“The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him [Jesus]; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.” (Luke 8:38–39, RSV)
“Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn't able to buy it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner's home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked. Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector's emotions were deeply stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It's yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it."” (“Our Daily Bread”, February 4, 1994)
Some Christians are like that collector. They take the beautiful gospel and collect spiritual memories and the knowledge of Jesus and keep it in their hearts. Other Christians are like Fritz Kreisler. They not only know the gospel when they hear it, they want to share the beauty and knowledge of it with their world. Are you more of a spiritual collector, keeping the knowledge of love of God to yourself, keeping your faith private and your love of God to yourself? Or, are you more of a spiritual gift giver, willing to share your love of God and experiences of faith with those to whom God sends you? Your answer is crucially important to future generations!
When I was young, I thought that a person’s faith was personal and confidential. It was something shared between me and God. I might talk about my faith during worship, or when asked a question, but most people didn’t know what I believed. The more I studied scripture and met other more spiritual Christians, I learned that this personal and confidential belief system was misinformed. I did need a personal faith in Jesus, but it was not to be a confidential thing. I was not to keep my faith only to myself. The world needed to hear about my faith. So did God.
The scripture reading for today occurs after a man was healed. Jesus exorcised a multitude of demons from the man. Being grateful to be healed and in his right mind, the man “begged” to be with Jesus (Luke 8:38). However, the man learned that Jesus did not want him to be a regular disciple. Jesus had another mission for him. Jesus told him that mission with the words, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). I do not believe that Jesus wanted only this man to share his faith with his world. Jesus told the disciples to share their faith and heal on their journey written about in Luke 10. They even exorcised demons while on the way! Thus, the job of a follower of Jesus is not just to perform healings and pray and fight demons. The job of a follower of Jesus is also to share the faith wherever they are sent!
In response to Jesus’ command for the healed man to share his faith in his hometown, the healed man did as he was told. Luke 8:39 tells us that the man proclaimed “throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him”. If Jesus has done something in your life, don’t you think he’d want you to do the same?
There are two main mistakes Christians make regarding sharing the gospel. One mistake I did as a youth. I did not share the gospel message. Some do not share the gospel out of shame or embarrassment, peer pressure or a desire to be popular. Not sharing the gospel says something to God: the gospel message isn’t as important as other things. The other main mistake Christians make is to go overboard in sharing their faith. They bug people with the gospel. They force the gospel message down people's throats where some tact should have been used instead. Sometimes, sharing the gospel without words in specific situations may be the preferred method of evangelism.
Do others know you are a Christian? Are you an obnoxious Christian? Are you willing to share the gospel as God calls you? These are crucial questions for your faith. Your answers to these questions will display for this generation and the next whether Jesus was really your Savior.
Some Christians are like that collector. They take the beautiful gospel and collect spiritual memories and the knowledge of Jesus and keep it in their hearts. Other Christians are like Fritz Kreisler. They not only know the gospel when they hear it, they want to share the beauty and knowledge of it with their world. Are you more of a spiritual collector, keeping the knowledge of love of God to yourself, keeping your faith private and your love of God to yourself? Or, are you more of a spiritual gift giver, willing to share your love of God and experiences of faith with those to whom God sends you? Your answer is crucially important to future generations!
When I was young, I thought that a person’s faith was personal and confidential. It was something shared between me and God. I might talk about my faith during worship, or when asked a question, but most people didn’t know what I believed. The more I studied scripture and met other more spiritual Christians, I learned that this personal and confidential belief system was misinformed. I did need a personal faith in Jesus, but it was not to be a confidential thing. I was not to keep my faith only to myself. The world needed to hear about my faith. So did God.
The scripture reading for today occurs after a man was healed. Jesus exorcised a multitude of demons from the man. Being grateful to be healed and in his right mind, the man “begged” to be with Jesus (Luke 8:38). However, the man learned that Jesus did not want him to be a regular disciple. Jesus had another mission for him. Jesus told him that mission with the words, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). I do not believe that Jesus wanted only this man to share his faith with his world. Jesus told the disciples to share their faith and heal on their journey written about in Luke 10. They even exorcised demons while on the way! Thus, the job of a follower of Jesus is not just to perform healings and pray and fight demons. The job of a follower of Jesus is also to share the faith wherever they are sent!
In response to Jesus’ command for the healed man to share his faith in his hometown, the healed man did as he was told. Luke 8:39 tells us that the man proclaimed “throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him”. If Jesus has done something in your life, don’t you think he’d want you to do the same?
There are two main mistakes Christians make regarding sharing the gospel. One mistake I did as a youth. I did not share the gospel message. Some do not share the gospel out of shame or embarrassment, peer pressure or a desire to be popular. Not sharing the gospel says something to God: the gospel message isn’t as important as other things. The other main mistake Christians make is to go overboard in sharing their faith. They bug people with the gospel. They force the gospel message down people's throats where some tact should have been used instead. Sometimes, sharing the gospel without words in specific situations may be the preferred method of evangelism.
Do others know you are a Christian? Are you an obnoxious Christian? Are you willing to share the gospel as God calls you? These are crucial questions for your faith. Your answers to these questions will display for this generation and the next whether Jesus was really your Savior.