Becoming All Things to All People to Win Some
Doctrinal Thoughts
There is a curse that hovers over much of the church today. The curse of stagnation, apathy, traditionalism, comfort, and convenience has robbed the bride of Christ of her drive, her enthusiasm, and her ability to relate to lost people. Many Christians have lost the ability to dialogue, interact, and relate to the people whom do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. In this condition the Christians have lost the wisdom needed to be used of God to win people to salvation. The Bible teaches us this: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30 NIV). Wisdom is important, essential, vital, and necessary to be able to relate to the lost so we can guide them into the faith. Apostle Paul used wisdom in his evangelism tactics. He once noted, “Don’t give offense to the Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved” (1 Cor. 10:32-33). A key to evangelism is learning to use our freedoms in Christ so that we can spend time and relate to the sinners who are in need of Christ.
Look at the life of Jesus Christ. He constantly lived a life that remained relevant to the sinners all around him. His faith never became aloof, isolated, or disconnected to the lives of the people whom God providentially placed before him. This is how Jesus Christ won many to himself. Though he was criticized by the isolationistic Pharisees of the day, Christ went to the area of the sinners to develop relationships with them. The Bible tells us that the night Matthew opted to follow after Christ that he “invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner guests, along with his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious sinners” (Matt. 9:10). This enraged the religious crowd, the Pharisees. They criticized Jesus and the disciples saying: “Why does your teacher eat with such scum” (Matt. 9:11b)? Jesus made an effort to be a friend to the “worst of sinners” even though he took heat and scorn for being around the festive crowds (Matt. 11:19). Why did Christ do this? What was his justification for such evangelistic tactics? Paul answered this when he said, “I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ” (1 Cor. 9:22b). One of the greatest evangelistic pastors of the 20th century, Dr. W.A. Criswell understood the task of evangelizing as one of the greatest endeavors. He stated: “The greatest work one could ever do would be to save a soul from death. If you were on a sinking ship and were able to man the lifeboat, how blessed it would be to save the passengers. If a house were burning down and you dashed through the flames to rescue the perishing, how blessed the act. What is greater than saving a soul from death . . . . In the judgment of God, nothing is so marvelously great as to bring someone to Jesus” (Abiding Hope, 256). On the scales of truth we Christians must learn to set aside peripheral issues so we can develop real relationships with the lost so that our witness can win them. The traditions, customs, and normal rules of life that may be applicable in most all times and circumstances are not always applicable when seeking to evangelize and win over the lost. I mean if Hosea can marry a prostitute by divine command, lose her, and then go take her back for the cause of Christ (Hosea chapters 1-3) then might that not tell us that we should at the least be willing to spend time with sinners to win them to Christ?
Life Application
Are you rigid in the way you relate to lost people? Would you rather be caught dead than with the vile, the drunks, drug addicts, sexually immoral, greedy, the outcasts or defiant sinners of the day? If so then you have become arrogant, proud, and self-righteous. Repent and ask God to break your heart for sinners and the work of evangelism. Set aside your self-righteousness and go reach out in love those whom need the truth that only Christians can offer!
Keith Sherlin
B.A. North Greenville College;
M.T.S. Tyndale Theological Seminary
D.A. Cand. Trinity Theological Seminary
Director: Essential Christianity Ministries,
www.essentialchristianity.com (864-978-6401) © Copyright 2005 by Keith Sherlin. These devotions may be used without charge in the exact form as above for the edification of the saints
Doctrinal Thoughts
There is a curse that hovers over much of the church today. The curse of stagnation, apathy, traditionalism, comfort, and convenience has robbed the bride of Christ of her drive, her enthusiasm, and her ability to relate to lost people. Many Christians have lost the ability to dialogue, interact, and relate to the people whom do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. In this condition the Christians have lost the wisdom needed to be used of God to win people to salvation. The Bible teaches us this: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30 NIV). Wisdom is important, essential, vital, and necessary to be able to relate to the lost so we can guide them into the faith. Apostle Paul used wisdom in his evangelism tactics. He once noted, “Don’t give offense to the Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved” (1 Cor. 10:32-33). A key to evangelism is learning to use our freedoms in Christ so that we can spend time and relate to the sinners who are in need of Christ.
Look at the life of Jesus Christ. He constantly lived a life that remained relevant to the sinners all around him. His faith never became aloof, isolated, or disconnected to the lives of the people whom God providentially placed before him. This is how Jesus Christ won many to himself. Though he was criticized by the isolationistic Pharisees of the day, Christ went to the area of the sinners to develop relationships with them. The Bible tells us that the night Matthew opted to follow after Christ that he “invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner guests, along with his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious sinners” (Matt. 9:10). This enraged the religious crowd, the Pharisees. They criticized Jesus and the disciples saying: “Why does your teacher eat with such scum” (Matt. 9:11b)? Jesus made an effort to be a friend to the “worst of sinners” even though he took heat and scorn for being around the festive crowds (Matt. 11:19). Why did Christ do this? What was his justification for such evangelistic tactics? Paul answered this when he said, “I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ” (1 Cor. 9:22b). One of the greatest evangelistic pastors of the 20th century, Dr. W.A. Criswell understood the task of evangelizing as one of the greatest endeavors. He stated: “The greatest work one could ever do would be to save a soul from death. If you were on a sinking ship and were able to man the lifeboat, how blessed it would be to save the passengers. If a house were burning down and you dashed through the flames to rescue the perishing, how blessed the act. What is greater than saving a soul from death . . . . In the judgment of God, nothing is so marvelously great as to bring someone to Jesus” (Abiding Hope, 256). On the scales of truth we Christians must learn to set aside peripheral issues so we can develop real relationships with the lost so that our witness can win them. The traditions, customs, and normal rules of life that may be applicable in most all times and circumstances are not always applicable when seeking to evangelize and win over the lost. I mean if Hosea can marry a prostitute by divine command, lose her, and then go take her back for the cause of Christ (Hosea chapters 1-3) then might that not tell us that we should at the least be willing to spend time with sinners to win them to Christ?
Life Application
Are you rigid in the way you relate to lost people? Would you rather be caught dead than with the vile, the drunks, drug addicts, sexually immoral, greedy, the outcasts or defiant sinners of the day? If so then you have become arrogant, proud, and self-righteous. Repent and ask God to break your heart for sinners and the work of evangelism. Set aside your self-righteousness and go reach out in love those whom need the truth that only Christians can offer!
Keith Sherlin
B.A. North Greenville College;
M.T.S. Tyndale Theological Seminary
D.A. Cand. Trinity Theological Seminary
Director: Essential Christianity Ministries,
www.essentialchristianity.com (864-978-6401) © Copyright 2005 by Keith Sherlin. These devotions may be used without charge in the exact form as above for the edification of the saints
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