We've all heard that old saying. You get more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar. Meaning you'll get people to be more responsive to what you want them to do if you are sweet to them.
I've heard it said that you can't sugarcoat God's word. That is absolutely right. But what we must do, is we must allow God to direct us in the right way to present His word to each individual. I understand that when we are sharing the gospel with a group, it is hard to individualize, but when we have the opportunity to do it in a one on one fashion, we must allow God to help us to know what is going on in that person's life. We do not know, but He does. We may encounter a person that is in an abusive relationship and they are lost. Would it be more beneficial for them to hear God loves you more than a human love, he cares for you and created you for a special job in His kingdom, or that God is a vengeful God that rains down wrath upon people when they don't do as He says?
For them to learn the whole truth about God, we must first show them His love. We must not only tell them of His love, but demonstrate it in our lives. Enough with the Sunday morning Christian. If you are going to represent Christ, you do so all the time, not just in church. When you are going against what God has commanded and people are witnessing you do that, it is firstly a bad reputation for you, secondly a bad representation for the church you attend and most importantly, a misrepresentation for God.
Be mindful of God's leadership. We don't want people to be drawn to God's word and Jesus' gift of salvation like sugar. We want them to be drawn like honey. We want them to come to the sweetness and get stuck there and never depart.
I've heard it said that you can't sugarcoat God's word. That is absolutely right. But what we must do, is we must allow God to direct us in the right way to present His word to each individual. I understand that when we are sharing the gospel with a group, it is hard to individualize, but when we have the opportunity to do it in a one on one fashion, we must allow God to help us to know what is going on in that person's life. We do not know, but He does. We may encounter a person that is in an abusive relationship and they are lost. Would it be more beneficial for them to hear God loves you more than a human love, he cares for you and created you for a special job in His kingdom, or that God is a vengeful God that rains down wrath upon people when they don't do as He says?
For them to learn the whole truth about God, we must first show them His love. We must not only tell them of His love, but demonstrate it in our lives. Enough with the Sunday morning Christian. If you are going to represent Christ, you do so all the time, not just in church. When you are going against what God has commanded and people are witnessing you do that, it is firstly a bad reputation for you, secondly a bad representation for the church you attend and most importantly, a misrepresentation for God.
Be mindful of God's leadership. We don't want people to be drawn to God's word and Jesus' gift of salvation like sugar. We want them to be drawn like honey. We want them to come to the sweetness and get stuck there and never depart.
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