"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are." (Matthew 23:15 NIV)
One of my focus scriptures is "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV) Jerusalem was a town; we can consider that as local ministry. Jerusalem was located in the province of Judea, and Samaria was its neighboring province. This makes it easier to understand that God has called us to spread His Word in our local cities, then to the countries we live in and support, and finally spread around the world in some way. That encourages me to use technology and other means to be an open book about what God is doing in my life and being His hands by serving others.
Can we take it too far?
The religious leaders Jesus was talking to understood this mission, and they would travel on their missions trips telling people how lost they were and pointing out their flaws and failures, while showing them how they live "perfectly". Another scripture that can be painful to carry with us is this, "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5 NIV) We have a huge responsibility on our shoulders! No matter where we are in life, as Christians we claim a leadership role; the world is constantly looking at us to see how we match up to the faults of these Pharisees. So how can I be a good leader, and truly show others what God's Love can do?
I need to first change my focus, and then try BLENDing instead of singling out:
1) Build my own relationship with God. If I'm not growing my relationship to God, how can I possibly be concerned about where I think others are in theirs?
2) Live out loud! Have no fear of what others judge me for as a Christian. How many of my friends am I embarrassed about? How much less should I be embarrassed to be in a relationship with the One who created me? Be excited about it!
3) Engage in the lives of others. Show an interest in what others are interested in and make a friend. Friends support each other and share concern for one another, naturally.
4) Never condemn, always offer encouragement. When others encourage me in the good I am doing, does it make me want to focus on what I am doing wrong, or continue to practice what I am doing right? Offer the same guidance for others, let God be the Judge that He is, and my encouragement for what my friend is doing right will naturally show why the sinful choices are so bitter.
5) Defend my friend's relationship to Christ. If I have offered to encourage someone in their faith, I need to be willing to lay my life on the line for them to protect them from sin and the judgement of others.
Always remember, I'm not the only one on this journey. While I do have a personal relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I also have the privilege of sharing it with other people. That gets me excited about sharing my worship with my church family and being a part of the Body of Christ!
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