Lights Out..

I love listening to Old Time Radio Plays, and I remember listening to a few episodes of  a show called “Lights Out”. I used to love listening to it in the dark, but it usually scared me a bit and I would have to turn a nightlight on to listen to it.

Today in church we had a bit of a lights out thing, because Fortis was doing an upgrade in the area, and had to turn the power off from 6am till about 1:30pm. Our Pastor being the techie that he is got a generator so that we could run the Powerpoint and screens, and a few lights so that we were not completely in the dark. It made for a very interesting morning, as most of us were out of our comfort zones. My husband couldn’t even get a shower because there was no hot water, and he had to make instant coffee with lukewarm tap-water.

I think God had arranged everything this week, because our Pastor was speaking from 1 Corinthians chapter 9:19-27. Pastor Jessie talked to us about how Paul wanted to go out of his comfort zone to be able to reach people for Christ, even if that meant having to change the way he usually did things. Paul talked about being all things to all people, and being relevant to the different cultures he was living in, but not changing the Gospel. I thought it was a really thought-provoking service, because I was reminded of how little we as Christians are willing to change in order for us to reach out to different cultures, even the ones around us.

We are living in an area where there are only about 5% Christian, and the large majority of people believe in Wicca, Paganism, and New Age beliefs. Most people  here are very concerned about creating a better environment, healthy living, getting back to nature, and sustainable living. We go to a church where for the most part, people have not grown up in church, and have very little knowledge of the Bible. It is a challenge to reach out to our culture here, for sure. It really got me thinking of how I could adapt to be able to reach out to others, and not seem as if I was out of touch with people, but still share the gospel.

I think the power outage was a good way of reminding me about my comfort level, and how I  get a little bothered when things are not like I am used to. Am I like that when it comes to the people around me? Do I try to make an effort to become like the people out here in order for the Gospel to be shared? Of course that does not mean I will be taking up pot anytime soon ( that’s the running  joke if you come from the Nelson area)!! I know there are ways that I could improve in how I reach out to people, and I am praying that God will show me how to be a better witness for him. Today I enjoyed the message very much, but not because it tickled me ears. It really made me think… I will leave you with the scriptures that we read today. Maybe it will inspire you to become more of a witness for Jesus to your neighbors.

¹⁹Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.