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HELLO FROM THE DEVO!

/2022/03/22/keep-it-simple-2

[{"status":"publish","site_id":"1","date":1647907200000,"title":"Keep It Simple","author":"2400450","bible_in_a_year":"<a href=\"https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+10%E2%80%9312%3B+Luke+1%3A39%E2%80%9356\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"scripture reference verse\" class=\"scripture-link\" data-category=\"scripture-link\" data-action=\"bible-in-a-year\" data-label=\"Bible in a Year\">Joshua 10–12; Luke 1:39–56</a>","bible_in_a_year_references":"Joshua 10–12; Luke 1:39–56","bible_in_a_year_url":"https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+10%E2%80%9312%3B+Luke+1%3A39%E2%80%9356","content":"The email was short but urgent. “Request salvation. I would like to know Jesus.” What an astonishing request. Unlike reluctant friends and family who hadn’t yet received Christ, this person didn’t need convincing. My task was to quiet my self-doubt about evangelizing and simply share key concepts, Scriptures, and trusted resources that addressed this man’s plea. From there, by faith, God would lead his journey.\nPhilip demonstrated such simple evangelism when on a desert road he met the treasurer of Ethiopia who was reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked (Acts 8:30). “How can I,” the man answered, “unless someone explains it to me” (v. 31). Invited to clarify, “Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (v. 35).  \nStarting where people are and keeping evangelism simple, as Philip showed, can be an effective way to share Christ. In fact, as the two traveled along, the man said, “Look, here is water” and asked to be baptized (v. 36). Philip complied, and the man “went on his way rejoicing” (v. 39). I rejoiced when the email writer replied that he had repented of sin, confessed Christ, found a church, and believed he was born again. What a beautiful start! Now, may God take him higher!\n","excerpt":"The email was short but urgent. “Request salvation. I would like to know Jesus.” What an astonishing request. Unlike reluctant friends and family who hadn’t yet received Christ, this person didn’t need convincing. My task was to quiet my self-doubt about evangelizing and simply share key concepts, Scriptures, and trusted resources that addressed this man’s plea. From there, by faith, God would lead his journey.\r\nPhilip demonstrated such simple evangelism when on a desert road he met the treasurer of Ethiopia who was reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked (Acts 8:30). “How can I,” the man answered, “unless someone explains it to me” (v. 31). Invited to clarify, “Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (v. 35).  \r\nStarting where people are and keeping evangelism simple, as Philip showed, can be an effective way to share Christ. In fact, as the two traveled along, the man said, “Look here is water” and asked to be baptized (v. 37). Philip complied, and the man “went on his way rejoicing” (v. 39). I rejoiced when the email writer replied that he had repented of sin, confessed Christ, found a church, and believed he was born again. What a beautiful start! Now, may God take him higher!","insights":"Eunuchs were men—usually castrated—who served as officials in a royal court. Both Greeks and Jews often looked down on eunuchs; Greeks sometimes mocked them as “half-men,” while Jews might disdain them for their inability to produce heirs and because the law of Moses excluded them from entering “the assembly of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:1). However, the prophet Isaiah spoke of God’s full acceptance of eunuchs and foreigners who sincerely worshiped and sought Him (Isaiah 56:3–8). In baptizing the eunuch in Acts 8:26–40, Philip affirmed that this man was fully included and embraced in the family of God.","passage":"<a href=\"https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+8%3A26%E2%80%9335\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"scripture reference verse\" class=\"scripture-link\" data-category=\"scripture-link\" data-action=\"passage\" data-label=\"Scripture Passage\">Acts 8:26–35</a>","passage_url":"https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+8%3A26%E2%80%9335","passage_reference":"Acts 8:26–35","response":"How do you respond to opportunities to share your faith? What simple answers could you have on hand for someone who wants to know Jesus?","thought":"I’m not an expert at evangelizing, heavenly Father, so show me simple, effective ways to share the good news about Christ.\r\nLearn more about <a href=\"https://OurDailyBread.org/resources/leading-others-to-christ/\">leading others to Christ</a>.","verse":"Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. <a href=\"https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+8%3A35\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"scripture reference verse\" class=\"scripture-link\" data-category=\"scripture-link\" data-action=\"verse\" data-label=\"Key Verse\">Acts 8:35</a>\r\n","insight_question":"","author_name":"Patricia Raybon","lang_author_name":"","author_link":"https://odb.org/author/patriciaraybon/","slug":"keep-it-simple-2","insights_author":"1668557","insights_author_name":"Monica La Rose","insights_author_id":"1668557","shareable_image":"https://d626yq9e83zk1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2022/01/31182651/share_odb_2022-03-22.jpg","image_url":"https://d626yq9e83zk1.cloudfront.net/files/2022/03/odb20220322.jpg","email_image_url":"https://d626yq9e83zk1.cloudfront.net/ebread/dailyimages/odbdevo_20220322e.jpg","audio_url":"https://dzxuyknqkmi1e.cloudfront.net/odb/2022/03/odb-03-22-22.mp3","brandName":"Our Daily Bread","preheader_text":"The email was short but urgent. “Request salvation. I would like to know Jes...","sku_listname":"EEN100","brand_logo_url":"https://odb.org/wp-content/themes/odbm-base-ourdailybread/images/odb_logo.svg","language":"en_US","date_id":1647907200000}]