“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -Acts 1:8
The older you get, the more complicated life gets – right? Perhaps it’s the other way around. The older we get, the more complicated we make life. I recently learned what it means to truly be a witness of Christ, and it didn’t come from a seasoned Christian, a book, a class or a seminar. It came from a seven year old boy.
Six months before my son, Brady, turned 7 he told me that he didn’t want any presents for his birthday. Instead, he wanted people to bring money to his birthday party so that he could turn around and buy some toys for what he called “the less fortunate”. On the day of his birthday party, I had to wonder if he would regret his decision as family members came and laid their cards on the table. As he opened each card I saw his eyes light up as he calculated in his head how much money he had collected. The next day, he went to the store and bought two shopping carts full of toys. He decided to send these toys with some friends of ours from Martins Creek Mennonite Church who were going to Mongolia. The next month, two large suitcases full of toys ended up in an orphanage half way around the world because a young boy recognized that in order to be witnesses of Christ, we need to be willing to reach out to “the least of these”.
Later that summer we moved to Corry, Pennsylvania. It was difficult for Brady to say goodbye to his friends, but it didn’t take him long before he was making new friends in his new school. Around Christmas time, he came home and told me about a friend of his who didn’t know if he believed in God. As a parent, my stomach turned as I wondered what kind of an influence this boy was having on my son’s faith. I never once considered how my son might influence this boy’s life.
Over the course of the next month, Brady would ask me questions about heaven and hell. He would ask me what happens to people who don’t believe in Jesus. I never made the connection until he came home one day and told me that his friend, Jacob, now believes in God. When I asked him what made the difference, he said he simply told Jacob that God created him and that Jesus loves him - and now he believes. He had such a nonchalant attitude on his face when he told me, as if he was saying, “Why wouldn’t I tell my friend about Jesus”. I was left speechless, yet extremely proud.
A month later, Brady came home from school and told me that Jacob wanted to come to our church. On Wednesday nights, kids can come to church for supper, spend some time memorizing scripture verses for rewards, and then spend the remainder of the time playing games. Brady’s friend, Jacob, joined us one Wednesday night and had a blast.
The next week Brady came home beaming with a smile and said Jacob was wondering if it was alright for his family to come with him to church. On Wednesday, as the Jacob and his sisters went off to their classes, their mother joined the adults for Bible Study. She shared with us that it had been several years since she had last been to church. The next week, Jacob invited his aunt and three cousins to church. The following week, these two families invited two more families to church. Within a month’s time Beaverdam Mennonite Church had nine more kids and their parents regularly joining us for church, because a young boy and his friend recognized that in order to be witnesses of Christ, we needs to actually tell others about Jesus Christ.
We are all called to show the love of Christ to others and to share the Good News of Christ with others so that they may come to know Christ and experience His love in their lives. It’s not so complicated. Lessons learned from a seven year old.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” -Matthew 5:16
