This may be a re-visitation, but in a time when the "why" of someone's actions may be more important than the actions themselves (think "hate crimes"), Christians are again given the nasty end of the stick.
I pause to allow you to pick your jaw up from the floor.
One of the most annoying things the True Believers do is share, or witness, or evangelise. (Remember, evangel means "good news") The militant atheist crowd, as well as the "just want to be left alone" crowd really militate against this hateful practise of telling them about Jesus. They see it as judgmental, that they are being told they are bad people who are going to hell.
Admittedly, there are some who take it upon themselves to punch someone's ticket, but the scriptures themselves do not offer that as part of the job description. We may speak as far as the gospel does...no farther. Thus-and-so will keep you out of the Kingdom of God. It is up to the hearer to make the connexion. One must recognise peril to recognise the need for rescue.
Since the motive is more important than the action in today's enlightened view, please consider this: is it a bother to you for a flagman to stop you to warn of the bridge being out? Do you malign his callous disregard for your time schedule? The reasonable person sees through to motive: "I don't want you and your family to die at the bottom of the gorge.". Likewise the coworker, friend, family member, or artless stranger who wishes to tell you about the gospel. This person does so with the highest motive: concern for your well-being. He sees you in spiritual peril (Jesus said "No-one comes to the Father except through me".), and wants to throw you a life-ring. Do you argue with the lifeguard who is pulling you to shore?
You may not believe at all, or you may be a lifelong neo-Zoroastrian, but when an unsophisticated evangelist sees you as his personal mission, please understand that what he does is done out of love, out of a true desire to do you good. It is in your purview to say "Not interested." if need be, but please be kind. The believer is doing it with the best of intent: concern for you.
Motive IS important.
1 comment:
Again I find my thoughts in line with yours. I began pondering a while back as to how / why it became in vogue to bash Christians...
Of course I didn't have to go far. Only to the Westboro Baptist Church, and a few other less overt places.
Sun Tzu would be proud (spelled horrified) to see his False Flag tactics used by the Enemy to such perfection that so many people would forsake hundreds of years of cultural Faith.
I can't decide if I want to give in to my ills so I won't be an old man in such times, or should I fight to become a "voice in the wilderness" as it were, that there is something more worth believing in.
Post a Comment