It’s summertime. The sun is shining, the
birds are chirping, and I am sitting out on my back porch writing this blog.
When I think of the idea of “summer”, it is filled with sunscreen, relaxation
by the pool, and reunions with friends from home. But since coming off a year
of being surrounded by such a strong Christian community at CNU, I realize that
it’s different here…my community of believers has gone down to my family and
me, and that two-mile radius of friends who love the Lord aren’t here. At first
I felt homesick (home being Newport News with all of my friends), but then I
realized most of them had gone home for the summer too. God has you and I at
home for a reason. My two-mile radius of people up here in Northern VA, is full
of broken people who don’t know the Lord. I realized while being here, God
wants to use me to reach out to those people.
A
few nights ago, I was showing my parents small group the Cru Perspective cards.
After everyone had left, I forgot to put the cards away, and left them sitting
on the kitchen counter. Later that night my brother’s friend came over to hang
out. It was around midnight when I decided to call it a night and we all were
standing around the counter talking while I was trying to sneak away and go get
in my comfy bed…when he asked, “what are those?”- referring the perspective
cards. In my head I was like gosh I’m tired and I need to sleep…But God was
tugging on my heart saying that this was literally an opportunity to share the
gospel that was handed to me on a platter since he brought it up. So thankfully
that got me super excited, and I proceeded to explain to him that this was a
survey that I use to start spiritual convos on campus. After about a minute of
just trying to explain what it was, I asked if I could just do the survey with
him, and he agreed. This led to a really great conversation with him, my
brother and me. If I was talking, Graham was praying, and if he and his friend
were talking, I was praying. IT WAS SO COOL.
16 “I
am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes
and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed
over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On
my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them
and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry
about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,
20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father
speaking through you.
Matthew
10: 16-20 speaks about persecution as Christians. Now, we won’t be handed over
for flogging here, but the point I wanted to draw out is that as Christians, we
have the Holy Spirit in us. God uses the spirit to speak through us. So don’t
be afraid to reach out to a friend who doesn’t know the Lord, a neighbor who
has never been to church, or your grandma who you get to spend time with this
summer. No matter where you are, or what you are doing this summer, you are on
a mission to share Jesus with others. I challenge you to think of a couple
people in that two-mile radius that you could start a spiritual conversation
with. God wants to use you, and He will. The Holy Spirit will guide your
speech, so you don’t need to worry about what to say. Don’t let fear keep you
from sharing the gospel! We don’t have to be afraid because God is with us.
Always.