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For the past few years I’ve spent a number of months each year on The Appalachian Trail.  While I hike and live along the trail my primary focus has been on spreading the Good News to those I meet.  There are many people who come to the trail looking for “the meaning of life.”  Initially they think it will be found in nature, but soon they realize that there must be more.  It’s a grand opportunity to let them know about where true meaning comes from: God, who is manifested in His creation.  Over the years I’ve had more occasions per day to share the gospel and point people to Christ along the trail than anytime else in my life. 

     While I was at home, I was asked to write about how I share Christ on the trail  and I had difficulty describing it: it just seemed so natural to me.  Now that I’m out on the trail for the year, I’ve paid attention to what I do and offer these ideas that I’ve found to be powerful instruments.  As a preface, let me note that while out here, I almost never initiate these conversations.  People can discern that I’m available for discussion and they are the ones who start it.

     This brings up the first key to a fruitful intercourse: time.  I make it clear that I have all the time desired to stop and talk with someone.  When people realize that you will stop and hear them, they begin to tell you about their life, their challenges and their joys.  I provide the sounding board that they need to empty what has been kept inside them because no one wanted to hear. I say very little, but listen very carefully.  It is amazing how long folks will talk if they know you want to hear them; many do not have someone with whom they can open up like this.

     The second key I see is imbedded in the first: silence.  Of course I’d love to tell others about my life and adventures, but I keep quiet.  These discourses are intended to reach others, not sound my own horn.  If the relationship develops further, there will be plenty of time for me to tell about myself.  For now, the less said about me, the better.  Avoiding talking about myself lets others know that I really want to hear about them, and encourages them to continue to open up about themselves.  I often hear God reminding me in these conversations that I should shut up and listen.

     After a while in these conversations the subject starts to turn from the mundane to the truly significant: things like life-changing events or traumas, or significant concerns that have been left unanswered, sometimes for years.  This is the time for the third key: questions.  Now is the time to ask thoughtful questions which do two things: they let people know that you really are hearing what they have to say, and it helps to start turning the conversation towards the One who can help them when no one else can.  For example, someone came up and asked if they could hike with me; after telling me all about themselves and marriage partner for well over 45 minutes they started wondering about the foundations of their marriage.  I asked why they were concerned, and what they thought the foundations should be.  Their focus was entirely based on what the world values: communal life and love, avoiding being alone, and joint happiness.  When I asked if they thought there was more to it than that, it opened a dialog about what I see as the focus of marriage: God putting us together to share life and draw each other and others to know Him and serve Him.  This stirred up more questions about who created marriage, and further, who created the world we live in.  This conversation will be continued when I expect we see each other again in a few weeks.  It was interesting to me that I got to interact with both members of this marriage at different places before I connected them to each other; even more interesting is that I learned one is pretty heavily involved in a Christian church already.  God is a good arranger of events.

     The fourth key is one that is easy to say, and sometimes harder to do: love.  I practically never tell people I’m a Christian; they should perceive it by how I behave, and what I say.  It may be cliché, but it is still true: “They will know we are Christians by our love.”  By what I do and what I say in response to others, people will know where my hope comes from.  And this is now my opportunity to tell them about the one who loved me so much that He gave His life for me, and stands with me all the time.  That kind of love should exude from every pore of your body; when others see it, they want to experience it also and are often eager to hear more about how they can find this special love.  They want to hear more about who I know as the creator of the world and guide in my life.  With hikers, something tangible that can show this love is taking care of their often calloused and hurting feet by offering some foot healing lotion, or helping fix a broken piece of equipment.  Maybe a snack from my pack will be a sign of love, or an offer to use my phone which gets reception where many phones don’t to call someone.  It might be an offer to call and continue the conversation later, or it might be sending a note by snail mail encouraging and helping to lead to further discussions.

     The final key in these discussions is the one that underlies all of them: The Holy Spirit.  It is never people who bring others to God; the Spirit is the one who comes into their lives, and brings them into the ultimate relationship.  Our role is to point out some of the things God has done in our lives, and to show pathways that can lead to  finding that relationship with Jesus which forever will change a person’s life.  I find it vitally important to keep in mind also that we are seeking to find faith, and not complete understanding of everything.  Faith in God does not mean that we will now know the answers to all of life’s questions.  In fact, it may lead to more questions.  Understanding might be advanced, but we will not understand all that is in this world while we are in it; we aren’t God.  Leading someone to Christ means putting them in a relationship under His wings where He can over time reveal more of Himself.

     So there you have it: the five keys I see in my trail discussions: time, silence, questions, love, and Holy Spirit.  I hope they can help you as you walk your trails.

Mountain Christian Church was able to provide funding for our partners, Genesis of Hope (a sub-ministry of Cooperative Outreach of South Asia) to conduct Vacation Bible School. Covid restrictions had them conducting this in a different way than they have historically. GOH has held a large central VBS in years past where children from all of the centers throughout the city are bused in with nearly 1,000 attendees. This year VBS was held in October and was held in each GOH center. This year as in years past approximately 1,000 children were able to attend local VBS activities and a large part of the funds MCC contributed bought warm clothing for the children as the cooler months were just beginning. These children come from predominantly Hindu and Muslim homes are able to hear about the love of Christ many for the first time ever.

Impact:

• 1,000 children attended VBS activities held in various slums
• Many of these children have heard about the love of Jesus for the first time.
• Warm clothing was distributed to the attendees

I was asked recently, “How do you teach God’s love to kids?  How do we teach them daily?  How can we make it stick?” These are serious questions that every parent asks and faces. Church, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Youth Groups help, but aren’t enough. The practical answer is much more personal and closer to home.  (I am convicted as I type this.)

Kids learn in a variety of ways and manners, and all kids are unique learners.  Some kids learn by watching. They watch their parents and the adults in their lives, paying attention to how they live their faith, how they live what they believe.  They see how our belief in Jesus manifests itself in our lives, how Jesus is evident in the way we live from day-to-day. Do we live what we say we believe? They are watching; always watching.

Some kids learn by hearing the Word.  They benefit from reading and listening to the Bible, to the stories read by parents and lessons by Sunday School teachers, and memorizing scripture.  The more they hear the Word, the better they learn.

Still other kids learn better by doing, by actively experiencing God’s love. They put the love of Christ into action by helping a neighbor, or participating in the wood ministry alongside a parent, or helping Mom make cookies for a family who just suffered a loss. They show His love by action and effort.

Truth be told, the best way to teach children is a combination of watching, hearing and putting the Love of God into action.  A great example of this happened this week.  One of my children contracted Covid and another family found out about it.  The Mother and three kids wanted to do something to help.  One kid suggested throwing a party.  Another suggested a gift.  The third child wanted to invite the sick child over to play – surely that would help her feel better!  The Mom affirmed all as good choices, but wouldn’t really help the sick friend.  After a few minutes, they settled on praying for their friend. A minute later, it was decided that they would send a video of them praying together for the sick kid; that would show their love for Jesus and His love for her.  It was the sweetest video; the kids were all so serious and honest in talking to God, intent on praying well, and praying for her health.  We all learned something about God’s love that day.

At some point, Christian kids will begin to exhibit God’s love on their own, producing their own fruit.  However, until that time, they will need modeling and coaching.  Parents, that is where we fit in.   

 We have been going over Bible reading and its importance in our lives. We can also look at how Bible reading and prayer is important in our marriages.  Ray Rhodes, Jr. is author of Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon and Yours, Till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon. He wrote in an article how Bible reading and prayer were the foundation that Charles and Susie Spurgeon built their marriage and how Susie relied on prayer for her marriage to a very famous preacher and for all the time that her husband traveled and she was alone.

Bible Reading Centered on Christ

Charles Spurgeon looked to Christ and is quoted saying “The true Christian is to be such a husband as Christ was to his spouse." Rhodes tells us that Charles believed “A Christocentric reading of the Scripture informed him that he was to love Susie in a 'special,' 'constant,' 'enduring,' and 'delighted' manner, for he took Christ as his Savior, his model, and his teacher. And Susie felt that she was married to a man who loved her deeply because he loved Christ supremely. Susie’s marriage caused her to marvel at 'the mercy of my God.'"

Ray Rhodes also goes on to say “Charles and Susie’s Christ-centered perspective was honed through their disciplined reading of the Bible. Their approach was simple—they believed the Bible to be true, trustworthy, and sufficient because of the infallibility of God Himself. And, trusting in the reliability of the Bible—they read it faithfully, confidently, and expectantly. Everything that they needed to know about God and about how to love one another was contained in the Bible. Charles imagined that if the Bible merely contained the words of man, it should be discarded. However, he believed the Bible to be 'God’s handwriting and, therefore, authoritative. Susie said that it was 'well to ponder every weighty sentence' of God’s 'loving voice.'”

Spurgeon said “If the heavenly gold is not worth digging for, you are not likely to discover it.” We are told he applied this to his daily life by meditating on God’s Word as well. Charles and Susie would not mindlessly or aimlessly ponder on Scripture, but use their intellect to delve into Scripture.

Prayer

'A most precious thing' is what the Spurgeons called prayer in their home and marriage. They had a simple faith that believed God fulfilled His promises. Rhodes also tells us “Charles believed that God gave promises in the Bible with intent to fulfill said promises to those who asked by faith. He was not advocating for what is today commonly called a prosperity gospel. Quite the opposite; he earnestly read the Bible in context and searched for God’s promises. Discovering them, he asked God to fulfill His promises. Very simply, Charles and Susie prayed expectantly that God, out of His generous kindness and love, would act on their behalf.”

               Susie said that prayer was her ‘telephone line’ to God. When her heart was heavy or weary this is the way that God provided for her in which to share her burden.  Charles too, being human felt like the spiritual disciplines he set in place could help him through seasons where he felt spiritually cold. He would use prayer to renew his fervent love for Christ.

               When the world is talking about love in the next few weeks, let’s see how we can apply Scriptural and prayerful love to our marriages, to our families, and to God. To read this article in full click here or visit https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/articles/bible-reading-and-prayer-in-the-marriage-of-charles-and-susie-spurgeon

Romans 8:31-39

What kind of Christian will we be in this specific time and place? We read in Acts that God determines the times set before us and the places we live. “God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each of us, For in Him, we live and move and have our being…” (17:27-28)

We read in Jeremiah that though we be in exile, feeling far from what we used to call “normal”, He has plans for us, to give us hope and a future. “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart.” (29:11-13)

God calls us and has provided all we need to be “more than conquerors”. (Rom. 8:37) He warns, and instructs and promises victory to those who overcome. (Rev. 2:1-3:22) He tells us that we can overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the testimony of the saints. (Rev. 12:10-12)

Do you have peace in our fearful and chaotic world? Do you have hope for our broken, sick world? If so, this will be the testimony that will encourage your family in Christ to be more than conquerors, and will make opportunity for the “world” to ask you for the reason for your hope. (1Pet. 2:12, 3:15) What an exciting time in history for us, this church, His bride, to be alive, as conquerors, through the blood of the Lamb, joyfully and hopefully awaiting the return of our Savior.

Fear not tomorrows, CHILD OF THE KING, entrust them to Jesus, DO THE NEXT THING.                  (Isaiah 43:1-7)