Graham Daniels
For the psalmist such knowledge is too wonderful — it is liberating and delightful and comforting ( Psalm 139:6 ). God never misses a moment of your life . Our journey through life is uncertain and precarious , but God knows our life as a whole . It is tempting to be anxious about the future , but with a God there is nothing to fear . All because there is nothing he doesn ’ t know . Nothing catches him by surprise or spoils his plans . He will never put one step wrong . There is no mystery to him . ’ How precious to me are your thoughts , God ! How vast is the sum of them !’ ( Psalm 139:17 ).
With a small non-simple ‘ creaturely ’ God there is always the chance of caprice . What happens if he ‘ loses ’ some knowledge ? What happens if he changes to become less loving ? But with a ‘ simple ’ God he can no more cease to be good and loving than he can cease to be . He could no more break his promises than he can cease to exist . Simplicity brings full assurance and confidence — God is bigger than you imagined , better than you imagined , more knowledgeable than you imagined , and therefore more to be trusted than you imagined . He really is a very solid rock indeed , and worthy of your highest praise .
Graham Daniels
SHARING JESUS DAY-TO-DAY
We probably all know that evangelism , the sharing of the good news of Jesus to our friends , colleagues , family and community , is an important and good thing . After all , how will people know of God ’ s astounding love , his gracious gift of rescue through his son , and the coming judgment , if no-one tells them ( Romans 10:14 ).
However , we can often find ourselves overwhelmed by this task , afraid , guilty , or preferring to leave it for the ‘ expert ’ preachers , or , associate evangelists to do ! So , to help us in this , here are a few pointers as we seek to make Jesus known in the day-to-day with those we ’ ve been placed amongst .
When we ’ re looking to engage our friends with the message of the gospel it is so helpful if we have built a foundation of a ‘ normal ’, healthy relationship . So , share your life with your colleagues and neighbours , be interested in what ’ s going on with the lives of your friends and family . Show hospitality , make time , show commitment .
When Jesus sends the disciples on an ‘ evangelism training exercise ’ ( Matthew 10 , Mark 6 , Luke 10 ), he instructs them to find the ‘ person of peace ’ when they enter each new village ; to look for those who are receptive to the good news , those who God is already at work in . And so , for us , we also need to be on the look-out for the person of peace . In our day-to-day interactions make a deliberate point of giving your faith ‘ air time ’. By talking about it you give others an opportunity to respond : a colleague reacts favourably when you tell them that you go to church , a neighbour shows interest in how your faith in God helps you in times of suffering , a friend is intrigued by your trust in Jesus in the face of uncertainty . Look for the person of peace .
Once we have found a person of peace we need to be looking for ways to get the Bible open with them . This can seem like the hardest part of making Christ known – hence why it is called ‘ the pain line ’! But , it is absolutely essential ! It is only by God ’ s word that God ’ s work of saving the lost will be achieved . You don ’ t need to make it into a formal event , you can simply pick one story from the gospels and spend 10 minutes discussing it and asking questions about the passage over coffee or a pint . Why not ask “ have you ever had an opportunity as an adult to read through the first-hand accounts of Jesus ' life ?”, the worst they can say is “ No , and I don ' t want to !” There are also some great resources to help ( essentially Bible studies for non-Christians ); Uncover and Discovering the Real Jesus , both available at the bookstall or from the Good Book Company .
Remember , it is God ’ s word that does God ’ s work , so we don ’ t need to be overwhelmed by fear , guilt or worry – it is God who saves , not us , let ’ s trust him in this .
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