Make a Difference A Day

"God has given us his Spirit. That's why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. (1 Corinthians 2:12, CEV)

Welcome to a new venture that God has leant on me about. It will be about innovation in doing Church and opening up options on evangelism, mission and church community, looking from outside the box.

The title stemmed from a group that was formed at a church we fellowshipped in about 3 stops ago. It was an accountability type group with a gospel bent and the name was MAD. This was an acronym for Make A Difference.

My fundamental belief is that God uses the Billy Grahams of our faith, and, now who was it who introduced him to Jesus? Anyone who has had any experience in the entertainment industry, and for that matter any large business, knows that there are “headliners” and the “rest”. Headliners are the ones who get all the raves and publicity but if you took away the rest, in a performance sense it would be a no show: headliners just cannot carry a show by themselves. God uses the Billy Grahams of evangelism to get unchurched people into a position where they can hear the Gospel but the discipleship is something that is done by the rest. By the same token if/when the rest do not live up to the new Christian’s expectations then he or she will be out the back door in no time flat and in all probability it will be harder to reach them next time.

The above was a roundabout way to introduce the concept that it is the little things in our lives that make a difference. If we treat people with love, even the checkout chicks, it may take time for that love to be recognized but then Jesus can be introduced. Patience is the key with this kind of gospel but who has something better to do. I recall a tale recently of a sportsperson who competed regularly with another and over the period of two or three competitions started introducing her faith into conversations. It wasn’t long before the other competitor asked whether she was being made a project and that opportunity (for now) was lost. If people see us regularly doing things that they would never consider doing, they have to make a judgement call as to why, and this in turn can lead them to ask the question that DL Moody is reputed to have asked.

A senior salesman was finishing up that day and his prayer had been, for 40 years that he might be allowed to lead someone to the Lord. Suddenly here was this junior stock boy coming up to him and saying just those words. You are different will you tell me why? The guy with tears of gratitude in his eyes, proceeded to tell DL about his Saviour and Main Man as some might say today.

How open are you, and I, to see in the mundane normality of our lives the hand of God offering solace to a hurting community? Jesus said

18* “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed 19* and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.” Luke 4:18-19

Isn’t this just the sort of focus we should have as we go about our daily work and lives seeing those we come across in the light that He sees them and loving them just as He does. It may be difficult at times, but as Jesus Ambassadors it seems, to me, that it is a part of our job description just as much as our paid or unpaid work.