‘Sharing is caring’, our granddaughter has learned in school.  Not being selfish, keeping the best news in this world to ourselves.  Someone bothered to share Jesus with me… and you.  Some make sharing our faith a very complicated experience.  Make sure they know every detail of the faith.  Pass some theological test to receive salvation.  No easy-believism.  Of course, that’s right.

Faith not just a nod of the head or saying some rote words.  Commitment is a promise to keep.  But in the beginning I think it’s more about intent than content.  When I accepted the Lord into my life as a teenager, all I knew was that God loved me;  and if asked,  He would come into my life.  Plain and simple.  To me, earth-shattering.   I knew  I didn’t deserve His love and forgiveness.  I felt bad enough.  I couldn’t have told you any more than that, plain and simple.  If given a test, ‘F’ was not for Fischer but for failure…to know very much about the faith I now embraced.

The content of the Bible came later… and is still coming.  Content is great,  but in the beginning is the intent to be a follower of the Lord.  That’s not always easy.  I like to lead.  Be in charge.  Set the tone.  Follow me… instead.

Not with the Lord.  He’s not looking for more leaders, but more followers.  That content is gradually (though incompletely) my intent as well.  Be a good follower of Jesus.  Learn all you can from Him and His Word.  Give Him the lead.

That’s why I love the plain and simple witness of the Apostle Paul on a distressed ship at sea found in Acts 27.  My wife and I have been at sea during some rather big storms.  Cruise ships with stabilizers still rock-and-roll if the waves are big enough.  When the sea-sick bags show up on all the railings, it’s time to head back to our stateroom!

In Acts 27, Luke records a devastating storm at sea that will have catastrophic effect on cargo and ship.  But not the crew and passengers…for the Lord has told Paul through angelic messenger– ‘…this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship… take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told…'(Acts 27: 23, 25).  That’s Paul’s witness.  Plain and simple.

Those who believed in Jesus, as Paul did, learned later all that that entailed.  The intent was to seek help from the Lord.  The content of the Word of God comes later.  The one will lead to the other.  Different pace for different folk.  Be patient.  Share the Gospel…and  your faith, plain and simple.  Let the Holy Spirit work the rest…Amen?

Prayer:  Lord, we need Holy Spirit guidance and understanding to be all you want us to be.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.