FOLLOW-UP...

I just read some more of Oswald Chambers that goes along with what I blogged on last week. Here are his words from yesterday's "Daily Thoughts For Disciples:"

"Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

The words our Lord uttered in reference to Himself are true of every seed that is sown--"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." All Christian work, if it is spiritual, must follow that law, because it is the only way God's fruit can be brought forth.

Be endlessly patient. There is nothing more impertinent than our crass infidelity to God. If He does not make us plowers and sowers and reapers all at once, we lose faith in Him. Modern evangelism makes the mistake of thinking that a worker must plow the field, sow the seed, and reap the harvest in half an hour. Our Lord was never in a hurry with the disciples, He kept sowing the seed and paid no attention to whether they understood Him or not. He spoke the word of God, and by His own life produced the right atmosphere for it to grow, and then left it alone, because He knew well that the seed had in it all the germinating power of God and would bring forth fruit after its kind when it was put in the right soil. We are never the same after listening to the truth; we may forget it, but we will meet it again. Sow the Word of God, and everyone who listens will get to God. If you sow vows, resolutions, aspirations, emotions, you will reap nothing but exhaustion "...you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it" (Leviticus 26:16); but sow the Word of God, and as sure as God is God, it will bring forth fruit...A person may not grasp all that is said, but something in one is intuitively held by it. See that you sow the real seed of the Word of God, and then leave it alone.

It's those lines I've emphasized that caught my attention. Once again they got me thinking about how we have approached evangelism in the past, and if there are not better ways of introducing people to our Savior. Perhaps the reason we tend to avoid evangelism-type actions and speech with people is because we are exhausted (and perhaps intimidated) by the methods, vocabulary, and "push" that most of us remember from years past.

So once again I lift up the "one step closer" understanding and approach which seems so much more natural, genuine, patient--not expecting an immediate conversion, the way we have tried so hard to "do evangelism" before (though, to be honest, most of us never really did at all...).

That's it; just wanted to add these words of Oswald Chambers to my previous post.

A Blessed Easter to all of you - more when I return from Chicago...