When I started presenting the Gospel to people a couple of years ago, I began to realize that communicating the Gospel to some people was not as easy as just telling them the Truth. Some people have an incredible amount of baggage that they need to get rid of, before they can even begin to comprehend the Gospel. I am amazed at how many people really do want to talk and get help. We have the answer for them, and we have the ultimate answer for them to get help. But why is there a disconnect in the church in reaching these people? There could be several reasons. One of them I think, is that when we present the Gospel to a person, we don't want to get side tracked. That's understandable. If a person is hearing the Gospel, it would be easy for him or her to want to be distracted because he or she is feeling uncomfortable being under conviction. Many people would like to put the responsibility of their sin back on to God (remember Adam, "The woman you gave me....."?). But there is a group of people out there in the world that seem to be really disconnected from the Gospel. And they are not your typical people who are opposed to the Gospel. They are people who have been so damaged by their environment that life doesn't make sense to them, and as a result, they have believed a lie.
Take for example, a woman who has been a victim of rape or incest. Will it be easy for her to come to Christ and let go of her sins? Her dignity has been taken away. How will she get it back? What kind of difficulties will this present to her when she tries to comprehend the Gospel? Her understanding of who God is has already been shaped by her life circumstances. And they have lied to her. How can we reach her?
What about children who live in a home where crime is always taking place? When I worked for a drug store many years ago, a woman came up to buy several packages of nail products. It seemed kind of strange, but I didn't think too much of it until she went to pay with a check and didn't have the proper ID that she needed to have. I called the manager to find out what to do, and he came to the front and explained to me, right in front of her, that she was stealing. He already knew who she was. What was interesting, was that she had children with her. I wonder what those children thought was true about life, after they grew up. They would grow up thinking that stealing is ok. They would think it is ok to break the boundaries.
And then there are the sue-happy families. They wait for something to happen so that they can turn around and sue people so they can make money. Or, there are people who use the government in every way they can imagine to get money or things from them. I actually know someone who lived like this for a while as a child, and now that person, as a grown up, believes that she does not have to go to work, but live on food stamps and other government offerings, while she goes down the street and gambles with whatever little bit of money she can get.
The point is this; We are all victims of something, and we all do victimizing of some sort to others. But some people are damaged in a serious, life-hampering way, that causes them to not be able to see what is what and true. So, instead of just preaching the Gospel to them, and becoming frustrated because there is no response to it, why can't we go deeper with these people and draw them out? We might hear stories of things we never even had any idea that they existed. We might learn something new that will help us in dealing with others. Many people need someone to show them love. Some people have never learn to trust anyone, because those they lived with were untrustworthy. All these misfortunes have shaped peoples ideas about God and what He is like. Sometimes, we have to go beyond square one with these people and teach them the basics about God (much like Paul had to do with the Ephesians in Acts 17). And, we might have an opportunity to undo the works of the devil. As we take time with people, we can take steps to help them to see what is true, and eventually, what God requires of them. If we don't do this, there will be a lot of casualties in the church. We need to be loving and forbearing, and not always trying to give them a quick answer to fix their problems.
Here is the link to a video of a dog who had been obviously hurt. Someone rescued her, and she eventually responded to love. It took a little while, but it worked! Some people are like that dog. We need to treat people's lives as we would treat fine China. We also need to prepare the way, so the Gospel can be communicated to them. That is there greatest need and we have to help remove the baggage so the meaning of the Gospel will be clear to them.
www.godvine.com/Meet-the-Scared-Dog-That-Only-Wanted-a-Hug-1087.html
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