Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

There were no televisions in my childhood home. Not because they didn’t exist. They did. In color, too! My parents simply chose not to own one. If current-day programming and commercials are anything to judge by, we missed nothing.  

We weren’t without something to do indoors when inclement weather struck, though. We had a radio. Perhaps you remember them. The little box with an inlaid speaker, dials on the top or side, and an extendable antenna. Ours was a strange shade of dirty white. It looked like it had been handled by dirty hands too frequently. Perhaps it had. Perhaps that was the originally intended shade. Perhaps the look was an indication of its age. Regardless, we weren’t interested in how it looked. We cared only that it worked. And it did! 

Our radio had its own little resting spot on the half wall between the dining area and living room of our tiny parsonage home. My brother’s dining chair was closest to it. Man, he loved that radio. We probably listened to more programs because of him than we ever would have otherwise. I can still see him huddled there, chair turned to face the wall to put him in closest proximity to the little box, knees nearly pressed into the faux wood paneling, ears tuned to hear every word that came over the airwaves. Saturday morning children’s stories. Mid-day Paul Harvey programs. Evening “Unshackled” accounts of lives changed by the grace of God. I wonder if he still remembers the actual stories he heard. I know I don’t. 

What I do remember, with astonishing clarity given the decades between then and now, is a commercial-style clip played between programs. The radio waves would fill with the wild roar of a revving car engine followed by the screech of violently braking tires. Instead of the expected sound of madly crushing metal, a voice would follow, asking, “Excuse me. Could you give me directions…to Heaven?” 

As the announcer would do in the next section of the clip, that question compels me to ask, “Don’t you wish sharing Jesus with others was that easy?” Seriously. Wouldn’t it be nice if people just came up to you and ask if you could point them to a good church? How amazing would it be if folks stopped you in the grocery store and asked how Jesus could change their lives? How wonderful would it be if strangers stopped their cars, rolled down their windows, and cried out for you to help them prepare to meet God? 

Unfortunately, leading people to Heaven isn’t that easy. Especially not in America. Here everyone has their own gospel version to which they subscribe. Everyone seems to pick and choose which passage to underscore and which to eliminate. At a time when current commercials on big screen televisions or tiny handheld devices bombard our minds with the urgent necessity of self-care, hair-care, and medical care, but never suggest soul care, witnessing for Jesus can be incredibly difficult. 

In truth, witnessing for Jesus looks a lot different than it used to look. It used to involve handing out leaflets, knocking on doors, and singing or preaching on street corners. Today, when everyone wants you to stay out of their business, witnessing looks more like living your life the way you do every day. It looks like consistently living out the belief in Jesus Christ as alive and present in your world. It looks like weaving words of praise and prayer and faith into your everyday conversations, no matter if you are conversing with saints or sinners. It looks like being ready at a moment’s notice to take every opportunity to inject the Gospel into someone else’s life. 

It looks like deeds, too. Actions and reactions. How you treat your children. How you interact with the other preschool moms. How you react when the neighbor’s trash blows into your yard…again! How many times you sigh and roll your eyes at the person behind the checkout counter who is moving more slowly than you would like. You can use words and talk a great game about faith in Jesus and life-changing experiences, but your actions have to match up with the words coming out of your mouth.  (James 2:14-26) 

Multiple times in Jesus’ ministry, He makes a statement to this effect, “You will know My disciples by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16; Matthew 12:33; Luke 6:43) Some believe the fruits are actions. Some believe the fruits are words. I would submit they are both. The state of your heart and the truth of your faith, are each exhibited in what you say and do. By what comes out of your life, they will know you love Jesus. By your care for the neighbors, they will know you truly follow Him. By your treatment of the drunk on the street corner, the drug addict in the alley, the prostitute on the strip, they will know how deeply you believe His commands. By the way you respond to negative circumstances, heated conversations, and frustrating moments, the people looking on can easily deduce to Whom you belong. Every minute of your life should point people to Jesus. In word, yes. But also in deed. (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:17-20)

Unfortunately, it is unlikely anyone will ever walk up to you and ask you for directions to Heaven. I hope you have an answer ready if it ever happens!  I also hope you remember that it is just as unlikely that no one is watching your life, desperately hoping you will show them the way by how you live. People in your office building, your neighborhood, your ball team. People you meet at the dog park. People you see every day, all day. People who are impacted by your actions long before they are impressed by your words. People like your children, those beautiful souls who learn to imitate us long before they learn to clearly speak and reason.  

A couple of Sundays ago, I sat behind some folks who had their baby with them in service. I love that. Children belong in church with us. She loved it too. I would guess her to be somewhere around the 15-month mark. As we stood, the band played, and the singing started, her tiny hand shot up in the air in imitation of people around her whose hands were raised in praise. She’s never chatty in church. Doesn’t cause a stir during the sermon. But she is always watching. Watching and learning. Learning about the people around her. Just like the rest of us. 

I don’t know what your week looks like. Maybe it’s crazy and stressful and frustrating. Maybe the mountain of unsettling circumstances looming above has your temper short, your patience thin. I don’t know whose life you touch regularly or will touch this week for the first time. Maybe they’ll test your limits, hurt your feelings, break your heart. Maybe you’ll be tempted to retaliate with sarcasm, nasty words, or pure meanness. I hope you don’t. I hope you take a deep breath, remember that you might be the only Gospel they read, the only Jesus they meet, and you’ll live your devotion to Jesus out so loudly you point them to Heaven. (Titus 3:1-10; Ephesians 5:1-2)

The conclusion of the matter is this–love God and live like it. With every action, you are either pointing people to Jesus or away from Him. It really is that simple. Whether the question is ever verbalized to you or not, you are handing out directions to Heaven with every kind action, every time you take the high road, every time you turn the other cheek. Anyone, indeed everyone, can claim they know Jesus, but the whole world will know if it is true simply by the way you live your life.  (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Colossians 4:6; I John 3:18; James 1:22; Matthew 5:39)

So go be the light of the world. Go be the salt of the earth. Go and make disciples of all nations. Start with your children and work your way out. Tell them. Show them. The world is waiting, lost, and dying, desperate for you to fulfill the mission God gave you. So go do it. Go show them. With your life, go give them directions to Heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:19; Deuteronomy 4:9-10, 6:5-9)