Connection

Hurt (Stripped Bolt)

We may often ask why are people so against church and the Gospel?

Convicts them of their sin (Romans 1)

Do not want to acknowledge God

Do not want to obey laws or live a life that honors God

While those are reasons for a lot of individuals there is something else that effect those in and outside of the church and often leads to people never receiving salvation or falling out of communion with God and the Church.

This thing that causes this is hurt. Hurt comes in a lot of shapes and sizes:

Abandoned by a parent or parental figure.

The loss of a close loved one or friend.

The loss of a marriage or close friendship.

The list can go one forever. But there is another form of hurt we have to be aware of and may have experienced is church hurt.

Over Judgement

gossip

Dishonesty

self-righteousness

Lack of love

While these things can happen outside of church they seem to cut people deeper and longer when it happens within “Christianity”. These things often “round off the edges (Show Example of bolt) of people” leaving them stuck and unmovable by the same means that had been used and failed.

Salvation (The Extractor)

Before we look at how we reach these individuals we must look at the tool we use to pull them out. It is the same tool that saved us.

Mankind was like the rounded off bolt. Trying to save themselves through the law or think ing they were good enough. Yest scriptures such as (Rom 3:20, Gal 2:16 & Rom 8:3) show this was nothing more than an exercise in futility.

Yet God had a plan. A plan from the very beginning. A plan of Love (John 3:16). That was to send Jesus to come and die for us while we were in sin and broken (Romans 5:8). This was and is the only thing that can set us free (John 14:6). Here in lies our tool - The Gospel. We are called to share it or if we view it as a tool for our example, we are called to use the tool. But just as with the tool that got the bolt out we have to use it properly.

Application

When dealing with people who have hurt and especially church hurt we need to remember the following things:

Be Knowledgeable

1 Peter 3:15-16

Know the Word of God. This is important not to “win debate” rather it helps identify misconceptions they have about Jesus and faith. This is especially important in helping people who may have been raised or associated with fundamentalists or cult like groups and religions.

Be Wise

Col 4:5-6, Titus 3:2-5

Wisdom is the application of knowledge. Scripture teaches we are to try and live peaceable with all men. calls us to be gentle and have humility as these traits if we live them help us meet people where they are. helps us show what Faith in Christ really is and is a bridge for building relationships and showing people the truth that we believe. Wisdom is knowing when to let something be for the moment. but knowledge and wisdom fail without the greatest attribute we are to embody as believers:

Have Love

1 Cor 13:1-8, Luke 10:25-37

Love is not acceptance of a thing. Love is not cheering. Love is action. Love is what Jesus describes in Luke 10. People who have been hurt especially in church do not associate love with Church or Faith due to their experiences. Yet we as believers are called to love our neighbor (this means the world) so when we seek to talk to those that are unsaved or have left the church we do not do it in judgement. Rather we do it on love as Paul says in 1 Cor 13. Love was /is the catalyst in why God saves us through Christ. and it should be a catalyst for how we act and communicate towards others.