The Lord says “ I never called my church to hostilely take over the governments and the kingdoms of this world to force them to live the way you want them to live based you your standard of morality or what you think people should look, act or live like!
This is the Pharisaical way of doing things. The very spirit and attitude Jesus preached against.
In John 18:36a, Jesus talking to Pilate said “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdome were of this world, My people would fight.
And in John 6:15, it says: Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him King, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone.
In these verses we can see that Jesus never intended for the church to take over the government and force a legalistic righteousness on everyone.
As it is written in Zechariah 4:6: So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
It is also written in Galatians 2:21, I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
And in Matthew 23:23, Jesus talking to the Pharisees, says “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.”
In Luke 11:42, Jesus puts it another way: “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These things you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.
And in Matthew 9:13, Jesus again talking to the Pharisees, said: “But go and learn what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice.”
In Hosea 6:6, God says “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God (for you to know Me) more than burnt offerings.”
Just as it is God’s desire for us to know Him, it is God’s desire for the world to know Him.
So not that you know what God doesn’t want us to do, lest use these last two verses to leap into what we should be doing.
In order to do that, we must first realize a few things:
1.The world does not know what it’s doing.
In Luke 23:34, Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do (what they are doing).”
Jesus knew that they people of the world do not know what they are doing. They are blind sheep.
2. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them.
In John 6:44a, Jesus says: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them.”
In Matthew 16:17, Jesus said (talking to Peter) “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven.”
We learn in these verses, that no one can understand who Jesus really is unless the Father reveals it to them. And that’s the job of the Holy Spirit.
3. Those who are of this world, cannot even see the Kingdom of God.
In John 3:3, Jesus, talking to Nicodemus, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he (they) cannot see the Kingdom of God.
In 1 Corinthians 3:14b-16 it says: “for their minds were hardened. For until this day, the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament (the Bible), because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses (the Bible) is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless, when one turns to Christ, the veil is taken away.
So unless the Holy Spirit reveals to them that Jesus is the Christ and removes the veil from their hearts, those who are of this world can’t even see the Kingdom of God.
4. Those of this world don’t have the Holy Spirit and therefore, can’t live up to the laws of the Kingdom of God.
If they can’t even see or comprehend the Kingdom of God, how are they going to obey the Royal law?
Without the Holy Spirit, we can’t live up to the simplest law of love your neighbor as you love yourself – let alone love our enemies.
So how can we expect those of this world to live up to the Royal law or any legalistic righteousness put on them?
In John 15:5, Jesus says “I am the vine, you are then branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me, you can do nothing.”
As we read earlier, it’s not by power, not by might, but by My Spirit says the Lord.
So if we can’t do anything without Him, how are they going to?
5. The people of this world aren’t even looking for Jesus. They don’t even know they need Him.
They however, do know deep inside them, they is something more to this life. They just don’t know what it is (who it is).
Jesus is looking for them.
In Luke 15:4, Jesus said “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not immediately leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one who was lost until he finds it?”
Just like Jesus found us, He will find those of this world.
So what should we do? How should we approach them?
Let’s look at how Jesus saw them and dealt with them.
Jesus saw the people and had compassion on them. He saw them as sheep without a Shepard.
In Matthew 9:36, we read: But when he saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a Shepard.
This is how we should see them.
Jesus taught us that love covers a multitude of sins.
In 1 Peter 4:8b, the Holy Spirit says, through Peter, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.”r
And Proverbs 10:12 says Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sin.
We read as well in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
Now I’m not saying that love condones sin. Covering sin is not the same as condoning it.
When love coves a sin, it’s saying that the person doing it, doesn’t know any better. They are doing the best they can. They are just trying to get by the best they know how.
Like Jesus did with the adulterous woman. He said “Neither of I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
Jesus accepted her were she was at, while calling her up higher.
Just like Jesus did with us, He loved and accepted us the way we were, where we were at, but loved us to much to let us there.
So we should do like-wise and accept them were they’re at and for who they are. Not for who we think they should be.
We temporarily overlook their sin (rough edges) by covering them in love, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, see then as Jesus sees them.
Whenever Jesus looked at someone, He didn’t just see them they was they were, but for what they would or could be. He also way saw their hidden potential.
He looked at what he could put to their account. Not to their faults or short comings.
Jesus knew that most people didn’t enter into a sinful lifestyle by choice.
Jesus knows that no one woke up one day and decided to be a prostitute. He knew that is was because they didn’t value themselves and thought they didn’t deserve better. Or they were forced into it.
And that’s just one example.
Like Jesus, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit and look for signs that the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of those of the world around us. To notice those around us who the Holy Spirit is drawing (wooing) and slowly revealing to them that is something more to this life, that they deserve better.
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us notice and see those starting to look for truth, those that the Holy Spirit is telling their hearts “There’s something more to this Life.” Those who the Father is drawing to Christ.
We need to be ready in season and out of season, to give the reason for the hope we have in Christ.
When Jesus sends people our way, we can’t afford to judge them by their appearance.
Jesus told the Pharisees in John 7:24, Do not judge according to appearance, but to judge with righteous judgment.
Just as Jesus didn’t get distracted by a person’s appearance, or the words they used, but looked at the person’s heart, at their need, so we can’t allow ourselves to be distracted by their appearance either.
Those Jesus sends us to tell them the words of eternal life, are going to be a mess. They’re going to look strange at times, use foal language and have wrong beliefs about God and this life. But instead of judging them, we need to embrace them, tell them that they matter, that they are good enough.
Several times in my life, I’ve had this vision of a homosexual being beaten up by a bunch of religious thugs. Then I see myself jumping in between them and the person they were attacking. I look at the religious thugs and say “Who do you think you are to treat another person this way?!” “Let him who has no sin cast the first stone!” They answer me “What do you agree with their lifestyle? Why do you care?” I answer them, “I don’t.” But this man is a creation of God, a human being, worthy of dignity and respect!” He is created in the image and likeness of God. You can’t say you love God who you have never seen if you can’t love your neighbor who you have seen.” I then yell at them to get out of he and they run away in fear. Then I help then man off the floor and took him to the nurses office to get treated. That’s when the man looks at me and asked “If you don’t agree with my lifestyle, why do you care about me and help me?” I look at him and reply “Because you are an human being worthy of dignity and respect. Jesus loves you just they way you are.” That’s where the vision ends.
We need to show them that their lives have meaning. That there is a purpose for their lives. That Jesus loves them and that God has a plan for their lives.
We need to show them by how we treat them, not just by our words. Remember the good Samaritan.
As we speak the words the Holy Spirit tells us to speak to those sends to us, the Holy Spirit will bear witness to their hearts that are words are true.
We have to be as loving and patient with them just as Jesus was loving and patient with us. So loving and patient with them, that they began to ask us “What’s wrong with you? Why are you being so nice to me? Why do you care about me?”
Once they Holy Spirit has revealed to them who Jesus really is and the Father has drawn them to Christ, He’ll then send them to us to show them the way of Salvation. When He does, we must follow the Holy Spirit’s leading on how to slowly lift them higher.
Don’t start with the cover (the outside), that will come.
God cares more about the inside of the cup and dish.
As Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:26 “Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside may be clean also.
How do we help them clean the inside of the cup and dish?
By teaching them and discipling them.
- Teach them how to pray
- Not route prayers like the religious do, but how to pray from the heart like a person talking to their best friend.
- Lead by example.
- Teach them to read the word.
- Teach them how to listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling them as they read it.
- Stay away from doctrinal terms and church lingo.
- They won’t understand church talk.
- Just use the words of Jesus and the Bible.
- Keep it simple.
- Teach them how to hear the Holy Spirit for themselves.
- And let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
- Just be there for them, encourage them, meet them halfway and correct them in love when necessary.
- Be a spiritual parent.
As they get closer and closer to Jesus, and fall more and more in love with Him, they will no longer want to do the things they did before.
Then the outside will begin to reflect the change on the inside. But don’t expect the change to look like or go like we think it should. God has a reason and order to everything He does.
Some years ago, a person from a church I used to attend, shared this story with me. While she was attending Youth for the Nations, she had this fellow student who had his hair in dreadlocks. Everyone kept telling him that I looked bad and was ruining his witness as a Christian. What they were really saying is a Christian shouldn’t have dreadlocks in their hair. But the student kept refusing saying the he felt that God wanted him to have his hair this way. When the time came to go on the mandatory mission trip, the trip they were sent to ran up to this student and shorted excitedly. It turns out the this student who had the dreadlocks in his hair, had the same hair style as the high priest of their village. That’s what opened the door of both this student and others to witness for Jesus. Had this student given into the pressure and changed his hair, they wouldn’t have has the opening they needed to share the gospel.
I was so moved by that story that it sticks in my to this day.
When the time comes after you have built a relationship who those God sends you, to lovingly call them up higher, do it in an uplifting manor.
Let me give you an example. I tell those who are sleeping around that they are selling themselves short and that they deserve better. I tell them that they don’t have to just settle for just any guy or girl that comes their way, but to save themselves for the special guy or girl that God has in mind for them.
I remind them that Jesus loves them and paid a great price for them. That they are the temple pf the Holy Spirit.
Years ago, I ran into the mistress of a relative of mine. As soon as she figured out who I was, she started apologizing to me. I looked at her and said “You don’t have to apologize to me. That’s between you, God and my relative. I have no right to judge.” I then went on to say “I will say one thing about the matter and then never speak of it again to you. You deserve better. If my relative left his spouse to be with you, than its only a matter of time until he does the same thing to you and you deserve better than that.” She looked and me with a shocked look and said “I never expected an answer like that from a Christian” We’re friends to this day.
Get them thinking.
Once they look over their lives with the prospective of the Holy Spirit, they’ll see where they’ve been settling and falling short of God’s best for them.
This will cause them to ask God for His help to help them to stop settling and to submit to God’s best for their lives.
All inner change of a person must be an act of their free will coming into agreement with the Holy Spirit so the Holy Spirit can transform their lives.
Anything else in just religious witchcraft! No one has the right to spiritually rape another person by forcing external rules, laws or their will on another person!!!
And God will judge those who do!
In fact, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “How will you escape the condemnation of Hell?!”
In closing, you cannot use the methods of this world to bring people to Christ. No one can come to Christ unless the Father draws them by the Holy Spirit.
So just be ready in season and so lovingly compiling that God can use your love to draw people to Jesus.
Or to put it another way, Let your light (love) so shine before all man, that they may see you’re your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:16