DAY 118 - HYPE IT UP
ZACH ATWOOD, YA EVENTS & OPERATIONS TEAM LEAD
“Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, ‘Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.’ And in that place many believed in Jesus." John 10:40-42
Have you ever been so excited to share something with your friends that you hype it up, hype it up, and hype it up some more, and it’s a complete let down for them? It’s the worst! For one of my best friends, this happens too often for him…
One time, a while back, he invited me over to watch this movie we had both been dying to see. He, being the monster that he is, ended up watching it without me, but he loved it so much he wanted to watch it again. For a couple of weeks, that all he would talk about (without giving away any spoilers). Begrudgingly, I agreed to watch it. We picked a weekend, we watched it, and toward the end of the movie, he literally stared at me for 5 minutes and asked what I thought of it.
“It was… okay?”
Let me tell you what, that was not the right answer. That night, we had one of the worst fights we’ve ever had. Luckily, we survived and have seen many movies since.
This story in John 10 is similar in that people have been hearing about this Jesus guy from John the Baptist (Jesus’ homie/the man who preached about Jesus before His arrival), and they were curious if this guy could live up to the hype. They were like me, hearing story after story, teaser trailer after teaser trailer all about this Jesus guy; but unlike me, when they meet and see Jesus face to face, they were not let down! It was quite the opposite! They’re so in awe, so filled with wonder, that they believed in who He was and what He had come to do!
This made me think, “What am I hyping up in my life? Is it of Him? Am I hyping up Jesus to others in my life? Am I actively sharing who He is and what He’s done in my life?”
The reason we need to share His goodness to others (especially non'-believers) in our lives isn’t to boast on ourselves, but it’s to show people what He can and will do so when they experience something similar, they’ll remember “This is the kind of stuff that happened in (your name)’s life, and they said it was because of that Jesus guy… is He working in my life?” Sharing who He is and what He’s doing is one of our most powerful evangelistic tools!
So YA, are you sharing to non-believers who God is to you? Are you sharing the works He’s performing in your life? Are you talking about your struggles but showing others how God is caring for you in the process? Because here’s the thing, unlike the latest movie or a new restaurant, Jesus’ hype can never be outdone by His character and goodness, and He will never be a letdown!