Recently, I’ve seen a movement among some churches to embrace social justice causes. That is fine as long as they are Biblically inspired. The problem that I have seen at my church, is that this movement is excluding talking to others about Jesus.
We are told that we should be doing good for our community. Of course we should. We are told that we are to help those who cannot help themselves and those who have less than we do. That is good.
We are being told that these works will show the love of Jesus to the world. Yes, it will.
The problem arises in that we are not likewise being encouraged to tell those around us that Jesus loves them and died for them. Without this, the works we do are for our own merit.
Works, which seem good, without love of God included are not pleasing to God. The love that we are to share is that of Jesus and not just helping others for the sake of telling God how much we are doing for him.
We need to remember that we were saved by the grace of Jesus and not by our own works. The best work to do for another person is to point them towards Jesus. What would it profit a person to get all good things available on Earth but not receive salvation and eternal life in heaven?
I’m not sure that many Christians today even know how to tell others about their salvation. Talking about one’s own sin is hard to do. Most would rather know that God has wiped their sins away and leave it at that.
If others don’t know how fallen Christians are, how can they know that the saving grace of Jesus is available for all? I’m ever thankful that people told me about God’s plan for salvation. If they had not done so, I would still be lost in my sin.
If I was even still alive.
Sin is destructive by its nature. Sin is the work of Satan in this world. He has come to lie, steal and destroy. What he wants to do is destroy people before they learn about and acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
So, why don’t people talk to others about their relationship with Jesus? It is probably a number of factors. First, they don’t know how and no one is teaching them how to do so. Secondly, they are afraid they will be ostracized by society and would rather have their status quo. Thirdly, and most sad of all, they simply do not want to. They don’t want to go to the bother of it.
There are probably more reasons, but these are certainly amongst the highest. Some churches are all about evangelizing the world and others, not at all. Those churches that don’t tell their congregation to talk to others have lost their way.
Jesus specifically told us to spread his good news to the dying world. It was what he told us before he ascended to heaven and to the right hand of the throne.
A Christian doesn’t have to evangelize all the time. God will put individuals in their life and give the Christian the urge to speak to them if that is in his plan. The thing is for a Christian to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Actively pray for God to give you opportunities to speak to others and to give you the right words to speak.
Churches should instruct their congregations on how to speak to others. It doesn’t have to be the Church’s only function but it should certainly be a part of their functions.
Asking others to church is not the same. Remember not many people are receptive to the idea of going to church these days. You should certainly invite them but also be ready when God leads you to help plant the seed of faith or to water the seed that someone else has planted. You may be the only individual to ever speak to them about salvation.
It is something that has happened to me when God directed me to speak to others. I am not an individual who would go out on street corners and proclaim the word of God, unless God has that for me in my future. I’m open to it, if I am so directed.
In a way, this blog is my street corner and I will continue to speak the word that God has given me to say.
It reminds me of the time recently, when the senior pastor at my church told the congregation that he was planning on hiding the fact that he was a pastor when talking to individuals on airplanes. He wanted to the opportunity to have great conversations to relieve the boredom of flights and once he told the other person that he was a pastor, the conversation would come to an end. He talked about how he would wiggle around the subject by talking about the good our group was doing, while not mentioning it was a church or even a group of Christians. He was willing to compromise his message for a conversation with a stranger.
I compare that to John Harper. Mr. Harper was a 39 year old Scottish preacher. He was a widower with a six year old daughter. He, along with his daughter and his sister, were coming to the United States to preach. The ship they were on was the Titanic. Once the ship hit the iceberg, his daughter and sister got on the lifeboat but he gave up his place to someone else. He wanted to have some very good conversations with those who remained aboard the sinking ship.
He preached salvation to all those who remained. Just before the ship sank, he jumped into the freezing water. Was it to be physically saved? Actually, it was to continue those very good conversations. While in the freezing water, Mr. Harper told those who were in the water with him about eternal life and salvation through Jesus. He continued until he, along with the others, perished.
When I think of the differences between these two preachers, I can see the full extent of the compromise that my pastor has made. If he continued to tell others about his occupation, God would put someone in his path who needed to hear about the word of God. Because of his compromise, I wonder if God will do this. What would be the point?
Which type of Christian are you? Would you cling to God or would you cling to the world? If the former, learn to speak about God, learn how to share the good news of Jesus and, at the same time, love others and help them as Jesus showed us. If the latter, please reconsider and look to God for what we are commanded to do.
Ephesians 2:1-9
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.