("Evangelism Linebacker” video played) …  Now, of course, this isn’t a serious video…  This isn’t really the way that we are going to “motivate” people to share their faith and talk about their Savior, Jesus.  But it does bring out some truth, doesn’t it?

There are times that we are afraid to speak up for God.  There are times that when the matter of spirituality is raised, or a religious discussion begins, or a question of faith is asked, or a challenge to our belief in Jesus Christ is given, we feel like children.  We feel immature.  We feel inadequate.  We feel that what we have to share is going to sound so silly.  We don’t think we will know what to say.  We feel we will be rejected.  We feel afraid.  Or maybe we feel that sharing our faith isn’t even our job.  It isn’t our purpose.  No time.  Have you ever felt this way?

Then you could probably identify with Jeremiah.  When he was a young man, a boy, God came to him and appointed him to bring a very difficult message, a message of judgment to those who have rejected God.  During his long ministry, Jeremiah would be threatened, imprisoned, and called a traitor for daring to speak a message contrary to the ideas and hopes of his generation.  He was being called by God to do something difficult.  He did not think he was the man to do this.  He felt like a mere child.  He didn’t feel he had the ability to speak or the words to say.  And he was afraid.  I wonder if Ashley Smith felt the same way…

It was 2:00 a.m. and 26-year-old single mother Ashley Smith needed a smoke.  But she was out of cigarettes. So she decided to go to a nearby store in order to feed her addiction. As she was leaving her apartment, she noticed a blue truck in the parking lot with a man in it. She didn’t think too much about it. She had only moved into that apartment two days prior. So she thought maybe he was a neighbor coming home.  She got into her car and went to the store.

She came back to her apartment five minutes later. And the truck was still there. And he was still in it. Ashley got out of her car and rushed to her apartment. As Ashley started to put her key in the door of her apartment, a man stuck a gun in her ribs. She began to scream, but he told her if she did what he asked he wouldn’t hurt her.  At first she didn’t know who her assailant was, but when he took off his hat, she recognized him from a news report. He was Brian Nichols. Brian Nichols was a prisoner brought to court for the retrial of a rape conviction. When he arrived at the courtroom he overtook his guard. In the melee he took her gun and shot and killed the presiding judge, the court reporter, a deputy and a federal agent. Then he escaped.

Now this man who had earlier in the day killed four people in cold blood was in Ashley Smith’s apartment. He tied her up with masking tape, a shower curtain and an extension cord. Ashley pleaded with him not to hurt her. She told him that she had a 5-year-old daughter who she was to meet at 10:00 a.m. the next morning. And that her daughter would be very upset if her mother didn’t show up. She also told him that her husband was murdered four years ago, and if she too were murdered, her little girl wouldn’t have a mommy or a daddy.

Ashley Smith spent hours talking with Brian and listening to him. He told her that he deserved to have a bullet in his back. She said, “No one deserves that!” He said that he felt like he was “already dead” so it didn’t matter what happened.  She told him he wasn’t dead.  He was standing there before her very much alive, which she pointed out to him was a miracle.  They talked about what he had done, and they watched television coverage of the manhunt.  It made him sad to see what he had done.  She began to tell him that there was a solution for him.

Some time during the night Brian untied Ashley, and she asked him if she could do some reading. He asked her what she wanted to read, and she pulled out her Bible and a devotional book.  She read the opening paragraph of her devotion for the day. Brian interrupted, “Stop.” He said, “Read it again.” The paragraph raised the question: “What is your purpose in life?”

There ensued a deep discussion about purpose and failure and sin. Brian said he didn’t have any purpose. His life was over. She told him that his life wasn’t over.  She got out her Bible and told him why.  She told him about Jesus.  She told him that his life had purpose because of Jesus.  She told him about forgiveness.  And she told him that he might get caught and that his purpose from now on might be to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to fellow inmates. Finally Ashley told Brian that it takes more of a man to surrender and pay for what he has done, than to kill others and himself.

In the morning Brian put the guns he had stolen under the bed, and Ashley made pancakes for his breakfast. She asked him again if she could go and meet her daughter. He told her she could. When the police arrived Brian Nichols held up a white towel in surrender and went peacefully. This man, who had burst into Ashley’s apartment claiming to be a soldier on a mission, now walked out gentle as a lamb, thanks to Ashley Smith’s humble courage.  Perhaps Ashley was fulfilling God’s purpose for her life when she bravely spoke for Him in this scary situation which really happened in March 2005.  No doubt, she would have been comforted by the same promises God gave Jeremiah when He sent him on his scary mission in life.  And friends, I think we can also be comforted knowing God makes those same promises to us.

When your opportunity to witness, to evangelize, comes, don’t make excuses.  Don’t say, “I’m only a child.”  Don’t say, “I don’t have time.”  Don’t say “I’m too scared.”  Why?

First of all, God has Chosen You and Given You a Purpose.  Before Jeremiah was ever born, God had a purpose for his life.  Before you were ever born, God had a purpose for your life.  He knew you before you were born.  He has always had big plans for you!  Jeremiah’s purpose was to speak for Him.  And part of your purpose is to speak for God too. Your purpose in life as a child of God is to glorify Him – to make Him known.  To show others what He is like by your words and actions.  Whether you are a prophet, or public preacher, or lawyer or bricklayer or dentist, your purpose as a child of God is to speak for Him with words and actions. 

And that is good, because everyone needs a purpose in life!  From Jeremiah to Ashley Smith to Brian Nichols to you and me. And isn’t it just comforting to know that God has been thinking about you since long before you were ever born?

The Second promise that God gave Jeremiah and us for comfort is that God has Promised to Be With Us.  “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.” (v.8).  Jeremiah was terrified!  He felt like a child!  He wouldn’t know what to say.  But God assured him, “None of that matters.  I AM with you.  It doesn’t matter if you are only a boy.  Do not say ‘I am only a child.’ Child or not, you are my ambassador!  That means I will be giving you the words to say and the audience to say them to!  It means I will be with you!  There is no reason to fear!  The God who created these people is standing by your side.  “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).  The Lord Himself declared these words, and that means He will stand behind them!

Finally, the Third promise God gives Jeremiah is that God has Given You His Word.  “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.”  The Lord gave Jeremiah the words.  The Lord put those words into Jeremiah’s mouth so that Jeremiah could proclaim them to others!  His mouth was filled with a message!  The Lord’s message!  And we can count on God to do the same for us.  When we are in a situation where we have the opportunity to tell someone about Him or to answer someone’s question, or to invite someone to get to know Him better or even to speak for God in a dangerous situation, God will give us the words to say!

What were the words Jeremiah was given?  Uproot.  Tear down.  Destroy.  Overthrow.  Proclaim the difficult message to people that their selfish lives they are living in are going to separate them from God.  Living life without God has eternally awful consequences, and those ideas need to be uprooted.  That confidence in yourself without God needs to be torn down.  All people, including us, need to hear that without God in our life, we are headed for destruction.

What were the other words Jeremiah was given?  Build.  Plant.  Plant that seed of the good news of God.  Build a person up by showing them and telling them about a God who cares about them.  Share with people who were devastated by God’s law that God also loves them beyond description and wants to build a home for Himself in their hearts and souls.  Tell them how God loves them through Jesus.  Proclaim that forgiveness through Jesus!

Friends, today, let’s begin by applying these words to ourselves.  Let God’s law tear down your pride, your confidence in yourself, or your apathy toward God.  And then be built up knowing there is a God who truly cares about you!  A God who redeemed you through his Son.  A God who knew about you before you were ever born.  A God who gave your life purpose.  And forgiveness.  A God who showed you grace – love undeserved.  A God who gave you a second chance.  The same way He gave Brian Nichols a second chance.  And Ashley Smith.  By the way, she wasn’t some church lady.  She was a recovering methamphetamine addict.

So – you now have a purpose in life, too.  To tell others about Him.  To speak for Him, even when the situation is dangerous and scary.  He has chosen you to do that for Him.  He is with you while you do it.  And He will give you the words to say.  So – challenge yourself to go out and be his spokesman.  Don’t worry, there isn’t a linebacker coming after you.  Don’t do it because you are scared.  Do it because you love Him.  Do it because He loves you.  If it is scary to you, start with something small.  Start by inviting someone to church.  Set a goal for our Family and Friendship Service.  See if you can share God’s love with just one person who doesn’t know about it yet.  See if you can use this opportunity to bring someone to church to hear about Him.  Let’s challenge each other to get out there and speak for Him!  Isn’t that part of our purpose in life?  Let’s not say, “I am only a child.”  You aren’t only a child.  You are a child of God!  You are his ambassador!  You have a message!  A great message!  Share it!   Amen.