Letters Selection - Part Four

1998 - The Christian Chain Letter

("SHOUTING IN THE SUPERMARKET" ETC. FOLLOWS)

Evie - This arrived in my letterbox last week!

What a great idea. I have made ten copies and sent five to Christian friends , and five to non - christians I know, people I've been praying for and who I know need Jesus. Would you like to do the same? The guy who wrote it is a Christian policeman. What a great way to evangelise!

2001

Well, well! The chap I wrote to you about, who sent the Christian Chain Letter is now a Minister!

I phoned him up to get permission to include his letter in this book. He was very happy about it. He also said that he has seen people put their testimonies on their home pages. I guess you could send such a letter through email too, it would not cost you anything in postage, and it would be very quick.

Why not copy the two following pages and send them on? No need to put your name on it if you feel disinclined to do so. With an activity like this there is no pressure. It is a very simple and non - threatening way to start on your journey as an obedient witness to Jesus and his love. Just send Paul's letter on, as he has suggested. Or write your own.

Friend,

This letter is all about a man who was and is the Son of God. I am talking about Jesus Christ. Please read this short letter as I want you to have an insight into who Jesus is, why he died on a cross 2000 years ago, and what he can do for you.

This letter does not ask you for money, it doesn't promise to make you money and it doesn't threaten you that bad things will befall you if you don't send it on. What this letter aims to do is let you know something about Jesus, with the aim of pointing you towards reconciliation to God, love, peace, forgiveness from any past wrongs you have done, freedom from guilt and eternal life.

I have been a Christian for two years and have received all of the above benefits from God. I would like you to receive them too.

Jesus Christ was born about 2000 years ago. He lived a perfect life and taught people how they should live and how they could restore their broken relationship with God. When he was about 33 years of age, Jesus was flogged and then crucified; after being falsely accused by the Jews and Romans of his time. After his death God restored his Son's life, and the New Testament records eleven occasions where Jesus appeared to a total of over 550 people after his death. His followers believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead so strongly that they began to tell the world of his life, death and resurrection. Many of them were tortured and killed because they proclaimed the risen Jesus.

Jesus had to die to take the punishment of a righteous God. Every person, except Jesus, who has ever lived has sinned and therefore, because God is a righteous God , must be punished. God punishes sinners because he is so holy and so pure that he is utterly repulsed by sin. The Bible teaches that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) and that "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God". (Romans 3:23) Sin has been defined as rebellion against God. Pride, lust, murder, envy, slander etc, are the by-products of that rebellion against God. So you see we all deserve punishment and God's Punishment for sin is death.

The good news is that when Jesus was crucified he took our punishment for us. God allowed his son to die in our place. Jesus said that he came, "to give his life as a ransom for many" . (Mark 10:45) On the cross Jesus took the punishment that you and I deserve. Jesus taught that to have eternal life, freedom, reconciliation to God, peace, love and forgiveness all we need do is repent of our sins and turn to him. That is we have to admit to God that we have done wrong things in our lives and are sorry. Then we have to tell God that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ.

That we believe he took the punishment for us.

Jesus said,"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him". (That quote is from the Bible, John chapter 3: verses 16-17)

So you see God's promise is open to anyone who believes.

If you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus God will forgive you all your past wrongs, he will adopt you as his child and give you everlasting life.

The bible teaches that one day we will all have to stand before God and give an account of our lives. The bible makes it clear that the only way a person can be certain of their salvation, (their eternal life), is to have Jesus on their side. God has promised to welcome all who have put their trust in Jesus. Jesus taught that he was the way and the truth and the life and that no one one comes to the father except through him. As a Christian I know that my eternal destiny is secure and that when I stand before God he will welcome me into his kingdom because of what his Son has done for me.

A Christian is a person who is no better than anyone else. A Christian is just a normal person, with faults and failings, but who has turned to Jesus in faith and received God's forgiveness, eternal life, freedom from guilt and adoption as a child of God.

If you are not yet a Christian then I hope this letter has given you an insight into the Christian life and I implore you to find our these truths for yourself. Get hold of a bible and read one of the New Testament Gospels, perhaps Mark or John. Or you could go to a church service; talk to a Christian; go to a talk about Jesus or get a Christian book such as "Questions of Life" (Kingsway) by Nicky Gumble. Jesus Christ wants to save you and give you eternal happiness; all you have to do is believe.

I thank you for reading this letter. If you have found this letter useful or insightful I beg you to send it on to 10 other people so they too can find out about Jesus. Give them the chance to experience the difference Jesus will make in their lives.

If you are already a Christian then please send this letter on. Jesus called us all to spread the good news. If you do send this letter on then you may play an important part in bringing someone to Jesus Christ and you will thereby please God. Send the letter to an even mixture of Christians and non-Christians. Like you the Christians who receive it will no doubt send it on. As a Christian you already know that there are many ways to share the good news about Jesus. This letter is only one way. You may wish to compose your own letter; write an accompanying note with this letter or simply send this letter on as is.

My prayer is that this letter will reach thousands and thereby give glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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June 2000- Family Parties

Dear Eve,

How're things? I'm enclosing a video of Jennifer and Jason's engagement party. They both witnessed to the Lord and the way He has worked in their lives in their speeches, and others shared on the same idea. She had asked me to make a book of photographs showing her development from babyhood to the present day. It was such fun to choose the pictures and put an appropriate scripture verse at the bottom of the page. They went from "Before you were in your mother's womb I knew you" (Psalm 139) - placed beneath a picture of the ultrasound scan - to the last page, on which there was a "sun burst" picture, with John 3 .16. The last page was given over to the sinner's prayer, for those who would like to meet and belong to the Jesus Jennifer and Jason know. That was a way to speak to some of the unsaved friends who were there to celebrate.

My daughter was keen to do this. As she is now an adult, and has the authority over her own life, it would have been wrong of me to force such a book upon her and her fiancee if they had been in any way unwilling. There would be many creative and fun ways to witness to the goodness of God in any family party. No RELIGIOUS spirits, please! They tend to be party poopers!! If you ask the Holy Spirit to give you ideas, He will find you something just right. If there is overwhelming love and grace, you know that it is the Lord. Unless I have misread my Bible, Jesus liked a party, and He also had a sense of humour. If you don't know this, I guess you would not have got this far in reading all the letters!

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June 2000 - Shouting In the Supermarket.

Dear sister of mine!

Today we had such fun! Finally we tried something I'd discussed with Ian ; a way of spreading the gospel in a state or country which would not allow street drama or any open witness.

A new shopping centre has opened. The supermarket had such excellent bargains and specials that most of the families in town seemed to have had the same idea. Yvonne and I decided to have a look round.

The queues to pay stretched from the checkout to the back of the shop all down the various aisles. It took us more than an hour to get out, and of course, we ran out of conversation. My friend Yvonne is a good evangelist herself, an active Christian of some sixteen years standing. When she said "What shall we talk about now?" I remembered the drama suggestion, and without any warning (which would have spoilt the whole thing for the people listening) I said "What's all this stuff you keep going on and on and on about, being Born Again? " She looked a bit disconcerted and said "YOU know."

"Well" I replied, "You certainly seem to have changed lately, but I don't really understand what you mean. And you keep going on and on and on about it. You'd better try and tell me exactly what you mean. Now seems as good a time as any."

My friend Yvonne rose to the occasion magnificently. "You have to repent of your sins and ask Jesus into your heart"

Me (In character) "I've never done anything to hurt anybody, and no one believes in Jesus any more. The idea of asking anyone into your heart sounds really GROSS. I think you are nuts" (What follows is pretty much what we said, but I probably don't remember it all exactly - it would have been good to have had a tape recorder, if only to learn to do better next time).

Yvonne. Sorry. Asking Him into your heart is probably Christian jargon . What I mean is, letting Him into your life, and giving Him permission to run it for you. Making Him Lord means putting Him first. If he is God, and if God is love, that seems like a good move, surely. The more you get to know Him, the more the thing makes sense. He is pure love, for you and for others. He really did exist, you know. There is more evidence for the life of Jesus than for the life of Julius Caesar. He's noted in historical texts of the time, not just in the Bible. And don't you worry, all of us have done wrong in one way or another. There is always something you wish you had not done.....

Me. You'll have to show me some of that evidence. How do you know that he was the Son of God? I think if he was real he was probably just a nice guy. There are heaps of people who said they were the saviour of the world.

Yvonne. His followers were ready to die for Him after He died. That does not usually happen. All our modern hospitals and schools systems started up because of His followers and His instructions to them. Even our legal system was originally based on the Bible.

(This is getting out of my character's depth, so I'm changing the subject)

Me All those miracles - they were just made up by his followers.

Yvonne. I've seen him doing miracles today through the prayers of His people.

Me. Now I know that you're nuts. Why on earth do you bother with stuff like that? It is just some con artists trying to put you on and get your money. Christians are all hypocrites.

Yvonne. Yes, I suppose we are. None of us manage to live up to the high standard we're supposed to. I'll bet you don't either. But that doesn't make any difference to the truth of Jesus' message of forgiveness and the fact that God still loves us all, - you too. Don't let that "hypocrite" thing stop you having a personal relationship with God. What other people do shouldn't prevent YOU from knowing Jesus. If you like, I'll take you to meet someone who has a miracle story to tell. I know several people who have been healed (She rightly sees through the money thing as a red herring). And how can you tell me you've never done anything wrong? I've seen you lose your temper heaps of times. I bother with this because I don't want to go to Hell. I want to be with God for ever and ever. Even the tiniest sin separates us from God, and Jesus showed us how to get right and made us a way back.

Me. (The checkout is approaching, and the man behind is looking very interested. So we have to get through this and get to the point). I'm not sure that God is even there, and I don't believe in Jesus. How did He show the way back?

Yvonne You only have to recognise that you've done some bad things in the past, say you're sorry, and ask Jesus to come into your life. Then thank him because He has done it, and go and tell someone that you have given your life over to God. You choose which side you are on, good or evil There actually isn't room to stay on the fence.

(At this point, the man behind remarked that his basket was very heavy; we invited him to prop it on top of our trolley, but he declined. If he had accepted, we would have drawn him into the conversation).

Me. Well, I can't do that, because I don't believe in Jesus, but what if I said something like 'God, if you are there, show me the truth' - would that do?"

Yvonne. It would be a good start, then the ball is in His court.

At this point, we went through the check out. It was fun!!

I have decided to use times like these for prayer when I am on my own, instead of getting annoyed when the bus is late or someone doesn't arrive for an appointment. If I've got a worthy companion I would certainly do it again. This Yvonne is the old friend I wrote to you about before. She is a great encouragement to me when my faith starts to crumble and things go wrong.

This is street DRAMA . Some people may feel uneasy, that perhaps there is an element of deception here. You could get over that by having leaflets to hand out afterwards (to anyone interested), giving details of church meetings and instructions on how to receive Jesus. I cannot in all honesty say that the script went exactly as written - it is too long ago now to remember. But it is substantially correct.

2Ti 4:2 "preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching."

To see some of Yvonnes lovely pictures for this book, go to <www.geocities.com/gospeltrainers> You may also access it by clicking your back button , then clicking on the word "Gospeltrainers" to the right of the purple buttons.

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