A week or so ago we wrote about my daughter and her obsession with the new television series "Glee." Her enthusiasm has not lessened since that time. It was my assignment to somehow work the show into the sermon for the week. That is exactly what I did. Part of the printed outline for Sunday used the word glee in it. We also mentioned how when you are excited about something that it becomes a topic for frequent conversation. That was the second study on how we can be successful as believers or as a congregation. We must have a positive message to share with others in need of hope. If we do not tell then others cannot hear.

Evangelism can be a scary word. Sometimes our image is that of going door to door like the old time bible salesmen to surprise people with an unannounced visit. Let me confess that this is one area of life that is always in need of improving. There are some believers who might could read out of a phone book and have people converted. This is not remotely true for me. My building relationships with those outside of church seems to go well but after that comes the struggle. But there is still something healthy about moving past the comfort zone in order to be a bridge between others and God. As one of my dentists would say, "It's character building."

Jesus would send the disciples out to learn how they could make a difference in the lives of people. They would be instructed to carry out the message that they heard so often. It would be the overflow of their encounter with Him. Here is the heart of being able to share the faith with others. We must have an experience with God that is worth sharing. Someone defined evangelism as simply telling someone what God did in your life since you woke up on any given day. You are indeed the visual image of God's work but there will always be the need for a verbal message.

This obviously calls for us to spend valuable time with our God in order for Him to continue shaping our life. We open our heart to Him as we pray for others as well as listen to His word to our heart. One outcome of this is that we learn to see people through the eyes of God. Too often we only surround ourselves with people like us. Outreach will demand that we spend time with those who may be very much unlike who we are. It may even involve getting to know those who at the moment have no interest in God. They can never begin to grasp His love for them if we are unwilling to express it. Even doing small yet practical acts of kindness can open the door for us to tell someone that it is our acceptance of God's love that moves us to action.

It's my belief that God rewards us when we are willing to break out of our fears or insecurities about telling someone what He means to us. We may not be the ones who see the eternal results but God will use us to open a door to their heart. We cannot be successful in our life or in our church without the choice to share our faith. This may mean we rub shoulders with some very talented sinners. It will also mean that the sinner just may become part of God's eternal purpose. Now that would be something worth celebrating!

Bro. Trey