Saint Patrick

When Junior was little, he thought the whole world celebrated his birthday on March 17 by putting out decorations with his favorite color, green. He didn’t know that his birthday was also Saint Patrick’s Day.

Patrick was an amazing person with a huge heart for God and the Irish people.

He was kidnapped from his home in England by pirates at 16 and sold as a slave in Ireland. He was familiar with the Gospel from his youth, but while enslaved, he gave serious thought to life and it was then that he gave his life to Christ. He escaped slavery and returned six years later, went back to school, taking theological studies in both England and northern Europe. He believed God wanted him to return to Ireland with the Gospel where “pagan darkness” reigned at the time. He was particularly focused on bringing the message of freedom to oppressed women, who were treated as commodities in pagan Ireland.

Evangelize the country, Patrick did, traveling from town to town, starting hundreds of churches and baptizing thousands. Before his missionary work, few Irish were Christian. After his death, the country would be described as a Christian nation.

All of this took place before Roman Catholicism was organized in northern Europe and Patrick’s message encompassed the purity of the Gospel, and he emphasized full immersion baptism upon one’s profession of faith, followed by a life of obedience to God and following Jesus in lifestyle, rather than ritualized religious practices.

What I love most about Patrick is his heart for reaching lost people. He gave himself and risked everything to see his captors come to know Jesus. God blessed his efforts and changed an entire nation for generations.

Sadly, we tend to not share that burden. We are surrounded by coworkers, neighbors, and even family members whose greatest need in life is our greatest blessing. Jesus’ call to fish for men is given to all of us. Matthew 28:19 is for every Christian, not just the professionals. It was common, every-day Christians who revealed Jesus to me. That calling is for you too.

One of our greatest opportunities of the year is coming in a couple of weeks. Easter is a time when people who would otherwise never go to church, will. They just need an invitation. And if you are not sure how to explain salvation through Jesus, you can make an invitation to church. And I promise you, on Good Friday and Easter at The Bridge, we will clearly explain the Gospel. All you have to do is get them there.

So let’s all of us do this: • Make of list of potential invites. • Pray for them daily. • Make in-person invitations. • Follow-up with a text that gives all the information (including what service you’ll be attending).

You may not be Saint Patrick, but if you are a child of God, he wants to use you to reach others.