Gulp! I'm a messenger of hope

You know what, God loves your friends more than you do! So why does He want them to change? Well, He knows how He made us and who He made us to be (check out Jeremiah 1 or Psalm 139). He also knows that in a spoiled world, none of us can be and behave in the perfect way He originally planned before sin entered the world.

Good news! Although we are all spoiled by the bad stuff in life, God is the best ‘fixer’ in the Universe – He’s the only one who can fix both the outside and inside of our humanity.

Paul wrote, ‘As the scripture says, "Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved." But how can they call to him for help if they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard the message? And how can they hear if the message is not proclaimed? And how can the message be proclaimed if the messengers are not sent out? As the scripture says, "How wonderful is the coming of messengers who bring good news!"

[Romans 10:13-15 Good News Translation]

So remember this: sharing God’s word shouldn’t be cringe-inducing or embarrassing. It’s a wonderful thing to do!

If a friend was drowning, you’d jump in to save them wouldn’t you? If they couldn’t get into the cinema for lack of cash, wouldn’t you buy them a ticket? If you met a great new friend, you’d introduce them to everyone, surely! It’s the same kind of idea when we think about the great message of God’s Hope:

· Your friend is in a worse position than drowning - they face not having the present
reality and future hope of friendship with God.

· Your friend can have a free entry ticket to eternity, now, simply by believing in Jesus.

· Your friend needs to be introduced to your greatest friend!

But, there’s still the big ‘Gulp Factor’ to get over. You know what I mean: that “I’m scared to talk about my faith” feeling. Your friend says something about faith or asks you a question about God, and you know this is your moment. Yet before you can say anything more, you have to make a choice: will you choose to get over that big ‘Gulp’ that’s blocking your throat, or will you decide to say nothing?

What exactly is this ‘Gulp Factor’ I’m talking about? Well, it’s different for everyone, but we all experience it at times. Maybe your ‘Gulp’ is “People will laugh at me” or “They’ll think I’m mental” Yet if God can help the dumb to speak, He can also help you to speak out too!

So, how can you share God’s message of Hope? Here’s ten quick pointers to take on board, that during conversations as well as social action this year, will send you on your way to being an effective messenger of Hope:

Be confident in Him and His power, not your own. So what if you look or feel embarrassed. Most people respect you more if they see you’re struggling a bit and are humble instead of arrogant!
Listen carefully for the prompting of the Holy Spirit in you. Don’t just blurt out everything you know about Christianity in one single, long-winded sentence.
Be honest about your own mess-ups and weaknesses. People respect this and are more likely to listen to someone if they’re not trying to be ‘super-spiritual’.
Be gentle and LOVE your friend, especially if you’re saying hard stuff to them; stuff they might find really hard to take on board.
Leave them the freedom to choose, just like Jesus did. (See Matt 19:16-26). Jesus always respected peoples’ right to choose.
Don’t metaphorically bash them with the Bible! Go easy on people. Cultivate the art of connecting with people - learning to tell your story, listen to theirs and then introduce God’s story into the mix.
Talk naturally about your relationship with God – e.g. if they ask what you did at the weekend, tell them what you did at Church or youth group. Talk about what themes you studied in the service or something that might generate another question from your mate.
Get to know God’s word better for yourself. Try out www.wordlive.org for cool materials.
Live God’s word – ‘walk the walk’ as well as ‘talking the talk’. People always watch your life to see if you’re a fake or the real thing.
Lastly, try following the advice of St. Francis who famously said: ‘Preach God’s word to all of creation, using words wherever necessary’.