There's a secret to strengthening your witness

      
An eye-opening reality has overwhelmed me lately. After served for years in contexts, where your first focus in interacting with others was finding out where they'd spend their eternity; I often lost sight of how needy the world was around me. In my passion to "save men from the burning"; I often glossed over their need, believing their placing their trust in Christ was first and foundational to their needs being met. But is this so? A close look at the ministries of Jesus and Paul shows how easily we get the cart before the horse. Their ministries were geared to the needs-material, emotional, and spiritual- of the people around them. The reality is that people generally need to feel our compassion first before they can be gripped with the cold truth that they are in jeopardy of eternal judgement. As we feel the compassion of Christ-healing and helping-the heartbeat of Paul to-not neglecting the poor and needy-our hearts are turned toward the needy masses, who flock our society. Helpless widows; homeless former successes, and unloved children roam our roadways-sheep needing to feel the touch of us, His hands and feet. I'm all for the Gospel message spilling out of us regularly and clearly, for many times, accepted, it helps people climb out of their crises; but just giving the Gospel proves many times the easy way. The challenge of Christian living is not telling the Gospel message but radiating it in ways, which stir others to trust its truth and go on to radiate the reality of its truth. Our challenge is to assume a posture of surrender to the way of the Master, meeting the needs of those around us, Who was inclined to first touch others with the Gospel before He talk about its potential impact.
He picks up the poor from out of the dirt, rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash, Seats them among the honored guests, a place of honor among the brightest and best.  Ps. 113:7,8 (The Message)
"I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it." ~ Thomas Aquinas