If Jesus is the greatest thing ever, then it stands to reason that we should seek to tell others about Him. When we talk about witnessing one of the first things many people will say is that they believe they witness by the life they live. I agree with lifestyle evangelism, but only to a point. I believe that our lives must back up what we claim. Really, this is an extremely critical element of being a witness, and it’s very Biblical. 



However when we use lifestyle evangelism as an excuse not to talk to someone 
personally about Jesus, we have taken this further than the Scriptures do.

There is a snazzy quote people often use to sum up their view of this. It says, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” That’s a great bumper sticker. It probably looks great on a coffee mug. And buddy, it’ll get some massive likes as a Facebook status. The only problem with it is the Bible. I once read a statement that said, “Preach the gospel. If necessary use words” is like saying, “Tell me your phone number. If necessary, use digits.” Words are absolutely necessary in sharing the Gospel.

“For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:13-14 (NKJV)

Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions. These questions are the equivalent to saying, “one cannot unless…” In asking these questions, Paul is emphasizing the necessity of someone clearly explaining the Gospel to others. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. However, how can a person call on the Lord if they don’t believe in Him? The reality is they can’t. No one is going to call upon the Lord to save them unless they truly believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. Paul goes on and asks how can a person believe in Jesus in order to call on them to save them if they’ve never heard about Him? It’s impossible for someone to believe on someone that they’ve never heard of. Finally, he asks how someone will hear about Jesus if no one tells them. They won’t. They will never hear about Jesus unless someone tells them about Him.

We all work with, live by, or in some way have contact with someone who has never really heard the truth about Jesus. If you and I won’t tell them who will? Chances are, no one will. How sad to think that people we know will die and enter into a Christless eternity because we chose not to tell them about Jesus.

I really think that one reason we are so hesitant to tell others about Jesus is because we are afraid they will ask us questions we don’t have the answers for. The truth is this may well happen. But another truth is that you don’t have to have all the answers to any question they may have for you.

In Mark’s Gospel we are told about a man who was possessed by a demon. He spent his time roaming around naked in a graveyard, screaming and hitting himself with rocks. We don’t know how long this went on, but we know when it ended. It ended when Jesus came on the scene. Jesus cast the demon out and saved this man.

When Jesus left this region this man wanted to come with Him, but Jesus wouldn’t let him. Instead of going with Jesus, Jesus told him to go and tell others what great things God had done for him (Mark 5:19-20). All this guy was told to do was go and tell others what God had done for him. The Bible tells us that everyone was amazed at his testimony. Really, this is all we are expected to do.

There are people who will argue with you until the cows come home. Jesus doesn’t expect us to out argue them. In fact, I’m not real sure anyone is ever won to Jesus through the winning of an argument. However, what you can do is simply tell them what great things God has done for you.

You can tell them what Jesus means to you. You can tell them about the changes Jesus has made in your life. You can tell them about answers to prayer. You can tell them what the Bible says about their need for Jesus. You can show them how to be saved.

All believers need to resolve to tell at least one person about Jesus this year. If Jesus really is the greatest thing that has ever happened to us, then we should seek to introduce others to Him. We can only introduce others to Jesus, if we tell them about Jesus.

This post was written by Rev Ross.  You can find the original post here:  http://stacyjross.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/resolve-to-tell-others-about-jesus/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Actor Sean Astin has had a long-standing career in Hollywood. From starring as Mikey in “The Goonies” to his role as Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, he has entertained and inspired audiences for decades. In a new interview with Beliefnet’s John W. Kennedy, Astin recently discussed his career, his faith and a Christian movie he recently filmed called “Mom’s Night Out.”

It may come as a surprise to some that Astin, who has said in the past that he doesn’t wear his faith on his sleeve, is religious. But a close look at his career and his public comments corroborate this very fact. In his discussion with Kennedy, Astin described his faith journey in detail and didn’t hesitate to call himself a faithful Christian.

He detailed his fascinating faith journey — one that encapsulated experiences with Buddhism, Judaism, Catholicism, agnosticism and Protestantism (they all touched him in some way). Today, Astin is a Lutheran, having been officially baptized along with his wife at a church in Indiana. But growing up, his stepfather, actor John Astin, was a Buddhist and his birth father was Jewish.

Beyond that, his mother, actress Patty Duke, is a Catholic — at least nominally. When Kennedy asked about this dynamic, the entertainer was candid:

“Well, it depends on when you ask her and who you ask. I think today she would probably consider herself a Catholic. She’s had a really kind of tortured relationship [with the Church]. I [remember] when my sister died. There’s this group of nuns that lived in a convent nearby. She insisted that they be there. So, you know, when you talk about self identifying versus how people practice versus the culture versus all these kinds of things I think my mom is a feels very comfortable with her Catholicism.”

In a previous interview with Sherry Huang (also published on Beliefnet), Astin was asked about his favorite prayer. He cited a Democratic National Committee member named Ron Dugger, who had once set up a meeting between the actor and then-Sen. John Kerry at a time during which Astin was politically active.

“There’s a guy named Rob Dugger who was a very senior member of the Democratic National Committee. [A]fter I’d met with John Kerry, [Rob had] arranged a meeting and this [was] at the height of my trying to grapple with what I was able to accomplish–and not–on a political level,”Astin told Huang. “We just had this conversation, and I asked him that question. [H]e said every morning he wakes up and he says a prayer, ‘Allow me to be an instrument of Your will.’”

Astin said the prayer really resonated with him and that he has uttered it “a few thousand times” since first hearing it.

It seems the actor has put his money where his mouth is, too. While he generally doesn’t shout his faith from mountaintops, Astin actively participates in projects, both in the faith and Hollywood realms, that tout positive, Christian values.

Consider the fact that he provided the voice of Matthew in the “Truth and Life Dramatized Audio New Testament” a few years back. Catholic Online described the project as “a dramatic and powerful audio recording of the Bible that brings the Word to life using the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) text.”

“For people who care about the Bible as revealed truth, this is a gateway to make it accessible to them and I’m proud to be associated with that,” he told the outlet of the project.

Astin also shared a personal story in the 2011 interview, showcasing the importance that the Bible — and this particular project — have in his own life:

“The other day I was with my daughter and she has a middle school chapel service. When she got out, I was asking her questions about the passages they were looking at. At first she couldn’t remember so I downloaded a Bible program onto my iPhone and we were scrolling through it, just riding in the car!

“If you pass muster and people make it to a second CD, you know it’s really important to them. When anyone is listening, you are purveying revealed truth to people and it carries a real responsibility. You have to decide whether you want to do that whether you want participate in that.

“I don’t actually walk around wearing my faith on my sleeve or anything but I went to Catholic school for three years. You get to certain passages about the Last Supper or the Crucifixion and I’ve heard them a lot in church and they were spoken by a priest.

“And now the words that were being uttered by a priest to a congregation are coming through my eyes and sound! These massive ideas are being poured out and it gives you goose bumps sometimes. You’re portraying revealed truth!”

All this considered, his new movie, too, is faith-based in nature. “Mom’s Night Out” is described as “an endearing, true-to-life family comedy.” It centers upon a few mothers who want to go out for an evening of fun. With their husbands left to care for the kids, chaos and comedy unfold.

The film, set to be released in 2014, is produced by Andrew and Jon Erwin, the filmmaking brothers who also brought forth the successful pro-life movie “October Baby.” For more about Astin, be sure to visit his official website.

For the original post, go to:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/07/hollywood-actor-opens-up-about-his-christian-faith/