1 Corinthians 2:3-5 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
The Unexpected Adventure- The Power of the Gospel- 1 Corinthians 2:3-5
Steve was attending a workshop for church leaders hosted by Mark. At one of the breaks, Steve approached Mark with questions about phrases like "becoming a believer" and "the point when a person trusts in Christ." Steve's faith tradition did not "emphasize conversion experiences or a spiritual crisis point". Growing up in faith, participating in church and believing in God were the main salvation markers in Steve's spiritual life. Mark did not denigrate Steve's faith tradition, but pointed out that an unease with a discussion of salvation experiences might be due to a lack of true salvation. Steve burst into tears and realized that he had never truly accepted Christ as his LORD and savior. Steve's "salvation" was religious, not relational. His walk with God was based on activity, not acceptance. After a discussion with Mark, Steve asked Jesus to be Savior AND Lord.
Action Principle- While we should prepare ourselves to witness through many of the things discussed so far in the Unexpected Adventure book, we must not lose sight of two things. 1. The Holy Spirit is with us at all times, guiding and using what we say. 2. God's Word has divine power to challenge people and "cut to the heart".
Mark discusses the two sides of the Gospel message. Sin separates us from God and a refusal to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord will result in an eternal punishment, which is "spiritual separation and death for all eternity". The flip side of the salvation coin is that Jesus paid the penalty on the cross for our sins. If we will but accept Him as Savior and Lord, we can have complete forgiveness and eternal life.
Mark acknowledges that the Gospel message might offend some. He likens it to a doctor who has to deliver bad news to a patient in order to discuss possible cures or treatments. Patients may get angry, reject the information or even find another doctor. However, the doctor still has a professional duty to tell the patient the bad news.
I think it is important that we deliver the bad news only after we have established a personal relationship with a person. I believe, sharing the good news of God's forgiveness, love and acceptance should be our first and foremost witnessing message. However, if led by the Holy Spirit, we must not shrink from delivering the bad news in a loving, compassionate way. Keeping in mind it is what God has proclaimed, not an arbitrary man-made standard.
Very good insight concerning the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of witnessing. Some people (I go to Sunday morning class with one) feel comfortable with approaching an almost complete stranger...on a wait-for-your wife bench at Wal-Mart, for instance...and say "If you died tonight, would your soul go to heaven or hell."
ReplyDeleteI am very uncomfortable with that confrontational, in-your-face approach. I feel the recipient of my witnessing should express some interest in spiritual things. I feel the minimum "fore play" should be "Do you mind if I tell you what I believe about God."
And I think that the more we can show a person that we really do care (if, indeed, I do) about their well-being the more likely they will be to give me an honest listen.