I was pleased with all the interest people expressed after we set up our Bible booth at the farmers market last Saturday. Friends called, emailed and texted me to ask how things went. As far as I was concerned, it was a great success. But what do I mean, “As far as I am concerned”? I say that because I know the goals of this effort. What should our attitude be during outreach efforts? Here are some things we must never lose sight of:

Spreading the Word

As both individual Christians and collectively as a church, we need to get the gospel out (Mark 16:15). If people are going to be converted to Christ, it has to come from preaching His gospel (Rom. 1:16). Whether it be from the pulpit, a personal Bible study, TV or radio program, or even a Bible booth, the focus musty be on teaching God’s word with its power to save (James 1:21). Our efforts at the farmer’s market and the county fair are not anything flashy. If our goal is not to simply plant and water and have God give the increase (I Cor. 3:6-9), then we have lost our proper focus.

Exposing Error

Effective teaching will provoke thought, and sometimes conflict. After all, light exposes darkness (Rom. 2:19). The word of truth will not mix with variation or compromise. It should never be the goal of any evangelistic effort to be non-controversial as if we were ashamed of the gospel. Not only that, you are not actually helping if you are afraid to expose false doctrine (I John 4:1). You cannot stand for something without standing against something else. Again, if we are more concerned with not offending anyone, our evangelistic efforts will not be successful.

Defending our Faith

The church is to be the pillar and ground of truth (I Tim. 3:15). The church has always been under attack and frequently been falsely accused. As long as there are false teachers, there will always need to defend ourselves (I Pet. 3:15-16). Soldiers of Christ will put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-16) and doing everything possible to stand for what is right. There will be temptations to not study and thus not be able to give an answer. This is not a solution – it is a problem. Those who do not want to be asked questions will not be able to defend the faith.

Helping the Seekers

There are people in this world that are looking for the truth. They want answers and need to know where to go to find them. Providing opportunities for the lost allows the Lord to use us to help others (Matt. 7:7). When a man was asked if he understood what he was reading in the scriptures, he replied by saying, “How can I unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:30-31). It is true that everyone can know the truth (John 8:32), but Christians can provide avenues for others to learn. However, if there isn’t that desire to provide help, then this effort should not be done.

Developing our Talents

If you want to create courage and learn how to talk to people, reaching out with the gospel is a way to do that. You cannot help but grow when you find yourself engaged in various Bible discussions (I Pet. 2:2; Matt. 25:15-28). Learning what to say to people is great, but never underestimate the need to know how to talk to people (Eph. 4:15). Learning to be swift to hear and slow to speak is vital in reaching people with the gospel (James 1:19).  Those not interested in growing need not put forth this effort.

Chuck

Okay, how do we do that?

We all know how easy it is to tell someone to do something. The hard part is the knowing how to give instructions. If a person does not know how to do something, then it is a waste of time to instruct them to do so. Though some might not recognize it, God’s people always have enough information when He commands them.

Consider this command that James writes: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you,” (James 4:8). On the surface, it sounds great that God will draw near to us. How do we draw near to God though? Based on what James wrote, knowing how to draw near to God is critical! Without this, He will never draw near to us.  Fortunately, the Bible contains instructs us about many ways we can draw near to God. If we do the things found in this list, God WILL draw near to us!

Pray. This has to be one of the most obvious ways to draw closer to God. Christians are admonished to pray continually (I Thess. 5:17).  To get close to someone, you must communicate with them. This is as true of our earthly relationships as it is with our Heavenly Father. James stated that the prayers of a righteous man can avail much (5:16) – a close relationship with God is obviously one of those things.

Studying the word of God. Listening to what the Father has revealed will aid in developing that close bond.  When you have the word of God abiding in you, you are strong (I John 2:14). Those who do not take the time to listen to God are clearly not feeding on His word, and the word is what gives strength (Acts 20:28).

Staying away from sin.  Those who walk in the light have fellowship with the Father (I John 1:3-7). When one is in sin, they are going away from the Father, not drawing nearer. Pleasing our God and obeying Him will strengthen the relationship (Heb. 11:6).

Worshipping.  When saints gather to glorify their God, they are naturally strengthening their bond with the Creator (Acts 2:46-47). God recognizes genuine worship that uses both the lips and heart (Matt. 15:7-9).

Telling others about God.  When a person tells others how much they love their spouse, it strengthens the marriage. Similarly, Christians who tells others about their Heavenly Father are drawing near to Him (Acts 7). The Son of God indicated this as expressed in His prayer to the Father (John 17).

Developing one’s talents. When children of God use their talents, they are positive examples to those around them. The goal is let our own lights shine and inspire the lost (Matt. 5:13-16). By growing, we become more useful to our Father (II Pet. 3:18).

Being faithful to the end. Those who fight the good fight of faith know that they will be with the Father for eternity (II Tim. 4:6-8). After writing that God will draw near to us if we draw near to Him, James wrote the following instruction: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). Clearly, fostering a relationship with God requires deliberate action.

Being with other Christians. Spending time around others who are in fellowship with God will encourage us and help us grow even closer to the Father (I John 1:7). Remember, fellow saints are members of the same spiritual body (Gal. 3:27).

    We are told to draw near unto God because God will draw near unto us. Are you preventing God from drawing near to you? Let us do our part and trust that God WILL do His!

                                                                                            Chuck