Sit with Sinners
“When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:16,17.
Each Wednesday evening I lead a Bible study at our church. While we study the scriptures systematically I encourage discussion. We have no set period of time for going through the scriptures. Our aim is to make sure everyone at the study understands what is being said.
As a result there are times when we’ve spent the entire study on just a few verses or phrases that people don’t understand. Thanks to being in the computer age we have a multitude of resources to help us.
Our aim at the study is to show people how to live a life more acceptable to God. While at the same time showing them how to reach out to others in a positive Godly way. The way Jesus would want us to do.
Quite often after the study we end up talking for sometime. This casual talk sometimes brings up some interesting things.
At one session an older couple who love the Lord dearly. Who work as hard as they can to live Godly lives mentioned that they’d been invited to a ballet recital for their granddaughter. When they got there they were horrified at the “skimpy costumes”.
What brought it up was a picture I’d shown them on my Ipad. A picture of a ballerina pirouetting with hands raised in praise praising God in front of a cross. They found the picture offensive. Apparently this was a similar costume to what they’d seen at the recital.
I and my pastor had thought nothing of the picture. We seen it as praise to God. The costume was in no way revealing.
This couple with the best of intents had told their granddaughter and their daughter that they disapproved of the costumes. The girls had simply said they disagree and wouldn’t change.
Fortunately that event and apparently several others had not caused a rift between them but it did turn them from Christ. From what I gather they looked on the bible as a book of do’s and don’t’s.
This incident showed me that we as Christians need to be careful what we do and how we act around non-Christians especially within our families.
It turns out this couple has no television and listens almost exclusively to Christian radio and music. They have a very limited view of the world. I don’t think Jesus would want us to be like that.
I think Jesus were he walking the earth today would watch television and perhaps even use some of the content to illustrate scriptural messages.
In the above scripture from Mark, Jesus is accused of sitting with sinner and talking to them. We have no record of him ever criticizing them or speaking against their lifestyle.
Throughout the New Testament there is no mention of either Jesus or the Apostles ever criticizing those outside their faith.
They lived in the world and were it seems well aware of the society around them, Jewish, Roman and Greek.
The apostle Paul most certainly had cause to criticize the Greeks in Athens yet he didn’t he presented Christ crucified and risen. His speech in Athens is what we should pattern our witnessing after. The book of acts recording,
“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
At that, Paul left the Council.
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”
Acts 17:17-34
Note some disagreed, but some were saved and just as importantly some wanted to hear him again on the subject.
This is how we should be when we witness for Christ. We should be doing it in such a way as people get saved and we are invited back to speak with them again.
Think about it.
Showing posts with label Witnessing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Witnessing. Show all posts
Sunday 19 April 2015
Friday 27 March 2015
Parking Lots
Parking Lots
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20.
Not much happens in parking lots. Yet on any given day a cross section of the local community can be found at least in shopping mall parking lots. Still to some people they are boring.
Think about the following.
Although the years of going from car to car or handing out tracts to people in parking lots are sadly gone in many cities in North America, there still is a lot that can be done.
Over the years I’ve been part of some successful witnessing campaigns in malls.
On one occasion I was with a gospel group that got permission to sing in the mall both at Christmas, Easter and a couple of other times during the year.
We presented our message in a non-confrontational way while at the same time not compromising our beliefs. We planted many seeds, some of which we seen grow in a local church.
One must remember malls are owned by private companies looking for value on their investment be it in cash or floor space.
Having a good professional group singing Christmas music in their malls is good for business it adds to the atmosphere. For that group to hand out invitations to their Christmas or Easter services is usually not a problem for most malls.
The key is to do things in a highly professional, non-threatening way. Remember, be a blessing. As the saying goes one attracts more bees with honey than with vinegar.
Wherever we witness we should remember the words of Jesus who said,
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
Matthew 10:16.
We should know our surroundings and be cautious with respect to our personal safety. We should have an idea of who we are witnessing to. And we should be witnessing in an non-threatening, non-judgemental way
The apostle Paul writes,
“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
1Corinthians 9:20-23.
Witnessing to others is an essential part of being a Christian. It was Jesus who told us to go into all the world with the gospel.
It is therefor our duty spread the good news to all mankind at all times.
As Francis of Assisi put it, we should,
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
Francis of Assisi.
He also reminds us,
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today”
Francis of Assisi
Think about it.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20.
Not much happens in parking lots. Yet on any given day a cross section of the local community can be found at least in shopping mall parking lots. Still to some people they are boring.
Think about the following.
Parking Lots
Parking lots are boring,
That’s what some people think,
My kids think mall lots,
Are most boring of all.
They see row on row,
Of cars and trucks and stuff,
Acres of Asphalt
Boring things like that.
Me
I think they’re alive!
A plethora of colour!
A sculpture in rubber, tin, and glass.
A
Symphony of noise,
Accompanying a commoners ballet,
On a stage of compact stone and oil.
A
Kaleidoscope.
An ever changing montage,
Of people, and things and stuff.
A
Mission field,
Ripe for the harvest.
And that’s how I see parking lots.
Witnessing in parking lots, shopping malls or on the street can be a challenge. Still if done correctly it can be done effectively.Although the years of going from car to car or handing out tracts to people in parking lots are sadly gone in many cities in North America, there still is a lot that can be done.
Over the years I’ve been part of some successful witnessing campaigns in malls.
On one occasion I was with a gospel group that got permission to sing in the mall both at Christmas, Easter and a couple of other times during the year.
We presented our message in a non-confrontational way while at the same time not compromising our beliefs. We planted many seeds, some of which we seen grow in a local church.
One must remember malls are owned by private companies looking for value on their investment be it in cash or floor space.
Having a good professional group singing Christmas music in their malls is good for business it adds to the atmosphere. For that group to hand out invitations to their Christmas or Easter services is usually not a problem for most malls.
The key is to do things in a highly professional, non-threatening way. Remember, be a blessing. As the saying goes one attracts more bees with honey than with vinegar.
Wherever we witness we should remember the words of Jesus who said,
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
Matthew 10:16.
We should know our surroundings and be cautious with respect to our personal safety. We should have an idea of who we are witnessing to. And we should be witnessing in an non-threatening, non-judgemental way
The apostle Paul writes,
“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
1Corinthians 9:20-23.
Witnessing to others is an essential part of being a Christian. It was Jesus who told us to go into all the world with the gospel.
It is therefor our duty spread the good news to all mankind at all times.
As Francis of Assisi put it, we should,
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
Francis of Assisi.
He also reminds us,
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today”
Francis of Assisi
Think about it.
Tuesday 28 October 2014
The story of a man
The story of a man
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
John 3:16-18.
Many years ago, perhaps thirty-five or so now I was doing what we call street witnessing with a friend on the streets of big city.
We’d do a three or four kilometre lap along a major street, from about nine at night until one in the morning depending on how many people were around. People and the police were use to us doing it.
We got our regulars some who simply wanted someone to talk or argue with us along with the drunks coming out of the bars and some new people.
On this particular occasion around midnight on a very cold February night, a very agitated man in his mid twenties came up to us. At first we though he might have a mental illness but that wasn’t the case.
He was very rational he just didn’t agree with anything we said. He had a lot of preconceived ideas that just didn’t add up.
He eventually told us he was a devil worshipper.
Over the space of an hour we tried to tell him about Christ although it was difficult because he didn’t want to listen. He seemed to be in attack mode, All he wanted to do was tell us what he believed.
Finally we were able to tell him what we believed, the very basics, the words of Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
John 3:16-18.
He told us quite bluntly he didn’t believe. That we were wrong and he was right then left us.
He gave us pause to think. Were we the last chance he had to receive Jesus into his life. Would he enter a Christless eternity?
It caused us to want to reach more people something we did. I forget how many actually came to know Christ but I do remember we talked to a lot of people.
During the few years we were witnessing we talked to everything from members of bike gangs, to people living on the street, to the average person and everyone in between.
We planted a lot of seeds. Quite often that was all we could do. Still the message went out and I probably will not know what happened to those seeds this side of eternity.
It is important that we as Christians all plant seeds. That we speak about our faith to others even if they don’t agree with us.
We as best we can need to enter into dialogue with the people around us telling them in an unthreatening way what we believe.
We may not see the results of that seed in this life time but we will in eternity.
Are you planting seeds around you?
Think about it.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
John 3:16-18.
Many years ago, perhaps thirty-five or so now I was doing what we call street witnessing with a friend on the streets of big city.
We’d do a three or four kilometre lap along a major street, from about nine at night until one in the morning depending on how many people were around. People and the police were use to us doing it.
We got our regulars some who simply wanted someone to talk or argue with us along with the drunks coming out of the bars and some new people.
On this particular occasion around midnight on a very cold February night, a very agitated man in his mid twenties came up to us. At first we though he might have a mental illness but that wasn’t the case.
He was very rational he just didn’t agree with anything we said. He had a lot of preconceived ideas that just didn’t add up.
He eventually told us he was a devil worshipper.
Over the space of an hour we tried to tell him about Christ although it was difficult because he didn’t want to listen. He seemed to be in attack mode, All he wanted to do was tell us what he believed.
Finally we were able to tell him what we believed, the very basics, the words of Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
John 3:16-18.
He told us quite bluntly he didn’t believe. That we were wrong and he was right then left us.
He gave us pause to think. Were we the last chance he had to receive Jesus into his life. Would he enter a Christless eternity?
It caused us to want to reach more people something we did. I forget how many actually came to know Christ but I do remember we talked to a lot of people.
During the few years we were witnessing we talked to everything from members of bike gangs, to people living on the street, to the average person and everyone in between.
We planted a lot of seeds. Quite often that was all we could do. Still the message went out and I probably will not know what happened to those seeds this side of eternity.
It is important that we as Christians all plant seeds. That we speak about our faith to others even if they don’t agree with us.
We as best we can need to enter into dialogue with the people around us telling them in an unthreatening way what we believe.
We may not see the results of that seed in this life time but we will in eternity.
Are you planting seeds around you?
Think about it.
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