What is it that hinders you? Is it just the fear of being ridiculed and scorned? The obvious?
The more I think about it, the more another reason comes to my mind, apart from this obvious one.
Think for a while: you love those people, you were one of them, lost, sinful, hopeless, looking for answers, not finding any, living in a spin of time and things. You were rejecting the Gospel, too, until something struck you like it struck Paul on his way to Damascus.
What were your thoughts about "those Jesus-freaks" then? And, most importantly, about the message they were trying to share with you? Not very high thoughts, I bet. You might have forgotten, but you were laughing at them and at their message.
Isn't this one reason precisely that makes us hesitate in our witnessing? We have this Truth and we cherish it like we've cherished nothing else. Our only true love is in this message. Are we strong enough to expose this love to people who couldn't care less? Just think about it: if somebody said ugly and nasty things about your spouse, you would be deeply hurt and furious. So in this situation we have precisely the same starting point - we let complete strangers cast mud on our love. It hurts, and it hurts badly.
But I also think that we must remember about the Hero of this message and His active power in it and in us. And we should believe in it, in Him. Because it is, ultimately, the lack of belief and trust, that makes us silent...
Interestingly, Steve Camp's blogpost is like an answer to this text.
6 comments:
"But I also think that we must remember about the Hero of this message and His active power in it and in us. "
It was precisely the revelation that Jesus is greater than the world and that He can use everything, even my weakest efforts, and that He is the One against Whom the world stands, that allowed me to begin opening up about my faith.
Now you can barely shut me up. I have had to learn that a word should be given in season. But the Lord if faithful and He uses even my failures. Praise the God who reigns on high.
Mrs. Meg Logan
Amen Sister.
I can talk about God everywhere EXCEPT my work.
The fear has me there, I admit...
I confess, I am horrible about sharing my faith. I am so convicted to do it, but I can't seem to overcome my fear.
I keep thinking of Isaiah 2:22, and even though I've been rebuked by that verse and brethren, I continue to fear man more than God.
I don't love people enough to share my faith.
Those few friends I thought I had became strangers as soon as they found out that I gave my life to Jesus.
Others started treating me liked an insane person - harmless but insane. Suddenly a perfectly clever human becomes untouchable.
Let it be so.
There is a fear definitely. I think though, that in the times when the conviction is the greatest it's like I can't help speaking up. I try to remember the two people who considered themselves lost causes, described themselves as the ones you would never go out on a limb to and witness...they may have scorned each planted seed, but in the end they had so much respect for those that had taken the chance, been willing to be rebuffed and those seeds bore fruit. One of them was Liz Curtis Higgs, former co-host of shock jock Howard Stern. And she's a multi-bestselling author and Christian speaker these days...
Another thing that keeps us from witnessing is the belief that we are hardly "good enough" to withstand the scrutiny we'll invite by telling others about God. Sad but true.
I told our church board last night, that the message is greater than us. Paul said I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL, he didn't mention us, our fellowship, our services. The Gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation..
The apostles asked for boldness after just having been most bold.
Acts 4: 5-31
I am never sure about me but I walk in His assurance. Be encouraged brothers and sisters.
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