Ambassadors for Christ

  Yo! This is Travis Cook and I go to the University of Texas. I just wanted to share an experience I had during outreach this Tuesday and what it taught me.
  I went to downtown Celebration for evangelism on Tuesday. We were walking around the little town, not seeing very many people to interact with. But then we saw a man I had talked to weeks before in Celebration. So I went up to Charlie and talked to him for awhile. The last time I had talked to him, he acknowledged that God was watching over us. I wanted to ask him more questions about that but it started to rain, so he bid us good day and left. Now talking to him this time, I definitely wanted to get more into spiritual conversation. I asked him if he went to church here in Celebration. He said he used to when he lived in New Jersey, but he doesn't anymore. His reasoning for not going to church was "you have to pay to get in". He expanded on it a little more by talking about how the church he went to didn't use the money they collected in the right ways, and even used it to give themselves lavish lifestyles. Because he had a bad experience with this one church, he was completely turned off from the idea of ever going back to church.
  This conversation made me think about how much responsibility we have as Christ followers. Claiming the name of Christ, we represent Him in everything we do. The world can see Christ through us. If we are claiming His perfect name, engaging in dishonest practices can turn people away from Him, questioning His goodness and love. We definitely do not want to do that. Our desire is to show love and compassion for people, bringing a message of hope and goodness that is the gospel. "That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to use the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5: 19-20.
  This is just one of many things I've learned this summer. Hope it made some sense! I ask you to pray for Charlie, that he would be able to recognize that one bad experience with a church shouldn't keep him from going to worship and grow in another church. Thanks!