Have you every left your hometown for an extended period of time only to return and notice that town seems different. I have experience that situation on numerous occasions as I visit my hometown. From the real estate boom in the early 2000’s and up until the recent financial recession, my hometown changed quite a bit. Neighborhood were built where orange groves once stood. Shopping centers were built where stately old scrub oaks once lined the landscape. There were people in Wal-Mart that I didn’t know.
Jesus experienced a little of the same thing when he entered his hometown of Nazareth. Jesus had just returned from an intense period of ministry and He was coming home. Mark 6:1-6says that the people were astonished at the teachings of Jesus as He taught in the synagogue. The people in Jesus’ town questioned His authority. They didn’t understand where he received His wisdom. They just seemed to be unable to get past His humble beginnings.
Often we face rejection of some sort. Jesus obviously faced it. If he faced rejection from the people in His own town, from the people who say Him grow up, from those who knew his family, why should we be surprised when we face rejection? The message of Jesus Christ was, and is today, counter to the world’s message. When you reach out those who are lost and unconnected and they reject you, don’t be surprised. Remember that it is not you that they are rejecting, it’s the message of Jesus’ Christ.
Let me encourage you to not allow the fear of rejection to stop you from sharing your faith with people. If the message is rejected, pray for the person that he or she might come to know Jesus. Pray for an attentive ear to hear and wait for an opportunity to share at a time when the Holy Spirit leads you.
I read this great quote that will conclude this discussion, “While faith is not the healing force, it’s existence in a believer’s life positively impacts that person. The converse also applies-the absence of faith can make it harder and less likely to experience God and His work in a person’s lif[e].”
As our country is in the midst of some troubling times both morally and economically. There is no better time to pray for our country than today. Of course we should pray for our elected official at the local , state and national level on a daily basis, but today is a day to focus on prayer for the United States.
Anything that Andy Stanley writes is going to be good. From Visioneering and Like a Rock to The Next Generation Leader and It Came From Within, Andy knows how to communicate and communicated effectively. 7 Practices of Effective Ministry was co authored by Reggie Joiner, former Executive Director of Family Ministries at North Point and now with
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Here are my top 10 statements from Franchising McChurch.