Sermon On The Mount: Unqualified Evangelism
Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Matthew 7:6 (NKJV)
What can happen when judgmental Christians start hurling God’s Word like a fiery dart? I found out first-hand.
But first, consider my B.C. prequel: When my life was broken beyond repair, the Son of God became my Carpenter. Reconstruction began 51. With love and precision, He rebuilt me.
I begged for quick work, so I immersed myself in the Bible. Immediately, God kept me afloat. Soon enough, I began moving forward--with immeasurably more than I lost… although one ‘thing’ I lost was my husband. (He and I met and married in college.)
Now reading the Word, I began to learn my wifely mistakes. (I already knew my husband’s mistakes:/)
During my emerging enlightenment, not only did I eat the Living Word, I served up Scriptures I thought would help him. However, he didn't order that Meal, and I was an inexperienced chef.
In retrospect, I placed what was holy before someone not ready to receive. (Reconciliation didn’t happen. The chasm between us grew even wider.)
Why? For many reasons only God knows, but this much I know… MY EVANGELISM WAS UNQUALIFIED.
Because the Qualifier is Jesus. This King is 'Humble and gentle of Heart' (Matthew 11:29). I wasn't. Nor did I wait for His move. Without prayer, I made one of my own.*
As a Man, Christ waited on God's timing. 'No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him' (John 6:44).
Actors, models, and talent for Christ: I've seen your wisdom, and it is lovely. I believe you know better than I did:
Evangelism is the most effective, when it’s first seen in remarkable acts… and LATER heard in remarkable words.
Because wielding the Sword of the Spirit causes harm– without God’s Hand behind It.
Sermon On The Mount: Unqualified Evangelism (Part 25)
* Epilogue: After my husband left, I DID pray to God, repeatedly, if I should ask (or beg) for his return. I believe God, repeatedly, told me, ‘No. Move forward.’ So I did. At 64, I remarried the most wonderful man of God, and we are truly and gloriously happy. (It’s never too late:)
NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2013 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings