Good morning: In 1936 a salesman named Dale Carnegie authored a book titled, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” It quickly became a bestseller which remains popular even today. Millions of people have applied its principles to help them in their personal and professional lives. After all, who doesn’t want friends and greater confidence that others will listen to you? Is that also the essence of effective Christian witnessing? Is it just a matter of personal appearance and presentation? It’s easy to think that way and imagine that the effectiveness of the gospel is dependent upon the messenger. It’s one of the biggest obstacles to witnessing. Have you ever thought, “It won’t do any good to speak to this person about Jesus, because they will never listen to me”? If it’s a friend, they won’t listen because they know me too well. They know my quirks and faults. If it’s a stranger, they won’t listen because I’m just an ordinary person with no special credentials or prestige. That was Moses’ excuse for not going back to Egypt: “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Ex. 3:11). The pressure would be intense if it were up to us to bring people to faith. It would be understandable if we were to “play it safe” by keeping our mouths shut. God’s answer to Moses was, “I will be with you.” Success was not dependent on the person of Moses, but on the Lord who sent him and gave him the message to speak. In Isaiah the Lord says, “My word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Is. 55:11). Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). The pressure is off. The Lord gives us the message to speak and promises that He will make it work. It doesn’t matter who we are. We don’t have to pretend we’re something that we’re not. We don’t have to be impressive public speakers, popular at work or school, or admired around town. We don’t have to wonder what to say or dread delivering a useless message. We have thrilling, exciting, comforting, reassuring news. We get to tell of God’s Son who loved us in spite of our guilt, even to the point of dying in our place. He did it all. Forgiveness, peace with God, and eternal life in heaven are all ours in Him. We get to tell others, “Believe it. It’s yours too!” Whom can you tell today? Yours in Christ, Pastor Service time tomorrow is 9 a.m. Our convention delegates, Norm Mackensen and Bryon Nelson, will report briefly on the recent CLC Convention after the service.
