Making the most of Freedom
Our ‘Freedom’ week of events is just 20 days away! I hope you have the dates (9-17 March) and the events themselves in your diary. Can I pass on something I’ve learned about such weeks over the years? I used to think – I don’t know where I got this idea – that I shouldn’t be going to an event if I wasn’t bringing someone with me. I’ve come to see that that’s a most unhelpful way to think.
I now want to be at every event I possibly can. Clearly, some events are ‘restricted’ to, say, golfers or men or women or young people, but the rest are open to everyone. So why do I want to be there? Here are five reasons! First, I want to hear the gospel again myself. It does me good to hear how I have been saved, and it helps me to know how to explain that to other people. Second, it makes it easier to invite someone to an event I have already planned to be at myself. Third, it encourages other Christians who have brought friends along to have a good number there. Fourth, it supports the Christians who have put the event on – not to mention the speaker – to see a crowd there. Fifth, it helps those who are not yet Christians to relax and listen if there is a buzz in the room.
And what if there really isn’t room for those who haven’t come with someone? I have to say, that has not often been my experience. But if it does happen, well, we can always slip away quietly to pray…