There’s a fancy word for almost everything. Anger has the fancy word apoplectic. Unregenerate has obdurate. Unfinished has inchoate. A fancy word wraps a plain word and makes its meaning clearer and more powerful. I love words, but I don’t use too many fancy words. I’m working on becoming a better wordsmith, but don’t expect to see me use the word apoplectic or obdurate in my next blog. I don’t think you’ll ever read a word in my blog that will compel you to visit a dictionary. I’m just not that skillful with words. I love the masters like Charles Swindoll and Jack Hayford that skillfully sculpt a sentence into a masterpiece. I find myself reading slowly, licking my lips and savoring each luscious word. (Luscious is just about as big as it gets with me and I had to do a spell check to spell it right.) Words paint a picture and convey an emotion. Words instruct and guide.
But sometimes fancy words intimidates us.They stop us or discourage us. Did I loose you? Let me explain with where I was headed in the first place. Let’s take witnessing for example. Calm down, I feel you shaking all the way to my house. I’m not asking you to run out and witness on the street corner. The word witnessing is intimidating! Unless you are like my good friend Pete Combs. He’s the superman of witnessing! I am constantly amazed at that man!
But if you’re like me the thought of going witnessing is scary stuff! But if you asked me to share my favorite recipe with you, that wouldn’t scare me. Unless of course you read my recent blog post, No More Burned Popcorn, then we both know you’re not going to be asking me for a recipe for anything. OK, so let’s talk about something more realistic. Let’s say I found a fabulous bargain on costume jewelry and I knew you enjoyed bling as much as I do. Sorry men, keep reading, you’ll get the point too. I wouldn’t be scared or intimidated to call you with the good news. Even if I knew you hated the store where I found the great bargain, I would have to tell you about my great news.
I would share the good news with you for two reasons:
1. It’s good news.
2. I know you would benefit from the good news.
And that is exactly why we need to wit…no, I’m not going to use that scary word. That’s why we need to share, that’s the word I’m looking for, share, just like I would share the good news that I’m gonna have a new grand-baby or that I found a million dollars or you get the picture. We must share the good news of Jesus with our friends. His saving power is good news. His love is good news. His healing is good news. His grace is good news. Jesus is just plain good news, too good not to share.
On Wednesday night, my pastor shared an interesting story about Oliver Cromwell. He was born April 25, 1599 and died September 3, 1658. He was an English military and political leader and later Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. Silver for coinage was in limited supply. After a month long search for silver was completed, Mr. Cromwell was given the report, “We have searched the Empire in vain seeking to find silver. To our dismay, we found none anywhere except in the cathedrals where the statues of the saints are made of choice silver.” Cromwell ordered, “Let’s melt down the saints and put them into circulation.”
Good advice for then and now! Lord, melt us, your saints called to good works, melt us with the fire of precious Holy Spirit. Melt us in the furnace of your love. Conform us into your image and put us into circulation in a world that is dying without Christ.
Here’s a link that I found that does an amazing, absolutely powerful job on …Sharing What You Know. https://enslowparkpresbyterianchurch.org/files/4955/_documents/119201141041PM-sermon011611.pdf
I hope it will bless you like it did me.
Think MISSIONAL. If you know someone that would enjoy this blog, please pass it on!
