{"id":843,"date":"2018-12-02T22:29:45","date_gmt":"2018-12-02T21:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=843"},"modified":"2018-12-02T22:29:45","modified_gmt":"2018-12-02T21:29:45","slug":"10-ways-to-share-my-faith-this-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=843","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Share My Faith This Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 ways I can share my faith this Christmas
\nChristmas is almost here again!!Cards, Presents, Decorations, Parties, even Carol Singing. And so many people missing the point completely! They\u2019ve thrown out the baby!! So this year let\u2019s make a real effort to reclaim Christmas for Christ!!
\nThere is no better time to share the gospel. No other time of year gives us more or better opportunities! The name of Jesus Christ is on everybody\u2019s lips. The world is celebrating HIS Birthday. Jesus is the reason for the season! People are giving cards and presents without realising they are in honour of the first and greatest Christmas present of all, God\u2019s gift of His Son Jesus Christ. It\u2019s our job as Christians to tell people the real meaning of Christmas. Nobody else is going to tell them. And if we waste this opportunity then our friends and neighbours may never hear the Good News at all!!
\nSo let me give you \u201c10 ways I can share my faith this Christmas\u201d. Simple obvious ideas of ways we can use the evangelistic opportunities Christmas offers us all. You probably already do some of these. All of us could try something new this year, something we haven\u2019t done before to share the gospel at Christmas time.
\n1. Cards
\nSend Christian cards! The table has a wide choice of cards.
\n2. Presents
\nThe Difference Jesus makes \u2013 our book of testimonies. Take as many as you want to give.
\nMarina\u2019s autobiography, \u201cMy light in the Darkness\u201d – \u00a35 each on the cards table.
\n3. \u201cThe Greatest Christmas Present\u201d Booklet
\nThe nativity stories as they appear in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, together several short messages explaining the real meaning of Christmas.
\n4. Invitation Cards
\nWe have lots of special events between now and Christmas.
\nOur usual Christingle service at 4 pm on Sunday 16th December followed by Tea.
\nCarols and Cake on 18th December\u2013 an hour of singing your favourite carols and enjoying delicious cake \u2013 the perfect event to invite your friends and neighbours to \u2013 not a service, just singing carols and eating cake\uf04a
\nSunday before Christmas – Family service in the morning and Carols by Candlelight at 6.30
\nChristmas morning \u2013 10.30 am
\nOf course we want to invite everybody to join in these events with us and we always produce Christmas cards. These are for you to give to your friends and neighbours. They give this Christmas picture, and details of all our Christmas events with a Christmas message inside as well as our website addresses and telephone numbers. We also want to deliver the cards around the streets and it would be great if you could help!
\n5. Party time
\nHospitality – anything from a cup of tea and a mince pie to a dinner party. There\u2019s no better time than Christmas to break the ice by inviting them over for a coffee some time. Tis the season to be jolly. It\u2019s allowed!! You could even invite your minister along to meet some of your neighbours and not yet Christian friends.
\n6. Carol singing
\nSomebody wrote this.
\n\u201cFor many people, carols conjure up the almost forgotten magical, white Christmases of our childhood, exciting presents and a simple belief in the mystery of Christmas.\u201d
\nThat\u2019s true. What\u2019s more, many people know more words from Carols than they do from any other Christian hymns or songs. Carols contain the message of the gospel \u2013 and they are already being played in shops and shopping centres. What better way of starting a conversation about Jesus than the words of well-known carols: Words most of our friends and neighbours already know \u2013 but don\u2019t understand.
\nAs well as the carol events I\u2019ve already mentioned we will be singing carols outside the Havengore shops on Saturday 16th December between 1 pm and 2 pm.
\n7. It\u2019s CHRISTmas
\nNot X-mas \u2013 not X the unknown in some equation we have to solve, not X something mysterious and scary from the X-files, not X a mistake we\u2019ve crossed out. It\u2019s not X-mas, it\u2019s CHRISTmas!!!\u2013 there wouldn\u2019t be a Christmas without Christ..
\n8. Think of others
\nThink about other people this Christmas \u2013 neighbours, friends Neighbours are allowed to be nice to each other at Christmas! ADVENT OF KINDNESS \u2013 cards.
\nStart this morning! Make new friends in the church \u2013 talk to somebody you don\u2019t know today!
\n9. Talk about Jesus
\nGossip the gospel. Take every opportunity to tell people the real meaning of Christmas. Everybody is saying \u201cSeasons Greetings\u201d \u201cCompliments of the Season\u201d See if you can find something better to say to everybody than \u201cHappy Christmas\u201d. Be brave! You could try \u201cPeace be with you\u201d or \u201cGod Bless you this Christmas time!\u201d You\u2019re allowed to be religious! It\u2019s Christmas!
\nBe ready to share your faith! We need to be ready to answer people\u2019s questions. \u201cHow did you become a Christian?\u201d \u201cWhat difference does being a Christian make to your life? At Christmas we need to be ready to answer questions like \u201cWhat does Christmas mean to you?\u201d or \u201cDo you really believe in the Virgin Birth?\u201d
\n10. Pray
\nAlways talk to God about your friends before you talk to your friends about God. Pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus this Christmas. Offer to pray for your non-Christian friends for anything they may need.
\nThe world has forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. Shops and restaurants and television have hijacked Christmas. Let\u2019s do our best to reclaim this Christmas for Christ.
\nAnd here are 10 obvious simple ways we can do it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

10 ways I can share my faith this Christmas Christmas is almost here again!!Cards, Presents, Decorations, Parties, even Carol Singing. And so many people…<\/span><\/p>\n

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