Daily Dose of the Word of God - Beyond Sunday Ep. 89

Jeff Klein, Pastor of Outreach

Transcript

Jeff Klein  0:00 

 
Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Monday, May 19. This is Jeff Klein, reminding you to take your faith from Sunday into the rest of the week.

Jeff Klein  0:19

 
Do you know what it means for something to go viral? Like the soundtrack to Disney's Frozen, Christianity was viral too. Back in the days after Jesus left the earth, going from 25,000 people to over 20 million in 200 years. Indeed, the first Christians were infectious and contagious. This new faith passed just like a virus would - from person to person - continuing to spread. So many got sick. But now, things are different. Christianity isn't so much passed from person to person as it is from person to group -from one professional to a whole group of people at the same time. The decline in followers of Jesus seems to indicate this new way of spreading the virus has introduced a weaker strain.

Jeff Klein  1:07  

Let's take the analogy further. To vaccinate someone from an actual virus, you expose them to a weaker strain - mild symptoms may come and the person rarely gets the virus. Again, has the church become a vaccination to the Christian faith? The way we do church, the way we try to get the word out there - is that actually vaccinating people, giving them a weaker strain so they'll never get sick again? How can we actually help people get sick again with the real virus of Christianity?

 
Jeff Klein   1:38  

Well, Jesus told us to go and as we are going to make disciples. This means that each one of us has the call to individually, person to person, spread the virus of Christianity. How can we get back to each follower of Jesus feeling responsible for someone in their own circle of influence? Someone who might need to hear about Jesus and understand what it means to be a Christian. Do you think the church might find more traction if each of us took action to be involved in the mission of God in this way? Today, take note of those around you. Who might you be responsible for. Who might never hear about Jesus or the message to the gospel unless you tell them? Let's get back to the original virus.

Jeff Klein  2:23  

Let's pray. Jesus help us to embrace the reality that we are responsible. That we are responsible for the people you put in front of us to help them understand and learn about you - about the hope they can have in the Gospel. Help us to spread this virus of Christianity in a more fruitful and viral way throughout the world. In your name, Jesus we pray, amen.