“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”[1]
Ever since I read Jim Elliot’s journal as a young college student and discovered this quote I have sought to make one of my central life ministries what I call (at least inside of my own head) my “fork in the road” ministry. In other words, I am always on the lookout to have one-on-one conversations with people that encourage, stir, challenge, convict, or strengthen them. I am intentionally seeking to have conversations that either lead people into relationship with Christ or spur them to live life with him more faithfully.
Are you seeking to be a “fork in the road” for others?
[1] The Journals of Jim Elliot, ed. Elisabeth Elliot (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1978), 83.
Kenneth Berding is a professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology. He is an author of various books, some academic (such as Polycarp and Paul), some semi-academic (such as What Are Spiritual Gifts? Rethinking the Conventional View), others for-the-classroom (such as Sing and Learn New Testament Greek or The Apostolic Fathers: A Narrative Introduction), and still others for-the-church (such as Walking in the Spirit or Bible Revival: Recommitting Ourselves to One Book). He has published articles in such journals as the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vigiliae Christianae, New Testament Studies, and Journal of Early Christian Studies. He is the director of Bible Fluency: Sing It, See It, Study It. Before coming to Talbot, Berding was a church planter in the Middle East and taught at Nyack College just north of New York City. He has a heart for God and ministry, has written many worship songs, and has served as a worship pastor in local church ministry.
Biola University
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