Representing Jesus

In His Name Devotionals
REPRESENTING JESUS

Do you know anyone who goes after people in other churches like a wrecking ball? Telling them how doctrinally dirty and foul-smelling their churches are? Even if such people had some insight into God’s truth that their target needed, it will never be communicated. With such a presentation, you will never correct what you see as error in another believer’s understanding or practice.

Many people have little or no Christian background! They are skeptical about God, and have probably not attended a church assembly more than a half dozen times in their life. So some Christian tears into such spiritually weak, condemning them to hell for suggesting a drink after work or for being in a third marriage.

Suppose you saw a three-year old boy holding a razor-sharp knife by its blade. Would you yell? Grab the handle? Or gently offer something pretty and appealing in hope he would drop the dangerous knife for the sake of something safe and attractive?

If there is someone with whom God has positioned you to share a kernel of truth, be patient, cautious and careful going about it. Unless you are very Christ-like in your approach, you may not only drive that person away from yourself but destroy the possibility of the Gospel being heard at all.

“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel, instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful,” said Paul. “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24-25).