Living His Story – Week 7(b) – Reaching Others
Jesus did not demand converts but disciples. Discipleship, however, takes time and is a life-long process.
Jesus did not demand converts but disciples. Discipleship, however, takes time and is a life-long process.
Conversion stories on the Road to Damascus and the Road to Emmaus.
“You mean,” asked Lewis, “that the story of Christ is simply a true myth, a myth that works on us in the same way as the others, but a myth that really happened? In that case, I begin to understand.”
For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. Acts 17:23
The first thing we should notice in the stories of Philip and the Ethiopian and Peter and Cornelius is that the Spirit drives the early church towards risk-taking and not comfort-seeking.
Who is it that the Spirit places in our lives that we are to go to? Who is the chance conversation that we may have about Jesus? Who is God-fearer, the spiritual-but-not-religious, or the non-rule-follower, that we are being called to tell our story to?
We have the example of Jesus’ ultimate vulnerability in the story of the Passion. Jesus cedes control of the situation to the other person so that he may draw them to himself.
When we begin to look at Jesus’ interactions with others, we discover his interactions are not reducible to a set formula or even a set teaching.
Peter writes that we should always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks why we place our hope in Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:15.
All stories share certain traits, but no two stories are eh same. Everyone has a different experience of transformation.