Be A Successful Witness

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). All Christians are called to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is no better time than now, during the Easter season, to share our faith with friends and family.

But let me ask you this: When you speak to people you disagree with, do you express the love, acceptance, forgiveness, mercy and grace of Jesus? Or do you express your personal opinions, judgment, condemnation, disgust, irritation, etc. I could go on and on.

I run into people all the time, when we have a disagreement, especially on matters of faith, I feel rejected, ostracized, judged, and declared WRONG! There is a strong feeling of condescension and disrespect. For some reason when certain people disagree with us they feel they have the right to be rude, unloving, and abrupt. They don’t want to hear our view point, because (from their perspective) you have just lost your right to an opinion or interpretation, because you are obviously WRONG!

Yet there are still other people I often talk to, when we have a disagreement, they remain very respectful, full of grace, and I still feel loved and respected. They don’t judge my opinions, they simply express that they see things a different way. They are willing to carry on the conversation long enough for me to explain my viewpoint and they respect and honor me to have a right to disagree with them.

We must always remember; there is much that an unbeliever is going to do, say, and think that we will disagree with, sometimes vehemently. But at the same time, if we are to be successful in showing them the way to Christ, we must always treat them with honor, respect, and acceptance. If they don’t feel the love and acceptance of Christ coming from us, why would they want to meet the Jesus we believe in?

Would people describe you as gracious, loving and accepting? Or, on the other hand, would they describe you as harsh, judgmental, and correcting? How did people describe Jesus? How would the woman caught in adultery describe Jesus (John 8:1-11)? How would the cripple near the pool of Bethesda describe Jesus (John 5:1-15)? How would blind Bartimaeus describe Jesus (Mark 10:46-52)?

Did Jesus love people and treat them with respect and honor AFTER they got their lives and beliefs in order, or BEFORE? After you answer that question for yourself, then go and do likewise.

May God Bless you richly as you reach out to the people of this community who need to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And remember: be praying for specific people, by name that you know: pray for them to come to know Jesus personally, and also pray for an opportunity to invite them to church on Easter Sunday/Resurrection Sunday.

Jesus said in John 4:35 (NIV), “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” May we see God reap a holy harvest in Myrtle Point this Easter.

In Christ's Love,
Roger

5 Ways Jesus Frustrated Bad Leaders

Here are five things the religious leaders MAY have asked Jesus to stop doing.

“Dear Jesus, we need you to stop doing the following things…

#1 – You are really going to need to STOP healing on the Sabbath. You see, we’ve worked really hard creating a religious system that works for us…and even though people ARE being healed (we cannot deny that) we just do not approve of the day you are doing it. Sure, it’s miraculous…but the only miracles we are going to give approval of are the ones that take place in our system. And please understand…not adhering to our request in this matter could prove to be detrimental to your ministry. (Matthew 12:1-14).

#2 – Your methods of healing at times are quite reprehensible. The fact that you spit on the ground…and just kept spitting SO MUCH that you were able to make mud…and then placed that mud on the eyes of a blind person is flat out unacceptable. (John 9:1-11) The fact that he gained his sight is beside the point…the way you did it is unacceptable. AND the people you heal are bragging about what you did in their lives…we simply cannot have that and if you don’t shut them up then we will (see John 12:9-11). It’s NOT about results…it’s about our system!

#3 – Your character associations have gone way too far. It has been reported that you have spoken to a Samaritan woman (John 4) and that you have actually called a tax collector to be among your inner circle (Matthew 9:9-13). In fact, as we observe your most dedicated followers we are deeply concerned that you don’t seem to have any religious professional among those closest to you. We believe this is a grave mistake; after all, what in the world would You EVER believe you could accomplish through those unschooled, ordinary men? (Acts 4:13)

#4 – We do not approve of your teaching methods. Seriously…anytime someone asks you a question you always break into a story! Is that really necessary? Because of this type of behavior we can only conclude that you simply want to entertain people. AND…the little trick you did with the loaves and fish simply prove to us that all you are interested in doing is drawing a crowd. Please cease from this type of activity and just try to engage people with “deep” theological that will equip you listeners to feel morally and intellectually superior to those who do not know as much as them. When you tell your stories you do nothing more than twist the Scriptures to make them say whatever you want…you should know better!

#5 – Your language is quite offensive..and we’re going to ask you to tone it down. Seriously Jesus, you calling us all “sons of hell” was a little over the top (see Matthew 23:15)…AND the fact that you called us a bunch of snakes, actually comparing us to the devil (Matthew 23:33) shows us that you seem to lack compassion. Finally, I don’t think a godly man would EVER say of us that we were liars and that we are the result of our mother having sex with the devil (John 8:40-44). Tone it down Jesus, you are highly offensive. AND seriously…was the thing with the whip necessary…you seem to have anger management issues (John 2:13-17). A godly man simply would not act like this.”

Watch out for those leaders that want to shut down the work of God when it doesn't fit their comfort zone, or their "religious" system.

Love you
Roger

This article was borrowed from Perry Noble, who is the founding and senior pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, Greenville and Florence, South Carolina.