Flies part 2
You catch more flies with honey. It's the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. It's showing people something different than what they've already got. If someone sees a "Christian" in exactly the same state they are in, complaining about exactly the same stuff, struggling in exactly the same way... why would they think "Christianity" makes any sort of difference? And I'm not saying "Christians" don't go through stuff too. Of course we do. Jesus said, "...In the world ye shall have tribulation..." (John 16:33). But then He finished that verse by saying, "...but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." I always say it like this: Instead of, "If the world gives you lemons make lemonade" stop taking what the world gives you! We're tapped into an entirely different economy. And abundant economy. An everlasting, eternal, never runs out and fills us to overflowing economy! The Kingdom economy. Jesus overcame the world. He established the Kingdom. And, guys, we don't just live IN the Kingdom... we ARE the Kingdom... because the King lives in us! So instead of just "doing the best we can with what we've got" (which is what the world does), we can be of good cheer. Because we have something better. Don't you know that winning the rat race just makes you king rat? Who wants that? But if we DO something different we can GET something different and others will SEE something different! And when they see something different, something more attractive, a more excellent way... that's when we can stop trying to trick and scare and cajole people into "serving God." That's when they'll start running TO Him instead of running FROM Him. Or running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I think we all want something better. Even if we've settled. Even if we don't necessarily believe there IS something better. So if we SEE something better... the goodness of God WILL lead us to repentance. And remember, repentance is a change of mindset. Thinking about things differently because you can SEE something different. Because someone SHOWED you something different... by showing you love. By "catching" you with the honey of revelation and the milk of righteousness. Because instead of telling you how bad you are and how much you need to change--listen, we know all the bad stuff we've done because we're the ones who did it--but instead of telling people who they aren't... we can start to tell people who they ARE. Who they REALLY are. On the inside. The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. We can help people see that it's not bad and getting worse, but that it's all good in the hood (or, Kingdom)! And we can help people see that... by helping people! By giving them what we've got. Sharing the love that we are loved with. If you try to shove Jesus down somebody's throat they will choke on Him. Every. Single. Time. And if you try to act all "holier than thou" you'll end up turning people off and looking like a hypocrite. But if you're right there with somebody--because we all go through the same stuff--but you have a different reaction... that'll get somebody's attention. If you're of good cheer in the midst of tribulation... people are gonna want to know why. They're gonna want what you have. And then you can share it with them!