Where should we draw the line in sharing God’s truth?
God calls us to tell others about Him and what His Son did on the cross by paying for our sins so that those who see Jesus as Lord and Savior would be saved for eternity. As teachers or proclaimers of that truth, we need to be careful that we help seekers find God, rather than drive a deeper wedge into their resistance toward Him.
Why We Should Not Be Too Pushy
Some preachers/teachers see the country leaving Biblical Christianity and it upsets them so much, it becomes counterproductive in terms of pressing evangelism too hard. Not only do they see the reality of masses spending eternity in Hell, many see our time running out, looking toward the End Times. It is true that, as Biblical Christians and especially as teachers of God’s truth, we need to be PREPARED (1 Pet. 3:15) to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). However, we must also be sensitive to the right time and place to make those advances. Studies show that most come to a relationship with Christ at an early age (before 12). Once adulthood takes over, people typically open up to the supernatural at times of stress. Further, having a relationship with someone is foundational to evangelism in today’s culture. So, as teachers, preachers, church elders, and blog writers, we need to be careful to not throw our pearls (God’s truth) around carelessly (Matt. 7:6).
The Conundrum
Evangelism, with no relationship or trust, is a resounding gong or clanging cymbal (1 Cor 13:1). As a writer, open to all, I worry about where the line of evangelism should be drawn. What do I say? Offering the truth of eternity without love and compassion is like throwing salt on an open wound; it does no one any good as the patient responds with understandable vitriol. On the other hand, we are supposed to share the truth with a lost and dying world. We are to be all things to all people, in order to save some (1 Cor. 9:22). To say it’s a balancing act is an understatement and my approach has dramatically changed over time. This is especially true in my responses to commenters on Medium, exceeding 700 individual discussions.
A Balance
In the end, I would suggest we, as teachers of God’s truth, regardless of where our podium lies, should pray and follow Colossians 4:5-6, always being ready to share the most important truth we know with grace and love:
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
DOWNLOAD this story as audio …… or ……. LISTEN to this story now.
To comment on this post please go to Medium.
BCWorldview.org: Jeff Hilles
Medium: Jeff Hilles | BCW-Medium
