Wisdom Wednesday
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Colossians 4:2-5
I was around 23 when a new guy visited the church I was attending. I’d only recently been to a seminar on creationism and I was pretty excited when this new guy told me he was studying science.
He came for a beer after church with a bunch of other young adults. I proceeded to show him all the reasons why evolution was wrong and Genesis was right. He was a nice guy. But looking back now, I was definitely freaking him out. I wasn’t being wise.
In our culture, an unbelieving visitor to church feels a bit like a white whale. Or the non-Christian who shows an interest when you say you believe in God. It’s a precious precious thing. And yet so often we aren’t wise in our response.
Maybe like me you fail to engage them in the centre of the gospel - Jesus death & resurrection and instead talk about peripheral issues (politics!?). Or maybe you just duck the opportunity - moving back to comfortable topics like the weather or sport. Maybe you just don’t know what to do!
So, how could we be wise in these situations? Well, first of all - don’t avoid them. What a precious moment. Make the most of every opportunity because who knows if there will be another. But secondly, be wise by bringing them to core of the issue. Have they ever really checked out what Jesus says or what He did? Have they ever really investigated or thought about it?
It really is that simple most of the time. What happens from there? Well - invite them to Church or to come to our Tuesday night Bible Study for non-Christians at the Canosa’s house. Encourage them to check out who Jesus really is.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that His will is for sinners to be saved. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who showed perfect wisdom in His engagement with all people. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others act wisely towards outsiders and make the most of every opportunity.
Colossians 4:2-5
I was around 23 when a new guy visited the church I was attending. I’d only recently been to a seminar on creationism and I was pretty excited when this new guy told me he was studying science.
He came for a beer after church with a bunch of other young adults. I proceeded to show him all the reasons why evolution was wrong and Genesis was right. He was a nice guy. But looking back now, I was definitely freaking him out. I wasn’t being wise.
In our culture, an unbelieving visitor to church feels a bit like a white whale. Or the non-Christian who shows an interest when you say you believe in God. It’s a precious precious thing. And yet so often we aren’t wise in our response.
Maybe like me you fail to engage them in the centre of the gospel - Jesus death & resurrection and instead talk about peripheral issues (politics!?). Or maybe you just duck the opportunity - moving back to comfortable topics like the weather or sport. Maybe you just don’t know what to do!
So, how could we be wise in these situations? Well, first of all - don’t avoid them. What a precious moment. Make the most of every opportunity because who knows if there will be another. But secondly, be wise by bringing them to core of the issue. Have they ever really checked out what Jesus says or what He did? Have they ever really investigated or thought about it?
It really is that simple most of the time. What happens from there? Well - invite them to Church or to come to our Tuesday night Bible Study for non-Christians at the Canosa’s house. Encourage them to check out who Jesus really is.
For Today:
- Have you had a situation where you weren’t wise with an unbeliever?
- Have you ever asked someone these questions?
- Have a listen to this podcast - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/q-a-podcast/how-should-i-engage-unbelievers-in-conversations-about-god/
Pray:
Praise the Father that His will is for sinners to be saved. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who showed perfect wisdom in His engagement with all people. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others act wisely towards outsiders and make the most of every opportunity.
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