February 24, 2014
If someone asked what the “Good News” is, what would you tell them?
Savior of the world
Christians believe that Jesus is coming back again. A terrifying time of unprecedented persecution and suffering, destruction and death will precede His return, however (Revelation 6:1–16:21). Satan will cause havoc, severely persecuting those who believe in God.
pizza box evangelist
My wife and I were downtown trying to start spiritual conversations with people we met. We came across a 23-year-old street dweller and shared the gospel with him using a method called The Big Story. It involves drawing circles to explain God’s story and plan of salvation. The young man had a pizza box at his feet as he sat on a street bench, so I drew on it as I explained the good news. God moved in his heart and he received Jesus as his Savior! What’s more, later we saw him sharing the circles on the box with a man who had joined him on the bench. Then, not long afterward, the new believer in Jesus was showing them to another person.
true
A groom stands at the end of the aisle, transfixed by his beautiful bride in her white, flowing gown. As they exchange their rings and say their marriage vows, the groom thinks to himself, This is too good to be true! In another corner of the world, a nurse places a newborn child in her mother’s arms. As the mom lovingly gazes at the pink face and tiny fingers, she’s filled with joy and wonder.
place for the unfit
Downsize Fitness is a health club with a unique niche. It caters only to people who want to lose at least 50 pounds. Tara Lawton, a member of Downsize Fitness, quit her health club because she sensed she didn’t fit in. She said that people always seemed to be silently judging her. Then she found Downsize Fitness and loves it. Downsize is attractive to people like Lawton because it welcomes overweight people and then encourages them as they shed pounds and get healthy. Just as Downsize reaches out to the physically unfit, 2 millennia ago Jesus reached out to the spiritually unfit and used them to spread the good news about the kingdom of God.
titanic 101
When the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, evangelist John Harper was among the 1,522 people who died. After putting his 6-year-old daughter on a lifeboat, John ran throughout the ship and warned others about the eternal destiny of their souls. When he finally had to jump into the icy water, he clung to a piece of wreckage and asked another man, “Are you saved?” When the man answered, “No,” John said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). This man was the last convert of John Harper.
recalculating relationships
A comedian once mused that he wished someone would make a GPS for husbands. He said something like this: GPS: “Compliment your wife’s appearance.” Comedian: “Hey, honey, you look really good.” GPS: “Ask her about her day.” Comedian: “How was your day, sweetheart?” GPS: “Pretend to be listening.” Comedian: “Oh . . . Really . . .” GPS: “Flatter your wife.” Comedian: “Um . . . Hey, you’re gonna look really good once you put all your make-up on.” GPS: “Recalculating.”
oblivious
Dante Autullo had no idea that a 3.5-inch nail was embedded in his brain. He was totally oblivious. Having accidentally shot himself in the head with a nail gun in January 2012, Autullo thought he had only suffered a small cut . . . so he went back to work! Later, he started to feel nauseous and doctors subsequently found the nail lodged in the center of his brain. Amazingly, Dante came through surgery with no side effects, but with a new titanium plate in his skull.
the big three
My good friend Dan Keating is one of the most accomplished charter boat captains for salmon and trout on Lake Michigan. Over the past 25-plus years, he’s averaged an astounding 17 fish caught per charter.
Captain Dan (not to be mistaken for Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump), knows that to survive in the charter-fishing business he must locate fish day…
eyewitnesses
An eyewitness is one whose firsthand knowledge of a crime or an important event is used to ascertain the actual facts surrounding the event in a court of law. One witness is usually insufficient. “The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15).
Paul reminded the Corinthians to remember what they…
plan B
As a fisherman on Lake Michigan (one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes), I’ve had to change my plans on many occasions. Stormy weather or high waves have forced me to resort to a Plan B: either canceling the trip or limiting my fishing to the safer waters of a harbor or smaller inland lake. It’s not the end of…
friend of sinners
Jesus’ teachings can seem to be paradoxical.
Exhibit A: He requires a standard of living that’s even more rigorous than the Old Testament. Jewish law condemned adultery (Exodus 20:14); Jesus said that even looking at someone lustfully was wrong (Matthew 5:27- 28). Jewish law allowed for divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1); Jesus condemned it except for marital infidelity (Matthew 5:32). Many Jewish leaders misread…
missing
I held tightly to my husband as we hurried to catch a taxi. Night had settled, but the city continued to pulsate with a steady flow of cars, motorcycles, and people. Rounding a corner, I saw her sleeping in front of a store. Light from the doorway highlighted her young face, and her thin blanket came up short in covering…
not ashamed
"Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, He’s the one to fear" (Luke 12:4-5).
Jesus tells us in Matthew to let our…
prison break
"I absolutely know that in anybody’s eyes I was a traitor,” Mosab Hassan Yousef told the Wall Street Journal before the release of his book Son of Hamas. “To my family, to my nation, to my God. I crossed all the red lines in my society. I didn’t leave one that I didn’t cross.”
By “traitor,” Mosab—the son of Sheikh Hassan…
