Thanks Tony

God is awesome. In my last post, I mentioned struggles w/ sharing my faith. God plopped an opportunity right in my lap yesterday.

I was at Six Flags for Father's Day with a friend of mine. We were in line for the Shockwave (double-loop, classic roller-coaster). Just as I was about to get on, I heard someone behind me say, "Excuse me, sir." I turned around, and a guy said, "I saw you have a shirt that says you believe in Jesus." I did have a Christian t-shirt on...remarkably, I only have one of these, and I don't wear it very often. Anyhow, he then shot straight with me and asked, "Why do you believe in Jesus?" I was literally getting on the ride when all this transpired, and I did not want to give him a trite answer. I responded with, "I'd love to tell you why. Would you like to talk about it after you get off the ride?" He agreed, so we got on the ride. It actually worked out well, because it gave me a little time to organize my thoughts to respond to his question.

We waited at the bottom of the steps for him. When he came down, I shared with him why I believe in Jesus. Here's a brief synopsis of what I told him:

First, I believe in Jesus because I believe in God. By believing in God, I realize that I am a sinful person and I've broken God's laws. Even on my best days, I've broken His laws. If I just look at the ten commandments, I immediately see that I have broken his commandments agains lying, stealing, and putting him first in my life. God says that the punishment for breaking even one of his laws once is death and eternity in hell. Therefore, I am hopelessly destined for punishment because of my sin. The great thing about God is that he provides a way for my sin to be forgiven and for relationship with him to be restored. John 3:16 tells us that God loved us so much that he gave his son, Jesus, that whoever believes in him will not receive God's just punishment but will instead receive eternal life, and John 17:3 says that eternal life is knowing God, which denotes a relationship. God requires a perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty of my sin, and Jesus became a man, lived a perfect life, and died as the sacrifice for my sin...and yours too. I need a savior, and Jesus is the only one who can save me. That's why I believe in Jesus.

He responded with a couple more questions, but as we talked I sensed that I was talking with another believer who was just testing me, and I was right. He was recently licensed and ordained for prison ministry. He said, "The bible tells us to always be ready to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus, so I just wanted to make sure you were ready. You did a great job. God bless you."

I know he will probably never read this blog or see me again, but THANKS TONY for being obedient to God and challenging me. It was just what I needed... an opportunity to share my faith and "get back in the saddle" of evangelism.

So, how would you answer the question if someone asked you? By the way, rarely will you get this question point blank from a non-Christian. You must initiate conversation and find opportunities to be a witness.