The First Witnesses Go Public

So, how was your Christmas Day yesterday? Most of us, I guess, enjoyed a meal with our loved ones. If you're a person of faith though, did you take the opportunity to share your faith over dinner, or were you left feeling a little embarrassed at your inability to speak meaningfully about the real reason for the celebration? If you believe that it's only through faith in Jesus that a person can be saved from the awful prospect of an eternity separated from God (and that is what a Christian believes) shouldn't you be telling people about Him? Please, don't misunderstand me. This isn't some guilt trip. But filled with the joy and the peace that Jesus brings, having received the newness of life that His Spirit gives, it kind of makes sense that that's something we should be enthusiastic about sharing. Problem is, many are embarrassed to tell others of Jesus. What if they think I'm some religious nutter? What if they reject me? Best to leave this whole evangelism thing to the experts, don't you think? Remember those shepherds in the field to whom God announced the birth of Jesus, the very first visitors to see Him in that manger? Luke 2:17-18 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (NIV) Those shepherds, rough and overlooked, became the first so-called evangelists. God chose ordinary people — not scholars, not rulers — to proclaim the arrival of the King of kings. This wondrous message of Jesus isn't reserved for the qualified, it's entrusted to the willing. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.