MY ANXIETIES IN SHARING THE GOSPEL

The day before yesterday, I was invited by my ***Utol Norman S. Malcat to share the Word to the family and employees of one of his millionaire friends. ☺️   I was apprehensive to go as I never really had any experience talking in front of rich people, let alone teaching quite highly educated people. I did stand many times in the past before people more knowledgeable than I am, but it has been usually to talk about particular translation topics that I usually am knowledgeable about and for which I have truly prepared and studied. I also do speak almost every Sunday before an audience that may include one or two people who have more academic training than I have but they usually are my friends or they quite know me personally, so last Tuesday was truly a getting-out-of-your-comfort-zone kind of situation and so I was downright terrified. My mind was at 15% Okay-Whatever-I'll-go, and 85%-Ay-Uray-idtana! (NO WAY!) The schedule was postponed twice because of my health challenges and some conflicts in availability of each one, but last Tuesday, we went at last. And I praise and thank the LORD that He sort of dragged me there, even as I was not really at my 100% healthwise, readiness-wise, and willingness-wise.

One big source of my anxiety was the topic about which I was gonna talk with them. I was warned beforehand that they have already heard the Gospel so many times from many different priests and pastors. I am aware that a lot of gospel presentations nowadays are largely by way of scratching people where they itch, so to speak, and so I made up my mind not to do that.  I asked the Lord for the humility to trust in His Wisdom and His way to give me the right topic and the best approach to share His Word. I actually made three powerpoint presentations, and I ended up with a fourth one which was an old outline I have in my harddrive that i just updated and fleshed out a bit more. It was one that started from the beginning: Genesis 1 and who God is, the  basic foundational teaching which many people who have heard the Gospel have actually yet to hear.

And I am so glad and full of gratitude that we went in spite of my thorn-in-the-flesh and my anxieties, and apprehensions because God has  truly encouraged me through the hunger for the Word that the  people we met have shown.  (Sure, a large part of their interest seemed to be because they have learned that I have been to the Promised Land as did one of them), but if this curiosity to compare notes creates in them the much needed motivation to want to learn the Bible and know God so much more and so much deeper and have a truly vibrant life in Christ, then I will say YES again and again, for as long as my heart is beating. And as we were taking our leave, they indeed expressed their want to have a regular meeting of studying the Word of God with them.

(#ThankYouLORD for the greatness of Your Love, and Your Grace that abounds, and Your encouragement, and for the opportunities You give us to love and serve You when we allow ourselves to be the channels of Your blessings and to be Your mouthpieces in this world.)

*** Utol is a Tagalog slang that means (to me at least) a sibling from a different set of parents 😁).