Untitled Sermon (35)
Notes
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I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
With that said, we are currently doing that through the NT book of Act. A book written by a First Century disciple named Luke, who wrote it for a couple of reasons:
First, to give us a history of the church. How it started, who was there, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, to give us a template of sorts. A template that teaches us how to accomplish the mission Jesus gave us to take the Gospel into the rest of the world.
So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online to mcf.life where you can listen to all of the messages leading up to today.
Today however we are picking back up in Acts 17 as we continue with the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey.
You may recall last week we were with Paul as he entered the city of Athens. A historical city that in many respects represented the bedrock of Greek culture when it comes to education, philosophy, and religous faith.
In a way it represented what Washington D.C. means for us. For example:
D.C. is where the statues and monuments are that tell the story of our history and our beliefs.
D.C. is where you’ll find the historical documents that detail our governance and what we believe and how we function as a people.
D.C. is where the museums are that remind us of where we’ve been and what has brought us to this point as a country.
That’s what Athens was. It was the historical marker and bedrock for everything the Greek culture was and had become. In a way it’s the root and nucleus for everything secular in Paul’s day.
That being the case, this is an important city for you and I to pay attention to. Important because as Paul enters Athens, he will implement an evangelism strategy that is specifically designed to reach a secular culture.
So, what that means is, if we want to learn how to reach the most secular aspects of our culture, then we need to pay attention, because Paul is going to show us how it’s done.
Because the fact is, while the United States has a history of being a Godly and Biblical nation, sadly those days are behind us.
The truth is, we live in a post-Christian nation. A nation that has a foundation of Christian faith, but in many respects has abandoned that foundation.
To be honest, our country and culture today isn’t much different than the secular Greek culture of Paul’s day.
So, a great question would be, “What does it take to reach a secular culture, specifically our culture.”
That’s the question we hope to answer as we walk through this passage.
And we started down that road last week as we entered the city of Athens with Paul. And what we learned, is in order to reach a secular culture, it begins with an emotion. What’s the emotion? Luke introduced us to it. Look again at what he told us as Paul entered the city of Athens:
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him...” Acts 17:16a (ESV)
Luke says that has Paul entered the city, his spirit was provoked.
You may recall the word provoked here means to be deeply disturbed or greatly troubled. It’s the idea that Paul was so troubled that he couldn’t hardly contain himself.
So, what was it that got Paul all worked up? Luke writes:
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
Luke says Paul was worked up by all the idols he saw in the city.
So, why were there so many idols and why did it trouble Paul so much?
Well, as we said, this is the D.C. of the secular Greek world. This is where every idol and false god of past and present would be found. In fact, some scholars estimate there were around 30,000 gods represented in Athens, which means there’s a statue for everyone of them.
And it’s in this moment of idol overload, that Paul recognizes this is the problem.
This is why mankind needs a savior.
This is why the world is in chaos.
This is why Jesus had to die on the cross.
It’s the sin of idolatry. It’s the sin of putting your hope in something that’s not God. In fact, it’s the root of all sin. Paul puts it like this in Colossians 3:
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Paul says idolatry is at the root of all of it.
And so when he walks into Athens, and everywhere he looks all he can see is false hope and false gods, it troubles and bothers him to the core.
And the fact is, it should bother us as well. Because whether you realize it or not, like Athens, our culture is inundated with idols and false gods. For example, in our culture there’s the:
The false god of sexual immorality that promotes and encourages all kinds of sexual misconduct.
The false god of sensual pleasure and happines that states, “If it feels good and meets your desires, then anything goes.”
The false god of convenience that says, “Didn’t mean for it to happen? Don’t worry, It’s your choice, go ahead and abort it”.
The false god of money and material possessions that says, “Don’t have enough? Then just buy more, because possessions will make you happy.”
The false god of human reasoning and science that says, "There’s no God. He’s just an abstract invention of the human mind.”
The false god of self promotion that says, “Not feeling important? Don’t feel wanted? Don’t worry. Just post more selfies, get more likes, add more friends, and you’ll feel better about yourself.”
The false god of sports that says your kid will never amount to anything if they don’t play a sport 365 days a year.
And the list goes on of false god, after false god, after false god that our culture encourages us to put our hope in.
And the fact is, if you’re a Christian, a culture filled with idols with people putting their hope in false gods ought to bother you. Why? Two reasons:
#1 - It should bother you because it bothers God.
The Psalmist puts it like this:
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places;
they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
Notice the word the Psalmist uses. He says when Israel worshiped false gods, it “provoked” God.
Its the same Word Luke uses to describe Paul’s emotions as he enters Athens. Like God, Paul was provoked.
So, a good question might be, “Why does it bother God?”
It bothers God because when people worship false gods, it steals the glory that is due Him and gives it to something that isn’t Him.
Think of it like this: Imagine if your kids, who you bore, raised, loved, encouraged, and would give your life for, one day looked at you and said, “You’ve done nothing for me.” Or when asked, “Who are you most thankful for in your life? Who do you attribute your success and accomplishments to?” And their answer had nothing to do with you. In fact, their answer cited other people or other opportunities.
Let me ask you something, “How would that make you feel as a parent who gave everything for your kids?”
Not good, right? A little slighted? Maybe somewhat unappreciated. Maybe even a little jealous?
Now, imagine how God feels. How He feels when one of His kids, who He literally formed in the womb, who He breathed life into, and who He sent His Son to die for, denies Him or puts their hope or faith in something that’s not Him.
Well, I can tell you how He feels, because in Exodus 34 Moses writes this:
14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
Moses says it makes God jealous.
So, what does it mean that God is jealous?
It means God doesn’t like it when or anybody or anything steals his glory. Why? Because it’s His, and it’s due Him.
Now, some might say, “Why does God think He deserves the credit?”
Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we should listen to what God told Job when Job Questioned God on that.
When God said to Job in Job 38:
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
God says, “Job, where were you when I created the earth? Oh that’s right, I hadn’t made you yet.” Or how about this Job:
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that a flood of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts
or given understanding to the mind?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
38 when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods stick fast together?
God says, “Job, are you capable of that kind of power? Can you call rain and lightening down from the sky? Is that within your skill set?”
How about this Job, when I created the the animals:
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes his nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
on the rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it from far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood,
and where the slain are, there is he.”
God says, “Job, did you design and create the animals?”
Here’s my point. God deserves the glory because it’s all His. And when we give the glory due Him to something that’s not Him, it bothers Him. And as a follower of Jesus, it should bother us as well.
#2 - It should bother us, because if people put their hope in a false god, then they’re going to die in hopelessness. Die without knowing the true God. Die and be eternally separated from God in a place the Bible calls Hell.
And that should bother us.
So, like Paul, we should bothered by false gods, false, hope, and sin. Because at the end of the day that’s what keeps people from knowing the true God.
All that to say, it begins by being bothered. Bothered enough to do something about it.
Which leads us to our topic today. Because as Paul enters Athens and he sees the false gods, he’s bothered to the point of action. Actions that will lead to a conversation and an opportunity for Paul to share the gospel.
However, before we get to what Paul says, I want to spend today talking about another important foundational piece for witnessing. Because while being bothered by sin is an important first step, how we handle our feeling of botheredness is just as important.
That being the case, I want to talk to you today about the attitude of witnessing. The attitude of witnessing.
So, to get us started, I want to begin by asking you a question I think we can all relate with. And the question goes something like this:
Question - Have you ever been in a situation where you reacted emotionally without thinking?
For example, maybe somebody posted something that really god under your skin on Facebook, so in the heat of the moment, you quickly typed something in the comment box and hit post without thinking it through.
Or maybe you were driving down the street and somebody pulled out in front of you, so you laid on the horn, said a few choice words, and gave them the finger.
Or maybe you were at a ball game, and the ref made a bad call, or at least you thought it was a bad call, so you screamed out, “Hey moron, why don’t you get a pair of glasses!”
I think we’ve all probably done something like that, right?
So, let me ask you something, “Why did you react that way? Why the hasty post? Why the outward display of frustration? Why the hand gesture? Why the harsh words?”
How about this. You reacted that way because you let your emotions get the best of you.
In other words, in your moment of botheredness, you lost control and your emotions overrode reasonable thought and speech. That’s true, right?
The reason I ask you to consider this question, is because when it comes to sharing our faith, this is where a lot of Christians go sideways. And they go sideways because in their moment of botheredness, they let their emotions get the best of them. And as a result, instead of pulling somebody closer to Jesus, it pushes them further away.
To be honest, I see this happen on Facebook all the time as Christians make statements, make comments, and post memes that actually work against their witness and sharing their faith.
And to some degree, it’s understandable. Because after all, sin, injustice, false information, and foolish ideas are bothersome and it should bother us.
But what we can’t do is let our emotion get the best of us, causing us to respond or react in a way that isn’t helpful or works against sharing our witness and our faith.
So, a great question would be, “What should our response look like?”
Thankfully, Paul models that for us today, because as he enters Athens and becomes bothered by what he sees, he doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him. Instead, he responds in a way that will help him address the idol problem and in the process reach people for Jesus.
So, how does he respond? Let’s find out as Luke continues telling the story. Picking back up in Acts 17, Luke writes:
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
Notice what Luke says. He says after arriving in Athens and becoming bothered by what he saw, instead of letting them have it on Facebook, instead of publically calling them out, instead of making a protest sign, instead of letting his emotions get the best of him, Paul "reasoned” with them.
The word “reasoned” here is translated from the Greek word “dialegomai”, and it's the idea that he had a discussion with them.
In other words, he didn’t go off on them, he didn’t rail on them, he didn’t make snide comments or mutter something under his breath, no none of that. Instead, he sat down with them and he had a civil conversation. A civil conversation that opened the door for the gospel.
That being the case, the question we need to consider this morning is, “What does it take, or how does a person share their faith with an attitude of reason?”
What I’d like to suggest to you this morning, is that in order to share your faith with an attitude of reason, there are three steps we need to be willing to take. And to determine what those steps are, we are going to step out of Acts and go to Colossians 4 where Paul gives the believers at Colosse instructions on how to “reason” with people who don’t know Jesus.
So, what does it take? Here’s what Paul says in Colossians 4:
5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
In this passage Paul gives some specific steps that are necessary if you want to have a reasonable conversation with a nonbeliever. And I would state the first step like this:
Step #1 - I need to remember I’m dealing with a non-Chistian.
Paul writes, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders...” Colossians 4:5a (ESV)
The word “outsiders” here isn’t meant to exclude someone, but instead to describe somebody who is not a Christian. Somebody who hasn’t put their faith in Jesus and is outside of the Christian faith.
Why is this important? It’s important because when you deal with a secular culture, what you have to remember is that you’re dealing with somebody who isn’t like you.
In other words, they don’t believe what you believe. They don’t see life the way you see it. And they don’t love Jesus like you do. In fact, they can’t.
Remember, we’ve talked about this before. Because the fact is, if a person doesn’t know Jesus, then they are blind to the truth. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul puts it like this:
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Paul says, the natural person, the outsider, doesn’t accept the things of God. Why? Because to see life how God sees it and to be bothered by sin like God is bothered by it, requires you to be spiritually awakened. And that’s something only the Holy Spirit can do when a person puts their faith in Jesus. He goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 4:
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Paul says not only are they spiritually unaware, but their spiritually blinded as well because Satan is continually working to deceive them.
All that to say, when you engage a secular culture, you have to remember who you are dealing with individuals who are spiritually blind.
Which means, you can’t go into the conversation with a nonbeliever, pull out a double barreled Bible verse, blow them away with it, and think that it’s going to win them to a Jesus or convince them that you’re right and they’re wrong. Because that won’t work.
And often times, that’s what a lot of Christians do on a platform like Facebook when they see a post that bothers or offends them.
Because in that emotional moment, instead of considering who wrote the post, which is typically a nonbeliever, they respond and react to that person like they should know better. Like their morals should line up with their morals. Like their thoughts should be like their thoughts.
But guess what, if you’re dealing with a nonbeliever, an outsider, that’s not going to be the case.
So, if you want to have a reasonable conversation with a secular culture, it starts by remembering who you’re dealing with. Remembering that they don’t think like you and they don’t believe what you believe.
Which means, if you emotionally throw up on them with some Bible verse or moral stance, it’s not going to do anything to win them to faith. In fact, it will actually push them further away.
This happened to me one time on a Facebook post I made about abortion. Because after posting it, it didn’t take long for somebody opposed to my view to say something. In fact, they had a lot to say. And honestly, I made the mistake of trying to convince them with scripture that abortion was wrong.
So, after several back and forth comments, I realized I was dealing with somebody who wasn’t a Christian and didn’t see the Bible as a viable source for really anything. It was a reminder for me that when it comes to sharing my faith, I have to remember who I’m dealing with.
Step #2 - I need to learn to behave myself.
Paul writes:
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders...” Colossians 4:5a (ESV)
The word translated “walk” here literally means “to live or behave in a customary manner.”
In other words, it’s the idea of you and I conducting ourselves in a worthy manner. What kind of worthy manner? Paul tells us. He says a worthy manner that involves wisdom, which literally means, “to be wise in the way we act”.
The idea here is that when we engage a nonbeliever, we would do so in a way that is wise, thoughtful and Christ like.
In other words, we would think through and pray through how we are going to respond.
And the goal is that you would conduct yourself in a way that reflects your Christian testimony. So that the way you act or what you say would reflect your relationship with Jesus.
Again I think this is where many Christians fall short as their zeal or emotional response leads them to say or do something that doesn’t reflect Christ.
Let me give you a few practical examples of what I’m talking about.
Let’s say your on Facebook and you see a post from somebody that you know isn’t a Christian, and it say’s something like this:
“If you’re unwilling to wear a mask, then you’re selfish and you obviously don’t care about the health or safety of others.”
Now, I know that post would probably make some of you mad. Because I know a lot of Christians who think the mask mandate is unconstitutional and a political ploy.
And so as person who thinks the pandemic has been manufactured or is being politicized, this post upsets you. In fact, it upsets you so much that you decide too emotionally respond without thinking it through. So you quickly comment on their post:
“Hey, if you want to be a sheep and wear a mask, go right ahead bah bah. Wake up! This isn’t about safety, this is about control! #scamdemic #sheep #muzzle #gullible #wakeup.”
Or, you decide to get really nasty and you write something like:
“I’ll tell you what. When you start caring about all the murdered unborn babies, I’ll put on a mask. #murderer #abortion #liberalhypocrite”
Now, let me ask you something, do you think either one of those responses is representative of Jesus?
How about this. If you wanted to invite that person to church, do you think after making that post they would accept your invite now?
I’m going to say probably not. In fact I’m going to say if you’ve probably ruined your opportunity. Why? Because in the heat of the moment you let your emotions get the best of you and you posted something unwise and unworthy of your witness.
So, that’s one example.
Now, let me give you a non virtual example.
I have a pastor friend, who we will call Joe, who holds some strong convictions when it comes to alcohol. In fact, he believes that it is sinful and wrong for a Christian to drink regardless of the frequency or amount. That’s his conviction.
Several years ago my pastor friend, Joe, was walking through a grocery store that had a wine isle in it. It just so happened that another friend of mine was in that isle picking out a bottle of wine. A friend of mine that had been through some rough stuff and was on a journey back to faith. We’ll call this friend Greg.
And so when my pastor friend, Joe, walked by the isle and saw my friend Greg with a bottle of wine in his hand, he looked at him, and in a voice filled with sarcasm and judgment said, “That stuff will kill you!” and he kept walking.
Now, let me ask you something, “Do you think that comment helped my friend Greg in his journey back to faith?”
I can tell you it most definitely did not. In fact it left a bitter taste in his mouth, that in my opinion for a lot of years worked against Greg coming back to faith.
You see Joe didn’t think through his comment. He didn’t consider how his comment might affect Greg. All he was focused on was his own personal conviction and making sure Greg knew what he thought about him buying a bottle of wine.
Here’s the point I’m making. There’s nothing wrong with you having strong convictions about something. There’s nothing wrong with you having a political point of view. There’s nothing wrong with you being bothered by something that you think is sinful, wrong, or immoral.
But there is something wrong when you emotionally react in a way that misrepresents your witness or pushes somebody further away from faith in Jesus.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, then what are we supposed to do? Just not say anything? Just let that person post something that isn’t true. Just let that person engage in something that will be harmful to them?”
How about this. If somebody’s post on Facebook or something somebody is doing really bothers you that much, then instead of making a snide comment, how about you send that person a private message or a text and engage them in a civil conversation. How about send them a message like this:
“Hey, I saw your post about the masks. I was wondering if you and I could dialogue about your position. I’d really like to understand where you are coming from and why you feel that way. Maybe we could learn something from each other??”
Or if they live locally, and it would be appropriate, you message them and say:
“Hey, I saw your post about the masks. I know this is a controversial issue, and I’m trying to understand different perspectives. I was wondering if you would be willing to meet for coffee and talk about it? I would even be willing to wear a mask if it would make you feel more comfortable:)”
Now let me ask you something, do you think a response like that is more representative of Jesus? Do you think a response like that would open a door of opportunity to not only civilly discuss your opinion but also share your faith?
You bet it would. In fact, I think it would go a long ways in opening a door of opportunity.
Because at the end of the day, isn’t that what’s most important? That it’s not a persons position on masks that should upset us, but the fact that they don’t know Jesus.
You see, that’s the problem with a lot of Christians. In the middle of all the political fury and pandemic worry, we are more concerned about winning arguments than we are leading people to Jesus.
And so instead of letting a position on a mask further divide you, how about using it as an opportunity to show them what Jesus looks like.
Or when it comes to my friend Greg. What if instead of saying, “That stuff will kill you”, Pastor Joe would have said, “Hey Greg, great to see you. I know you recently started coming to church, maybe you and I could have lunch sometime soon. I’d love to get to know you better.”
Again, how much further do you think that would have gone in reaching Greg? How much wiser would it have been to respond like that?
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, I get what your saying. And I agree. That’s probably something I need to work on?”
No, that’s something you need to change right now. Because the reality is, you may never get another opportunity with that person again. That’s why Paul goes on to write:
5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
Notice that Paul says by doing this, we are making the best use of the time.
So, what does Paul means by that? Two things:
#1 - That the post or that interaction may be the only opportunity you ever get with that person. Which means, this may be the only window you’ll ever have to influence this person towards Jesus. Which means, this is a critical moment. A moment for wisdom and not emotional responses.
#2 - It means we should learn to recognize that every encounter God gives us with a “nonbeliever” is a window of opportunity not to express your opinion or your rights, but to witness.
In other words, instead of getting caught up in stupid conversations with people about stuff that really doesn’t matter, we need to use our time to engage with people about what really matters. And what really matters isn’t whether a person wears a mask or not. What matters is do they know Jesus. And those are the interactions we need to be looking for and focused on.
Think of it like this, if you were to scroll back through your Facebook timeline or if you were to think back through interactions you’ve had with non-Christians, have you made the best use of the time?
In other words, do you maximize interaction with non-christians to express yourself in a worthy manner, or do you waste precious time reacting emotionally and offensively?
The truth is, some of you waste a lot of time fretting and fighting with people over stuff that doesn’t matter.
And to be honest, it’s not a good use of your time as a Christian. Because the time is short. Because the fact is, Jesus could return at any moment, and if I were you, I’d rather He find me fighting to lead somebody to Him rather than fighting them concerning something silly, like a mask.
Do you see what I’m saying? There’s nothing wrong with you having strong convictions, having a opinion, or being bothered by sin.
But there is something wrong with you letting your emotions get the best of you, and in the process losing out on an opportunity to be a witness for Jesus.
This leads us to a third step:
Step #3 - When I speak, I need to speak with a gracious tone.
Paul continues:
6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Paul says when you enter a conversation with an outsider, you need to make sure you speech is gracious and seasoned with salt.
So, what does Paul mean by that?
When it comes to the word “gracious”, it’s the idea what you say needs to be representative of the same grace that God has shown you.
Heres’ what I mean by that.
The fact is, when you have a conversation with somebody that isn’t a Christian, it’s inevitable that they are going to say something you don’t agree with, that’s offensive, or is just plane dumb.
And in that moment what you can’t do is make a comment or statement that would be make them feel less or stupid.
That’s why Paul goes on to say that what you say needs to be seasoned with salt.
The idea is that what you say is said in a tone and in a way that doesn’t push them away, but instead invites them in.
Let me give you an example of this because I run into it all the time, especially when I’m around non-Christians who don’t know I’m a pastor, because inevitably they are going to say something that they wouldn’t say if they knew I was a pastor.
For example, a few years ago I was working out in the gym and a guy I’d never seen in there before started talking to me. Come to find out, he was a railroader who didn’t live in Marysville.
And as he talked his speech was full of obscene language and his topics of conversation were somewhat crude. I knew right away I was talking to somebody who wasn’t a Christian. In fact, he said a lot of things you would expect from somebody whose not a Christian to say.
And then at some point it happened. He asked me the inevitable question. He said, “So, what do you do here in Marysville?”
I said, “Well, believe it or not, I’m the Pastor out at Marysville Christian Fellowship.” And in that moment, the atmosphere changed, his face turned white, and he said, “Well, blankity blank, I guess I just shoved my foot in my mouth.”
Now, at that point, there are a couple different ways I could have responded. I could’ve said something like:
“Yeah, I really don’t appreciate the language, sexual talk, and crude references. It’s really offensive.” Because if I’m being honest, I'm not a big fan of conversations where the f bomb is begin dropped left and right. So, I could say that.
Or I could say what I did say, which was simply this, “No worries bro. I’d rather you just be who you are rather than pretend to be somebody you’re not around me. I’m glad we got a chance to meet. If you’re ever in town on a Sunday, I would love to have you come to church.”
And I left it at that and went back to my workout. And wouldn’t you know it, as I was getting ready to leave, he walked up and said, “Pastor, what time are your services on Sunday.”
Now, I can promise you, had I made a big deal about his language or made him feel like he had offended me, do you think he would have asked me for the service times?
Highly unlikely. But because I was gracious and I seasoned my words with salt, instead of pushing him away, I invited him in.
My point is this, if you want to reach somebody that’s not a Christian, you have to show them the same kind of grace God showed you when you used to act and talk like an idiot.
Because the truth is, there was a time when you speech and your topics of conversation weren’t the most wholesome. But that didn’t stop God from showing grace to you. That didn’t stop God from taking you where you were at and loving you despite the rough edges. That didn’t stop God from speaking to you in a way that invited you in.
Again, this is where a lot of Christians miss the boat as they allow their emotions to get the best of them. And as a result, when they should be showing grace, they display a tone of judgment and condemnation that pushes people away instead of drawing them in.
This is what I hate about Facebook. And I know I’ve talked a lot about Facebook today, and that not everybody is on it, but in the culture we live in it has become one of the primary vehicles for social and public interaction.
And my concern is, as Christians, that some of us aren’t considering the negative impact we may be having on our witness, on our church, and on the kingdom of God as we emotionally respond and react with posts, comments, articles, and even memes that not only misrepresent Jesus, but end up pushing people further from Him.
Because whether you realize it or not, people are watching you. They know you claim to be a Christian. They know you go to this church. They know you claim to live by the Bible. But your posts and comments leave them scratching their head.
Now, some of you might be thinking, “Pastor, are you talking about my posts? Have you been Facebook stalking me?”
Listen, I’m not the Facebook police nor do I want to be. So, here’s what I’m going to challenge you to do. Instead of wondering if I’m talking about you, how about you ask yourself is this true of you? And to do that I want to leave you with three questions to consider:
Question #1 - When I’m dealing with people who don’t know Jesus, whether it be on Facebook or in person, do I stop and consider who I’m dealing with?
In other words, before posting your emotional reaction, do you stop and consider that not everybody that sees your post is a Christian and as a result, they can’t and don’t see the world like you do. Is that something that’s even on your radar?
Question #2 - Is my post or comment wise and will it result in a positive witness for Jesus?
In other words, is it a post or comment that is thought through or is it an emotional response? Is it a post or comment that is worthy of my Christian witness. A post or comment that will invite people into a civil conversation.
Or is it a post that will lead to silly debate and an endless battle of words?
Question #3 - Is my post or comment a good use of the time God has given me to share my faith?
Or another way to say it would be, “Am I maximizing the time God has given me to engage in conversations with people that will move them closer to Jesus? Or am I wasting my time in fruitless debates?”
If I’m honest, I’ve seen a lot of fruitless debates, comments, and memes on Facebook from a lot of Christians. Debates that aren’t leading anybody to faith. Posts that push people further away.
Question #4 - Is my response gracious and seasoned with salt?
In other words, when responding to a non-Christians views, ideas, or behavior, do you react and respond in a way that demonstrates God’s love? Do you use words that draw them in or push them further away? Do you open the door for more conversation or do you slam it shut with insult?
Again, it’s not my job to answer these questions for you. These are questions only you can answer. But I will say this, if you want to really get serious about it, ask a fellow Christian, someone you trust, to look through your posts, and ask them this question, “If you weren’t a Christian, would my posts, my comments, my memes, and my behavior invite you to faith in Jesus or push you further way?”
Wow, that’s a touch question to ask, right?
Here’s the bottom line church. If we want to lead a secular culture to Jesus, we can’t let our emotions get the best of us. Instead, we need to conduct ourselves in a way that is wise, gracious, and makes the best use of the time, so that as Paul says:
“…you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Colossians 4:6b (ESV)
Let’s Pray