Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Shauna: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. I bet the most beloved Bible verse that encapsulates the gospel is John 3:16.

Joni Eareckson Tada: Yes, I'd agree.

Shauna: And you know it well: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Joni, of course, the challenge is: how do we offer this gospel to our friends who may have never heard that God gave his Son, Jesus, for their salvation? Joni, I think you have a gospel gift to offer our friends today, something simple and practical to use when talking about the good news. Would you tell us about it?

Joni Eareckson Tada: I'm happy to, Shauna. But first, let me tell everyone how important the gospel is to all of us at Joni and Friends. Our mission statement says that we glorify God as we communicate the gospel. Because our mission is to bring disabled people and their families to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we make certain that all our staff and our volunteers who participate in family retreats or our getaways can communicate the true gospel accurately.

Our leadership at Joni and Friends recently created a fabulous new tool for sharing the good news with thousands of families we serve. It's a gospel wristband that walks someone through the salvation message using various colors. You most likely remember gospel bracelets with their colored beads. Ours is similar, but instead of beads, it's a light blue silicone band of the kind that young people often wear.

The word gospel means good news, but to fully understand the good news, you have to first recognize that there is bad news. The first color on this band is black, representing sin and our hopeless condition apart from Christ, as we are dead in our sin. But God, being rich in mercy, made a way through the death of his Son. The red color reminds us of that blood that Jesus shed for the forgiveness of sin.

Then comes the glorious truth that Jesus was raised to life and through faith in him, we are made clean. The white color represents God's forgiveness and the removal of our sin. The green color points to a person's new life in Jesus and the growth that must follow. Finally, the gold color reminds us of the promise of heaven, an eternal inheritance secured for those who belong to Jesus.

Oh, what a wonderful story. It's the old, old story of Jesus and his love. It's God's marvelous plan to reconcile sinners like you and me to himself. Oh, the joy of it. I must ask you seriously, as precious as we all agree this story is, are you sharing it? Are you giving away this gospel story? If you haven't in a while, then this blue wristband is a natural way to start that conversation.

It's attractive and colorful. Your friends, coworkers, or fellow students will want to know what this wristband is all about and why you are wearing it. You can give the answer. I think it is really cool, and it comes with a reference card to guide you through the simple steps of sharing the good news of Jesus. I want you, my listening friend, to have one. Right, Shauna?

Shauna: Absolutely, Joni. Friend, just contact us at joniradio.org and our team will send you two gospel bands and the reference cards to guide you through the steps of sharing the salvation message. Reach out right away to us at joniradio.org because we only have a limited supply. Keep one wristband for yourself and give another one to a friend.