I guess being a social person, I cringe the most about being rejected when passing tracts. Most people want to enjoy acceptance of others. At worst I like people to just go about there duties and they let me go about mine with no ado. However in tract work there is a dimension that you have to open yourself up to others indifference, ignorance, or hostility of something you hold special and want to share with them. It changed our life and we desire others to receive the same blessings we have received from the inside out. Going on a tract run with two other brethren through the Bay Area. specifically Oakland left me physically exhausted after visiting people that would tell you off or laugh in your face. At times I would find it amusing that I was taken for some different sect or promoting some other message than the "tried and true" Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What happened to that fervency that I had after my New Birth when "old things became like new".As a boy, I had prayed the Lord to forgive me and went to sleep. I awoke that night with a great joy and freedom from guilt or sin. I wanted to go right there and then to church or anywhere and tell the world that I was different now.
So what about this trying to "save face" scheme that wants to keep me from whole heartily, unabashfully pass out Gospel literature. I definitely do not need to feel ashamed of the "Good News". I personally know what good it did for a sinner like me. Just think of the opportunities that I have to share the opportunity with others around me. With tracts you can impact lives that you never see. Put out a box and multiple people may be warned, encouraged, or set-free. Small price to pay for a little personal discomfort if it could effect somebodies eternity for the better. Perhaps some that may read this suffer more severe persecution or trials for the name of Christ. May God strengthen you and share with us that grace that helps you.
That brings us to the point that Christ needs to be the main foal point and centerpiece of our effort. Forget yourself and put your best foot forward for Christ. He was rejected and despised of men. The life he lived for our sakes:
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isa. 53:3)
He bore it all and carried on to the bitter end of dying on the cross.
And imagine after all that he suffered he choose to come back and resurrect for us in victory. How could we deserve such favor and love of God.
On the attitude of the world towards the Christian, Jesus says:
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. (John 7:7)
We are not to be afraid, but we are to move forward remebering how he helped us out of our personal Egypt. Which reminds me of a verse that came to me at the tract meeting. When I think of how my flesh has failed me in yielding to temptations and tests and when Satan has assailed me with trials---I like to think of revenge in the verse
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation ........... that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! (2 Cor. 7:10-11)
It seems that remembering that we came out of Egypt (our life in sin) and our sorrow for our sin and repentance gives us a desire to be obedient and gives a certain zeal to be available to do God service in whatever capacity he chooses.
Conclusion:
Tract work is not something we do for points or to win special favor of God. Rather it is something we do when we remember the mercy God has extended to our own life. In this light we realize that the Lord is the one who is rejected when we share his Word for the benefit of others. In fact we can expect to receive resistance. God tells us not to be afraid, but go forward. Before you go on a tract tour pray for God's grace to overcome our weakness or timidness that wants to weaken our resolve. It is not all bad to feel this weakness, because then we can just learn to trust the Lord a little more and not just fight on our own strength. JLT
What happened to that fervency that I had after my New Birth when "old things became like new".As a boy, I had prayed the Lord to forgive me and went to sleep. I awoke that night with a great joy and freedom from guilt or sin. I wanted to go right there and then to church or anywhere and tell the world that I was different now.
So what about this trying to "save face" scheme that wants to keep me from whole heartily, unabashfully pass out Gospel literature. I definitely do not need to feel ashamed of the "Good News". I personally know what good it did for a sinner like me. Just think of the opportunities that I have to share the opportunity with others around me. With tracts you can impact lives that you never see. Put out a box and multiple people may be warned, encouraged, or set-free. Small price to pay for a little personal discomfort if it could effect somebodies eternity for the better. Perhaps some that may read this suffer more severe persecution or trials for the name of Christ. May God strengthen you and share with us that grace that helps you.
That brings us to the point that Christ needs to be the main foal point and centerpiece of our effort. Forget yourself and put your best foot forward for Christ. He was rejected and despised of men. The life he lived for our sakes:
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isa. 53:3)
He bore it all and carried on to the bitter end of dying on the cross.
And imagine after all that he suffered he choose to come back and resurrect for us in victory. How could we deserve such favor and love of God.
On the attitude of the world towards the Christian, Jesus says:
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. (John 7:7)
If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you (John 15:18-20)
Finally the Battle is the Lord's and not our own and he wins our battles not our own strength:
When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.( Duet.20:1)We are not to be afraid, but we are to move forward remebering how he helped us out of our personal Egypt. Which reminds me of a verse that came to me at the tract meeting. When I think of how my flesh has failed me in yielding to temptations and tests and when Satan has assailed me with trials---I like to think of revenge in the verse
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation ........... that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! (2 Cor. 7:10-11)
It seems that remembering that we came out of Egypt (our life in sin) and our sorrow for our sin and repentance gives us a desire to be obedient and gives a certain zeal to be available to do God service in whatever capacity he chooses.
Conclusion:
Tract work is not something we do for points or to win special favor of God. Rather it is something we do when we remember the mercy God has extended to our own life. In this light we realize that the Lord is the one who is rejected when we share his Word for the benefit of others. In fact we can expect to receive resistance. God tells us not to be afraid, but go forward. Before you go on a tract tour pray for God's grace to overcome our weakness or timidness that wants to weaken our resolve. It is not all bad to feel this weakness, because then we can just learn to trust the Lord a little more and not just fight on our own strength. JLT
No comments:
Post a Comment