The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - Two Great Phrases For Witnessing

Episode Date: February 26, 2021

Ever find yourself not knowing what to say when evangelizing? Today, Jeff gives two phrases we can go to when being a witness of Christ. Ascension is proud to partner with authentically Catholic institutions and organizations committed to spreading the Gospel. Learn more about the sponsor of this episode, Ave Maria University (https://tinyurl.com/yycd3xng) Snippet from the Show “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28 Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail] Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit ascensionpress.com/thejeffcavinsshow for full shownotes!

You're listening to the Jeff Kaven Show, episode 207, two great phrases for witnessing. Hey, I'm Jeff Kavins. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general. It's the Jeff Kaven show. Well, thank you for joining me again, where, we talk on this show about all things, discipleship and Bible study, evangelization, everything. And today I'd like to talk to you about two great phrases for witnessing. That's right, two great phrases for witnessing. So often we get into conversations with people and we want to

share the good news with them. We want to introduce them to the Lord, but we can't figure out exactly how to open that conversation or how to respond to the content that people are discussing. Oh, it's in our heart, but well, we just have a hard time. Well, I've got two phrases that I think are very, very useful in conversations that will allow you to bring up the Lord in so many different ways. So that's what we're going to talk about today. Hey, before we get going, a little Bible in a year update at this point, at least the point of this particular show, we're approaching

30 million downloads on the Bible in a year, Father Mike Schmitz and myself. And it still is amazing us. That so many people are reading through the Bible or listening through the Bible this year with Father Mike, and I'm giving some commentary on that. But if you'd like to join, please go to the show notes. I offer you my show notes every week, or you can go to ascensionpress.com and join the party. Everybody's reading the Bible in the midst of uncertainty and darkness and political upheaval in the world today. The Word of God, like a beacon of light, rises. Isn't that beautiful?

What a testament to the Word of God. It's called a Bible in a year. Okay, so you're in conversations with people, and somebody brings up some kind of troubling topic. maybe something that they heard on the news or something they're experiencing or someone in their family is experiencing. And as you're talking, you're thinking to yourself, you know, the Lord would really be good for this person and the wisdom of the Lord or the worldview of the Lord would really be a beautiful thing to share with this person.

But we just don't know how to break into it. What's the first thing that I should say? One of the things I have enjoyed more than most is this whole thing of sharing Christ with other people and letting them know that the Lord has wisdom and that my following the Lord has changed my life and that he has been a great foundation and glory and just amazing. So I've used these often when I talk to people, and I'll share these two phrases with you, and then I'm going to apply certain topics and give you some verses that might be helpful as you share these phrases with other people. The first phrase that I want to talk about is when somebody brings up a topic or some kind of problem that they're trying to solve, one of the phrases I love to use is, is, you know, Jesus said, and then fill in the blank. Now, you might say, well, I don't know about

that. Well, yeah, this is a good idea to say, you know, Jesus said, and then you can share something from the Word of God. Now, this assumes that you're going to hide the Word of God in your heart, and that you can start to memorize some scriptures so that you can use them in conversations. And I would recommend using or memorizing some scriptures that have a real relevance to popular topics that people struggle with, like forgiveness and hope and feeling worthless, you know, and feeling weak. So let me give you just a few of those to tag on to this first phrase, you know, Jesus said. And I'm telling you, I've used this over and over and over. And suddenly, Jesus is part of the conversation.

Now, a lot of people do this anyway, but they do it with other things. You know, well, Dr. Phil said, or Buddha said, or, you know, Ellen on her show said yesterday, or did you hear Jimmy Kimmel? He said. So people are so used to interjecting what other people said into conversations to liven or spice the conversation. So I'd just like saying, you know, Jesus said. so let's take a look at the first one how about forgiveness maybe you're talking to somebody and they are really you know struggling with unforgiveness towards someone or someone in their

family is struggling with it you can say you know jesus said that if you forgive others their trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive others their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses now that's truth isn't it Now, I'm not saying that you have to just quote that, but you can take that and you can weave it into your conversation in a beautiful way, you know. Like, for example, you could say, well, you know, God has forgiven us, but I know that he expects us to forgive other people. And when we don't, we're going to sense that loss of forgiveness in our own life. And God wants us to forgive other people. You know, Jesus said, but I say to you who hear love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.

How many times does somebody come up and complain about somebody else? You know, oh, what they did? And you can say, well, you know, Jesus said that we need to love our enemies and we're to do good to those who hate us. So I would really encourage you to just do something good, do something kind in response to whatever they did to you. You know, Jesus said something when Peter came up to and said, Lord, how often should I, you know, forgive my brother who sinned against me, seven times? Do you know what? Jesus said, I do not say to you seven, but 70 times seven. In other words, what Jesus was saying was, you just keep on forgiving. So you can weave these right into a conversation so beautifully, but you can start off with, you know, Jesus said,

How about hope? How many people have you run into who are really struggling with hope in their life? Well, you know, Scripture says, for I know the, God says, I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29-11. By the way, I'll put these in the show notes for you. I forgot to tell you that. All you got to do to get the show notes is text my name, Jeff Kavens, and text it to 3377. And you'll get all the show notes. So, you know, God said, I have plans for you, oh, hopeless one. And he has plans for welfare, not for evil. He has a future for you. He has a future for you and a hope.

Tag that onto, you know, Jesus said, you know, God said, still struggling with hopelessness. You know, Paul said, but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. So I might encourage somebody to be patient by saying, you know, and tell them what the Bible said. As another one with Hebrew 619, you know, we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. Now, I'm not going to say that whole verse in a conversation most likely because it begs to bring further explanation. But what I would say to someone who is struggling with hope is I would say,

you know, Jesus offers hope for us. In fact, the Bible says that hope is an anchor for the soul. And I would just remind you that if you've been baptized, you receive the theological virtue of hope, faith, hope, and charity. So my friend, there is hope there. And I want to encourage you to grab a hold of that. This will anchor you in your life. How about feeling worthless? How many times if we talk to somebody who absolutely feels worthless? You know, the Bible says, and Paul says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

That's for the person that feels weak too, right? And it's so easy to say, you know, Scripture says that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Or you know, Paul said, I am sure of this, that he who began a good work you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1-6. It's very easy just to weave these into a conversation.

Oh, I feel hopeless, you know, and I feel like I'm worthless. I'm a worthless human being. To which I would say, you know, Paul said that we are his workmanship. We're created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. You know, the Bible says in Psalm 139, for you were formed, you formed my inward parts, oh Lord, you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

So someone might come up to you and say, I feel like such a loser, I feel like I'm worthless. Well, you know, God said that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. He had his hand on you, even in your mind. mother's womb. You have value, my friend. Matthew said, fear not. Therefore, you are of more value than the sparrows. See, we can do this. What about feeling weak? Somebody feels weak. They feel like, you know, COVID-19 has just dropped them and they don't know what to do. It's so easy to weave in what God says in a conversation. I like Isaiah 41.10. Someone says, I'm just exhausted. I don't think I can go on. You know, God says, fear not, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed. I'm your God. I'll

strengthen you. I will help you and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. See, that's good news. Proverbs three. You know, the Bible says, trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways, my friend, Tom, Sarah, Jennifer, Bruce, in all all your ways acknowledge him and he'll make your straight you'll make he'll make straight your paths that's what the bible says i feel so anxious i feel just like you know everything is coming down around me and i don't know what to do you know paul said don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to god and the peace of god surpasses all will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Yeah, but Jeff, I feel so fearful. I feel so fearful and just weak and I feel like I'm powerless. Well, you know, Paul wrote to Timothy and he said, for God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. I would really encourage you just to spend some time in prayer and thank God for the power that he's given you, especially a confirmation. He's given you a power, and he's given you a love. love, and he's given you the ability to control yourself, and you're not alone. I'll be with you.

So you can use that phrase, you know, and that's how it starts off. I know it's theologically deep, but you can practice it a few times in front of the mirror. You know, Jesus said, you know, Paul said, you know, God said. And that's just an easy way to interject something into a conversation. And I love that. When we come back from the break, I have another phrase. for you that you can use in witnessing and in comforting other people. You're listening to the Jeff Kaven Show. Nestled under the warm Florida sun is a university whose name indicates a vocational call. Ave Maria, which is Latin for Hail Mary, recalls the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary of her future vocation, becoming the mother of God. Enriched by God's

Grace, Mary, freely a sense to this call. This is the model for all students. Come to Ave Maria University, where we offer a liberal arts curriculum buoyed by the sacraments. This empowers you to clearly see your vocational call, whatever that call might be. Ave Maria University, your vocation, location. Visit avemaria.edu or call 1833amuswFL. Hey, welcome back. We're talking to today about two phrases that you can use in conversation, witnessing, comforting, sharing with other people. Speaking of other people, I just want to remind you that coming up in June of this year, that's 2021, Father Mike Schmitz, and I will be leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land

in June. That's right, the first two weeks of June, and we're inviting you. We're inviting you to come with us and celebrate Mass in Jerusalem. Bethlehem, Copernum, Nazareth, and to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, right on the Sea of Galilee. We've got some great priests going with us. Great musicians, Ali Alia, Taylor Tripodi, Xanderwaves. And we've got Andrew and Sarah Swofford.

They're going to be joining us too. So go to my website, jeffcavens.com, and you can get all the information under the pilgrimage tab. Hey, also coming up in October, Dr. Marcellino, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and his wife, and my wife, Emily, and I are going to be leading a pilgrimage to Fatima. That's going to be October 13th through the 24th. You can find more information on my website about that, too, and there's an optional Camino walk prior to this pilgrimage to Fatima. Both of those experiences are on my website. So what's the second phrase? We know the first one is, you know, Jesus said, you know, Paul said, you know, the Bible says,

and that's a very, very good way to interject hope and life into a conversation. But you've got to do a little bit of work. Practice memorizing two or three scriptures that you can use in conversations and practice it. Practice it a little bit. Now, the second phrase, I can't take credit for this. I'm going to give credit to Father Joseph Johnson at Holy Family Parish in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Because I was talking to him in his office a few weeks ago as we were getting ready to teach the school of discipleship at his parish. And we were talking about how to share Christ with people.

And he says, you know what I say? He said, and he said it. I'm going to share it with you. and I thought to myself, that is so good. Okay, so the second phrase is this. Someone comes up and talks to you about how difficult things are in their life right now. And I'm going to give you a whole list of things that people use in conversations to vent what's going on in their life and how difficult life is. And he said, you know, I love to say to people, I don't know how I could get through this without Jesus.

Isn't that beautiful? I don't know how I could get through this without God in my life. And that opens up the conversation at that point. They might ask you, what do you mean? Or, yeah, I'm with you, which means we can talk about this a little bit, right? And instead of dwelling on that which is so dismal and so much a downer, we can change the conversation into getting through this difficult time with God. I don't know how I could get through this without God.

Okay, so what are some of the situations that you might find yourself talking about, you know? And you might be talking to someone about their life, and they may bring up the fact that COVID-19 and this whole last year of 2020 has really wreaked havoc on their financial troubles. Maybe they didn't even get their stimulus check. Maybe they didn't qualify it. Maybe the government doesn't know who they are. And they're really having really a lot of financial troubles, which by way of extension means troubles in the relationships at home and siblings and all kinds of things. And so if somebody's talking about financial troubles, one thing you can say is, you know, I don't know how I could get through

this myself without God. And then from that point becomes a natural witness of your prayer life, going to Mass, reading scripture with Father Mike and myself every day. By the way, that's a good way to share Christ, isn't it, to invite people to read the Bible with you every day with Father Mike and myself on the Bible in a year podcast. I don't know how I could get through this without God? What about all the political upheaval? We saw the people breaking into the U.S. Capitol and all the news stories on the left and the right and everything else. And people started to feel very anxious. I'll tell you, I talked to a lot of people who felt anxious and felt like their world was starting to crumble around them and to which I would say, you know, boy, I hear you.

And I don't know how I could get through this without God in my life. Again, this introduces God into a conversation in a very natural way that normally you would not have brought God into the conversation. But it makes sense here, doesn't it? How about all the kids are at home from school? Someone says, my kids are at home from school. I've got a third grader, a sixth grader, and I got a ninth grader, and we've got a preschooler, and I'm telling you what, I don't know what to do anymore. I know what you're saying. I don't know how I could get through this.

without God. Can I pray for you? I want to pray for you or I want to get you a book or or come with me to a Bible study. It's a great opportunity. It's a great on-ramp. I don't know how I would get through this without God in my life. How about this one? One of your good friends, one of your girlfriends tells you, I'm saying this to women now, your girlfriend says to you, my husband, husband is officing out of the home now, and I am going nuts. Well, maybe you are, too. And maybe the Lord has helped you in that situation, and you're able to say, listen, listen, Peggy, I understand what you're saying.

And I myself, I don't know how I could get through this without God. Here's what I do. I just take some time. I take some time away. I go into the bedroom, and I read some scripture and pray. And I pray a rosary. I occasionally get up and go to the church for a, a little time before the Lord?

How about this one? Someone tells you, my parents have COVID. We can't get to them. They haven't had a vaccine, and I don't know if I want them to have that vaccine, but my parents have COVID. We're not allowed to be around them. It's so scary. It's so frustrating.

Well, you know, I know what you're saying, and I don't know how people get through this without God. So you can, it's interchangeable. I don't know how I could get through this. I don't know how people could get through this without God. How about this one? Tax season. Taxes went up for some people.

Taxes. I don't know how I could get through this without God. There's all kinds of other situations that come up. My son has a rare form of cancer. Sorry to hear that. You know, I had a serious illness a number of years ago. and I can tell you this, I don't know how I could have got through that without God in my life. And can I just suggest a couple things to you?

Can I suggest to you that you offer up your suffering in union with Christ and then explain a little bit about that? If you don't know, get my book, when you suffer. It's very practical. And I would really encourage you, too, just to make sure you get time to be with the Lord at your church and ask him to help you and to lead you. And I'll pray for your son as well. But again, I don't know how I could have got through mine without God in my life. Our family business is really hurting right now. I don't know how people get through that without God. Our daughter is struggling with alcohol. How many times have you heard something

like that where a friend tells you that they're really struggling in their family and their teenager is struggling with substance abuse. You may say, you know, I had a cousin who was going through the same thing. And I remember my aunt saying, I don't know how people get through this without God. But here's what we did. That's what they did. That's a common one, by the way, is a lot of teenagers are struggling these days and the parents don't know what to do. Someone else may say, I'm really going through a spiritual dry time in my life. Been there, done that. Listen, I don't know how people get through these dry places without God. Can I share with you what happened in my life and tell you what I did when I was in that same place? Some others may say to you in a conversation, I'm feeling more

anxious than usual. I feel like I'm on the edge of sort of going over. I've been there. And I don't know how people get through that without God in their life. Can I tell you what I did about 10 years ago and I felt very anxious about something? See, these are on ramps for conversation with people. We can't visit my grandmother in the nursing home right now. It hurts. I don't know if I'll ever see her again. I don't know how people get through this without God. Chronic pain is another one. due to neuropathy, maybe, or something else. Someone may say the chronic pain due to neuropathy, it gets me from time to time.

It just really, really interferes with everyday living. I hear you. And I don't know how people get through that without God. I don't. How about tinnitus? Some say tinnitus, tinnitus. The ringing of the ear. Go ahead, put in the show notes.

Tell me how you pronounce that. The ringing of the ear makes me crazy. sometimes. I don't know how people get through this without God. You know, I heard a guy say one time he had that tinnitus in the ear, that ringing in the ear, and he said that every time he heard that ringing in his ear, he took it as a message from God to remember to pray and to seek God. And after a while, he started smiling every time he heard that ringing in his ear and said, Lord, I hear you. I hear you. I worship you. I praise you. you, and I thank you for reminding me every single day. I don't know how people could get through

that, honestly, without God. My wife was laid off at work due to COVID. I don't know. I don't know how people can get through that without God. My son, who is a senior, won't get to play baseball in his senior year. He's heartbroken. I don't know. I don't know how families and I don't know how teens get through this without God. My parents left us out of the will. It's killing my husband. I hear you. I don't know how people get through this without God. Can I just suggest something to you? I don't know if life will ever be the same. I hear you. And I don't know how people go through this without God. And one extra one for you. The story. is out of toilet paper. My friend, I don't know how people get through this without God.

All right, so those are two phrases. Those are two phrases. You're certainly welcome to use it on that last one. But those are two phrases that are really convenient in conversations with people. The first, you know, Jesus said, you know, God said, you know, Paul said, you know, by says, and right there you're in a conversation which is very natural and it's truth and it's loving. And the second, I don't know how I could get through this without God. Thanks to Father Joseph Johnson at Holy Family Church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Well, those are just a couple things I wanted to share with you this week. And I do, I do want to remind you that Jesus said Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

And I know that this is a difficult time. And you know what? I don't know how people go through this without God. Let me pray for you. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I lift up my friend listening right now, even perhaps driving in the car. And Lord, I pray that you would bless them. I pray you would buoy them up with your love, the shepherd's love, wrap your arms around them.

I thank you, Lord, for speaking your word that they have buried in their heart, that that word would come forth and comfort them and direct them and correct them. And right where they're at today, may the peace of God that passes all understanding envelop them and calm their heart. Oh, God, I thank you for doing a work in their heart today and a work in my heart. We bless you and give you glory. We give you praise. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

You have a great week. Love you. Thank you.