A Friendly Conversation

<p>Catherine and I were good friends in high school. When we weren&rsquo;t talking on the phone, we were passing notes in class to plan our next sleepover. Sometimes we rode horses together and partnered on school projects.</p> <p>One Sunday afternoon, I started to think about Catherine. My pastor had spoken that morning about how to have eternal life, and I knew my friend didn&rsquo;t believe the Bible&rsquo;s teachings the way I did. I felt pressed to call her and explain how she could have a relationship with Jesus. I hesitated, though, because I was afraid she would reject what I said and distance herself from me.</p> <p>I think this fear keeps a lot of us quiet. Even the apostle Paul had to ask people to pray that he would &ldquo;fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel&rdquo; (Ephesians 6:19). There&rsquo;s no getting around the risk involved with sharing the good news, yet Paul said he was an ambassador&mdash;someone speaking on behalf of God (v.20). We are too. If people reject our message, they&rsquo;re also rejecting the One who sent the message. God feels the sting along with us.</p> <p>So what compels us to speak up? We care about people, like God does (2 Peter 3:9). That&rsquo;s what led me to dial my friend&rsquo;s number. Amazingly, Catherine didn&rsquo;t shut me down. She listened. She asked questions. She asked Jesus to forgive her sin and decided to live for Him. The risk was worth the reward.</p>