"Witnessing Being a Light in a Dark World" is the topic of

a youth seminar by Mark Cahill being held at 7 p.m. today

and next Wednesday at Peachtree Christian Fellowship, in

the Governor's Walk Shopping Center on Ga. Highway 54, just

east of the Peachtree City city limit.

Young Christians will learn that when they share their faith

with others, it is a winning situation 100 percent of the time.

Cahill will teach clear, powerful questions that youth can use to

break the ice and start a spiritual discussion with people they would

like to see come to know Jesus as their personal lord and savior.

Cahill is a Bible teacher at a Christian high school near

Stone Mountain, Ga., who recently "took a year and a half off from life"

to share Jesus Christ with others. He has been speaking on

witnessing to churches, college groups, camps and Fellowship of Christian

Athletes groups. He says 60-80 percent of the believers who hear

his message walk out and share their faith within the first 24

hours, feeling "totally empowered by God to reach the lost."

There are only three responses to sharing the Gospel, Cahill

says. Either the hearer will accept Christ, a seed will be planted

in his or her mind, or the person will reject Christ. Most people need

to hear the Christian message have a "seed" planted seven

or eight times before they will accept Christ personally, he

says. And even when the person rejects what a believer shares about

the Gospel, it is still a winning situation: Cahill shares how in I

Peter 4:14 and in Luke 6:22-23, the Bible says when believers are rejected and hated because of Christ, the spirit of glory and of God rests upon them,

and great is their reward in heaven.

The seminar will teach youth how to comfortably ask questions like, "If you died tonight, are you 100 percent sure that you are going to

heaven?" and, "If you were standing in front of God and he asked you, 'why should I let you into heaven?' what would you tell him?" and, "Have you ever

sinned before? What are you going to do about it?"

Cahill teaches that a main point of the Gospel message is that no amount of good works can cleanse us of all our sins, so that we can be in God's

presence for eternity. Rather, the only way to be forgiven of our sins is to accept God's free gift of salvation through the sacrificial death of his son Jesus on

the cross a punishment that we sinners deserved, not him.

Youth will learn colorful, impactful examples of this crucial point, such as the burnt cake example (burnt cake covered with pretty white icing

looks great, but tastes awful like sinners trying to cover their sins with good deeds), and the Nike shoe illustration (if your grandmother gave you a

new pair of shoes for Christmas, how would she feel if you whipped out $120 and tried to pay her for her gift? that's how God feels when we try to

"pay" him for salvation by doing good works, when the gift is free if we just believe in and follow Jesus.)

"It is too late to ask someone at a funeral or once you read their name in the obituary page whether they know Jesus," Cahill says. "So, let's ask

now to make sure that we just don't have temporary friendships, but eternal ones."

Everyone is invited to the seminar, though it is primarily for youth. For more information, call Peachtree Christian Fellowship at 770-631-2811.

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