| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 90.1 | Thank you mark | SWAM1::BOHN_ER | Boo-Boo Bohn | Fri Apr 02 1993 17:33 | 8 |
| Hi Mark,
You are a true servant of the Lord because the Lord just spoke to
me as I was reading your note. Thank you for introducing this note to
this conference. It is a blessing!
E. Bontonovinchi
|
| 90.2 | Don't give yourself so much credit | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Mon Apr 26 1993 10:39 | 35 |
| Steve Silverstein, Jews for Jesus, spoke at our church (4/23/93) and ranged
on various subjects. One was witnessing. I'll try to paraphrase.
How many of you are afraid that what you will say to someone might turn
them off to Christ? (a few hands will be raised by the brave, awake, and
honest). Let me tell you something: do you think that the people around you
are at the brink of salvation and that what you've just told them turned them
off and you really blew it? Let me remove some guilt from you: You didn't
blow it; you couldn't; they're already turned off. Further, nothing
you say or do brings a person to God - its the work of the Holy Spirit -
don't give yourself so much credit. We are merely to proclaim the
personhood of Jesus Christ. That's it.
When I became a Christian, I turned off a lot of people, merely because
I embraced this person Jesus Christ. It's okay in the world to embrace
lots of things, but why this reaction from people when someone embraces
Christianity?
We get too bogged down with the methods of witnessing, (and I'm not
discounting these), and sometimes we go to great lengths not to offend
someone in our witness, and so put everything into "friendship evangelism"
except the person of Jesus Christ Who is the *reason* and sole purpose
for the evangelism in the first place. Christianity is a relationship with
Almighty God. Jesus Christ will present an offence to some; and the Holy
Spirit will work in others. The person of Jesus Christ must be at the center
of evangelism, and everything else will follow. Anything else puts the
cart ahead of the horse.
So if you tell someone that what makes you different (which tends to
put the focus on "us"), it is the person of Jesus Christ Whom you have
embraced because He gives life and meaning to living. And regardless
of the results, don't give yourself so much credit; we merely proclaim
the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work.
Mark
|
| 90.3 | Some Truth about Fear of Witnessing | JULIET::MORALES_NA | Search Me Oh God | Mon Apr 26 1993 13:20 | 36 |
| 90.2
I have mixed reactions to this one... I believe soul winning should be
propositional and at time confrontational.. I suppose the question I'd
ask folks who are afraid that they might turn someone off to Christ,
is it truly that or is actually fear of rejection.
If you are one who shrinks from rejection or unfair criticism,
then the issue here is not one of just *not worrying* about how what
you say is received, but is one of understanding your value and worth
lies in Christ not in men.
But if you are one who isn't inhibited by rejection or criticism and
clearly understands II Timothy 3, "All those who live Godly, will
suffer persecution", as declared by Paul, then AMEN to .2!
Take inventory, have you suffered persecution because of your
Christianity lately? If you have, then count it for Christ's sake. If
you haven't, perhaps, in the near future, you may, and if so, then
count it for Christ's sake.
The hardest thing I've ever encountered was having the folks with
whom I work having read DIGITAL and hearing there sarcasm about the
note I posted about my Christianity in the "How are you coping with
the layoffs" topic. But you know the great part is I suffered
the sarcasm [and if you know me it cuts quick into the heart] and
those same folks today treat me with respect.
Am I afraid to blow it for Christ in front of them now? Oh yeah,
but in a way that keeps my testimony in check, not what I say to
them that glorifies Christ.
In Him,
Nancy
|
| 90.4 | Pass on whatever He gives you | ICTHUS::YUILLE | Thou God seest me | Mon Apr 26 1993 14:10 | 29 |
| The key has to be the witness of the Holy Spirit in the heart. If He says
say "....", then *say* it. If He says "Be silent", then be silent.
The trouble is when He doesn't give any clear signal. But then, we have to
'be ready in season or out of season', and if we don't hear the
opportunity, we might just be needing to learn to listen more carefully to
Him, and less to the world around .... I must confess to that problem
myself.
For all of us, we have to be careful not to let our natural personality
override our witnessing. A naturally strong minded person may over press
their opinion on others, of as little use to the LORD as the one who keeps
too quiet. We have to listen to the LROD, and be aware of the spirit in
the person we speak to, to see whether they are receiving what we say. Not
necessarily agreeing with, but even hearing, rather than concentrating on
their own attack to reply. There's a time to speak and a time to listen.
But we can't blow them away from the LORD - If they use our poor example as
an excuse, it demonstrates that they know in their hearts that there *is* a
standard to live to. They are fighting, not us, nor even their conscience
(which can easily be bribed), but the LORD. He knows those who are His.
Ezekiel was told to preach to all, lost and saved, that their blood might be
upon their own heads, and not his...
He saves even our tears up as precious (Psalm 56:8)
love
Andrew
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