Commentary by James L. Lambert

Along with many Americans today, I am anxious regarding the future of our country. There are too many disturbing signs of a society that seem to be spinning out of control. Yet, when I return to the pages of my Bible I am comforted as I am reminded that the God of the Universe is still in control.

 

The One who ordered the Universe and counts the number of hairs on our head, understands every one of us even better than we know ourselves.  Christ never stops reaching out to mankind. He continually tries to draw us to His love and grace.

 

Perhaps that is why I am so thankful that over 35 years ago a friend of mine took time to share the love of Christ with me. In all the years since, I can’t remember anyone else personally attempting to share the gospel with me. That is why I believe, as Christians, it is vital for each of us to reach out to those around us.

 

To many of us, sharing our faith is a challenging proposition. We’re concern-ed about how the other person will react. We’re concerned that it may be awkward to share our beliefs with friends or acquaintances who might consider their beliefs too personal for discussion.

 

I recently had a conversation with Bob Turnbull who was a professional actor earlier in his life. He now runs a ministry called Bob Turnbull Ministries. During the 1970s, he had the opportunity of appearing several times on the hit TV series, Hawaii Five-0 (A CBS films production). Hawaii Five-0 ran for over 11 years on prime-time television and still holds the record for longevity of police series television.  Turnbull told me that the lead actor in the popular series, Jack Lord, had a reputation of being a private person, and usually kept to himself. A supporting actor, such as Bob, might have been hesitant to share his faith with someone of Jack Lord’s stature. But that didn’t stop Bob Turnbull.

 

Lord, (who played ‘Steve McGarrett’ on the famous weekly TV series), came off on screen as an intimidating figure. He played the savvy head of the made for TV Hawaiian state police force Five-0. Bob ignored all that and shared the simple gospel with Jack. He also gave him a Bible, which Lord said he appreciated receiving.  He did the same for Erik Estrada, who later became famous in the hit TV series, Chips and others over the years.

 

Sharing the gospel with those around your can be life changing. I think of a little known airplane flight instructor named  Sammy Mason. God used this gentleman in the late 1970s to share the gospel with the then well-known actor Steve McQueen. It was a pivotal moment in the life of one of Hollywood’s coolest actors of the 1960s and ‘70s. God used McQueen’s interest in learning how to fly as a way for Mason to share his faith with him. It was the right time for McQueen. He soon became a Christian.  It was only a little over a year later that he died at the early age of 50 from cancer.

 

Time is fleeting.  You never know the effect of sharing Christ’s love with one of your friends or even strangers. One pioneer in the gospel tract business, Jack Chick, has said it’s easy to share the goods news with others. He encourages Christians to strategically place his comic books anywhere and everywhere. Some ideas: you can place them in phone booths, on the tops of newspaper stands, public rest areas, rest rooms, park benches, bus stops or wherever people gather. It is amazing how these comics are devoured by the inquisitive.

 

Since none of us knows the future, it’s a good habit to share your faith with others. Christ implores us to do so.  Perhaps all of us will better appreciate the importance of sharing our faith if we realize how different our life would be if someone never shared the message of Christ with us.  

 

James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to ChristianMirror.net and author of Porn in America, is a licensed nationwide real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.