A GOOD QUESTION

A lot of Americans will be taking down lights and a tree in a few days. Ironically, many of them don’t know why they put them up: the number of people in the USA who don't actually know Jesus Christ is alarming.

Though as many as 90% of Americans claim to believe in God, statistically-significant studies indicate that somewhere around 150 million Americans say they don't have a "personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ." They may believe in God, but they don't know Him, don't follow Him, serve Him or worship Him. From what we can tell, their so-called faith hasn't made one bit of difference in their lives.

Information like that can be overwhelming if you ponder it in its full statistical enormity: 150 million people! I prefer to break it down into more manageable hunks, smaller pieces I can wrap my brain around – or, more importantly, my heart. When I do that, with God's help, I can remember that part of the good news about the Good News is that I don't have to share It with everyone. The 150 million unsaved people are not all my own personal responsibility, or yours either.

But some of them are.

Who do you know that you could share Jesus with? Is there a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, or a family member you could talk with about what Jesus means to you? Is there anyone at all you could invite to your church, or to a Bible study? Surely there's someone you know and care about whose soul you could pray for and whom you could take with you to church.

Surely, there's someone. Some one. One life at a time: that's all you need be concerned about.

At the close of his book, "The Unchurched Next Door," Thom Rainer relates this true story shared by Emily about her new friend Celeste. Emily says, “I knew Celeste was different. In fact, I knew she had that peace that I didn't have. We had known each other for just three weeks when Celeste started telling me about her faith. She invited me to church. No, she came by my house and picked me up. Two months later, I accepted Christ.

"You need to understand that I went from totally unchurched, no church background, no knowledge of church to becoming a Christian in just a matter of weeks."

Celeste wasn't focusing on 150 million people. She was concerned about one person she knew who didn't know Christ: her co-worker Emily. Celeste was just one person, and she made an eternal difference in the life of one other person, Emily.

Emily concluded her story this way: "What I'm still trying to figure out, with the millions of Christians in American, is how come it took forty-three years for someone to share about Christ with me. Where are all the other Christians?"

That’s a good question, Emily. A good question.