You're someone who loves God, because you've found real life in Jesus Christ.
Your passion is to share the life you're experiencing in Christ with a friend, or a loved family member.
You also understand the stakes. Your friend, your mom, your colleague could "perish," forever.
THE PROBLEM - they are not interested.
Years ago, a shirt-tail relative sat all the family down in the farmhouse living room and gave us his pyramid-business pitch for the product line that could revolutionize all of our lives. I remember sitting there with two impressions. First, if I bought his shtick, it would change HIS (economic) life for the better, not mine. And second, I have no interest in this WHATSOEVER.
Understand, it's not that I didn't need cleaning products and vitamins (the jury is still out on the vitamins). I just didn't need them that night when I was at the farm to relax and enjoy the company of family.
So often, what we may be experiencing in Christ comes off like that pyramid-pitch. "You're pressing me for a response for your benefit, not mine." The heart is simply not ready for the remedy for life you are ready to provide.
The people we all know are at so many different "places" in their thinking and readiness for a discussion of spiritual realities. Still, we want to "jump in." We too quickly assume that our proximity to them is the signal for sharing. Proximity is good, but usually, God puts us next to people initially for a different purpose.
FIRST STEPS - start by learning, praying, listening
How often have we heard this and nodded in agreement. People don't care how much we know until they truly feel how much we care.
With disinterested friends, the best opportunity proximity provides us is to love. Love is felt by learning and caring about what is going on in their lives without an agenda. Love is advanced when we take what we learn and pray for what we are hearing. Has your friend just shared about her children and the challenges they are facing. Get on your knees for THAT, and ask God's Spirit to start showing up. Is your colleague frustrated with the lack of opportunity in his job? Get on your knees for THAT. Ask the Spirit to increase the frustration, and give him a sense that "there must be more to life than this."
Pray about what you are hearing, without providing solutions or spiritual answers. Conversationally, only walk through the doors that your friend or relative open up for you after you've been learning, praying, and listening.
Look at the Lord Jesus' life; study how He dealt with people He rarely initiated private conversations that went directly to "Are you going to heaven or to hell?" [Did he ever?] Rather, he took time to ask questions. He told interesting stories, without quickly explaining the meaning. He more often loved and did good things, and then waited for people to come and inquire of Him.
TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE - patience in the Spirit
A father asked me, "How can I convince my son that having eternal life is important?"
Answer: you can't. From what I read (John 16:8-11), only God's Spirit can do that. But He does want you in the game. So love. Listen. Learn. Pray. Listen some more. Don't shove the door open; wait for someone to open it to you. Then, be ready...not to unload the whole truck, but to share gently, prayerfully, and only as much as the other person seems able to digest. Then, back off. Pray some more. Let the thirst happen, the hunger pang grow.
If you are prayerful and patient, God will use you to lead someone into the presence of Jesus by faith. And your joy will know no bounds.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete