9-15-2013 Sharing Christ Locally & Abroad

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We welcomed guest speaker David Liming and his wife Karen and daughters Rose (5) and Maggie (3).   He brought a unique perspective as a technological support worker for Wycliffe bible translators, and he shared a table full of related interesting paraphernalia.

Some of our church family’s prayers this week are for:

  • Matt Budzyinski and fiancé Heather who begin their marriage journey this Saturday
  • Key health concerns for Jim, Julia, and Scott J.
  • Melinda’s next steps on her path (so far without a visa)

David’s spoke on The Greatest Missionary: The Bible.

Dramatic true stories were shared, including:

  • St. Francis of Assisi, who was transformed after hearing God’s Word in his Umbrian language instead of the Latin mass which he didn’t understand
  • A tribe that believed in causing severe physical scarring of their male youth until being changed through Scripture to understand how Christ’s scars have saved them

About 200,000,000 people (and 1967 language groups) do not have a bible in their language.  But evolving technology is helping to work toward the goal of spreading the Gospel to every nation, tribe, and tongue.  Satellites assist in keeping translators in touch.  Laptops and effective applications are reducing the work and time required to do translations, especially when there are existing translations in similar languages.

An increasing number of translation projects are starting up.  God is increasingly using indigenous people to translate the Bible in their own language and even into the language of their neighbors, who in some cases would have been their enemies.

God’s Holy Scripture is powerful at changing hearts and lives, and producing unity.  There are various ways we can get involved and make a difference by serving in this field: seeking a job with Wycliffe; short-term overseas missions; financial support; and prayer support.  

The Connections Potluck was a natural extension of the service.  In small groups we discussed sharing Christ with those around us.  Kristi facilitated our sharing of thoughts and suggestions on:

  • Being intentional in reaching out to non-Christ followers lovingly and with sensitivity
  • Being comfortable sharing our spiritual lives among ourselves and in outreach
  • Developing a rich knowledge of God’s Word (but not letting a lack of knowledge hold back our testimony)
  • Being genuine with people and having a genuine heart for Christ