What Was Your Greatest Gift?

While listening to a sermon last weekend, the pastor stated that the grace which God offers to sinners is the greatest gift ever. I wrote it down; not as a sermon note but as an idea for a conversation starter.

As Christians we are reminded to not conform to the world (Rom 12:2) but we do live in it, and for good reason: the world is the source of the harvest! (Matt 9:37)

Those who are in the world know the world and it's comings and goings. They do not care about the things of God, they dislike God's Word, and they hate Christ. (John 17:14, 16; Matt 10:22; 1 John 3:13)

Discussions about the news and other timely topics can frequently lead to discussions about eternity and the gospel. Because of this, Christians should be aware of such topics and ready to use them to begin or continue conversations.

Such was the case at a local restaurant the other day. Our waitress was taking orders when one of the men at our table mentioned Christmas preparations. I asked the waitress, "Kristi, speaking of Christmas, what is the best gift you've ever received?" She stopped and thought. After a moment I said, "Think about it, then let me know what you come up with."

One thing I learned from bold men of God like Mark Cahill and Tony Miano is that an interaction with a lost person should be a conversation, not a presentation. If your intent is to get through a checklist of the gospel, then do you really care about the person or getting another 'notch' on your gospel-gun?

I was looking forward to what Kristi might come back with, to continue our conversation, when she appeared with refills of water and iced-tea. She looked at me and told me of an item she had received many years ago. I asked her to think about gifts that last longer. I explained that as a boy I really wanted a toy ray-gun, but after a year or so I no longer placed any value in it and had moved on to wanting something else. She went off in thought.

When she next returned, she had a big smile on her face. "My dog! I bought my dog, as a gift for myself, and I love him." She showed me his photo, told me about his habits, and explained the breed. We discussed dogs that each of us had owned in the past, and then I said, "Even though you love your dog and he's been a great pet, I was wondering if you could think of anything that might last for eternity?" This led to a conversation in which I learned of her Catholic training as a young girl, and her disillusion with religion. I was able to explain that I'm not religious and was not trying to push any religion, I simply wanted to explain what I thought the greatest gift is, as described in the Bible.

We had a brief discussion of sin, our need for salvation, the Holiness of God, and the simple steps required of us: repentance and faith. Before leaving I gave her a copy of "One Heartbeat Away" by Mark Cahill, along with a note and an email address for her to send questions to me.

Between now and Christmas approximately 2.1 million people will die. Many of them will stand before God and suddenly understand how Holy He is and how wrong they were to believe the world's lies and false hopes. They will have eternity to think about their rejection of a God who stood ready to forgive. Before that happens, are you willing to put aside your pride, your shyness, and your fear of rejection to share the gospel and give these people something to think about while they still have time?

Today is the day of salvation, now go and plant a seed!