Matthew 10:13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Witnessing Christ is a social event. We are asked to salt and light. We are asked to spread the gospel. This is done in a social setting. The difficulties we often have in witnessing is in our view of worthiness. If we are not well received we deem those people as unworthy.
It is a common problem in witnessing Christ. We see really bad examples of it and tend to shy away from those approaches because we did not respond to sandwich signs that “Repent Sinner” on one side and “The End is Near” on the reverse. We hate to hear people preach love in angry voices. We know what doesn’t work. But what does work?
Are we so far removed from that initial contact to remember what happened? Do we really understand what happened during the initial contact? At the time of initial contact we were sinners, void of any spiritual insight, void of salt and light. If I could explain what happened then words would fail me because it wasn’t part of the social agenda.
“Let peace come upon it.” Peace is a fruit of the spirit. It will not and does not act upon social agendas. The Holy Spirit falls upon those present at the social event and abides upon those whom God has chosen to move, deemed worthy which is another way of saying ready to receive. We are not responsible for spreading that peace any more than a person who has the flu is responsible of infecting others. We are merely carriers.
Colossians 3:15a let the peace of God rule in your hearts
Let that rule guide you and leave the rest up to God.
Happy heart=happy witness!! Thanks for this great encouraging post. I would like to recommend to all your readers to make sure you keep reading in the 4 Gospels–they are a great spiritual “tune-up” with the greatest example witness that ever lived, the Lord Jesus Himself, the One Who witnessed for His Father here on earth.
He ate with sinners yet remained unchanged. Lord give us the strength to live up to that example.
AMEN brother!!!!