Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
7b a time to be silent and a time to speak,
I have been begging, reasoning with, explaining to, warning, praying for, and loving my brother for 25 years to no avail. His heart is as hard as ever despite what he has seen in my life. Perhaps part of the problem is that I don’t know when to just shut up.
John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. THEY too WILL LISTEN to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
“They will listen!”, Those who are not his sheep, will not. What then do I do?
Mt 7:6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
Mt 8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”
Mt 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.
1Peter 3:1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives,
A whole theology of anti-evangelism could be established. The question is simply this, will I ever trust God enough to just shut up and know that he is God? (Ps 46:10)
Not that I have to stop loving or praying, just stop talking and giving books and offering advice and quoting scripture waiting for this moment to come along…
1Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer TO EVERYONE WHO ASKS you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
Most books on evangelism do not tell us when to stop and trust and wait. Most apologetics books should come with this warning: There is a time to be silent!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
The hard part I think is to continue to trust our Sovereign God who may never save those we love the most in this world. Do we truly love HIM more than them?
I think you are right we must leave it in God's hands and not push sometimes. We just need to pray that we would be sensitive to hearing what might be considered as someone 'asking for the hope we have in us' and not miss those opportunities to share even one little taste of the goodness of God when they do ask.
Post a Comment