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Introduction to Messages for Christian Witnessing

1. What is the significance for Christians of 2 pieces of wood and 3 nails?
   
2. What do the letters in GRACE stand for? There are at least two meanings.
   
3. Do the Math! 1 Cross + 3 Nails = _______
   
4. What does TGIF stand for? There are at least two meanings: Tip: It is not the Restaurant Chain!
   
5. If the nails didn't hold Jesus on the Cross then what do we as Christian believe that held him on the cross? 
   
6. What is the BIBLE?
   
7. The Bible not only informs Christians it also __________us!
   
8. Frogs are so cute, but what does FROG mean?
   
9. I think we all know the meaning of WWJD is but what is another meaning for it? And if you follow WWJD then what does DJWW mean?
   
10. This is the best advice you can give anyone at any time: ASAP what does it mean?
    

After I gave my Witness on Scriptures in that CRHP weekend on January 17, 2010 which was just one month after my medical crisis which is described in my testimony, I was asked to be the Co-Spiritual Director for the new CRHP Team’s Formation Program. I bowed out saying that I was still getting on my feet and trying to get back into work. Well along came by CRHP Brother Tim and he says: “No pressure Jim!” I was wondering what he was going to say. Tim said: “I’ve been asked to be Co-Spiritual Director of the CRHP Team’s Formation and I asked them who was to be the other Co-Director and they told me you.” Well you can imagine what I said: “But I turned them down.” The look in Tim’s eyes told me I needed to do something quick, so I stood up to the plate and said: “Well on the other hand since you will be my partner in this then I guess I can do it. The rest was history and I became the co-spiritual director for the team. I wondered then what message God was sending my way. By the end of the CRHP weekend I felt a close affinity to the new team of men who were going into the Team Formation process. By the first evening with the new group of men I knew I was “home” and this was where I needed to be. The cohesion and openness of this group was something special. Each shared openly and completely in their individual “Faith Sharing” which begins their formation process. I felt this was going to be a special time in my life due to these men. Then shocking news came, my wife had a biopsy and the results were that she had breast cancer and would need surgery. Well I then knew why I was on this team for the next six months to get the spiritual support needed to help me not lose hope for Connie.

What happened next was all about “Sign Value” of the Christian Message of Salvation and I tell you it was a roller coaster of emotions.

See "How Well Do We Bear Our Crosses?" presentation here:

The following week at our CRHP meeting some of our brothers reported the impact of wearing the crosses was at their places of work, at their Gym and at home. The power of the sign was clear to us all. We were so sure of the goal to spread this cross around to all the current and past CRHP members to witness to our community both church and civilian that we were indeed believers and committed to service of Christ’s Good News in our lives. But Tom came in with the bad news that the crosses were normally $5 and that his supplier could get them for us in bulk at $3.50. I was disappointed because that would be a hefty bill to pay for over 200 of them. So our group was brainstorming how we would go about buying them when our Brother Mike who is the Lay Leader of the Team using his I-Phone got into the Oriental Trading website and found them for $8.99 a dozen! When he told us the price, I immediately declared my intention of buying 20 dozen for CRHP distribution. I was psyched. That night I immediately ordered them at: http://www.orientaltrading.com

Click here to get to the specific site on Oriental Trading to see the cross.

Well at this same time as we were waiting for the 240 crosses to arrive home, Connie got another email for another CRHP sister about the brutality of the physical nature of the crucifixion. This just pushed me further to believe we were on the right track for a Sign Value which proclaims that being a follower of Jesus does not result in the “Prosperity Theology” belief of riches and earthly rewards. Rather the Cross Sign Value is that Jesus suffered a horrible death for our sake and any crosses which come our way are just a drop in the bucket in comparison to his suffering and sacrifice for us.

Well suffice it to say the only thing left to convince me that we were on to something meaningful as a Sign for Witnessing to our communities about our Love for Christ was to receive the crosses we had ordered. Well they arrived on April 6, 2010 and they were everything if not more than we were hoping for. That evening we immediately began giving them out to our Bible Study Group Members and to any CHRP brothers and sisters we saw that night.

Our CHRP team is committed to spreading this witnessing tool throughout the CRHP alumni so that they can prod others in our Church to join us in the effort of Raising on High the Honor and Glory to Christ that he deserves from us men and women who say we are Christians but have not spent the time sharing our Good News with others!

The story of this journey of the cross experience is shared with you to let you know that it really does not take huge efforts to give others the Good News which all men and women need to hear, experience and learn from. Best of Luck in your effort at witnessing and may you touch the minds and hearts of people who need to hear the Good News.

What follows next are samples of Messages which can be used easily to get the profound messages across to others who need to hear the Good News.

Christ is the Light of the World

1.    The Light Of The World Knows No Power Failure

2.    In the dark? Follow the Son.

3.    Hot Cross Bun Love, the Risen Son

4.    Exposure To The Son May Prevent Burning

5.    May all your days have "Son Shine"

6.    May all your days have "Son Shine"

7.    Forecast...The Son will shine forever!

8.    Son block has never worked for me

9.    If the Son is in your eyes, move towards the Light!

10. Soular powered by the Son

11. No day is dark in the Son.

12. Heavenly Forecast - Reign Forever!

13. Lost? Someone is looking for You!

14. Christ is Life the Rest are Details!

15. Jesus Loves the Hell Out of You!

16. People don't change because they see the light, but because they feel the heat.

17. Jesus! Don't leave earth without Him!

18. The light of the world knows no power failure.

19. Jesus Rules. Satan is a fool.

20. Team Jesus! Est. 33 A.D.

Importance of the Bible

1.    Bible - Basis Instructions Before Leaving Earth

2.    Many books inform, but the Bible transforms

3.    Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives

4.    Got your Daily Bread?  Read the Bible!

5.    The Bible is bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.

6.    Fight truth decay — study the Bible daily.

7.    Store the Bible in your heart not on a shelf

8.    The Bible's treasures can only be found by those who dig for them.

9.    YOU are the only Bible some people may ever read.

10. Get off Facebook and get into my Book

11. God wrote only one book; don't you think you should read it?

12. If you only sample the Bible you never acquire a taste for it.

13. If you're searching for nuggets of truth the Bible's a gold mine

14. The Bible has the longest publishing run of any Book

15. The Bible will tell you what's wrong before you've done it.

16. Faith takes God at His word, whatever He says.

17. We Don't Change The Message...The Message Changes Us

18. Never lessen the lesson.

19. Obey what the Bible says, not what men say the Bible says.

20. The person who hasn't time to read the Bible hasn't time to go to Heaven

21. What part of "THOU SHALT NOT" don't you understand?

22. Would you rather trust a guy who wrote a book--- or the One who wrote The Book?

23. The Bible isn't antique or modern, it's eternal.

24. Prepare for your finals! Read the Bible!

25. If your Bible is falling apart, chances are your life is staying together.

26. Apply yourself to the Bible and the Bible to yourself.

27. A Bible falling apart belongs to someone who isn't!

28. Opening the Bible can be a real eye opener!

29. The Bible is most helpful when OPEN.

Importance of Prayer

1.    ASAP-Always Say A Prayer

2.    Prayer...The Next Best Thing To Being There

3.    Why Worry When You Can Pray

4.    Start your day with God. It ends better.

5.    There is a Power upstairs who can answer your prayers!

6. God Answers Knee-Mail
7. Courage is fear that has said its prayers.

8.    When the world pushes you to your knees, you are in a perfect position to pray.

9.    God's forgiveness exists for you as if you were the only person on earth.

10. He Who Kneels Before God Can Stand Before Anyone

11. Down on my knees I learned how to stand.

12. Can't sleep??? Don't count sheep... Talk to the Shepherd!!!

13. When life gets too hard to stand – Kneel!

14. If prayers build stairs, how close are we to heaven?

15. God listens to prayers not advice.

16. The more we seek God the less we want the world.

17. Prayer is the best gift you can give someone.

18. Seven days without prayer makes one weak.

19. When there is no way out, there is a way up.

20. If you've got time to pray, God's got time to listen.

21. It's hard to stumble when you're down on your knees

22. Prayer should be your first resource, not your last.

23. Simplify meditation. Sit down and shut up!

24. When praying, don't give GOD instructions. Just report for duty.

25. Good old knee-ology is as good as some theology.

26. Jesus never taught how to preach--- only how to pray.

27. The closest distance between a problem and its solution is the distance
between your knees and the floor. 

28. A man who can kneel to God can stand up to anything.

29. Life is short-- pray hard!

30. Hem your day with prayer and it will be less apt to ravel at the edges.

31. Download your worries, get on-line with God!

Directions for Living One’s Life

1.    Only a Life lived for God - is a life worth living

2.    To join God's plan, take Jesus by the hand.

3.    You've got to have a test to have a testimony.

4.    God makes miracles out of messes and mistakes

5.    Forbidden fruit creates many jams.

6.    God sweetens outward pain with inward peace.

7.    If God only wanted perfect people to do His work, nothing would ever get done.

8.    If you're going to waste, let God recycle you!

9.    Next time you think you're perfect try walking on water.

10. You can't walk with God while running with the Devil.

11. If the wages of sin is death, shouldn't you quit before payday?

12. When God saw you – It was love at first sight

13. Don't make God a priority in your life. Make Him your LIFE!

14. Don't let the littleness in others bring out the littleness in you

15. Don't let the noise of the world drown out the peace of God's Love.

16. Every saint has a past-- every sinner has a future!

17. Give Thanks For Each Day...You'll Never Get To Live It Over Again.

18. God does not call the equipped. He equips the called.

19. One expecting to go to Heaven should take time to learn the route.

20. Give a man a fish. He’ll eat for a day. Teach him to fish. He’ll eat for a lifetime. Teach him religion. And he’ll die praying for a fish.

21. Be ye fishers of men. You catch em, and He'll clean em

22. Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see!

23. Treat each day as your last! One day you’ll be right!

24. It is better to suffer an injustice than to be an injustice.

25. Labor hard, consume little, give much, and all to Christ!

26. Heaven, a prepared place for a prepared people.

27. When the going gets tough, the tough offer it up!

28. Little is much when God is in it!

29. “Judge not lest ye be judged.” How can something so important be so easily forgotten?

30. People are like tea bags — you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are.

31. When down in the mouth, remember Jonah. He came out alright.

32. Fidem Vitae Fateri - Show your faith by the way you live!

33. Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world.

34. Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal fire insurance soon.

35. You can love without giving but you cannot give without loving.

36. Be content with what you have but never what you are.

37. If you don't want to reap the fruits of sin stay out of the devil's orchard

38. If You Walk With The Lord...You'll Never Be Out Of Step

39. In Trying Times...Don't Quit Trying

40. Look not behind or ahead, but within.

God’s Saving Grace

1.    Rule #1... God is in control. Rule #2... See Rule #1.

2.    God Promised A Safe Landing... Not Smooth Sailing

3.    YES – Yes, they are all mine! Yes, I have my hands full! Yes, I know what causes it! Yes, I’m glad it’s me and not you, too!

4.    Only God can save my place in heaven!

5.    Jesus, my help for today, my hope for tomorrow.

6.    Received Eucharist? It does the Spirit Good!

7.    Put God in the center and everything else with come together!

8.    Don't tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big God is.

9.    No God — No Peace. Know God — Know Peace.

10. Living a Christ-like life: Not just for Sundays anymore!

11. How will you spend eternity — Smoking or Non-smoking?

12. It is unlikely there’ll be a reduction in the wages of sin.

13. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.

14. If You Can't Stand The Heat You Better Make Plans To Avoid It

15. God won't be looking for your medals, degrees or diplomas--, He'll be looking for your scars.

Witnessing Words from Some Big Guns

1. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.- C.S. Lewis.
2. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. - St Augustine.
4. Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary use words! – St. Francis of Assisi
5. If we were who we were meant to be, we would set the world on fire. – St. Catherine of Sienna

A Reminder that Church is God’s Home

1. This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing? U R
2. Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin-Robbins.
3. We Are Not Dairy Queen...But We Have Great Sundays
4. Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!
5. Two hands holding stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed and a headline that reads: “For fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets.”
6. Have trouble sleeping? We have sermons — come hear one!
7. A church without youth is a church without future, and youth without church is youth without future.
8. Foi est tout - Faith is everything
9. Running low on faith? Stop in for a fill-up.
10. If You're Wrinkled With Burden... Come In For A Faith Lift
11. Wal-mart Is Not The Only Saving Place

Acronyms for Witnessing

Websites utilized to gather these Slogans, Signs and Messages

Best Christian T-Shirts: http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Christian_Shirts.html

Café Press: http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/catholic?page=14&sort=by_date_desc

Christian Bumper Stickers and Church Sign Pages: http://sblom.com/cbs/

Christian Slogans: http://gospelcenteredmusings.com/2009/09/07/christian-slogans/  

Church Marquees: http://www.togetherweteach.com/MoreSayings/church_marquees.htm

Church Sign Sayings: http://www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com/home.html

Church Slogans: http://ajcorp.tripod.com/cir/churchslogans.shtml