Tonight was a friends birthday and she did not want to cook on her birthday so we went out to eat. There was 5 of us in total, the birthday girl and her husband, a mutual friend, my wife, and myself It was nice, but after about 2 hours, I was ready to go.
I like the people, but do not really want to spend 3 hours with them hearing these stories that make me think “wow, you did what?”. I am not sure they are Christian, but I was not judging based on that. We are supposed to be in the world but not of the world.
I know he was part of the Free Mason organization for along time, and I know that his beliefs are his wife first, then God, then country. I tried to explain to him that by putting God first, he would be closer to and be taking care of his wife. Neither he nor she understood that and told me that is one way to do it. That is the only way according to God.
For the first 1.5 to 2 hours, it was nice. Then the other friends starts with the stories. The stories admittedly are funny, entertaining, and at times a bit shocking. For the most part they are easy to listen too, but after hearing about an hour of this I was ready to go.
Part of me realizes that as you start to draw closer to God, that some of the things you might have even done would start to make you cringe. I have heard it said that as your relationship with God changes, so will the friends you hang out with. I never really believed it, but I am starting to see more and more of it in myself.
Then there is the other part that says Christ did not go hang out with those that were more like him, but actually got into the muck of those around him and listened to their stories. He then would try to teach them why they have sinned and to repent of their sinful ways. For example, the woman at the well who was getting water. Christ knew everything about her and in the end told her to go and sin no more.
So tonight was I being selfish in wanting to get home to spend time with my family? The answer is ultimately yes. I am sure Christ wanted to spend time with His family, but for 33 years He was on Earth doing the work of His Father.
Christ talked and listened and at the right time, he reacted. Not in a cruel way that so many people today react, but in a direct loving way that made her think. So after I got home, I was thank God I am home, but was that the right attitude? The more I was thinking about this, the more I realized that was the wrong attitude. I should have thanked God for making it so I could spend time with friends and behave in such a manner that makes them wonder what is up with him.
There is typically one and only one rule for evangelism and that is to love the person until they ask you why. I say that, but there is more than one. However, if we love a person when they think they do not deserve it, they will start to wonder that you are either nuts or there is something more about you that I do not understand. When they ask, then you can talk to them about Christ. So too often these days and in the days of the past, people would try to literally cram Christ down a persons throat. This in turn made it difficult for anyone to accept Christ and to turn their lives over to Him.
I pray that if you are a Christian and spending time with friends or anyone else that may or may not be Christian, that you are able to use this time wisely to demonstrate Christ’s love. If you find yourself like I did, wanting to just leave, then I pray that you will be able to endure that for a little longer for them to see Christ in you . In Jesus precious name I ask, Amen.