Know What You Are For
Jeff Henderson, in his book Know What You’re For, tells a story of when he received such a gift; a surprise.
He was driving around town with a billionaire. He had never driven around a billionaire before. He found himself driving slower, more cautiously. Hands at ten and two. Eyes on the road.
His passenger was Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, the inventor of the famed chicken sandwich, and at that time, Henderson’s boss’ boss. He was driving Mr. Cathy to a speaking engagement in a white Ford with cow spots on it. As others passed the only cow-spotted car driving down the road, they gave them a wave or a smile.
The gift — the surprise — was the conversation he and Mr. Cathay enjoyed. Henderson was surprised that Mr. Cathy conversed with him at all, much less having many questions to ask him.
Once Cathy started talking, Henderson expected he would discuss sales or chicken. But instead he took a great interest in Henderson. He asked about his wife, his children, his parents. Then, they discussed parenting and how to be great husbands. They didn't talk about sales goals or chicken sandwiches. Instead, they talked about things of permanence.
Henderson drove slower, wanting to relish the moment.
These are moments — gifts — we may not recognize at the time. Moments that take their time. They quietly make their way through the crowded thoughts, experiences, and memories in our brain, and before we know it, they’re standing beside us.
At some point, we turn and recognize how these moments became a memory and how it has been shaping us the whole time.
The car ride and conversation with Truett Cathy was one such moment for Jeff Henderson. A seed was planted as Henderson realized Truett Cathy was "for" him. He was more interested in what he could do for Henderson than what Henderson could do for him.
This is the message of the Good News. Jesus — second Person of the Divine Trinity; Lord of the Universe — was born, lived, died, was resurrected, and ascended to Heaven, and will come back, all for us! His interests and concerns are not for Himself; they are for us. His mission wasn't for Himself; it was for us. Jesus is for us!
Since we know He is for us, let us live each day for Him!
"For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:8, ESV).
Looking at the Issue from All Angles
In a video made for Our Daily Bread, Nicole Mullen shares the following devotional.*
You may have heard of the metaphor of looking at an issue from all angels. I think of it like this:
You know, if there were four of us and we were looking at an elephant, all from the front, our description of him would, or could, be similar. You know, though one might describe, you know, his trunk, another his tusks, somebody else his legs, someone else his eyes, but for the most part we would be describing the front of him and we could all attest to the others' narrative, because we have witnessed the same sight.
Now, if the four of us were to spread out and I stood behind him, you stayed in front, and the other two on the sides of him, then our descriptions would change according to what we've seen and experienced. We would be describing different parts of the same elephant.
Now, I have to be careful not to discredit my neighbor's description, because they had not seen the creature from my vantage point. But if i choose to lean in and learn from their experience, then my view of the elephant grows and so does my knowledge and my wisdom.
*Click here to link to the full video.
“When it comes to cultural diversity,” says, ODB.org, “we’re all going to have different experiences. In order to show the love of Christ we need to listen and respect each other, and do as Paul says in Ephesians 4:2–3”:
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (NIV).
ALTERNATIVE APPLICATION:
When introducing the Gospel message to the world, the Lord was careful to give us the same story from several different vantage points. Like the four witness Nicole spoke of, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are all looking at the elephant — the Gospel account — from a different perspectives. It’s not until we look at the Gospel from all angles that we get the fullness of its message.
And the Survey Says - Christians Don't Witness As They Should
An Evangelism Explosion survey of 1002 Americans conducted by Lifeway Research in December 2021 found an alarming disparity between unbelievers’ openness to talking about spiritual things and Christians’ willingness to actually speak about them.*
Some key takeaways from the survey are as follows:
- 71% say that it is very important to have hope in their life
- 74% say that it is very important to have peace in their life
- 66% say that it is very important to have purpose and fulfillment in their life
- 55% say that it is very important to have certainty they will go heaven or have eternal life
- 61% say their interest in spiritual matters hasn’t changed compared to before COVID-19, but 32% are more interested
- 66% say they are open or very open to having a conversation about the Christian faith with a friend
- 52% say they are open or very open to having a conversation about the Christian faith with a stranger
- 65% say they are open or very open to talking with a friend about having a relationship with God
- 53% say they are open or very open to talking with a stranger about having a relationship with God
- 71% say when meeting someone new, they are open or very open to hearing their life story
- 69% want to hear why someone thinks their faith helps with a core human need
- 4 out of 10 (40%) say they wouldn’t think about faith on their own if a friend or family member didn’t bring it up
- 51% are curious as to why some people are devoted to their faith
- 6 out of 10 (60%) say that many of their friends who claim to be Christians rarely talk about their faith
“This study reveals that most Americans are open to talking about faith,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
But the sad, sorry realization is that the conversation is simply not happening as often as it ought.
Why is that? Can we blame cancel culture? The current war on Christianity? Closed mindedness on the part of the masses? New restrictions on religious liberty?
“It really isn’t about religious liberty, people not wanting to hear, or religion being off-limits. The reason conversations are not happening about the Christian faith is that Christians are not bringing it up.”
“Now, perhaps more than ever, people are open to conversations about faith [A whopping 32% of respondents said that since COVID, they are MORE open to talking about spiritual things], yet few Christians actually take the opportunity to engage in personal evangelism,” says Dr. John B. Sorensen, President and CEO of Evangelism Explosion International.
At a time when “one in 5 religiously unaffiliated Americans (20%) say they are more interested in spiritual matters,” it is heartbreaking to find that some 60% report that their “friends who claim to be Christians rarely talk about their faith.”
*About 38% of respondents were identified as already having some measure of Christian belief.
It’s hard to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” when we can’t seem to open our mouths to speak to our neighbors and friends. How can we close our lips when he has “commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42).
“For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (I Cor. 9:16 ESV)