I do not think anyone would take me for a germaphobe by any stretch of the imagination. However, I do try to be somewhat hygienic in my practices. I always wash my hands after handling raw meat. I try to be mindful of cross-contamination in food preparation. I will do my best to avoid shaking hands with people at church if I have a cold, etc. and that includes using hand sanitizer a lot during cold and flu season not only to protect you, but also to try to protect myself. No matter what reasonable steps I take, it seems that at least once a year or so I get a cold. Someone out there is contagious and has passed their germs on to me. I have no doubt that I have done the same thing to some of you. Disease spreads as one person contracts the illness and then passes it along to another through any number of means. What do you normally do when you greet someone who says they are contagious? Usually that conversation does not last very long because people want to avoid getting sick and so they do not hang around sick people.
Now, consider for a moment that you were contagious, but that you had something that was good that not only could be shared, but also should be shared. That does not seem to fit the mold of how we normally think, but it is in fact a present reality. Clear your mind of all thoughts of disease and consider the concept of a contagious Christianity. If you are a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are living in a condition that both can and in fact should be shared. Becoming a Contagious Christian, is a book seeking to encourage believers to share their faith. The Session and Diaconate are currently reading through and discussing this book. We are looking at ways that we can become a more winsome and loving church as we share the gospel with those in our spheres of influence. Now, I want you to notice that I said, “the church” and I want to define what I mean. We are the church, you and I together. The church is a body of believers made up of individual Christians that have been brought together as a local body. The Bible very clearly states that God has commanded His church to go and make disciples. That means sharing our faith with other people who do not know Jesus yet. How do we do that well? How do we go about becoming contagious Christians? It starts with loving the Lord Jesus Christ. As you grow in your knowledge and love of Jesus, your desire to share your relationship with Him will come more and more naturally. It will become a natural outgrowth of who you are as a follower of Jesus. When you love someone, telling others about them is important to you and you become intentional about it. Your Session is getting intentional about this and we hope to lead the church in a more contagious Christianity.
