"Two by two"

9/17/12     Marvin,     about 40

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go."  Luke 10:1     The Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons - warped as they are in their teachings about God -  do at least one thing right as they follow the Lord's example by going out two by two to share the Gospel.  I believe many Christians, not wanting to be associated with these cults, are allowing them to steal a great core part of our faith by not doing so ourselves.  I was reminded of this today as I met with Rich to go out and intentionally share Jesus, just as we had planned to do so at church yesterday.   What a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement as we went from one person to the next, sharing from the scriptures and our own lives and experiences, being reminded of what the Lord has brought us through and sharing it with each other and the people we spoke with.  One man we spoke with was Marvin, a man who seemed to have a solid faith in Jesus when reminded of the work of the cross, but who talked solely of his ability to keep the commandments when he was asked to explain the Gospel for himself.  "If Marvin is a Christian", Rich and I later agreed, "he has veered away from the good news of Jesus for one simple reason - he hasn't been sharing it with others".  There is no better way to make Gospel truths a solid part of our own faith than to share them with others.  Sharing the Gospel and making disciples is not only our mission, but I believe it provides a crucial foundation for fellowship and faith.  We can't afford give up this gift and privilege to false teachers through our own disobedience and neglect.