Climbing the Mountain While Walking the Path

The apostle Paul spoke of the importance of fitting in and gaining the confidence of others. “I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.” 1 Corinthians 9:21 & 22 NLT As members of the human race, we all share times of happiness and joy, accomplishment and winning, friendship and support. We also share times of sadness and depression, failure and losing, and sometimes, the feeling that we are all alone though sitting in a room full of people. The thing is, whether we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or repudiate God, all of us share in the same common life experiences. This makes for mutual conversations, support, and over time, can lead to deeper relationships. Motive matters… Most of us have been approached by friendly people who seemed to be genuinely interested in the things we are interested in. Not long into the conversation, however, friendship is replaced with salesmanship and we are left holding a bag of expensive “miracle widgets” and an abhorrence for trusting strangers. Motive matters! People we meet at little league practice, our company picnic or the 4th of July parade struggle with broken relationships, broken health and broken dreams just like you and me. They have questions like, “Is God real, and if He is, does He really love me and care about the issues I’m facing?” Christians can answer in the affirmative because we have experienced God’s supernatural grace and healing love through His Son Jesus Christ. We can encourage others with our life stories and ultimately earn enough trust to be able to say, “Come see what Jesus did for me.” Special Events (Circle 2) Depending on life circumstances and your estimation of their spiritual/emotional/social readiness, an invitation may be in order. A word of caution: Unchurched/Dechurched people are often skeptical of church fellowship. If they feel they are being targeted for membership instead of friendship, well, let’s just say, it is very difficult to repair a broken trust! Again, motives matter! Do we genuinely care about their humanity and show empathy by our love and support? Is our number one priority “getting them into church” or are we truly concerned for their welfare? If we truly care, we will resonate with the heart of Jesus. Matthew observed, “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” (9:36 NAS) So, what are distressed, dispirited people searching for? Genuine friendship, understanding, acceptance and non-disparaging answers to their deepest questions about God and life both now and hereafter, just like you and me. Spiritual questions are more likely to be asked when our environments are conducive to spiritual thought. Inviting them to Special Events can provide opportunities for the Holy Spirit to permeate their hearts and minds toward deeper thought. God often uses Christian concerts, movies with a Christian theme or even Christian comedians (don’t miss Tim Hawkins!) to bridge from the secular to the sacred. Following dinner or desert, it is common to hear questions such as “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”, “What was the purpose of Jesus’s death on the cross?” or even “Where did God come from?” (that’s a tough one!). Regardless, growing in Christian faith and the knowledge of who the person of Jesus Christ is, begins with spiritual dialogue. We should never presume to know a person’s spiritual contemplation based on his or her demeanor. Nor should we be caught off guard when the Holy Spirit designs the special event. It’s not about me… In another lifetime, that is to say, more years ago than I care to openly discuss, Sharon and I founded and operated a construction business for some five years. It was during this period that we dedicated our lives to Christ. Our pastor and mentor Paul Ninemire had poured into me concepts of discipleship and evangelism. Though I was young in Christ, God brought many unexpected opportunities for sharing my faith with others. One day a rather large man (about six feet five inches!) walked into my office and introduced himself as part of a real estate development team new to our area. Not only was his size and Chicago confidence intimidating, his financial demeanor seemed way out of my league! He invited me to come by his office the following day to discuss the construction of a few homes to “kick-off” the first phase of their new 2000-acre development. Nervous but intrigued, I agreed to the appointment. On the way to his office I prayed “Lord help “me” to negotiate well and help “me” to show confidence (instead of fear!) as “I” stand toe to toe with this obviously shrewd, sophisticated, financially successful descendant of Anak.” (a little too much drama?). As he leaned back in an overstuffed office chair, he began sharing accolades of his short career with the Green Bay Packers (if I remember the name of the team correctly), the metals he had been awarded as a F-16 fighter pilot in Vietnam and how real estate development had earned him $millions. I stood a better chance negotiating with Donald Trump! I would like to tell you that I was listening intently to stories about his life and whispering prayers about how to reach this man for Christ. In truth, making a profitable deal consumed my thoughts and his spiritual condition was not germane to the meeting. Our conversation lasted 20-30 minutes when suddenly he quieted, leaned back in his chair and with tears running down his cheeks said “Joel, I have over a million dollars in personal assets and I would give it all for one tenth of the joy and happiness you seem to have in your life.” Believe me when I say that I have never been more surprised or ashamed by my lack of spiritual concern for one distressed, dispirited individual needing a shepherd. For the next hour we talked about the important things in life and prayed for Jesus to be his Savior and Lord. Again, we should never presume to know a person’s spiritual contemplation based on his or her demeanor, and remember, God sometimes designs “Special Events” in unexpected ways.