Reach • Devotion 1

Peloton
Caleb Jones

“Paul, an apostle - not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead - and all the brothers who are with me.” Galatians 1:1-2

This past year, my wife and I bought a Peloton bike. Now if you do not know anything about Peloton, I will give a glimpse into what it is. Peloton is a stationary exercise bike that has a display and hooks up to the internet so that you can be connected to other people during a live class. I recently heard someone tell a peloton joke, “How do you know if someone owns a Peloton bike?” The answer was, “Because they will tell you!” It could not be more true. We know it is true because I just told you I owned one! I cannot even tell you how it all works. I have no clue how they built it. I am not a bike expert. I am not even in shape. Yet, I have gear that says I am all in. It even posts to my Facebook after every exercise just so people know that I am part of the Peloton family.

Are we as eager to share the Gospel as much as we are about our Pelotons? We are so quick to share the change in our diets and weight but what about the change that Jesus has made in our lives? One of our location pastors recently flew to California to witness one final time to his grandfather. I remember the Holy Spirit asking me if I loved people that much. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV), Paul says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” Implore means to beg. Have you ever begged someone to repent and follow Christ?

Often times I think we are so scared of our lack of knowledge of the Bible, that we would not even start a conversation about Jesus. As much as we should be in the Word and studying the Gospel, Paul actually says in 1 Corinthians 1:17 (NIV), “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” He is saying we do not need to trick people with our words. We do not need to have this perfect map of words so that it calls people to Jesus. We just need to preach Christ. Be honest with your words. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to guess what someone will say back to me and so I try to have an answer for everything. I wonder how many times I did not say anything because I could not come up with the words.

So, how do we share?

Here are several verses that can help us to take the next as well as prepare us scripturally. Psalm tells us to store the Scripture in our hearts. Study over these verses. Apply them to your own life. Memorize them.

•Do not be ashamed to share the Gospel. Romans 1:16  
•Do not overcomplicate it with eloquent words. 1 Corinthians 1:17  
•God’s love is given through His sacrifice. John 3:16
•We are all sinners who are in need of a Savior. Romans 3:23  
•God loved us so much that He sacrificed His only Son on the cross for us. Romans 5:8  
•The payment for sin is death. But God! Romans 6:23  
•Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. Romans 10:9  
•Whoever calls on Jesus will be saved! Romans 10:13