Jesus is more on people's minds during the Christmas holidays, than any other time. Here are a few simple ideas to help you reach out this season to the lost people you know, who may be thinking about Jesus.
- You have a choice with every card, call, letter and gift as it relates to Christmas - does it display or represent something of Christ or does it lean toward Santa, snowmen, and outdoor winter scenery? Choose those that point toward Jesus.
- Write that letter to someone you love, thanking them for what they mean to you and telling them what Jesus has done for you.
- Have those lost neighbors or friends over, and pray for open doors to speak about your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Give something special to people in your world - something nice that helps point them to Jesus.
Be intentional about sharing Jesus in these days before Christmas. There is no greater gift you could give to your Savior this Christmas than the life of someone He died for!
We tend to think that communicating Jesus is something we delegate to a "pro" - a pastor, an evangelist, someone with all the training. But the plan of Jesus was evident from the day He arrived - that everyday believers be the ones to tell people about Him. Who could have been more "everyday" than cultural outcasts, like shepherds? But they were the first spiritual rescuers that ever spread the life-saving news about the Savior.
One of the challenges everyday rescuers face is transitioning from the everyday conversation to Jesus. Hutchcraft Ministries wants to help you face that challenge in a couple of practical ways.
A key to remember is to present a relationship, not a religion. Talk about the difference life's most important relationship - knowing Jesus - has made in your own life. Share how Jesus has brought you hope and how your life would be, without Him. That's your own personal "hope story."
Revise one of the following paragraphs to fit your friend or family member that you will be with this Christmas season. You are welcome to use any of the wording in these paragraphs, but they are really intended to serve as "idea starters" to help you put this information into your own words.
Someone who has made a lot of mistakes in life:
It's stuff you've hung onto so long - including the guilt of it all, the shame, the regrets of what you wish you had done differently. But Jesus took all that on Himself when He died on the cross. He's waiting to take it from you, at the moment you put your total trust in Him to be your personal Savior from your personal sin. It happens the moment you give yourself to Him, turning from that sin and placing your life in His hands. You can be washed clean today!
A friend who is a business leader or professional who is feeling unsatisfied:
We were created to follow Jesus as our Shepherd. But every one of us - including the most religious person - all of us have said, like Frank Sinatra, "I'll do it my way." And that's why we feel so lost, so empty, and why we can't figure out what the meaning of our life is. We've wandered away from the only One who knows why we're here, the One we were made for. And like sheep without a shepherd, we eventually wander into a wolf, into starvation, or over the edge of a cliff. It's hard to admit, but real life begins when you're ready to admit, "I'm a lost sheep."
A conversation about going to heaven:
Most everyone wants to go to heaven, and most everyone is going about it the wrong way. We think we can pay for the gift ourselves by being a good person, helping people, believing the right beliefs, or doing religious things. Romans 6:23 tells us that all we can earn is the wages of sin, which is death! We deserve the death penalty God has put on anyone who has disobeyed His laws and run their own life. We all have! We don't deserve the gift of eternal life. Someone else had to pay for it, and someone else did. "Christ Jesus our Lord" is the One who paid for it, the Bible says. The sinless Son of God carried the death penalty for your sin and mine when He died on that awful cross. The gift becomes yours when you reach out to Jesus and tell Him you want to live life His way, not your way.
A conversation about why we don’t have peace:
It's only heaven, it's only God that can finally bring peace to the lifelong storm in your heart. One of the classic Scriptures of Christmas suggests why we don't have God's peace and how we can. In Isaiah 9:6, the Bible says: "Unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." There it is. Jesus came to be our Prince of Peace, but you can't have His peace, until He's your Prince.
A friend who has lost a loved one by death or divorce or any other way:
There is a love that cannot be taken away by death, by anything in heaven, by anything in hell, by anything happening right now, by anything that will happen, by your highs or by your lows. And just in case anything got missed - not by "anything else in all creation." This would sound too good to be true, except it's God who's promising it. A love you cannot lose - God's love. We were made for God's love, but we've all missed God's love, because we've lived our way instead of His way. And no other love has been able to fill His place in our life.
If you would like for our team to pray with you for a friend, family member or co-worker's heart to be open, and for an opportunity for you to present Jesus, simply email a first name of who you would like us to pray for, at this link. What a privilege to join with you in that way!
We pray someone you care for will have their first Christmas with Jesus!