In 2 Kings 7, we find an interesting story about four lepers. The first thing we discover about them is they had a problem and were hopeless.
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? If we say, 'We'll go into the city'--the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die." --2 Kings 7:3-4
Leprosy was a disease that had no cure. They had no hope and with a famine going on, they would have been the very last to receive food. This same kind of hopelessness could describe how you and I were before we became a Christian--sin was our problem and we had no hope of overcoming it.
God had been at work providing for them.
At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!" So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. --2 Kings 7:5-7
Paul declared that while you and I were sinners, Christ was willing to die in our place so we could have eternal life (see Romans 5:8). God was at work well before you and I ever realized we needed forgiveness!
All they needed was provided and then some. The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also. --2 Kings 7:8
They had discovered a gold mine and now had more than enough. When you and I accepted Christ, He provided everything we would ever need for salvation. He offers us an abundant life, full of all the best joys in life (see John 10:10).
They discovered they had a responsibility. Then they said to each other, "We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once and report this to the royal palace."--2 Kings 7:9
The salvation God has given you and I is too valuable for us to keep to ourselves. We must find ways to share what God has done with others. God has forgiven you and has left you here on earth to tell others what He has done and what He can do for them.
They simply told what they knew. So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, "We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there-- not a sound of anyone--only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were." The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace. --2 Kings 7:10-11
Sometimes we may wonder what we are to tell others about Jesus. We can learn a great deal from the four lepers who simply told their story--what they had found and how.
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW?
Do you know that God loves the world?
Do you know that God sent His Son Jesus into the world that people might be saved from their sins?
Do you know that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world?
Do you know that God raised Him from the dead?
Do you know that unless people accept Christ they will spend an eternity in Hell?
Do you know that every human being must stand before God in a Day of Judgment?
Do you know that men and women can be forgiven if they receive Jesus as Lord and Savior?
Do you know that life is brief, and that men must be reconciled to God while they are still alive in this world?
Are you amazed at how much of the basic truth of God you know?
Have you shared what you know with those around you?
Sharing The Love of Jesus With Others Includes:
Your Life - Many people will be watching you and judging your character. Now that you say you're a Christian, they will be looking for the changes that have taken place in your life. Always be an example of Christ's love to those around you.
Prayer - Pray for those you know that are not Christians. Pray that God would give you an opportunity to share with them and that He would prepare their hearts.
Personal Testimony - This is your story of what Jesus has done in your life. Tell about life
before Jesus Christ, how Jesus entered your life, and life
since you've been a Christian.
Printed Literature - If you have a hard time explaining on your own, there are a variety of printed materials to help explain what it means to be a Christian and how to become one.
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