Greetings brothers and sisters… Pastor Rob here.
The preacher looked out on his audience of about 300 believers and asked, “How many of you were saved at a crusade?” A few hands went up. So, then he asked, “How many of you were saved through a television evangelist?” Again, just a few hands were raised. Finally, he asked, “How many of you were saved through a friend, relative or acquaintance who loved you and told you about Jesus?” At that, hundreds of hands shot up! He vividly made his point; namely, that Christianity is spread primarily through personal contact!
C. S. Lewis calls Christianity, “a good infection!” He means that the good news of Jesus Christ is like a virus because it is contagious! But it is un-like a virus because it does you good, not harm! Ever since the day of Pentecost, the gospel has been spreading from person to person. It is a powerful pandemic that has circulated around the world!
Every believer in Jesus Christ is a “carrier” of this good infection. But it seems that some believers are more “contagious” than others. What is it that makes some Christians more infectious in their faith than others? I can think of a number of things, but high on the list would be… Joy! A joyful Christian is a contagious Christian! A joyful countenance is a bright countenance that is attractive. Just like a moth is attracted to light, people are attracted to a bright, joyful Christian. An unbeliever is more likely to want to “catch” joyful Christianity than sour, gloomy Christianity!
Another trait of a contagious Christian is… Care! Genuine concern for people is an extremely powerful attractant! It has been said that a person doesn’t care what you know until he knows that you care! And “care” is just another word for “love.” When you have genuine care and concern for people, they will feel loved. And when they feel loved, they will be much more open to the message of the gospel.
Is your Christianity contagious? Are you a joyful believer, or a gloomy believer? Do you genuinely care for and love others, or are you focused only on yourself? It strikes me that Jesus Christ was the most joyful, loving person ever to live! And the fruit of His Holy Spirit is, joy and love! So how do I become a contagious Christian? By becoming more like Jesus Christ! And how do I become more like Jesus? By being filled with the fruit of His Spirit!
We are surrounded by people who need to “catch” Christianity! They need to come in contact with a believer who is “infected” with the love and joy of Christ! Maybe that believer is you!
—Pastor Rob
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