God is at work in a person’s life
long before we come along, drawing them into an awareness of their desire for
Him. We need discernment to probe this so we can cooperate with His purposes.
For example, if someone is struggling with fear, we can provide a secure
environment to examine the reasons for their fears. With their self-discovery,
we may have occasion to assure them God knows their fears and will not abandon
them to their enslavement.
Perhaps, our friend struggles
with loneliness. While we can try to be available to them, we can assure them
that when we are not nearby, they are never completely alone. God is always as
near as a prayer. They can be confident that He will send those they need to be
with them, when they need them. Whatever we face, we need never face it alone
or be overwhelmed by fear. The Lord has promised His presence, when we reach
out to Him in our need.
Another discovery about
evangelism is that it is not a separate exercise divorced from the rest of our
lives. It is a part of the journey. From the time that we are born God is ready
to welcome us into His forever family. For some of us it takes a long time on
the road before we finally really hear and respond to His invitation. Along the
way, the Lord continues to send people who provide opportunities that encourage
us to move closer to Him. Someone takes the time to listen to our real
frustrations about the way our life is going and the way our dreams are not
being fulfilled. Knowing they hear us creates an opportunity to face ourselves,
learn more about who we are and to gain a better understanding of our real
needs.
On this journey, when a person
comes to faith, rarely is it a result of a single conversation with a single
individual. The Body of Christ is composed of many members. Usually several of
them play a role in helping us respond to God’s call to open our hearts to Him.
Someone may casually share some key truth that has transformed his or her life,
just on the way by, and that thought launches us on our search for truth.
Another may recount the transformation that has taken place in their own life,
as they have tentatively begun to put their trust in God. That makes it seem
feasible for us to do so. Someone else might offer evidence of an answer to
prayer or share a Scripture that has been meaningful to them. They authenticate
the spiritual disciplines. Another friend may point to a glorious sunset or
majestic peak and recognize these as gifts from a Creative Father.
When I was
younger, I had the impression that each of us, as individual Christians was
responsible for bringing a number of people to faith, on our own. As I have
grown in my faith, I discovered my importance was far less than I imagined.
What really counts is what God does in bringing people to faith. He allows us
to play small parts in the cosmic drama that unfolds in a person’s life as they
come into a relationship with the Eternal One. Knowing all He does, and my
small role in His life-giving project, effectively remove all the pressure from
me and enable me to be genuine in my interactions with others. There is no need
for me to go around evangelizing.
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| Word Guild Award 2011 |
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| Word Guild Award 2009 |
6 comments:
Thoughtful, insightful and authentic, Eleanor. Your decades of service, walking with God and observing the way He works to bring people to Himself, show here. Thank you. ~~+~~
How interesting, Eleanor, that after many years of ministry and frequently feeling frustrated and somewhat guilty because I was not able to see and count heads that would be in the Kingdom thanks to my efforts in evangelism, I came to similar conclusions. I would simply and modestly add a couple further thoughts to your position. First that we will in any case never convert anyone. It is the Spirit of God alone Who is able to give new birth... the Spirit who like the wind blows where He will, when He will. If we pressure someone into a decision we run the risk of actually driving them off. Better far to let the Lord do the convincing. Secondly, if our witness is used by God to help someone discover Jesus, we have been given a gift by the Lord. I have often used the illustration of a litlle boy watching his Daddy build a house. At some point the loving father allows the lad to pick up the hammer and bang in a couple nails (watching closely so that the child not injure himself in the process !). The boy goes proudly home because he has helped Daddy build. So are we sometimes lovingly allowed to help in working with our Father, but we must remain humble... We are not the builders, He is. We witness when He allows us to do so but He alone is the SAVER ! Thirdly, evangelism which as you have pointed out is a process in which the community of believers is involved, will often be triggered by simple acts of love. I have many times over the years been brought back to the words of one of the verses in the old hymn "Rescue the Perishing".
"Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more."
So true. We are a small part of a much bigger picture and God is the One who works in each life and we are a wonderful, unbelievable part of that.
Thank you both for your comments. I agree completely. I think these discoveries free us to be authentic followers of Jesus.
Your remarks greatly encourage me. Thanks for taking the time to think through these things and respond.
"God is at work in a person’s life long before we come along, " I thought this a bit of a brilliant statement, Eleanor. It's not like we're rounding up rascals for Him. He's already begun the good work. We are allowed a hand in the process, but it's nothing we do to 'win people to Christ'. I never liked that term. Thanks for a matter-of-fact well thought out piece. Blessings.
This resonates so strongly with me and is a confirmation of what God was saying through Acts 9 to me this morning. Saul was converted and immediately in his characteristic zeal began preaching in the synagogue. Logically that is good, but the result repeatedly was murderous rage (and possibly greater danger to his fellow believers.) Eventually the believers sent him away home..."the church then had peace...and with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers." God has used Acts 9 and affirmed through Eleanor's devotion, to emphasize that while he has made me a "chosen instrunent" with a particular message, I need to remember that instruments are in the hand of their Maker to be used as and when he chooses, and that I need to focus on the deep work of knowing him, being in tune with his purposes, ready when needed, reflecting his grace, wisdom and gentleness.
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