Lee Strobel, author of the best-selling The Case for Christ, describes several key considerations to keep in mind when sharing the gospel. Before Jesus spoke to His neighbors about their Heavenly Father, He would first lift them up in prayer. Therefore, prayer should be at the foundation of our efforts. Jesus was also always available for skeptics to ask tough questions about the faith. We should be equally open and welcoming to those who doubt.
When pediatrician Dr. Jerry Kartzinel puts autistic children on a dairy and gluten-free diet, 75% of them respond dramatically,like a fog has lifted! He analogizes that these kids are like computers with a malfunctioning hard drive. Only after the "hard drive" has been repaired can "software" like speech and other therapies that are introduced show dramatic results.
Mark and Jenny were concerned when their first-born child wouldn't make eye contact, walked on his tiptoes, and didn't talk. At the age of three, he was diagnosed with autism, which sent Mark into a deep depression.
If you were asked to identify yourself in one word, what would it be? Parent? Spouse? American? If you've accepted Christ as your Savior, then that one word should be "Christian." The late E.V. Hill, then-pastor of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, preached a powerful sermon at a 1992 Promise Keepers event in Boulder, Colorado. In it, he reminds us of the truth of 1 Peter 2:9 which says, "We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession." In other words, our identity is in Jesus Christ.
A key component of a healthy marriage is the ability to humbly apologize. Unfortunately, few of us are very good at that. Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Languages of Apology, asked thousands of people, "When someone is apologizing to you, what do you want to hear them say or do?" Top answers included: express regret, accept responsibility, make restitution, genuinely repent, and request forgiveness. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance."
Dr. Gary Chapman, author of the best-selling book, The Five Love Languages, talks about the importance of words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, physical touch and gift-giving. He says that your spouse will feel truly loved when you emphasize his or her primary love language, and that parents need to determine their child's love language, as well.
Jesus was the ultimate man's man, a rugged carpenter with calloused hands who drove the money changers out of the Temple with a whip! Yet, He also empowered women, which would have been seen by the men in His day as radical and countercultural. Dr. Tim Clinton and Max Davis, co-authors of Take It Back: Reclaiming Biblical Masculinity, talk about men in the Bible and also recount the final words of King David on his deathbed to his son, Solomon, "Be strong, act like a man, and obey God." While the "cancel culture" may have Christian men on the ropes, history would suggest that they need to stand and fight for God and their families.
Hollywood and the popular culture typically portray fathers as toxic buffoons. In response to such unfair and harmful mischaracterizations, Dr. Tim Clinton and Max Davis, co-authors of Take It Back: Reclaiming Biblical Masculinity, present research that underscores the crucial contributions made by strong, godly dads. For instance, 76% of teen girls surveyed said that their father influenced their decision on whether or not to be sexually active; and when a dad divorces, his kids are 92% more likely to fail in their own marriages.
The late Chuck Colson, former Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon and founder of Prison Fellowship, was often asked, "How can I grow closer to God?" Chuck's answer was simple. As Jeremiah 22:16 records, when believers defend the cause of the poor and needy, that's how we can come to know God intimately. As you are serving the powerless, you will experience the power of God.
There is no better antidote to the dangerous lust for power than to serve others. That's the contention of the late Chuck Colson, former Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon and founder of Prison Fellowship. He learned that whether we are serving our spouse and children, those in the workplace or in our church, our service has the potential to communicate the love of Christ.
