felt every time I came into God's presence. I told him about how soothing it is to worship God, and lay down our burdens at His feet. I could feel the sincerity in his heart as he related to what I was saying. I prayed with him and left.
Something sparked up within me, and I was ready for another person.
Once again, I looked around, as I prayed for the allocated time to elapse. I approached a lecture hall and just stood @ the entrance. One of our members walked towards me, we exchanged greetings, and then he walked straight into the hall like it was his living room. I was shocked. I counted one to ten, but still couldn't motivate myself to go in.
I finally put myself together, walked into the class and just sat in front of the closest person to me.
I turned slowly until we made eye contact. I didn't know what to say - whether to start with an introduction or just say "God loves you. I'm inviting you to fellowship" Eventually, I said my hellos and asked her the same questions I asked the other guy. Apparently, her exams weren't going so well. I spoke to her in a way I had never spoken to anybody before. The words flowed freely. I didn't have to tell hear about God's love for too long. As I raised my head to look at her, I saw tears in her eyes. I knew she had a conviction inside. I struggled to hold back the tears in my eyes too. I gave her a word of assurance and quickly stood up so we wouldn't create a scene.
As I walked out of that faculty, I realized that I was trying hard to withhold a good news, not because I hadn't experienced it enough to share, but because I didn't think it was going to make sense; I thought people were going to mock me; I thought everybody would be more interested in how to prepare for the next paper than hearing me preach about God's love. But more often than not, that's exactly what they need. They need people to say 'I don't fully understand what you're going through, cos I'm not in your shoes. But I've experienced something similar, and the God that came through for me can also come through for you'
If the salvation story is good news, then why is it so difficult for us to share it? It's God's word. It’s like a seed; Just sow it. How it's going to germinate and make sense to its hearers is none of your business.
God did something wonderful in the lives of the apostles while they were in prison. And the angel of the Lord said to them "Go, stand in the temple courts, and tell the people the full message of this new life"
God's words are spirit...and they are life!
Are you sure you still want to hold back that good news?
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