I had this experience this week shortly after writing my blog around 1 Corinthians chapter one. It came in the discussion of abortion. There was a pro-life post made by a friend from the front porch of an abortion clinic in Louisville. It was a reasonable post asking the Governor to make abortion non-essential during the coronavirus. I am pro-life. In my mind, abortions are more than non-essential.
The reason for the post is one pro-choice Christian that took an opposing, and confrontational view in the comments of the original post. It was clearly a pro-choice view of abortion and that was no surprise. He was angry about the prolife post and that too was no surprise.
What got to me was one point that he tried to make regarding sharing of the Gospel. He called it “pushing faith” on people trying to get to the clinic. Most of what he said was “boiler plate” pro-choice rhetoric, but that one comment is just wrong. Here is the direct quote from the post.
“But again it goes back to pushing faith on others. If they seek faith I’ll be the first to step forward to walk with them while they seek the word of god. But not steer someone who isn’t ready and not wanting. Telling somebody when I comes legally ethical yes in committing a crime. But when it involves pushing religion or ethical views no not our job it’s gods”
I read that and was just saddend, especially in the last few words; “not our job it’s gods.”
He could not be more wrong. That is in direct opposition to what we are to do. We are to share the Gospel in LOVE. Somehow this person has determined that sharing the Gospel is pushing it on others. We are told to share the Word in love; we do not beat them over the head or force it on them. You present it to them in love.
Now in all fairness he did say if someone approached him and asked about God he would be glad to help them through the Gospel, but only if they ask him. But the downside is that is not what I saw Jesus or any of the Apostles do. In fact the word is clear that nobody seeks after God. Romans is a good place to start.
Romans 10
In Romans 10, Paul reminds us that we cannot know God without His message of salvation and applying it to our lives, and we cannot do that without first hearing it. The other point in this is that no one seeks this out. It must be presented to them, and even then, they may not accept it. I like how Romans 3 spells it out.
Romans 3:9-18 (ESV)
No One Is Righteous
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Those nine verses are intense. No one is righteous is a pretty brutal charge, and to say that no one is seeking after God is even more difficult. So if these statements are true, we cannot wait for someone to ask us about Jesus. We need to ask. And how can a person be saved unless one of us shares the Gospel with them.
Share the Good News
Paul asks the same question in Romans 10. His message is pretty clear to me.
Romans 10:14-17 (ESV)
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
So we are to share this Gospel. No where in the word does God give us office hours or situational guidance. I think he is pretty clear through Paul in his letter to Second Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16 – 4:2 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Preach the Word
1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching
I like the close of that passage… “with complete patience and teaching.” Nowhere in the letter to Rome or Timothy does it say to use aggression or intimidation to teach the Gospel. Instead, the message is to be spoken and taught with complete patience and teaching.
Reflection
So this individual that thought this was “God’s Job” was confused about our role in God’s plan. It is clear that we need to share the Gospel and we need to be the ones to take the first steps. Paul shows us in these few passages.
I must admit that I am not the best at confronting people with the Gospel. I never know how it is going to work out. Sometimes I just plain fail. But with this clear direction I know what I must get better at every day.
I did reach out to the guy on social media. I suggested that he might want to rethink his position by reading the last chapter of Matthew and consider some of the writings of Paul, but it fell on deaf ears. He simply inferred that I was judging him, and I assured him that it was not my intention, apologized, and promised to pray for him.
So often, battles begin with a misplaced or out of context quote from God’s Word. Even what I write here can be misconstrued. That is why relying on the Word itself is so important. I copy and paste scripture in these blog posts, but never hesitate to check the context. We need to know God’s Word for ourselves that is where the truth and power rests.
I love all of Paul’s letters. I have no real favorite, but the message in 1 Corinthians 2 seems best describe what I mean about truth and power.
1 Corinthians 2
When Paul came to Corinth, he did not use fancy vocabulary to share his message. Instead, he chose to come humbly to these people to take no glory for himself. The first verses of this chapter humble me.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
What a powerful passage. Paul humbled himself to the point of weakness and fear that the power of his message did not rest on his strength but only on the power of God. He did not want the Corinthians to look to him for their strength but to God. Look again at verses 3-5.
1 Corinthians 2:3-5 (ESV)
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
He knew that there was no real wisdom in men. He wanted to make sure that no one confused the power of his message being from anyone other than God. The same is true of all teaching. It needs to stand up to testing in the Word just as Paul told Timothy.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 (ESV)
1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Closing Thoughts
The one thing that I know is that I have nothing but that which God have given me. I am reminded of that every time I open His Word and I am thankful. I know that not that long ago I was silent when it came to sharing God’s Word. I feard I would say the wrong thing or be put in a position that I might not know the answer. But I have fond that I do not have to express great speaches filled with “MY” wisdom, of which there is little if any, all I need do is draw on God and prayerfully study His Word and he will give me what I need. That is even if I am talking to someone on social media. I do not have to stand on my own. The Holy Spirit will help me find the words in God’s Holy Word… that is where the truth and power come from always wraped in Love.
Reminder
I have this one thing that keeps coming to mind today, and it is a command that Paul speaks in Colossians. It seems an essential piece if we are to be effective with sharing the Gospel as he outlines it in 1 Corinthians 2 and supporting text.
Colossians 3:5-17 (ESV)
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Praise God!
Prayer
Father, help me to simply share your Gospel with love and patience in all circumstances. Give me the courage and certainty in Your Word to step out in faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Amen, Dan! Thanks and make it a great day in The Lord!