Last week, we had two tasks.
This week, we have one followup task to those two.
1) Chat with God and ask Him to help you see the areas of your life that are a contradiction. What personal characteristics and sins prevent you from being the witness you desire to be to your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors who are not yet followers of Jesus? What personal characteristics and sins prevent you from fully engaging the suffering, pain and brokenness in our world that burdens you?
I shared a couple examples in my sermon on Sunday. Perhaps you have a coworker that you desire to know Jesus, but regularly demonstrate your short temper around him. Or maybe you are burdened by the struggles of the poor in our world, but also spend most of your discretionary income on luxeries such as the latest technology and the newest clothing styles.
Our goal is not just to produce guilt, but to increase awareness so that we might be used more effectively by the Spirit. At this stage we are still not asking God what we should do . . . we are really just asking Him what we should do less of, so that He might do more through us. Basically, where do we get in the way of what God wants to accomplish through us?
In working through these questions myself this week, I have found that though I desire for particular people in my life to know Jesus, I am not intentional about spending time with them. I spend my free time with Christians instead. I have settled for my comfort zones as opposed to pursuing relationships with those that are “far off.” As I was being convicted by God this week I was reminded of a sentiment I once heard, “if you are going to win the world to Christ, you are going to have to sit in the smoking section.”