The need for Christ to be supreme in our lives and in our message to others is important for Christians to remember. For if we are not careful, as Oswald Chambers warns; “A person who is a beautiful saint can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord by presenting only what Christ has done for him, instead of presenting Jesus Christ Himself,” our eternal bridegroom.
There is a fine line between praising the Lord in our conversation and setting ourselves up as grand recipients of God’s grace. When we focus on our relationship to the Savior we highlight our position rather than His. The result of boasting in the Father’s goodness in our lives may become a mental block for others. They may feel less valued if there story is different, or worse they might believe the devil’s lie that there is something special or unique about you: God would not do for them what He has done for you.
Yet, as believers we find our strongest weapon against the enemy of souls is our testimony. Telling our story of salvation—how we were rescued from a life of sin and eternal death—is sure to emphasize points of our past contrasted with our new self in the risen Christ. I truly enjoy sharing the work of God in my life with others. For my heart wants to shout to the world of His tenderness, intimacy and jaw dropping affection!
So what are smitten followers to do? How do we testify to the love and power of Almighty God and remain humbly in the shadow of the cross? Pondering this is important, because I believe the steps necessary, though common in purpose, will be different for each follower. For we consciously and subconsciously spotlight our role based on our personal desires and insecurities. For instance, are we eager to share because we like the idea of being an evangelist? Is there a desire to be revered as set apart or righteous? If we are not careful our desire to make a catch may cause us to jerk the pole back premature, spooking the fish. Patience is critical in fishing, whether fishing in the water or sea of humanity. Carefully following a few steps can help us be successful in both.
The first step when presented with the opportunity to share the gospel with another is to pray. When we take a second to ask the Spirit to guide our sharing, we immediately place our focus on Jesus and take it off ourselves. The Spirit will absolutely answer this prayer…expect a response.
The second step should be to listen for the Spirit’s response? Does a scripture come to mind, a vision, do you have a physiological reaction to the opportunity to speak of Jesus? Are you being told to hold back? Heeding the Spirit’s nudges, are so important to keeping Jesus as the focus.
A third step is to ask questions. Show interest in the person, not a goal. In this self-centered culture, someone taking time to listen to what you have to say is unique and will naturally move the conversation. Listen to what they say. Do they mention they are stressed from work, struggling with a loss or illness? Is there spirit broken or depressed? If it is a divine appointment chances are something they say will trigger a connection or prompt what you share about Jesus.
For example; if stress and worry are part of their circumstances, sharing about the promise of Jesus to carry the load—take it off our shoulders--would be applicable and speak to where they are.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,” (Matthew 11:30NIV). The power in the scripture acts like a balm and though you may not in that moment harvest a crop of salvation, the seed of hope is planted in their field of trouble.
Once we have prayed to Jesus, been the ears of Jesus, have shared the Word (which is Jesus), sharing part of our story would be appropriate. The key is keeping Jesus before us. This way we do not upstage the bridegroom. Rather, like true friends, we stand behind him as he proclaims his love.
Chambers cautions; “Christian work can actually be a means of diverting a person’s focus away from Jesus Christ. Instead of being friends “of the bridegroom,” we may become amateur providences of God to someone else, working against him while we use His weapons.” (John 3:29).
Boasting about Jesus is indeed a privilege of the saints. Jesus is indeed worthy of endless praise. Yet, there is much more to God than the work he does in our lives. Pondering the Great I AM, we find more than we can possible grasp or comprehend still, the WORD tells us God has revealed himself to all men.
“…since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse,” Romans 1:19-20NIV).
When we seek to share Christ with others, remember they have a God placed knowledge of his existence. Holding up or pointing to what they know of a Creator God naturally places us in Christ’s shadow: a wonderful place to rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment