C20 Six Point Two and Four Point Seven
List of the Online Lessons: A B C D E F G H
C20 Six Point Two and Four Point Seven
In the States, various surveys and statistics are conducted among the population. Years ago, a large sample of evangelical Christians were asked what helped them to accept Jesus into their lives and to begin to live with Him. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the exact wording of the questions, nor did I clearly note the source. However, two remarkable numbers remained in my memory. The survey showed that the average American evangelical Christian needed to hear the Gospel about 6.2 times before he/she began to think seriously and personally about it. In addition, they needed to personally get to know about 4.7 Christians who were truly living with Jesus, before making their own crucial decision. Only then it began to dawn on them that following Jesus was something completely different than a religion or a doctrine or just a „worldview.“ They came to see that living with Jesus causes a profound positive transformation within a person.
Six point two and four point seven…
If this statistic were done in our country, I think the numbers would come out much higher. The specific numbers don’t matter right now, but the idea has helped me to a great inner liberation. It shows that at any given moment I am one partial stop on a particular person’s journey to Jesus. For someone, I may be only the second person to tell them the Good News. So they need to hear it about five more times to reach the average of 6.2. Another time I may have been the fifth of the 4.7 Christians limit, because that George decided to invite Jesus into his life in my presence.
I hope you understand that it’s not about specific numbers. It might turn out that a Czech person needs to hear the gospel 12.6 times and needs to meet 10.8 living Christians. However, one big challenge comes to me from this observation:
The more Czech (and Slovak) Christians share the Good News of the Lord Jesus in a joyful and effective way, the easier it will soon be for our people to truly know and accept Him.
Therefore, I am convinced that it is very helpful to be well prepared! „Put your pearl down“ and walk away with a smile. Your George will be thinking about it, even though you will be long gone from the scene! And when he meets another follower of Jesus, maybe he’ll make the connection! Or he may need to meet two more. And what if then he gets back to you, having met other people like you? He’ll ask you to help him form the whole picture from which he’ll decide to follow the Lord Jesus.
Listen carefully to what Isaiah says (Isaiah 55:10)
As the rain or snow falls from heaven and does not return there, but waters the earth and makes it fruitful and fertile – giving grain to him who sows and bread to him who eats – so shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish what I desire, and it shall prosper in what I send it to do.
Thank you Jesus, that we have such a powerful Word in our hands… And the empowerment of your Holy Spirit…