If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors
doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.John Sutherland Bonnell, the
great preacher of a generation ago, has suggested five questions which are
useful in evaluating Christian effectiveness and commitment.
Look Closely at them to
judge your strengths and weaknesses as a disciple of Christ.
1. Does my life witness each day to the power of the
risen Christ? (Probably not every day)
2. Does my faith in Christ affect the quality of my daily living, so that there adheres
to it a nobility and moral strength? (I do not know
about nobility and strength, but my faith does
affect my daily life)
3. Is there anything in my life that reminds men and women of the Master to whom I have pledged my
allegiance? (People around me are unquestionably
aware of my allegiance to our heavenly Father)
4. Is there any discernable
difference at all in my life as contrasted with the lives of those who never
acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Saviour? (There is a marked difference in my
life when contrasted to those I know who are denying Jesus as their Saviour)
5. Do I manifest in the
midst of this fevered generation a serenity of
spirit which reveals that the peace of God is dwelling in my heart? (Unfortunately, I am not always in a serene state of
mind. This is one of the things I have to pray
about)
Sometimes we may find it hard to answer
these questions positively every day, certainly I can’t,
but we must meet other people where they are and if we are living like those
who do not know our Lord Jesus and His redeeming quality, what are we teaching them about our
faith? We should be trying to make them want what we have. A lot of them are
already living with no hope for their future, so why should they look to our
Saviour if we look just like they feel?
If we are always moaning about our lives
and circumstances, how are we different from them? We have the joy of knowing
the promises of our Father in heaven, who sent His only Son to buy our
salvation and eternal life on the cross so this should show outwardly as we
live each day sure in the promise we have been given.
The way we live should
convince others of what they are missing by denying
Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
Of course, some folks cannot be convinced because they do not want to be. Some people are ‘happy’ being
miserable without the hope we have in the Lord. Yes, I do know a few who have
told me they don’t want me preaching ‘at’ them so the only way we might reach them is by how
we live and behave.
Proverbs 15:1 says,
A gentle answer turns away
wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
So, we need to be careful not to turn anyone away by
‘preaching at’ them which may just make things worse with them. We must
intrigue them by our behaviour and speech and make
them wonder about what (or Who) makes us as we are. The only way to reach those who don’t want to
know is just to keep interacting with them as we do with other believers. They
are really no different, just without knowledge of
the One who is waiting for the breakthrough to bring them closer.
Prayer
Redeeming Saviour, please show us how to
reach those who are fighting against knowing You. Those of us who do know You
want to know You better and cannot always understand what makes a person not
want to know You. Help us to treat them as we do other believers, not to make
them feel unwanted because they don’t have the faith to accept You. We pray for
them that they will find the path that leads to You. We pray also for those who
want to admit to knowing You but are afraid of the persecution which goes with
such a desire. Lord Jesus thank You that we do know You and ask for the ability
to speak and act in such a way as to draw others to You. We ask these things in
Your blessed name, amen.
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