The Messenger Is The Same, The Message Has Changed

  

 Heavenly Father, help me reflect You and what You are about in my life and see the doors You open up to share that with others.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen

   If you’re force-fed certain food growing up, you will often have a gag reflex to that particular food. I remember as a baby my daughter would not even taste oatmeal. I tried to coax her to just take a bite to see if she liked it. She would not, so in exasperation I tried to force a bite in her mouth. To this day and she’s a grown woman with grandchildren of her own, she can’t stand even the smell of oatmeal.

   If people experience judgment from Christians and are Bible-bashed in every argument or conversation, it’s hardly likely to make them want to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’  They’ll avoid you like the plague. Too often we Christians make the mistake of presenting the Gospel without the love of God. Too often we try to force feed people the gospel forgetting that people are drawn to Christ by and through His love. (Jeremiah 31:3) The word also tells us no one can come to the Father unless drawn by the Spirit. (John 6:44) So many times in our enthusiasm to win people over to Christ we try doing the drawing, we try to do the job of Holy Spirit. Can I tell you something….there are no Holy Ghost juniors.

   This has also happened in many churches….Holy Spirit draws souls in and then the ‘church’ runs them off by hitting them with all their dos and don’ts…putting burdens/yokes on them they can’t bear. Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Jesus says follow Me and I will make you fishers of men but one thing….leave the cleaning to me. He tells us to come to Him just as we are! He loves you just as you are, but He also loves you too much to leave you that way.

   After being a part of many denominations (and I mean many) being taught many different things by man I was just about to give up and I fell on my knees before Abba and told Him I had been taught many and often conflicting things by man and I was so confused…. I wanted Him to teach me after all the Bible told me Holy Spirit would teach me all things. So for a year He taught me! I didn’t expose myself to any other voice but His (no church, no Christian tv, no other voice but His during this time). I would get up in the morning, send my husband off to work and my kids to school and I would sit down with the Bible, pen and pad. Sometimes I would be there all day. I’d often look at the clock and it would be time to get the kids from school. I don’t know why I brought this up but maybe to say I can now say, like Paul, the things I know didn’t come from teachings of man but by revelation of God Himself. Although many years later I did attend Bible College for two years and I love my instructor to this day. She taught me many wonderful things, about God and about myself. In fact, she and I are still friends!

   The Bible’s clear about us taking the message to the world, but we’re called to do that as real people. A really good way of sharing the pairing of love and the Gospel is within your relationships. Instead of just preaching a sermon, try being the sermon. (I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.) That provides a basis of love for the seeds of salvation to grow in. God is love so we must present Him in love! My wise old momma told me, baby girl, you can draw more flies with honey than you can vinegar. Over the years, I’ve found that to be true.

    I remember when I was young and gung ho to win souls for Jesus. I was a fire and brimstone type preacher. You know the kind….” if you don’t accept Jesus today you’re going straight to hell”. I was trying to scare people into heaven. That tactic didn’t/don’t work! Oh, you might get them to say the sinner’s prayer but unless they’ve been drawn by the Spirit, it usually don’t ‘stick’. Before long they ‘re right back in the muck and mire where you found them. Through a very dear friend and mentor and through the leading of Holy Spirit my heart changed along with my message. Instead of “you’re going to hell” my message became “Jesus loves you so much He wants you in heaven with Him.” Instead of “you’re going to die in your sin”, my message became “Jesus died to cleanse you of your sin”. The messenger was the same, the message changed.

   Sheep have very tender mouths and you can’t force feed them or you’ll injure them. Jesus told me to feed His sheep not to choke them to death. When you have a baby, you start them off with milk, then cream gravy, then you can add a bite or two of mashed potatoes and when they can digest those things you might add a french fry or two and then and only then do you start to feed them meat. And you don’t let them have the whole thing at first either, you start off by giving them small bites. It is that way with feeding new babies in Christ the gospel. You don’t place a steak on their plate and tell them to eat it when all they can digest is milk.

   I admit I’m not a writer and I don’t have the gift of words and am often misunderstood because of that but with all my heart I pray Holy Spirit reveals to you my heart and the love in which I write these things. That the things I say here are meant to help not harm. I love you, but Jesus loves you more! <3

   In His love,
Elizabeth

  PS… Jesus said what you do to the least of these, you do unto Me. When you give someone a drink of cool water, you’re giving Him that drink. When you speak a kind word to some one or smile at someone, you’re smiling at Him. When you give someone a hug….just think….you’re hugging Him! What a deal!