When I first began to follow Jesus, at 12 years old, I would often pray that God would open doors for me to reach the whole world with the Good News. Since I was new in my faith, and still a boy, I had a lot of learning and growing to do. I felt that a wonderful place to start was studying the Bible, and getting to know it well. And so even as a boy I found myself pouring over the Bible.

Some people wonder if the Bible is a divinely inspired book, or simply a work of literature that men wrote. The Bible is written by men, yes, but these men were under the direct inspiration of God. St. Peter writes, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

Reading God’s Word, meditating on it, and studying it, are great ways to become effective in sharing the Good News with others. After all, the Good News is found in scripture. What better way to reach the lost then to share with them what God has said in His Word.

So try it this week, won’t you? Set aside time in your day to read the Bible. You will find, in time, that sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ is easier when you have the power of God’s Word on your mind and in your heart.

It’s easy to get discouraged in evangelism, isn’t it? Sometimes you’re criticized, given the cold shoulder, or can’t see the fruit of sharing your faith. When we’re feeling low, we often forget that God has called each of us to be His ambassadors.

Second Corinthians 5:20 says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” That’s so important to remember!

What does it mean to be Christ’s ambassador? First of all, an ambassador doesn’t invent the message. His president tells him what to say. This means that you don’t have to come up with the message. You simply give out the beautiful Good News Gospel, wherever God has put you.

Leave the rest to the Holy Spirit. Also, since you’re an ambassador, you’re not just some ’nobody’ praying for your neighborhood. You have power. You have authority. You have an important mission to spread the Good News message to your world!

No matter how people may respond, it doesn’t change the way God sees you. You are His messenger – His ambassador. So keep sharing God’s message of Good News, with dignity and power. After all, that’s exactly what an ambassador is called to do!

Do you remember what the Lord Jesus prayed the night before his crucifixion? He was going to the cross the very next day, and yet, in the Garden of Gethsemane, what did Jesus pray about? “Father,” Jesus said, “I pray for those who will believe in me, that they may be one as we are one, so that the world may believe that you sent me.”

That was the cry of the Lord Jesus – that God’s people will act, and function, as one, “so that the world may believe…”

It pleases the heart of God when Christians work well together. It’s a clear message to our world that we belong to Christ. And, by teaming up with other believers, you can do great and powerful things for Jesus that you could never do alone.

So, do you have a dream of doing something big for God in your neighborhood, town, or even country? If so, remember you can’t do it alone! Of course you’ll need God’s blessing and leading and wisdom; but you’ll also need fellow believers to help your dream become reality!

We’re most effective when we pull together, not apart. When we work with other Christians, “as one,” the world takes notice. And the result is that many may choose to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Many Christians today are in the habit of not going to church. Most are good-hearted believers, who simply don’t think they need the local church. But Hebrews 10:25 tells us, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.”

Why do we need church? Because the local church is God’s way of shaping us, molding us, and then using us to reach our world. Although there may be people there who rub us the wrong way, that’s part of the genius of Gods design!

He wants to stretch us, and cause us to grow. We may get bothered by the style of this, or the sound of that. But it’s good for us! It’s humbling, it’s purifying, it’s “iron sharpening iron.”

As we are sharpened by others in the church, we become more like Jesus Christ. We also learn how to work with those who are different than us. And working well with other believers is one of the best expressions of Jesus Christ to our world.

So, dream great dreams for your church! Be faithful to it! Pray for it! And get involved. Ask God to use your church to reach your neighborhood, your city, your country for Jesus Christ. That’s exactly what He wants to do!