We can’t share the gospel with people we’re afraid of.
Witches.
Satanists.
New Agers.
Insert who you shrink back from here.
We must stop running away from the people God told us to run after.
As a former New Ager, I’m here to tell you they’re far more willing to share their beliefs with total strangers than we are.
And…
Often times they are kinder, more loving, more gracious, more charitable, more gentle, more patient, and more forgiving than those who call themselves the body of Jesus Christ.
Our delivery matters.
It matters a lot.
Mocking others’ beliefs doesn’t reach them.
It pushes people away, and it proves what I hear so often…
That we’re hateful.
We use “truth in love” as an excuse for abhorrent behavior.
Jesus never attacked people lost in sin.
He was moved by compassion.
HIS PASSION was COMPASSION.
He wouldn’t condone a lot of what I see as “truth in love”…because if we’re really being honest… there’s no love in it.
We’re simply offended by those who sin differently than we did, and we’re gonna make sure we post about it.
In all my years lost in deception, I never tried to curse anyone.
I never attempted to harm anyone.
You had no reason to be afraid of me…
Or my crystals
Or my tarot cards
Or my chakras
Or my spirit guides
Or my chanting.
Or my drum circle.
Or my manifestation.
Or…any of it.
I was simply lost.
I’ve also known plenty of witches in my day. Most, not all, but most, have zero interest in us. They are not at home plotting and planning our downfall. They aren’t burning Bibles. They aren’t conjuring up ways to take down your local church. I know this might be true for a very small segment, but it’s certainly not the norm.
I know this is contrary to what many in the church have been taught to believe…but it’s simply not true.
WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD.
The enemy loves it when we put people in boxes and deem them unworthy to be saved. That’s EXACTLY what that type of teaching has done.
That is the OPPOSITE of the gospel.
I also have Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, and Agnostic friends.
They don’t secretly hate me.
They don’t want to kill me in my sleep.
They aren’t trying to convert my children.
They are people.
People God loves.
People God created.
They most likely have never heard the Gospel. Or worse…they’ve heard it from people who have misrepresented Christ.
They are people who need to be given a reason for THE HOPE that is within us.
We act like they are some type of demonic subspecies. Under our breath, we whisper to each other….
“Oh, they’re Muslim.”
…and then give each other the side eye.
What if instead of trying to shove the gospel down their throat in 30 seconds (so we feel like we did our job), we actually spent time getting to know them?
What if we invited “them” to dinner?
What if we got to know their family?
What if we took an interest in their life, instead of our agenda?
The gospel isn’t an agenda.
The Gospel is LOVE.
Love is our job.
To love people so well that they want to know WHY. They want to know WHO. They want to know HIM.
THAT IS THE GOSPEL.
To be a living, breathing epistle in the hand of God.
We’re also completely ineffective at sharing the gospel with those we think we’re better than.
And we do.
We can say we don’t….but we do.
The Addict.
The Alcoholic.
The Stripper.
The Homeless.
The One Caught in Adultery.
The One Married 5 Times.
The One With A Mug Shot.
The Mentally Ill.
The Ones Living In The Wrong Zip Code.
The LGBTQ.
WE ARE NOT BETTER!
Not better at all.
There’s but ONE difference.
Just one.
THE BLOOD OF JESUS.
We want revival…but we want it…
Clean and tidy.
Neat and orderly.
But TRUE revival is MESSY.
It’s God using broken and flawed humans to reach more broken and flawed humans.
Revival is coming.
It is.
But it will be messy.
It will be ugly.
It will be dirty.
People will fall.
People will fail.
There will be mistakes.
Lots of mistakes.
There will be scandals.
There will be disappointment.
There has to be…or we would think it’s about us.
It’s not. It’s about HIM.
Until we’re ready to get dirty, and humble, and broken….
Until we are ready to face our fears, our prejudices, and our pride….
Until we’re ready to give up our platforms, our freshly pressed suits, and our 2-hour church windows….
Until we’re ready to stop blaming the witches, the satanists, and the demons for why the church isn’t growing…
Until we’re willing to HOLD HANDS with different denominations…(gasp)
Until we’re ready TO SERVE….
We aren’t ready.
The church isn’t growing because we aren’t growing.
Jesus was a dirty God.
With dirty feet and dirty hands, who went to dirty places, with even dirtier people.
He wasn’t afraid of people so lost in sin that they no longer looked anything like Him.
We were the leper.
We were the lame.
We were the blind.
We were the demoniac.
He came to clean us up.
But did we stay clean?
Are we moved by love?
Are we moved by compassion?
Do we really look like Jesus now?
Or
Do we look like white washed tombs, and clouds without rain?
Let’s get real.
Let’s talk about real things.
Let’s stop playing church.
Let’s stop quoting scripture we aren’t willing to walk out.
I can’t be the only one who sees this, right?
If we truly want REVIVAL, we need to stop deciding what it looks like, and start asking God what HE wants.
I think we may be surprised to find out…
HE IS STILL A DIRTY GOD.
Revival is messy.
Real messy.
And I’m so ready for it!
To learn more about Heidi and her Kingdom passion, visit Kingdom Come Home
Featured Image by Kev from Pixabay
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