Introduce Jesus and the “Way of Jesus” to Others.

I was on vacation in Florida a number of years ago and I was invited to attend a men’s study on The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. (A wonderful book, by the way.) I knew a few of the guys in the study. They were good men – successful in life, faithfully serving on boards of ministries and in their churches – standard issue Christians. So, I drove over to this gated development – Boca Del Boca or some such name, gave the guard mine and went in.

Ten or twelve tanned men sat around a long table and the lesson that day was on the chapter, Sharing Your Life’s Message, essentially sharing what Jesus taught you, with others. They had asked me to lead so I jumped right in with this question, “How many of you are meeting with a man or two or a couple and teaching them what God has taught you?” The only sound in that room right then was the hum of the air conditioning and sipping of coffee. You’d have thought I’d asked them to pull down their pants.

Finally, one brave soul cleared his throat and said, “Well, we attend this study every week.” “That’s great,” I said. “Studies like this prepare us for ministry, but to whom are you passing on what it means to actually live like Jesus?” I never got invited back.