Weekday Devotionals
Contagious Christianity / Devotional by Steve Grigg
VERSE – (Man blind from birth healed on the Sabbath/speaking to the Pharisees.) John 9:24-34 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
VERSE - (The Samaritan woman at the well.) John 4:28-30, 39-42 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. … Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
THOUGHT - Pete asked the question, who do we see when the word evangelist is used? I think of someone like Billy Graham, not Steve Grigg. Why, because as Pete mentioned, I think of someone who has studied and been trained over years. Yet this man, newly healed, meets the definition Pete gave of evangelism; “inviting someone into a relationship with Jesus by sharing my personal story.” The formerly blind man is speaking to the Pharisees about his personal story about Jesus. He cannot answer all of their questions, but in simple terms he stands up to their claims that Jesus is a sinner and cannot be from God. He responds, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
The Samaritan woman at the well meets Pete’s definition of evangelism. In this case she invites her friends and neighbors to meet with Jesus, to come and see someone who told her everything she had done. And many believed.
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE – You can be an evangelist! Read these two stories in their entirety. Think about who they were in the society at the time, one a blind man from birth, one a Samaritan and a woman. Not at the top of the social pyramid at the time, yet each one had a personal story about what Jesus had done in their lives. You have a story to share. Some people will listen (as in the woman at the well), some will deny what you say (as in the blind man). Either way it is your story to share, and it is the truth. You may not be on television, radio, social media, or church pulpit, but you do have more opportunities to share your story than you realize. Hurting people reach out for help, you might be that life guard who throws the life ring called Jesus to them.
As an officer I had the opportunity to pray for people and share Jesus during my career. I look back on those moments and give God the glory for the opportunities and the results. Ask me and I will share a few.
Well maybe I am an evangelist!
- Steve
VERSE – (Man blind from birth healed on the Sabbath/speaking to the Pharisees.) John 9:24-34 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
VERSE - (The Samaritan woman at the well.) John 4:28-30, 39-42 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. … Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
THOUGHT - Pete asked the question, who do we see when the word evangelist is used? I think of someone like Billy Graham, not Steve Grigg. Why, because as Pete mentioned, I think of someone who has studied and been trained over years. Yet this man, newly healed, meets the definition Pete gave of evangelism; “inviting someone into a relationship with Jesus by sharing my personal story.” The formerly blind man is speaking to the Pharisees about his personal story about Jesus. He cannot answer all of their questions, but in simple terms he stands up to their claims that Jesus is a sinner and cannot be from God. He responds, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
The Samaritan woman at the well meets Pete’s definition of evangelism. In this case she invites her friends and neighbors to meet with Jesus, to come and see someone who told her everything she had done. And many believed.
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE – You can be an evangelist! Read these two stories in their entirety. Think about who they were in the society at the time, one a blind man from birth, one a Samaritan and a woman. Not at the top of the social pyramid at the time, yet each one had a personal story about what Jesus had done in their lives. You have a story to share. Some people will listen (as in the woman at the well), some will deny what you say (as in the blind man). Either way it is your story to share, and it is the truth. You may not be on television, radio, social media, or church pulpit, but you do have more opportunities to share your story than you realize. Hurting people reach out for help, you might be that life guard who throws the life ring called Jesus to them.
As an officer I had the opportunity to pray for people and share Jesus during my career. I look back on those moments and give God the glory for the opportunities and the results. Ask me and I will share a few.
Well maybe I am an evangelist!
- Steve
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