i have been meeting recently with some members of the Mormon church. A year ago i may have grumbled that they had "caught me", or just avoided answering the door. Probably, all truth be told i would have found some non-offensive way of telling them to go away.
Problem is that i asked for it. i had a little time that morning to pray before going out into the woods (it was deer season). As i prayed i had asked God to send someone my way that wanted to talk about Jesus. At the end of the day, there they were. The only people that came in my path that day.
So. . . i invited them in. We have been talking now for a little over three weeks and it has been quite enlightening on a lot of levels. i have come to realize that there are fewer differences between the church of Mormon and many of the protestant denominations than we would like to think. The most disturbing of the similarities is the need to sell Jesus.
The tactics that the Mormons use is not all that different from the "evangelism" tactics that many protestants use. At the end the big difference is the book of Mormon.
i don't say these things to tear people down, or put them on the defensive. i hope that people that read these words will realize that we don't need to sell Jesus. We need to live with Jesus. i don't sell my friends to others. i live with my friends and relay my experiences. i introduce my friends to others. From there it falls into the hands of my friends whether or not a relationship will develop, grow and flourish.
We need to get away from the thinking that we save people, and remember that our role is to simply introduce people to Jesus. We can only introduce people to people we know. That being said, don't introduce people to anyone more than the Jesus that you know!
Once you have introduced them, let Jesus do the rest. As i hope you have experienced Jesus will reveal himself. It is our job to love God and one another. It is Jesus job to save people.
Tell me about Jesus. The Jesus that you know personally!!
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1 comment:
hey, this is an enlightening way to think of the people, i was so burdened by as they also have knocked on my door...
i appreciate your understanding of that dreaded door knocking, and that uncomfortable "selling" tactic.
I look forward to you inviting the mormon's to our Christmas party... Not so we can encourage selling Jesus, but so we can welcome a Christ like friendship...
I love you,
Your Wife!
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