There are many ways to evangelize. Sometimes, it is going out of our comfort zone and approaching people who we believe may be receptive to hearing about the Good News. Other times, our best approach may be to demonstrate a Christ-centered life that causes curiosity in others – who then may be touched in such a way as to want to explore a life of faith. One thing is for sure – research shows that people who accept Christ by the time they are sixteen or so are more likely to be lifelong followers of Jesus than those who don’t accept the gift of salvation until much later in life.
Throughout the years, I have found it pretty effective to wear tee shirts from prior years of vacation Bible school. For years, we assisted our daughter, Kristin, by volunteering at the VBS program she ran at her former church. Each year, Janet and I did whatever we could to create a welcoming environment for the kids and their parents. It was amazing to see how many neighborhood folks, not church members, who attended. It is always a great outreach event and was an excellent way to bring the Gospel message to the community.
However, I have been amazed by the profound curiosity I have created by a more recent tee shirt I was given by Kristin. It simply says, and I quote, “On the third day God created coffee, and he saw that it was good!” I can’t even begin to tell you how many people have commented on this shirt. I was at the grocery store and a woman actually called out to me across several parking spaces that she loved my shirt. And as I was walking down the coffee aisle of the same grocery store, I thought I was going to receive a standing ovation by people who chuckled as I walked by.
But even more than the looks, glances and accolades I receive, I am astounded at the questions I get about the shirt – I never expected that. The questions I get most often are what happened on days 1 and 2 in the creation story – or “how do you know that God created coffee on the third day”… I don’t think that I have ever had a tee shirt that evoked such inquiries. The truth of the matter is that the shirt, at least as far as I was taught in seminary, is accurate!
You see, the first thing in the Bible is an account of the creation story as told by Moses after having led the people of God across the sea to escape captivity in Egypt. Theologians believe that this story was told to familiarize the people with the steadfast love of God. After all, it had been more than 400 years that they were in captivity and now they were on a journey to the Promised Land that God was about to provide to them. It was important that they were made aware of who God was, and is!
Genesis 1:1 is my favorite Bible verse. It is the beginning of the greatest true story ever told. And then unfolds the story of how God created the heavens and the earth – and everything in them. It turns out that God created vegetation and seed bearing plants on day three. And, as we all know, we then get coffee! So, when people wonder whether I made something up, or how I know that coffee was created on the third day, I can just refer them to the actual God-inspired text. I usually also get to discuss other elements of the Scripture.
Our verse for tonight is the part of Genesis when we are told about what happened in the creation story on the third day. Moses tells us the words of God Himself, in Genesis 1:11-13, “Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.”
My encouragement this evening is that, as Christians, we are to evangelize when in the position to do so. I think that we have wonderful opportunities to make others aware of the love of God. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will encourage and equip you to engage others to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. So what happened on days 1 and 2? Well, you can find that answer in your Bible – Genesis 1:3-10… Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…