
Nowhere in scripture is the gospel proclaimed without a common ground being established, common ground being an open door or some kind of permission.
Read that again and swallow, don’t be so quick to spit it out. Digest that thought. Think about it, really. Read any Gospel and the book of Acts and study each time someone is preached to or saved. You will not find a random occurrence. There is always a common ground, always a common thread that they walk in order to speak. The problem with evangelist is that they don’t know when to shut up. They cannot understand the thought that maybe they don’t have the right or maybe their timing is all wrong.
They think they can just go around enforcing their faith on others. So instead of being patient and looking for open doors they runaround kicking them in. I’d imagine any police officer or swat team member could comprehend this and relate to it quite well. I’ve seen movies and reality shows about police officers and when they are put in a long hallway with many doors they do not just go around kicking doors in. Why? Well, if they just kick in doors they could get killed or they could kill others. If there is a hostage situation and Officer Genius just goes to the random door and kicks it in, the criminal is going to blow their head off. Good job genius! His over willingness or anxiousness caused a life lost to the enemy. Isn’t Satan just holding God’s children hostage? So all these well meaning men and women are running around all pumped up on this faith they have (which you should be, if you are not excited about the faith you have something is wrong) but rather than being patient and checking out the doors and walking in open doors, they kick them in and millions around the world have been lost. So many people have scars inflicted by those who say they are doing God’s will. Have you ever thought that Jesus was a little less froggy than you are? Jesus wasn’t jumpy, he didn’t kick in doors, He waited, looked for opportunities or created them smoothly and then shared he good news. Paul, Peter, all the early church leaders did it the same way. The gospel is spread much more affectively by a patient, smart, tactical, team of officers than it is by a gang of gun happy new recruits. Our gun is the truth of Jesus Christ, our mission is to bring those who are being held captive by Satan into His custody, bringing them back to Him (Jesus) to save, are you willing to accept this mission? Let us be used by God (who is always in control and never anxious) to free hostages from the nasty grips of a deceitful, twisted, hostage holder.
May you slow down and look for open doors instead of kicking them in. May you exhibit patience and self control. May you seek those who are lost, not hunt them down. May you seek the Word of God and look to our forefathers, the men who have been used to institute our establishment of faith, and really wrestle with that thought: Nowhere in scripture is the gospel proclaimed without a common ground being established, common ground being an open door or some kind of permission. May you seek to tell everyone who have the opportunity to who Jesus Christ is and what He wants form them.
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