Overcoming Outreach FearsSýnishorn

HILL OR MUD?

Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.  Proverbs 14:4 NLT

If you want to look good, just stay clean and take selfies. If you want to mine gold, put on your work clothes and get dirty. Some jobs are messy. Some are dangerous. The Christian life can be both.

A church I attended had several families who adopted out of abusive local and international settings. My family was one. So when an elder resigned because the problem child he adopted got into trouble, my heart broke.

Mark was one of the best Christians I had ever met, full of the fruit of the spirit, and he had taken on a huge challenge. Yet those who hadn’t adopted made him feel unqualified as an elder. They were “clean” through non-participation. Our pastor, who had two difficult adoptees, also felt the pinch. “It’s easier to look good when you don’t take chances,” he told a parenting class.

So, perhaps the question comes down to this: do we want to look like good Christians, or do we want to BE good Christians?

Just as a barn looks clean without animals, Christian lives can look better if we don’t take risks. But as a productive farm is bound to be messy, so may our lives if we actively serve God.

There are polar opposites in Christian circles: Sages and Warriors. Sages are those who believe that that their knowledge and goodness will attract others. They work on perfecting themselves. The Warriors are those who get dirty. They often don’t look good, but they advance God’s kingdom by engaging with the enemy up close and personal.

When Christians obey their loving Lord, they take risks that build the church at the gates of hell. They don’t bury talents in the ground, hoping to keep them safe and shiny. They may look bad and get criticized. They may make decisions or errors, which splash mud on them. They may be falsely accused. They may be accurately accused. They will be tempted in their every weakness and even every strength. Sometimes they will fail.

Practically, if we speak to Muslims we might say something stupid. They might ask a question we can’t answer. They may hurt our feelings, talk about us behind our backs, lie about us, or befriend and then abandon us. They may threaten us.

When warriors wrestle major opponents like Islam, we must practice Spiritual Warfare. This means lifting our eyes from the mud to look at Jesus, pray and have our friends pray for us, give thanks for at least 5 things a day, memorize and review encouraging Bible verses, and let worship songs fill our hearts.

Lord, no matter how hard I try I will never be perfect. Thank you than when I fail your blood washes me clean. Make me willing to take risks that bring treasures to you.