What are my motives?

I wish to speak about something that I have noticed among various websites and blogs that troubles me. It is something that I have learned about myself and hope to encourage others to consider when witnessing about Jesus to those who 'are on the outside'. Scripture gives us several opportunities to learn and understand what it means to be salt and light among a dark world. I will confess that my zeal for the Lord has many, many times been used by the devil to harm others. I have suffered many times the hand of discipline from my father over speaking from passion and zeal with little regard for the outcome. Brothers and sisters we know we have the truth, we have experienced the love of God personally and our eyes have been opened to understand the Scripture, but when we speak the truth to those on the outside it is foolishness to them.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Corinthians 2:14

Am I saying that this should cause us not to speak. Of course not!

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

However, I am saying that we ought to always be prayerful and repentant towards God to fully examine our own hearts and our own motives. Too many times I think we get passionate about our God when someone says He is not real or doesn't exist and in our passion we seek to 'set them straight'. This my friends is a work of the devil! Satan knows all too well that we love the Lord vehemently and if he can stir in us the flames of love and zeal for the house of the Lord, he can quickly take our passionate love and turn it into a fleshly desire to be right and prove them wrong. I implore you to search your heart EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU ARE WITNESSING and ask God to reveal several things.

1. Father, what is my motive for speaking to this person concerning You? What is it that I hope to accomplish in my conversation?
2. Father, what would YOU have me say to this person concerning You? What is it that YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH through this conversation?
3. Father, give me wisdom to walk according to YOUR DIRECTION with this person that no reproach or shame would come Your name.
4. Father, examine my heart fully and reveal to me any evil that is in it. Reveal to me whether I am truly concerned for the salvation of this soul or proving myself right and them wrong. Burden me with the gravity of their situation and rather than mock them let me be filled with Holy love and compassion for them.
5. Father, I know that You are unwilling that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance. I also know that only YOU can open the eyes, mind, and heart of this man or woman and I am fully trusting in YOU to guide me. Give me wisdom to know when to continue and when to walk away.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:5-6

Many seem to believe that we can 'argue' people into heaven and 'argue' them into believing. I ask you, did that work for you? Was it the arguing that won you to Christ? While I believe it is our responsibility to speak about the condemnation that is on all who blaspheme the Holy Spirit and scorn so great a salvation, it is also our responsibility to speak the truth in love. I strongly encourage you as you get into discussions with those who do not believe to fully evaluate your motives and your final intentions behind each argument. Are you trying to prove yourself and God right or are you trying to win a lost soul back into the sheepfold?

We must demonstrate to them the same love that Christ demonstrated to us while we were yet sinners. I feel that Jude explains the mind of those who do not know God quite well in his epistle. Keep in mind, however, Jude is specifically referring to false prophets in the church in the first part of this epistle and as it is so often found in Scripture the harshest judgments are pronounced on those 'people who eat with you in your fellowship meals.' I think that this is one of the reasons we so fail in the eyes of those on the outside.

When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you.They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 1 to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (Selected Scriptures from the book of Jude)

Finally, I just wish to call your attention to the correct behaviors and attitudes we ought to have when dealing with people. If they are believers or 'professed believers' I believe we have a prayerful responsibility to correct, reprove, and demonstrate discipline in love toward them. The Scriptures give us clear directions on the appropriate methods and measures that should be taken. It is the neglect of this type of church discipline that has led the current American church to the unsalty, tasteless, unable to preserve her society state that she is currently in. However, when dealing with those on the outside our behavior, attitudes, and motives ought to be quite different. We have to stop holding lost people accountable to the rule of God and saved people unaccountable. It is this very misinterpretation of Scripture that has give satan such a stronghold in our society.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?
But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Please join me in praying for RYK and CW and many others who fail to recognize the authority of the One True God.