Tags
I’ve taken up a lot of hobbies in my time. Be it a new instrument, sport or learning to edit videos. The same thing always happens. I want to be awesome at it almost immediately. No practise. No hardship. No journey. Just me. Fully awesome. From the word go.
Similarly I’m often paralysed by the size of the task before us as Christians. I look around at the world, in fact even just Scarborough, and I struggle to see how these people are ever going to accept God, I just don’t see how they will ever change.
As I walked round the town the other day I asked God about this ‘How are you going to change these people?’ The reply I got was ‘One heart at a time’. Now this might not be an effective evangelism strategy but I think God was telling me what I need to do. Look for the hearts I can impact, look for the thing I can do to show love to someone, to show them Jesus. It’s not God who is impotent but my vision. And my vision will never be that big – my brain simply can’t handle it. I need to leave the big stuff to God and concentrate on one heart at a time, one step at a time.
I’m pretty sure the first heart that needs work is mine. I can be a better Christian, I can become more Christlike, but just like my desire to play the guitar, it ain’t gonna happen overnight. But it will happen.
One step at a time.
Ebs and Flows... 
Steve said:
Yep, that very much needs saying I think.
A good perspective comes from stories of how some of the famous evangelists came to know God. We like to compare ourselves to them & maybe feel rubbish about how few people we’ve had any positive impact on. BUT, in the stories of some of these people, one, unheard of disciple introduced them to Jesus. God knows how much success I can deal with, and whether I can keep a proper perspective in success & not con myself into believing it’s down to me. So whether I reach many people or just one person who might reach many, or even just one person, they’re all important to God.
I want as many as possible to come to God, but it’s a matter like you say Nick of getting my wants aligned with God’s, and then I don’t have to worry too much, I just need to look for what God is doing & join in. I believe God is actively searching out as many people as possible to join His Kingdom. The awesome part is that He mainly chooses to do this through His people! Me! Living in God’s presence outdoes anything & everything else.
cdyeagerwrites said:
Learning something new is certainly the way I am reminded how NOT fully awesome I am. It is also a great reminder that God IS fully awesome and that it is my dependence on Him that equips and sustains. Knowing the truth that God has “given us everything we need for life and godliness” and actually living in that truth can be farther apart than I would like to admit. Blessings on your seeking hearts ready for the seed of the Gospel.
Tim Maundrell said:
Your ‘evangelism strategy’ reminds me a little bit of a guy who didn’t try and change a city or the world but tried to change 12 people and then left the rest to them…
heather joy said:
“I need to leave the big stuff to God and concentrate on one heart at a time, one step at a time.”
Amen. That line is so important, and yet it’s one of the biggest things we as Christians struggle with – leaving the big stuff to God.
Great post, Nick.