Talking About Jesus

I was sitting in the Sears Auto Center a month or so ago when an older gentleman sat next to me.  His  car was making a noise he didn't like and it was in for a diagnosis (and ultimately more repairs than he would have liked).  I was in for the standard oil change and was hoping to get some 'work done' of my own - reading, study, responding to emails, etc.  But, my new waiting room partner didn't have a 'device' to take advantage of the free wi-fi.  And he didn't have a smart phone.  So, in a rather old fashioned way, he decided to try a classic technique to pass the time: start a conversation! 

He asked what I was reading.  I told him it was a book about how we can experience positive change in our lives (Tim Lane and Paul Tripp's How People Change).   Since I was reading it on my tablet he expressed relief that I wasn't playing one of those "mindless video games."  He then proceeded into one of those "I-don't-know-what's-wrong-with-these-kids-today!" monologues. 

Instead of agreeing, arguing or offering my own view of today's youth culture, I asked him questions.  "Do you have children? Grandchildren? Where do they live now? What kind of work did you do before you retired?"  And as I listened to his answers, what emerged was a portrait of a hardworking navy veteran who had started and prospered in several businesses, raised four children and generally had been a very respectable citizen. 

At one point, I pulled out the How Good Are You? booklets we make available to people here at the church.  (It contains a full explanation of the gospel - how God rescues us from the consequences of our rebellion against Him.)  I asked my new friend the question on the first page - "If you were to rate your goodness on a scale of one to ten (with ten being the best), what would you be?"  Without hesitation, he said he would probably be a ten.  He wasn't trying to be arrogant.  He was just being honest, as far as he knew.

I told him that given what I had learned about him, he might very well be a "ten" when compared to many others.  But I said that might only be true so long as other people were the standard of measure.  I explained that the Bible offers a standard of comparison that gives everyone a very different answer. He nodded as if that made him think a little and that was it.  We ran out of time and I left him the booklet and my contact information, for which he thanked me.

Here's the point.  Telling other people about Jesus often isn't about a delivering a full-length lecture.  It's about being faithful with an opportunity to move the conversation along to the next step with the circumstances you're given.  On that day at Sears, I was given the opportunity to help this man question his assumption of how 'goodness' is measured.  It was a question I pray lodges in his head and spurs him to further inquiry.  But it was also good reminder for me.  My standing before God isn't determined by how well I do evangelism on the "good-o-meter."  My eternity is wonderfully secured by the fact that Jesus is the only perfect ten.

Tom Harr

Do you ever feel like teenagers speak another language?  Are you sometimes left wondering what's going on inside their heads?  Are you overwhelmed with the idea of raising a teenager?  Well, if you are the parent of a teenager, a soon-to-be parent of a teenager, or someone who works with teenagers, I've got great news for you!  God is with you and has provided all that you need to face this challenge!  Join me this fall as I teach a class on Youth Culture.  In it we will address things such as:

• What is Adolescence?
• Biblical Goals in Raising Teenagers
• Teenage Development
• Teenagers and Faith
• Entertainment and Social Media
• Teenagers and Sex
• Teenage Rebellion
• Teenage Depression and Suicide
• Discipling Teenagers

This class will be extremely practical, surprisingly educational, and refreshingly Gospel centered.  Participants will receive a detailed workbook as part of the class. Until then, check out our parent resource page. 

See you September 14th!