"Here comes 'da judge?" Sharing Truth without Judging

Ever been around someone who is really convinced of something, and wants you to be just as convinced of the same thing...just because he/she is so thoroughly convinced?

"Man...these vitamins have REALLY changed my life.  You should try them.  No!  REALLY! Try them now!!!"

And then, if you decline - as kindly as you know how -- still your friend is offended that you weren't convinced and wouldn't try the vitamins!?

A mentor of mine once said, "No one can live on borrowed convictions."  That quiet but important idea has helped me often when I think about how I offer to the truth to others.

RELATIONSHIP AND TRUST COME FIRST

That same mentor also said, "Rules without relationship results in rebellion."  He was addressing how parents sometimes impose their rules on their children without or apart from a nurturing, affirming relationship.  The same principle works when it comes to sharing truth.  We might say, "Truth shared without trust established results in truth dismissed."

NOT CALLED TO BE THE JUDGE

God has not called us to be "judges" in the lives of other people.  A judge is someone who has the law and declares sentences of condemnation or penalty for violation of the law.  The Bible is pretty clear that all judgment belongs to Jesus.

But God has called us to lovingly and earnestly build relationships with others and in the context of that relationship, share the truth about our need of Christ and God's provision in Christ.  It is truly possible to have relationships of trust with those who are currently caring little about God's standards, and be that important presence and voice when the Spirit of God opens the door.

A GREAT EXAMPLE

A top-drawer example of this is found in the recently published book The Secert Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, written autobiographically by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield.  Dr. Butterfield was an associate professor of English who taught at Syracuse university, was in a lesbian relationship, and had a heart grounded in the political and philosophical views of Freud, Marx, and Darwin.  She was progressing professionally, but (unknown to many) falling apart personally.  As a lesbian activist, she was very involved in her gay community.

Read her story, and you will find a compelling example of how she was won to faith in Jesus Christ, and stepped away from her gay sexuality, lifestyle, and sin.  It all happened through the loving, non-judgmental sharing of a pastor and his wife, who began with her in a caring relationship, never judged, and in time shared the life-changing gospel of Jesus with a ready heart.   Pastor Ken and his wife set the pace for us here.

And, may their tribe increase!