Greetings,
I went out to lunch this week with a coworker of mine (let’s
call him Phil) who also has become a good friend over the months we’ve worked
together. Phil is just starting out on
his road to Christ. The occasion of this
lunch was due to a question “Phil” asked me concerning the matter of being
“born again”. Needless to say, an hour
wasn’t near enough time to properly answer his questions. But it was a start.
I find that as a lay-pastor I inhabit an interesting
position at work. First and foremost I
am “just one of the guys”, a regular employee like everyone else. However, when coworkers find out that I am
also a bi-vocational pastor, interesting conversations can erupt. I certainly feel blessed that God has given
me this opportunity to be of help to Phil, answering his questions as I am
able.
In thinking today about what I imagined was my “unique”
situation, I realized that it was not all that unique. Paul made no distinctions between the
ministerial leadership and the lay-members when speaking about reaching out
with the message of the Gospel. All were
encouraged to be conduits for Christ.
I thought of where Peter challenges us to, “Always be prepared
to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have.” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV) It’s
interesting that he prefaces this statement with these words: “…in your hearts
set apart Christ as Lord.” You see, if
Jesus is more than a Savior to us, we realize that we have a job to do. When we make him our Lord, it should become
our overwhelming desire to add to the increase of his kingdom.
As the people of God, we are ambassadors (2 Corinthians
5:20) of his kingdom. As Christ’s
ambassadors we are in a position where we are encouraged (even expected) to
foster relationships with those who are outside of the kingdom. We have this opportunity whenever we come
into contact with non-Christians.
Sometimes folks are interested in learning more about what we know,
sometimes they are not, but the point is we must always be ready for that
eventuality when God sends someone our way.
We are not only called on to “share our faith”; with all the
confusion in the world, we also need to be ready to defend others against the
frontal attack of false teaching, the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” Jesus speaks
about (Matthew 7:15). Someone had
recently passed along a few sermon tapes to Phil for his edification. Well, as it turns out, the preacher on these
tapes is a false prophet, spewing out deception in the name of God. It was because of my relationship with Phil
that I learned about these tapes and was able to set him straight. With our unique WCG background, most of us
have an ability to recognize the “red flags” of false teaching and
legalism. This is a gift we should
share.
By the way, I have heard many others say that there are few
experiences as rewarding and exciting as leading someone to Christ. Having had just a taste of it, I’m hungry for
more. I’m confident that you will be
too. All it takes is a willing heart and
the guiding touch of the Holy Spirit.
May the Spirit of Christ fill you with joy during this
season of Advent!
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