Evangelism Focus 12/24/10

Today is Christmas Eve and I had a desire to share the gospel. We (Greg and I) made up some packets using the leftover materials from the Black Friday evangelism efforts. We got up early and hit the train stations (commuter train) and bus stops in the area. There were not a lot of people riding the trains and buses this morning, but I feel confident we came in contact with everyone God planned for us to meet. I approached people, handed them a packet, and said "Merry Christmas!" Not a single person turned me down this morning, which is slightly unusual (often there's at least one in the crowd that says "No. Thank you.") Christmas brings that out in people, which is exactly why I wanted to be out there this morning. I also couldn't bear the thought of people going through Christmas without understanding the true meaning of it. I wanted them to hear the gospel.

Each packet contained a note from us, a treat, and a gospel tract.

The note contained these words:

“Peace on earth. Goodwill to men.” That’s a popular phrase this time of year. Do you know where it comes from? It comes from the Bible. Many people think of peace as the absence of conflict or the absence of fighting, but the peace spoken of in the Bible is much greater than that. “Peace on earth. Goodwill to men” refers to peace between you and God. It’s the message the angels brought to the shepherds in the field the night Jesus was born on this earth. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men!.” Luke 2:14 . It’s the message we proclaim when we sing that classic Christmas carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing (“Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled). Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ was born on this earth. He came here to provide us with the peace of reconciliation with God. That is why we celebrate Christmas.

I have provided for you today two things:

• A treat (Merry Christmas! Enjoy!)
• A gospel tract (my hope is that you will read the message in the tract and spend some time considering it today).

Merry Christmas and enjoy your day!

My prayer is that the gospel message will penetrate hearts today.