Whom do you love who doesn’t know the love of Jesus? We want the people we love to know about the greatest love: the love God has for them. We can share God’s love with them by showing it in acts of mercy and by speaking it as Christ’s witnesses. When we speak it to people, we are sharing His love in the greatest way possible. But how do we speak God’s love to our lost, broken, or confused friends, classmates, family members, teammates, etc. in ways that they will listen? What can we do to overcome the challenges of sharing Jesus’ story in a culture that is opposed to it? How do we engage the people in our lives in conversations about Jesus without offending, aggravating, or driving them away? We’ll explore some ideas for being faithful and effective witnesses of Jesus in our everyday lives so that other people can know and experience the greatest love.
Bio: Pastor Mark Wood serves in the LCMS Office of National Mission as the director of Witness & Outreach and Revitalization and as the Making Disciples for Life team leader. He is the creator of the “Every One His Witness” and “re:Vitality” resources and the author of “Connected to Christ: Witnessing in Everyday Life” (CPH 2021) and “Meaningful Outreach: An Essential Guide for Churches” (CPH 2022). A 2000 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in 2017. Despite their young ages, he and his wife Mary Ellen have five adult children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. They reside in Gold Canyon, AZ.
Youth and adult sessions recorded at the 2022 LCMS Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. For more information about the Gathering, visit www.lcmsgathering.com.
