Set Down the Jackhammer

Hearts that don’t know our Savior may be hardened toward the God we love and the gospel that saved us but that doesn’t mean we should haul out the jackhammers or other destructive tools of communication that can make them cringe or flee.  We need the tool of love and understanding.

The writers of Irresistible Evangelism, suggest that “instead of making risky, direct attacks on the pre-Christian hearts and trying to take them by jackhammer force, it is better and faster to take the path of low risk and high grace.  Like a well-designed road to the top of a mountain, this path spirals smoothly upward and inward.”

And that’s not all the authors have for us.  They say, and I believe, that “If we want to be good spiritual messengers, we must learn to progressively meet people’s needs in this safe and respectful order.  Our most important task is to represent Christ by finding lots and lots of little ways to connect with people’s physical, emotional/relational, directional, and spiritual needs.”

Maybe you’ve been taught or encouraged to make a dramatic entrance into another’s life and carry the gospel message boldly and proudly toward their souls.  Irresistible Evangelism suggests an alternate route…”forget the grand gestures, impersonal presentations, and once-in-a-lifetime events, and proceed lovingly with many caring touches that lead toward the heart.”

Wow…don’t think I could have said it better myself. 

Did someone wield a jackhammer of religious persuasion at you before you came to Christ?  How did it work?  What tools of Christian living have been your choice when given an opportunity to interact with others?  How were they received?

This entry was posted in ~Encouragement Efforts, Confidence Builders, Grace, Irresistible Evangelism, Loving Your Neighbor, Practical Principals and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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