christian witness

About the Guest

Lily (pseudonym) is a former school administrator with a heart for engaging the nations who live among us. She is currently engaged in purposeful interactions with people from various nations in a large city in North America. Lily is intentional about cultivating compassion for those who don't know Jesus and seeks to be an authentic witness in her daily life.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Karen and Lily discuss the importance of cultivating compassion for people who don't know Jesus. They explore personal experiences and moments of compassion, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and empowering believers to share their faith. Lily shares stories of connecting with individuals from different backgrounds and cultures, demonstrating the transformative power of compassion and the impact it can have on others. The conversation highlights the need for believers to step out of their comfort zones, engage with people who don't know Jesus, and pray for a deeper understanding of God's love for the lost.

Key Takeaways:

Cultivating compassion for those who don't know Jesus is essential for effective witness and sharing of faith.
Praying for a love for the lost sheep and asking God to reveal His heart for them can lead to transformative experiences and opportunities to share the gospel.
Obedience to God's prompting and stepping out in faith can result in powerful encounters and moments of connection with individuals who need to hear about Jesus.
Living a life of compassion requires being fully present and immersed in the condition of being human, sharing in people's brokenness, and rejoicing with those who rejoice.
Engaging with people from different cultures and backgrounds can challenge preconceived notions and prejudices, leading to personal growth and a deeper understanding of God's love for all people.
Notable Quotes:

"When we walk in obedience, we may not feel it at first. But as we are obedient to the Lord, He moves in the way that only He can move." - Lily
"If your walk with the Lord is stagnant or you're not seeing God move, get in the harvest because He is there and He is moving." - Lily
Resources:

TheBlueCord.org - The website for the Blue Cord Podcast.
Listen to the full episode to gain insights into cultivating compassion for those who don't know Jesus and discover the transformative power of sharing God's love with others. Stay tuned for more inspiring content from the Blue Cord Podcast.

Chapters:
00:05:00 The importance of praying to know God's love for the lost and how it has changed the guest's heart
00:07:00 Abide in Christ to bear fruit and the importance of understanding God's compassion
00:11:00 The difference between empathy and compassion and how compassion compels us to take action
00:13:00 Praying for the power of the Holy Spirit
00:18:00 Sharing love and experiencing a powerful response
00:21:00 Living out compassion in daily interactions
00:23:00 Encouragement to take a step of obedience
00:24:00 Cultivating compassion for those who don't know Jesus
00:24:00 Confessing and changing hearts towards foreigners
00:25:00 Finding fulfillment in the harvest
00:25:00 Growing faith through sharing faith
00:25:00 Make sure to sign up to get our weekly emails on the website at TheBlueCord.org.

So we care what people think about us as a follower of Christ?  Does our behavior make a difference in how people think of Christ?  How do we maintain our witness in a dark, sinful world?

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 the apostle Paul makes a profound statement about winning the world to Christ. He says... "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under [h]the Law, as under [i]the Law though not being myself under [j]the Law, so that I might win those who are under [k]the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."

To understand what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote, “I have become all things to all people,” we must keep the statement in context. Paul was explaining to the Corinthian church his motivation for submitting himself to a hard life. He had relinquished his rights to be married (verse 5) and to draw a salary from the church (verses 6–12). Paul had completely abandoned himself to the purposes of Christ and bore the marks of that decision in his own body.

Many Christians and church leaders have taken liberty with interpreting this passage and they twist the scripture to mean that we are to compromise with the world in order to fit in. This could NOT be further from the meaning of this passage. Context is king when reading and interpreting scripture. 

Some have used Paul’s statement “I have become all things to all people” as an excuse to live worldly lives, assuming that unrepentant sinners will be impressed and want to come to Christ. But Paul never compromised God’s moral standards set forth in Scripture. Paul's ultimate goal was to win souls to Christ, not become like the world. 

A misapplication of this scripture is happening in churches all across this country. Pastors and church leaders will create services and a church atmosphere that appeals to the world. You have probably seen it...It looks like a concert atmosphere with dim lights and fog machines. The preacher shortens the sermon and waters down the gospel to make it more palatable, all in hopes that people will come to Christ. It is a "get them there by any means necessary" mentality. 

That is NOT what Paul is remotely talking about. Paul never compromised the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul never watered it down. Paul never violated God's perfect law so that he might win souls to Christ. He didn't become a sinner and participate in their wickedness in an effort to win them.

In Christ he was no longer bound to the ceremonies, rituals, and traditions of Judaism. Following or not following any of those things had no affect on his spiritual life. But if following them would open a door for his witnessing to Jews, he would gladly accommodate.

In order to witness of Christ to the Gentiles, Paul identified as closely as possible with Gentile customs. He ate what they ate, went where they went, and dressed as they dressed, but he never compromised his faith. 

There are several ways we can become all things to all people. We can listen, we can be kind, we can be sensitive to any cultural norms, and put away any prejudice and judgmental attitudes, while we show the love of Christ. The goal of a Christian is to be inoffensive in every way except in the matter of the cross. The message of the cross of Christ naturally gives offense, but we cannot water it down. “The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Jesus warned us not to be shocked when the world hates us—it hated Him first (John 15:18). Our message is offensive to human pride and contradicts the sin nature, so our behavior and our attitudes should not give offense. When we strive to follow Paul’s example and become all things to all people, we must be willing to humble ourselves, let go of our “rights,” meet people where they are, and do whatever Jesus calls us to do. He died to save them. We must love them enough to tell them that in ways they can understand.
 

On this special episode of Following Jesus with Christ Church pastors Andrew vander Maas and Addison Hawkins talk with their friend and Francis Schaeffer Institute director & Covenant Theological Seminary adjunct professor Mark Ryan. In this episode you will hear how Mark is adjusting to life during COVID-19 as a husband, father, professor and prophet, one of these is a joke, you take a guess! Mark outlines ways Jesus followers can respond to the government restrictions that have been put in place as well as how to think about our response after this is all over. Enjoy.

Quotes from the show:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34–35

“In John 13 the point was that, if an individual Christian does not show love toward other true Christians, the world has a right to judge that he is not a Christian. Here Jesus is stating something else which is much more cutting, much more profound: We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus’ claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians.”  — Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian

Resources/Links:

• Looking for more information on the Francis Schaeffer Institute? Check out their web-page for information and resources. 
• Want to read and learn about relational evangelism? Check out Heart of Evangelism by Jerram Barrs.
• Want more resources on apologetics? You can find a short bibliography from Covenant Theological Seminary here.
• For a fresh way to think about a Jesus followers response to COVID-19 check out this article, Love in the Time of Coronavirus by Andy Crouch.
• More resources from Christ Church COVID-19 Response page.

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Grace & Peace