The Greatest Story Ever Told, That Is Hardly Ever Told

This past Sunday, I had a really busy and crazy day. I was coming home from out of town and I was a bit behind schedule. I thought I had a plenty of time but I didn’t.

I had to be back for Youth Group at 5:30pm. I literally pulled in the church parking lot at 5:28pm.

My adult leaders and several youth were out in the parking lot entertaining themselves. I ran inside, turned on all the lights and unlocked the doors. Once everyone was inside I had to run back home because our two golden retrievers were in the backseat of my car.

I ran home, dropped them off, changed clothes and headed back to the church. Upon my return I had a few minutes before I spoke to our students. I got myself composed, played a final round of a game with them, ate some popcorn, and began my talk.

I was talking to them about sacrifice – more specifically, that being a Christian means more than just showing up for church on Sunday morning.

I am using David Platt’s Radical and Radical Together as the outline for our study this semester.

Long story short, I explained Platt’s premise and that we need to have a proper understanding of Christianity. What it is. What it is about. And what it involves.

In order to do this I role played with the students. I acted like I had never heard about Christianity and wanted to know what it is all about.

Honestly, it was a bit of a struggle for our students, but finally they caught a rhythm. But the real story is what this one little seventh girl said.

After a few minutes of attempted answers, she raised her hand and very clearly and calmly said, “Christianity is the belief in Jesus, who came down to earth and died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins – which is all the things that we have done wrong. Then He rose from the dead because God allowed Him to.”

Two sentences.

The significance of this statement is that this girl is a friend of one of our regular students. To my knowledge she has never gone to church and has no knowledge of the Bible and its content. Until now.

It made my night. I was so proud of her. This belief and it being recognized by those who don’t know God is what it is all about. This is why I do ministry.

The greatest story ever told, and it is hardly ever told. Or at least people hesitate to tell it.

Sunday night I talked to the students from Matthew 9:35-38. The account of Jesus talking to the disciples about the harvest being plentiful, but the workers are few. Many of us know that story, but often we gloss over verse 38, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus was not concerned in this passage about the lost people coming to know Him or putting their faith and trust in Him, but rather He was concerned with those who do know Him not going out into the fields to tell anyone about it.

I could give you a bunch of commentary and statistics about this, and maybe I’ll save that for another article, but for our purpose today I want to encourage you to stand firm in who Christ is and be willing to share the greatest story ever told (that is hardly ever told) so that because of your willingness a little girl who has no concept of who God is will understand the Gospel and how much Christ loves her.

Anyway, I was just thinking…