Roseville:I Want To Preach The Gospel

Roseville
"I Wanna Preach The Gospel"
Written By Blair Sanders
It was a nice summer day in Roseville. School had not yet started, but the church youth group was going strong. Pastor John's sermon was about Jonah and the Ninevites. "Although, Jonah didn't like the Ninevites because they did bad things. God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell them that they were doing bad things in God's eyes. They got their reality check and repented. Jesus said in Mark 16:15, 'Go unto the world and preach the Gospel to every creature'. We need to apply that truth to our lives." Those were words of the message that rang in Olivia Banner's head.
The following day, Olivia met up with Rachel and JB at Roseville's Best Ice Cream Joint. (Yes, that's the actual name of the establishment.) It wasn't very crowded. "Pastor John's sermon struck me," said Olivia. "Jonah was called to tell the Ninevites that they were sinners, then they apologized. We are to do the same thing. I wonder how we could do that?" At that moment, Olivia noticed some girls in a table opposite theirs. One of the girls happened to be her adversary, Britana. Britana was never very nice to Olivia, Rachel, or anyone else Olivia was associated with. "I want to witness to them." said Olivia. "I know she and her group are nasty toward us at times, but similar to the Ninevites, they need guidance as well." JB was the first to speak up. "You're right, Olivia, but how do we do that?" "Yes, how are we to do so?" Rachel chimed in. "Britana doesn't like us. She treats us badly. She's mean to us!" Just as Rachel finished her sentence, a wet, cold, and creamy substance was dumped on top of her.
Britana had heard the tail-end of the conversation. Because of the lack of crowd, it was easy to eavesdrop. Offended, she had poured a milkshake on Rachel. "What?!? I'm soaked!" Rachel exclaimed. As she was speaking, Britana let out a chuckle, as she and her posse had turned and walked away. "As I said, she is too mean. We can speak the Gospel to her directly," said Rachel. Olivia had an idea. "What if we took her to church? All we have to do is invite her." Rachel, still covered in melted milkshake, was shocked. "Invite her to church?!? I don't mind being embarrassed here, there is hardly anyone here, let alone anyone I know. However, at church if she were to do that, I would feel horrible." Olivia hadn't thought about that. Britana could make fools of Rachel, JB, and herself in front of their friends. Did they really need Britana ruining their church.
Afterwards, Olivia went to the Roseville park to think. She always went to the park to swing and to contemplate her circumstances. She was in a bind. She wanted to bring Britana to Christ, but she shuddered at the thought of bringing her to church and risking complete humiliation. The swings in the park were located near the tennis courts. Her friend, Lawrence Carter, was practicing his serve, and had noticed her swinging. As her friend, he knew she would swing everytime she had a dilemma. He also realized this because he practiced frequently. He came to her and asked her what was wrong. "I feel like a failure. I want to preach the Gospel to Britana, but I don't have courage to tell her personally. Also, I don't want to take Britana to our church and she make fun of us," explained Olivia. Lawrence understood her problem. "Britana is mean, but she needs God right now," said Lawrence. "Her parents are fighting with each other, she has trouble with her schoolwork, she has pressure to maintain her popularity, and on top of that, she is narrowly escaping being expelled," said Lawrence. "She is having a lot of trials attacking her. She needs help to pick her up. Are you willing?" "I want to be willing, but I'm weak," said Olivia. Lawrence answered her, "You shouldn't be telling me this, you need to pray to God and pray to give you strength to do his will. That's what you've got to do."
Olivia thanked Lawrence for his support and went home. She prayed that God would give her the courage and strength to reach out to Britana. The next day, she saw Britana. The surprising fact was her tears. Britana was sitting on the floor crying. "If I don't get this mountain of homework done, I'll be expelled!" yelled Britana with a heavy heart. Olivia walked closer and closer. She finally asked Britana if she needed help. Britana looked at her and kept crying. Olivia was surprised at Britana's reaction, she was expecting her to be grateful. She asked, "Britana, I was offering assistance, but you are still crying,". Britana again looked at Olivia saying, "I'm now crying because, of all people, you are giving me help. You are being kind to me, when I was cruel to you". Olivia stood amazed. She had the upper-hand. She answered, "I'll help you with your schoolwork, but I know something that will heal you of your pains. Please meet me at church Sunday. I think you will enjoy it". Britana smiled at Olivia and thanked her.
On Sunday, Britana went to church with Olivia. She surrendered to Jesus two weeks later. With Olivia's aid, Britana finished all her schoolwork. She is no longer on the verge of failing. She even apologized to Rachel for the milkshake incident. Rachel got another shake. To drink, not to shampoo. Olivia learned that even when people are unkind, they still need God's love in their lives. God can bring even the cruelest person to their knees. God can also give us the ability to reach others with his love and mercy.
The End