One of the biggest hindrances a Christian faces in evangelism is himself. We have a way of becoming self-focused when answering the call to reveal Jesus to the world through our lives. A common extreme is to become so regimented on a process that we forget to show real love to the people Jesus died to save. Another common issue is we are so concerned about our lack of knowledge or other perceived insufficiency we refuse to even try!
As I waited in a Starbucks to meet with a friend today, I was struck by the vast differences of the people inside. There was a policeman with a holstered gun, a man working on his computer, a man with painted nails and a purple purse, a couple of ladies walked in fresh from a workout, and a job interview was being conducted in the corner. I considered our different personalities, lifestyles, and occupations, and I wondered what I could possible have in common with all these people. I looked again at the man with the purple bag with long nails: what did we have in common besides being in Starbucks this particular morning?
Then the answer came: everyone in this coffee shop has a real need for Jesus Christ. Your occupation, sexual orientation, your history is not relevant to answer this question. The more I looked around and thought about it, it seemed we had much more in common than the sum of our differences. We have all been created in the image of God by God for God. He has breathed into all of us a living soul and we are separated by God by our sins. If we desire to spend eternity with Christ in heaven and enjoy fellowship with God on earth and into eternity, we must repent and trust in Jesus as LORD and Savior. Only selfishness would cause me to focus on our differences when our true needs and those of our fellow men are exactly the same.
Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. We all must see ourselves in truth as lost before we can be found. We need not always use words to reveal the love of Jesus to this world, but often words will be required. Actions motivated by love will always be required! Instead of dwelling on differences, may we seek to meet that need that all people share in whatever means possible, that they too might experience the saving grace, love, and forgiveness of our Savior Jesus Christ!
I agree! I have been ministering to an old Lebanese lady in North Ryde who can't read nor write but we are becoming good friends now after a few weeks of meeting her. She loves it when I tell her about Jesus who loves her and she said to me that she loves Him, too! Her name is Salem.
ReplyDelete