Thursday, November 13, 2014
What I learned from my two new sisters in Christ
Every time I am involved in helping someone become a Christian, I learn something. So here are my thoughts from two recent new sisters.
Joan grew up around church and learned early to love Jesus but never understood fully how that love translated into real life. Life for her, as for many of us, was hard. And one day she decided God and Jesus were not real. Just could not believe it any more. She went several years thinking it was not true.
But when life is hard you begin to wonder if there is not something better. Joan started questioning her non-belief. So she carefully reached out to a few trusted friends and relatives looking for help. What she wanted was for someone to explain the whole Jesus thing to her as if she had never heard it. She was not interested in a bunch of church politics or religious rules. And she really did not think she would believe. She just wanted to learn about it.
Leigh Ann responded to her. Didn't preach, did not question her. Just loved her, talked to her, prayed for her, and promised to find someone who would tell the Jesus story. Marsha and I go to church with Leigh Ann. She knew we liked to talk about Jesus, so she connected us. For several weeks we just told stories: her story, our story, Jesus stories. Talked about why it made sense to us. Helped her see a God that is real and a Jesus who cared about her. A real God loving real people living real life.
And one day Joan realized she believed it. So she decided to die with Jesus and be raised to a new life. Because God never quit loving her or pursuing her. Because someone cared about her and loved her. Because someone liked to share Jesus.
Now she is my sister. And I wonder how many more Joans are out there, carefully reaching out, wanting to hear without any strings attached.
Gabriela is being raised in a Christian family. She is a part of a family that is passionate about Jesus and about sharing her faith. Gabby has seen her parents share Jesus with other people. She is part of a holy family because of their faith. And over the past year or so she has been exploring making that faith hers and not her parents. Teenagers learn to be their own person. To transition from dependent child to independent adult. Most parents are intentional about that transition. And Christian families must be intentional about helping teenagers like Gabby transition to an independent faith.
So I really like the way she, her parents, and her church helped her transition. She had Bible school teachers and life group leaders who modeled Christ and let her ask questions. When she began to talk to her parents about the decision, they prayed with her, with each other, and even got some of her church family to pray about it. They had long conversations about what it means to follow Jesus personally and not because of family. They studied Scripture together and they gave her passages to study on her own. They had "their elder" come over and talk and pray with Gabby and with them.
It was intentional, it was prayerful, it was Bible based. It was a mature process. They let her take her time. And she decided to follow Jesus on her own. Not just because her parents follow him, but because it was her choice. So with many of her church family, life group leaders, and her birth family watching... Gabby died and was raised with Jesus. Her Mom read Scripture, her Dad baptized her, her elder prayed over her.
It was holy. And it gave me a really good blueprint to share with parents who want to do exactly what Gabby's parents did. Teach your child to not follow Jesus because of family, but start following because it is personal.
God, bless Joan and Gabby. Thank you for friends and family that help us know Jesus... and who lead us to make him our own.
Raise your kids to follow Jesus. Look for the seekers and the questioners God puts in your life.
And tell the story.
Joan grew up around church and learned early to love Jesus but never understood fully how that love translated into real life. Life for her, as for many of us, was hard. And one day she decided God and Jesus were not real. Just could not believe it any more. She went several years thinking it was not true.
But when life is hard you begin to wonder if there is not something better. Joan started questioning her non-belief. So she carefully reached out to a few trusted friends and relatives looking for help. What she wanted was for someone to explain the whole Jesus thing to her as if she had never heard it. She was not interested in a bunch of church politics or religious rules. And she really did not think she would believe. She just wanted to learn about it.
Leigh Ann responded to her. Didn't preach, did not question her. Just loved her, talked to her, prayed for her, and promised to find someone who would tell the Jesus story. Marsha and I go to church with Leigh Ann. She knew we liked to talk about Jesus, so she connected us. For several weeks we just told stories: her story, our story, Jesus stories. Talked about why it made sense to us. Helped her see a God that is real and a Jesus who cared about her. A real God loving real people living real life.
And one day Joan realized she believed it. So she decided to die with Jesus and be raised to a new life. Because God never quit loving her or pursuing her. Because someone cared about her and loved her. Because someone liked to share Jesus.
Now she is my sister. And I wonder how many more Joans are out there, carefully reaching out, wanting to hear without any strings attached.
Gabriela is being raised in a Christian family. She is a part of a family that is passionate about Jesus and about sharing her faith. Gabby has seen her parents share Jesus with other people. She is part of a holy family because of their faith. And over the past year or so she has been exploring making that faith hers and not her parents. Teenagers learn to be their own person. To transition from dependent child to independent adult. Most parents are intentional about that transition. And Christian families must be intentional about helping teenagers like Gabby transition to an independent faith.
So I really like the way she, her parents, and her church helped her transition. She had Bible school teachers and life group leaders who modeled Christ and let her ask questions. When she began to talk to her parents about the decision, they prayed with her, with each other, and even got some of her church family to pray about it. They had long conversations about what it means to follow Jesus personally and not because of family. They studied Scripture together and they gave her passages to study on her own. They had "their elder" come over and talk and pray with Gabby and with them.
It was intentional, it was prayerful, it was Bible based. It was a mature process. They let her take her time. And she decided to follow Jesus on her own. Not just because her parents follow him, but because it was her choice. So with many of her church family, life group leaders, and her birth family watching... Gabby died and was raised with Jesus. Her Mom read Scripture, her Dad baptized her, her elder prayed over her.
It was holy. And it gave me a really good blueprint to share with parents who want to do exactly what Gabby's parents did. Teach your child to not follow Jesus because of family, but start following because it is personal.
God, bless Joan and Gabby. Thank you for friends and family that help us know Jesus... and who lead us to make him our own.
Raise your kids to follow Jesus. Look for the seekers and the questioners God puts in your life.
And tell the story.
