I mentioned an unusual name, Marycushion, a couple of days ago. I suppose I could tell you how that name came to be. We were living in Kentucky, and I was a senior in high school. So the name has been around for a long time. My mom‘s cousin, her husband and four children had just moved to Kentucky from Florida for work. I think the job came about pretty quick, so they came up to Kentucky at the end of the summer without all of their belongings.
When Thanksgiving week came along that year, my cousin, her husband, four children and myself headed to Florida to fetch the remainder of their belongings. The trip was great, until on the way back we ran into a snow storm in Tennessee. The snow hit fast and hard. We were in a car pulling a small U-Haul trailer, just getting ready to start up the mountain. We were able to get to a parking area off the Interstate exit. We called my mom and told her that we were pretty much stranded in the car and told her where we were. She told us that her aunt & uncle lived in that town. She called them for us and they came and picked us up. Their names were Mary and Cush. We were treated like royalty and it was such a fun stop over.
After we got home, the four year old kept saying something we could not really understand. We finally figured out that she was saying Marycushion. She kept talking about the adventure in Tennessee. It seems that each time we said Mary & Cush, we almost always said their names together as one, sort of like MarynCush. It sounded to her like we were saying Marycushion. Once we figured out what she was saying, it stuck. It became their name. Anytime we talked about them from then on they were Marycushion.
It was so cute to hear her say Marycushion, but the reason she did was because she did not clearly understand what we were saying. That was adorable, but there are times when not understanding what someone is saying can have a different effect.
By making the message of the Gospel too complicated and hard to understand we sometimes hinder people from coming to Christ. The consequences of misunderstanding the Gospel are serious. Jesus did not come to complicate our lives. Simply….He came to bring us salvation.
If you are unsure about how to explain the Gospel to someone, or are hesitant walk someone through multiple scriptures, John 3:16 has been called the Gospel in a nutshell. God loves the world that He created. The first man and woman broke fellowship with God through sin. Yet God loved the people of this world so much that He was willing to give us His Only Son to bring us back into fellowship with Him, and to complete His plan of salvation. This is not just Biblical. It is documented by ancient historians such as Josephus (a Jewish historian,) Tacitus (a Roman historian,) Pliny the Younger (a lawyer and magistrates in the Roman Empire); and Lucian (a Greek writer) (1)
The simplicity of God’s plan is that we truly believe that Jesus is who God says He is: He is God’s only Son, He was born of a Virgin, He lived a sinless life, He gave His life on the cross, He was buried in a grave, He rose again on the third day and will come again to receive His Church—those who believe in Him.
The Gospel of Jesus really is very simple. It can even be shared with symbols like the following:
- He came
- He died
- He was buried & arose
- He ascended
- He is coming back
The world sometimes makes it difficult to share the Gospel. It can be difficult to put ourselves in situations where we can share. As those that follow Christ, the challenge from this scripture could be the willingness, or the courage, to share.
How can we apply this to our lives? The main thing to remember, if you are anxious about sharing the Gospel, is that it is not about you. Even if you are rebuffed, they are not rebuffing you. They are rebuffing Jesus. He can handle it. He will help you learn to not take it personally. Relationships make it easier to share. Make it a habit to develop new friendships and relationships. Then share clearly. Share what God has done for you, then share the simplicity of the Gospel.
This scripture, John 3:16, strengthens my faith by simply stating the truth of God’s love and redemption for us.
Thank You Lord for Your love and compassion for me. My life would be completely empty without You. I pray that when You give me the opportunity, I will courageously share Your Gospel with someone that needs to hear it. Help me to continually visualize these encounters so that when they come I will be ready.
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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16 (KJV)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (KJV)
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32 (KJV)
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:15 (KJV)
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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about my Jesus.
What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe? Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him? You can know Him. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity. You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.
Here is a web page that will give you more information about making your decision for Jesus Christ: Start Your NewLife With Christ.
In addition, here is an excellent page that can give you additional information on peace with God: PeaceWithGod.net.
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Blog Image by 👀 Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay
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(1) Josephus’ Account of Jesus , The Testimonium Flavianum (https://josephus.org/testimonium.htm); Cornelius Tacitus, Early Christian Writings (https://earlychristianwritings.com/tacitus.html); World History EncyclopediaR, Pliny the Younger on Christianity (https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1846/pliny-the-younger-on-christianity/); Bible History.net, The Crucified Prophet (https://www.biblehistory.net/newsletter/crucified.htm)
Restricted Vision, Unburdened Sight 