"What's Good Friday?"

     Yesterday afternoon Ronda was working with the Boys & Girls Club at her school and one of the girls asked her why they were out of school on Friday.   She replied, “It’s Good Friday.”  To which the girl queried, “What’s Good Friday?”  Of course, Ronda saw this as an invitation to share the Gospel.  She then spent the next few minutes explaining the significance of Good Friday and God’s plan for redemption to a group of middle school students.  Rarely are we afforded such obvious opportunities to share the Gospel, so when they come around we must take advantage of the moment.

     What is truly significant to me is the fact that a group of middle school students in central Florida did not understand the meaning of Good Friday.  They did not understand the necessity of Christ’s death for our sins and how it is related to His resurrection.  I wish I could believe that this was an anomaly; that they were the exception, but that’s not the reality in which we live.  The inconvenient truth is that we have allowed multiple generations to come of age without ever hearing an accurate presentation of the Gospel.

     How is it that in Florida, a state with over 2,300 Southern Baptist Churches reporting almost 1 million members, there could be entire segments of society that do not have an accurate understanding of the Gospel?  Well, the simple answer is that we as Christians do not feel compelled to share Christ with others.  When it comes to evangelistic responsibility, we have lost any sense of urgency.  We no longer seemed to be burdened about the lostness around us.

     Some of the first instructions we have from the resurrected Christ were evangelistic.  He told Mary Magdalene not to cling to Him, but to go and tell His brothers…and she did (John 20:17).  That seems to be a recurring theme on the day of His resurrection, people going and telling others.  They couldn’t help themselves, they had to share what they had seen.  They had to share their experience with the risen Christ.

     Imagine what would happen if we felt that same compulsion; that same need to tell others about our experiences with the risen Christ.  What kind of impact would the church have if we would seek out those who were lost and hurting; those without hope and we told them about Jesus.

     Instead of bunnies and eggs, maybe we should consider celebrating His resurrection the same way His disciples did, by going and telling.  Before Jesus ascended to heaven He said to His disciples…you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” (Acts 1:8) until no child has to ask “What’s Good Friday?”

In His Service,