the paquettes

After the sermon today, and Rilyn’s story this week that I’m about to tell, I am more than aware that I lost the joy of evangelizing and it is a burden for me.  I don’t have ‘the gift of evangelizing’ I tell myself.  Let others who are “people persons” start up Gospel-centered conversations.

Rilyn came home this week and told us she is teaching her 2 classmates at her table in school Romans 8:1  “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Wow.  James had taught Rilyn that verse on the way to school the week before and now she was sharing it with her friends!  I had to know more.  She said, “I teach them a little each day, and if they say it right by Friday they get a prize.  It’s a little hard because of the big ‘c’ word.”  I told her “condemnation” is a hard word for most first graders to say/understand.  🙂  Then this weekend she told me that she needs to bring 2 pieces of candy to school to give to them on Monday because they memorized the verse on Friday!  She goes on to tell me how the girl at her table doesn’t even go to church and doesn’t even know the story of Goliath.  “Can you believe that mom?” she said,  “And she wants to read Bible stories at bedtime like me, but she doesn’t have a Bible.  Can I give her one, with a highlighter, so she can highlight the verse she memorized?  But she needs to have pictures in the Bible because she can’t read all the big words.”  Such joy to share the gospel at such a young age.  Truly convicting.

Then the sermon today was about evangelizing.  I really liked the illustration he gave of how when a girl gets proposed to by her boyfriend, what is the first thing she does?  She calls her family, her friends, she shows people her new ring…she shares her joy!  When I know such good news, (the Gospel), about my Savior, who I adore, what am I to do?  What should be the overflow of my heart?  Share with joy my friends!

This girl knows it.  Share the gospel with joy.