Sharing Good News for Henley
As a church, we’ve been involved in producing a wonderful resource for sharing the good news of Jesus: a local Henley edition of Luke’s gospel. With a local introduction, some stories from local Christians, and plenty of beautiful local pictures, it’s a very attractive little booklet to give to people!
This term we’re ‘launching’ these booklets by joining together in following these four steps:
Pray: for opportunities to give the gospel to local friends and contacts. You’ll be amazed what opportunities crop up when we start praying for them.
Give: the booklet to a friend or local contact. In so doing, make it personal! Something like, “our church has been involved in producing this lovely booklet- would you like one? It’s a copy of Luke’s gospel from the Bible, and it includes lots of local pictures, some local stories at the back, and a local introduction. I’d love to know what you think!” If you don’t live in Henley itself, don’t let that hold you back! You go to church in Henley, and your local friends are likely to know Henley well.
Chat: Follow up at some point! Asking some simple questions could lead to a really good conversation: “Did you have a chance to have a look? What did you think? Have you read much in the Bible before? The introduction points to the parable of the Lost Son as a starting point- why not start there? You could also share what you have found attractive about Jesus, and why you’d recommend reading more.
Invite: On Sunday 12th, 19th and 26th June we’re running three guest services on the theme of ‘Good News’. We’ll be taking a few passages from Luke’s gospel, and unpacking them in a way especially accessible for a newcomer to Christianity. Whether you’ve been able to give a friend the Henley gospel or not, do invite them to come along to one of these services with you.
For some of us, this is the first time we have been encouraged to be proactive in sharing our faith, and you find the idea quite intimidating. There’s no pressure, and certainly no sense of guilt if this is something you find challenging. But all of us can start with that first step of praying. And let's then be open to God helping us step out of our comfort zones to share the best news in the world. As you do so remember:
God’s Word is the good news our friends need. It’s easy to forget how good the good news of Jesus is, and how much we all need it. Have confidence! If your friend comes to trust in Jesus because you took the first step to share with them, they will be hugely grateful to you! Jesus is a gamechanger for them, even if they don’t realise it at the moment.
God’s Word is like a seed. Our job is to plant the seed. It may take some time for there to be any visible growth. The soil where the seed lands may be completely unreceptive to growth at this, or indeed any time. That’s not our responsibility- we can just keep sowing seed. And like all good seed, if we all keep steadily sowing together, over time, there will be fruit.
“Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Mark 4:20
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