I've not shared the gospel with people who I know don't want to hear it. In my mind, I was "respecting" their wishes. To "push" my religion on them would be disrespectful - honestly, that was probably more of an excuse than a reason.
But, then a Pastor gave a sermon in which he shared a dream. He was standing in line, waiting to get checked into heaven when a man whom he recognized walked past him, going the opposite direction. The Pastor called out his name.
He looked up and asked the Pastor, "Did you know about this?"
And the Pastor answered, "Of course."
The man asked him, "Why didn't you tell me?"
That really hit me hard. It's not up to me to decide who to tell, and who not to tell; I should tell everyone! I'm still working through this process because I'm not very good at it, but I realize that I shouldn't make assumptions about the people I come in contact with. If the Lord places it on my heart to say something, then I try to say something.
Pray for opportunities and words and courage. If you share in a respectful way, and people don't want to hear, then hopefully they will be respectful of you and your beliefs, too and not react in a negative way.
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,
always being prepared to make a defense to
anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;
yet do it with gentleness and respect,
1 Peter 3:15 ESV
*********
Please join me this week in praying that we remember to treat one another with respect. During this time of incredible divisiveness, when it's so easy to get angry with those who have opposing viewpoints, we have to remember, that no matter what, we are all brothers and sisters. Our goal here is to bring the lost to know Christ. We can't do that without showing respect to everyone we meet.
I'll post daily reminders on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power
#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #respect #testimony #witness #share
No comments:
Post a Comment