Matthew 5:43-48
We have the most encouraging, the most hopeful, and the most powerful message in the history of the world; so why does it seem like people just aren’t interested? Maybe it’s because they lived through situations like the one currently plaguing the Assemblies of God. The news loves stories like that and holds it on the front page as long as they can. Some grievous errors were made and there will be long-term consequences that echo well outside their denomination. It breaks trust, which is required today to have any chance of spreading the gospel message. It’s hard to listen to someone when you don’t know them, don’t like them, or don’t trust them. After all, how do you know if they aren’t interested in what Jesus offers, or are they not interested in what they THINK Jesus offers? If all you know about the church is abuse scandals, heavy politics, and name it claim it frauds, then you may not be that interested in the church either-I wouldn’t.
The truth is that whether it is truly our fault or not, the world is largely antagonistic towards Christianity. And that means if we are going to reach them with the gospel, we are going to have to try a different strategy. Proclaiming Christ from the rooftops, laptops, or high-horses just isn’t wise. First off, no one is listening – words are pretty much meaningless today, and that counts for sidewalk preaching, social media posts, and large broadcasts. If someone is going to open their heart to you, they have to see and be convinced that what you are offering is true. Thankfully, the right strategy is simple and comes right from the words of Jesus in Matthew.
The power of life change comes from self-sacrificial love; which comes from one of the values our church family holds most dear. Dedication to Community is all about earning the right to be heard. Getting to know people so that they like you and trust you. And if that’s not genuine, they will figure it out and call you out. It is about BEING the church out in the public and working towards a better world all around – for in their welfare you will find your welfare (Jere 29:7). This is self-sacrificing love on the ground level.
Non-Christians Are Suspicious
How do you gain influence with people who don’t trust you? Really: no one is going to let you lead them to Christ unless they trust you. They can’t trust you unless they like you and they can’t like you if they don’t know you. You have to start there-at the beginning-and truly get to know people. Not just so you can tell them what you want to tell them, but truly get to know someone. Invest in them, encourage them, care about them. And here’s the challenge – they may not reciprocate. It took a long time and a lot of effort for me to gain the trust and respect of a friend on my old street before he showed any interest in me personally. And that’s even with a shared hobby! Eventually he did and we grew to become real friends and enjoyed spending time together; but it took time. As our relationship progressed and he saw me and helped me as I invested in helping others in our neighborhood, it did lead to spiritual conversations and deeper discussions…over 2+ years. In sales training you are taught that people only buy from people they know, like, and trust – we are talking about the most important decision someone can make – don’t for one second think genuine life change is likely going to come from a stranger. No. They have to trust you. They have to see you give of yourself for them and for others. It takes time.
Perfection is Humility
But what if you mess up and people see you make a bad choice? Did you just ruin your whole witness? How do we be perfect like our Heavenly Father? I bet the Assemblies Of God leadership wanted to seek restoration and healing, not wanting their pastors’ lives to be fully ruined. That’s commendable, but hiding secrets never work. It only comes out later and breeds mistrust and scandal. The same happened with Michael Tait – it was a sincere admission, but should have come before getting caught to have truly been honest and rebuild trust. Taking ownership of your failures and not holding on too tightly to any position or reputation is the way for people to see God truly at work in you – which is when they actually see the Father and His perfection! When we are honest, forthright, and actually work through our shortcomings, people see Jesus in us and He is the perfection we want them to see! We are perfect because of Jesus – so we need to show Jesus – always.
Next Steps
There will of course be those who are simply not interested. A friend of mine for many years who recently passed had told me that Christians can’t be trusted and everyone was only in it for themselves. My heart breaks over his closed heart. But I’m going to keep serving as long as God holds that door open, because others might not be so closed. The love that changes lives is self-sacrificing; not easy or quick. We must keep up the good works.
- Get known around town – volunteer, help, be present in the community
- Do for others instead of speaking to others
- Practice humility in Christ so that you can live openly in public
Pray with me and join me in being an example of service that benefits our community and allows people to see you giving your life for others.
Comments are closed