Authenticity

Mark 12:37 (NKJV) And the common people heard Him gladly.

One of the greatest tools in evangelism, in sharing the gospel with those we love and care for, is authenticity. They need to not only hear the message from us, but see it lived through us in a real, true, and authentic way. Hypocrisy is simply unattractive, and not at all like Jesus.

As an unbeliever, lost - so desperately lost - I know that I was looking for something powerful, real, and authentic. What I had seen in the 'Christian World,' especially on TV, just wasn't real. Scandal after scandal rocked the popular preachers and it put a real sour taste in my rebellious mouth. It didn't help present Jesus to me at all.

So many today are still looking for that real, authentic, powerful connection with God. They aren't looking for some syrupy imitation. They don't want some Christian experience or some religious nonsense. What people are looking for is something worth living for; worth dying for.

Jesus is authentic. Jesus is real. Jesus is powerful.

Live out your life in Him and watch the people around you hunger for that authentic Savior you're so in love with!

In Mercy,
Pastor Ed


Response
Thanks for this, Pastor Ed. I was one of the 'strays' and have come back to the Lord. I know there must have been people praying for me for a long time, and I certainly felt the Shepherd calling me back to the fold. It is so good to be back in fellowship with the Lord and feeling again that best-friendship I missed so acutely in my life! It is a special blessing that my husband accepted Christ as his Savior the night I re-dedicated my life. We also have 2 little boys who now are being raised in a Christian home and will never remember a time when Mommy and Daddy didn't know Jesus. I am especially grateful for this timing because I want so much for my children to know the peace of God in a tangible way in their lives. God is SO GOOD! Just when you think you have gone too far and that God will never condescend to the place you find yourself, He reaches into the pit to pull you out. It is just too much for words.