An orange is a delicious citrus fruit. When ripe, the outside and the inside are a beautiful color that is appealing to the eye. Regardless of the way you explore and examine the orange, it is always an orange! To look at the skin, it looks like an orange!
Peeled and left whole, it is still an orange.
Even sliced open, exposing the flesh inside, it's still an orange.
And especially when squeezed,
what comes out is consistently orange juice!
what comes out is consistently orange juice!
It's an orange through and through!
In "The Celtic Way of Evangelism" George Hunter III states:
"They reached one "barbarian" population after another by welcoming seekers, who were looking for "the authentic sign," into the close fellowship of their monastic communities, where seekers closely observed how the Christians lived, day after day. As seekers spent time with a Celtic Christian community, they typically found themselves believing what the Christians taught. Indeed, the Celtic Christians undoubtedly discovered the presence of seekers observing them for for "the authentic sign" provided an additional incentive for living faithful lives."
"They reached one "barbarian" population after another by welcoming seekers, who were looking for "the authentic sign," into the close fellowship of their monastic communities, where seekers closely observed how the Christians lived, day after day. As seekers spent time with a Celtic Christian community, they typically found themselves believing what the Christians taught. Indeed, the Celtic Christians undoubtedly discovered the presence of seekers observing them for for "the authentic sign" provided an additional incentive for living faithful lives."
As a follower of Jesus who wants people to know Him, what do they see in me?
How will they know that I am authentic?
Do the insides match what's visible outside?
When a person is squeezed, whatever is truly inside comes gushing out!
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. JAMES 1:22-25
God's desire is for his love to permeate us through and through. It blesses the one who receives it SO THAT they can also bless others in such a way that they can receive it too!
- Some people wonder whether Christians really believe what they say
- Some people do not doubt the Christians believe it,; they wonder whether we live by it
- Some people do not doubt either - they wonder whether it makes much difference.
People are looking at how followers of Jesus
embody what we profess to believe
embody what we profess to believe
When a person is growing in the ways of God, and embodying His likeness with increasing measure, it becomes incredibly compelling to the people around them that God is who He says He is. The teachers of the law were always trying to catch Jesus with his words. On one occasion they came to him and said:
Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Mark 12:14
Instead of finding accusations against him, they were amazed.
Paul writes: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
My prayer is that when people look at the followers of Jesus,
this is what they find!
this is what they find!
