A Reasonable Level of Volume

You might be surprised to hear this but I can argue pretty strong. I used to be a debating fiend. And I would pull out all stops to prove my point! Then I ran across a passage of scripture. "The servant of the Lord must not strive;but be gentle unto all men,apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." (2 Timothy 2:24-26)



The bottom line is that there are a lot of real problems in the world. There are real Christ-given answers. But yelling at a person accomplishes nothing. Yelling your opposition to something will typically harden the listener and close the door to reaching them. So much could be said but I leave with this. A listening ear and a compassionate touch will gain more than shouts, signs, and hate mail. If your cause is truly just, then your words can make or break the receptivity to your cause.



The question is, do you want make your point, or do you want to be heard?

Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

I'll Say It

Ok. I'll say it: Christians avoid hanging around non-Christians because of a lack of faith in God. We don't trust God and we don't trust ourselves! We are sooo afraid of being contaminated, compromised, watered down, and sucked into sinful behavior that we say I know the answer: I will come completely out from among them and be separate. We content ourselves in preaching at people from a distance, and condemning without conversing with people.

Just say it: I don't trust myself. I don't trust myself around people that don't know Jesus. Don't you know that the same God that saved you from sin, will also KEEP YOU from sin? Of course there are situations that we need to avoid because it would overwhelm us. BUT, we should not isolate ourselves from the very people that need the good news of God's love, forgiveness, and grace through Jesus Christ.

I love what Jesus told Nicodemus: "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe IS CONDEMNED ALREADY(emphasis mine), because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" John 3:18 (NIV). People that are not followers of Jesus are living under a cloud of condemnation and guilt. You can't see it but it is there. That is why our message is so important, necessary, and relevant. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Remember God is with you! Open the window blinds, go outside, and interact with the world!