Seeing the Gospel through new eyes

I just came home from having breakfast with a girl from our church and I'm on a bit of a buzz. She has been coming to church for a while but hasn't felt yet that she really fits in, and we've started to meet up once a week to read the Bible together. It was so exciting today because I took her through the whole gospel using the 'gospel beads' method (i.e. Green = God created everything, Black = sin, etc...) It was so exciting to share with her the basic truths of the Good news we all know so well, and to see her start to understand it for the first time!

It made me realise once more how incredibly good the news really is, and how often I take it for granted. I've been personally challenged in my faith because I've had to explain complex concepts in simple ways, and I can't use jargon to cover myself. Everything needs an explanation. How grateful I am to this girl for her willingness to learn, and for the opportunity to be challenged after being stagnant for so long. Praise God for the complexity of the gospel - it is simple enough for a child to comprehend, but still baffles the wisest of us.

How easy it is to be passionate about the gospel in the context of church, Bible study and mission... the real challenge to me lately is stepping out of that Christian bubble, and letting ministry be part of my every day life! I shy away from discussing God with people at work, I don't want to be perceived as the Christian-nerd. But when we do allow God to work through us, when we do take him outside the confines of the church building, God does amazing stuff and He gives us strength not only to take that first step, but to continue with the second, the third...

Recently my brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Claire, took a trip to Cambodia with World Vision to visit their sponsor children. They came back just blown away by the reality of spiritual warfare, that we so rarely take notice of in our comfy, cooshy, i-don't-need-God, western world. They went outside of their comfort zone and asked God to use them - if you ever do that, be prepared for God to do amazing stuff! All he wants is a willing and obedient heart, and He will display his awesome power in very unexpected ways.

Thank you Lord, for helping me to see the gospel through new eyes today.