Nick and Zac
Nicks and Zacs by Kevin Johnson
One of the most beautiful things about the accounts of the four Gospels is the diversity of people that are in the story. The poor and the rich, the young and the old, male and female, religious and renegade, throughout the scriptures it is a constant assortment of testimonies. All of them included an encounter with Jesus, after that the choice of which path to take was up to the individual.
In 2025, people are still painting their story of their individual life. Some stories involve marriage and children, some stories have incredible occupations on their resume’ and others may include an unusual event that happened in their life. But one thing we all have in common is that at some point in our life we will all have that encounter with the Lord Jesus.
Nicodemus and Zacchaeus have always intrigued me as I read the Bible. Nick was a well-respected, religious man who had been formally trained in many areas of life. A leader that had a tremendous reputation amongst the city leaders. Zac on the other hand was looked down upon, no pun intended. His friendship list was in the single digits and his name alone brought sneers from the crowd. Nick was a baby face and Zac was a heel, but they both had something in common… they were lost without an encounter with Jesus.
It was when these men met Jesus, face to face, that their lives were transformed. For Zac it was an invitation to have dinner. In the case of Nic it was turning his hidden darkness into Light. Two men on separate ends of the spectrum. Two men though that were desperate for a Savior. I always smile thinking that the first person to ever hear the words of John 3:16 was ol’ Nick. Two men that are in heaven today because the Gospel is available to all.
In less that 2 weeks we will celebrate the Gospel with 316 SUNDAY! In our city there are many Nicks and Zacs! Their stories may be slightly different, but their future is on the same path all of us take until we have an encounter with the Lord. Did you know that on the average day you and I will encounter hundreds of people. Some may encounter less while others may encounter more, but the point is we encounter more than we realize. We walk past Zac and Nick in our life every day and they never hear the good news of Jesus. It is difficult to invite someone to Christ if we aren’t willing to engage someone first. We must be intentional in engaging, inviting and sharing.
I know we have asked you for years now, “Who is your One?” That one person you have prayed for to come to faith in Christ Jesus. But a better question might be, “Who is your 10?” Who is your 20? Who is your 50? Who is your 100? The more people we invite, the more the gospel will find a Nick and Zac in our life.
316 Sunday is just around the corner. Let’s engage, invite and share! After all John 3:16 reminds us that, “For God so loved the World…”
One of the most beautiful things about the accounts of the four Gospels is the diversity of people that are in the story. The poor and the rich, the young and the old, male and female, religious and renegade, throughout the scriptures it is a constant assortment of testimonies. All of them included an encounter with Jesus, after that the choice of which path to take was up to the individual.
In 2025, people are still painting their story of their individual life. Some stories involve marriage and children, some stories have incredible occupations on their resume’ and others may include an unusual event that happened in their life. But one thing we all have in common is that at some point in our life we will all have that encounter with the Lord Jesus.
Nicodemus and Zacchaeus have always intrigued me as I read the Bible. Nick was a well-respected, religious man who had been formally trained in many areas of life. A leader that had a tremendous reputation amongst the city leaders. Zac on the other hand was looked down upon, no pun intended. His friendship list was in the single digits and his name alone brought sneers from the crowd. Nick was a baby face and Zac was a heel, but they both had something in common… they were lost without an encounter with Jesus.
It was when these men met Jesus, face to face, that their lives were transformed. For Zac it was an invitation to have dinner. In the case of Nic it was turning his hidden darkness into Light. Two men on separate ends of the spectrum. Two men though that were desperate for a Savior. I always smile thinking that the first person to ever hear the words of John 3:16 was ol’ Nick. Two men that are in heaven today because the Gospel is available to all.
In less that 2 weeks we will celebrate the Gospel with 316 SUNDAY! In our city there are many Nicks and Zacs! Their stories may be slightly different, but their future is on the same path all of us take until we have an encounter with the Lord. Did you know that on the average day you and I will encounter hundreds of people. Some may encounter less while others may encounter more, but the point is we encounter more than we realize. We walk past Zac and Nick in our life every day and they never hear the good news of Jesus. It is difficult to invite someone to Christ if we aren’t willing to engage someone first. We must be intentional in engaging, inviting and sharing.
I know we have asked you for years now, “Who is your One?” That one person you have prayed for to come to faith in Christ Jesus. But a better question might be, “Who is your 10?” Who is your 20? Who is your 50? Who is your 100? The more people we invite, the more the gospel will find a Nick and Zac in our life.
316 Sunday is just around the corner. Let’s engage, invite and share! After all John 3:16 reminds us that, “For God so loved the World…”
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