Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Luke 10:2
The most important day for any farmer is the day of harvest. If you are a farmer, you would never lock yourself in your house when the field is already white for harvest. So, in Luke 10, Jesus says, “Go, mix and mingle with the lost, the unchurched.” And He sent out His disciples to do four things:
First of all, we are to bless the lost (Luke 10:5)—even when they look like “wolves”! Why must Jesus specifically instruct us to bless the lost? Because Christians have the tendency to “curse” our neighbors. “Huh, that fat lady, she is drunk again? It will only be a matter of time before her stomach explodes!” “Look at that neighbor of mine, having his wild parties again. What a pervert! He will surely fry in hell!”
Christians can sometimes be so mean-spirited and condescending toward the unsaved that they end up judging and condemning them. To “bless” means to speak well of, to encourage and to praise. Learn to do all these things as you seek to befriend the unchurched.
The second thing that you should do is to fellowship with them (Luke 10:7). Do things together. Become friends. Relate to one another. You don’t have to squeeze in the Four Spiritual Laws each time you meet the lost. Win them over through your friendship.
Some Christians get very nervous about mixing with non-Christians. Jesus did not ask you to condone the lifestyle of the sinners. All He wants is for you to accept people the way they are, without necessarily approving of their lifestyle.
The third thing that you should do is to meet their needs practically (Luke 10:9). Heal the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and lift up the downtrodden. Boldly step into the dimension of the Holy Spirit and ask God to touch them—especially in the area of healing. Unbelievers have lesser problems with prayer than believers. Their minds are usually not contaminated by wrong, religious theology. They are not going to ask, “Is healing for today?”
When you have blessed the lost, spent time to fellowship with them and met their needs, the fourth thing would naturally happen: preach the gospel to them. Their hearts are now very ready to hear the preaching of the good news. As you fi rst win the lost over with your friendship, you will find it easy to win them to the Lord. Try this four-step method this week.
The most important day for any farmer is the day of harvest. If you are a farmer, you would never lock yourself in your house when the field is already white for harvest. So, in Luke 10, Jesus says, “Go, mix and mingle with the lost, the unchurched.” And He sent out His disciples to do four things:
First of all, we are to bless the lost (Luke 10:5)—even when they look like “wolves”! Why must Jesus specifically instruct us to bless the lost? Because Christians have the tendency to “curse” our neighbors. “Huh, that fat lady, she is drunk again? It will only be a matter of time before her stomach explodes!” “Look at that neighbor of mine, having his wild parties again. What a pervert! He will surely fry in hell!”
Christians can sometimes be so mean-spirited and condescending toward the unsaved that they end up judging and condemning them. To “bless” means to speak well of, to encourage and to praise. Learn to do all these things as you seek to befriend the unchurched.
The second thing that you should do is to fellowship with them (Luke 10:7). Do things together. Become friends. Relate to one another. You don’t have to squeeze in the Four Spiritual Laws each time you meet the lost. Win them over through your friendship.
Some Christians get very nervous about mixing with non-Christians. Jesus did not ask you to condone the lifestyle of the sinners. All He wants is for you to accept people the way they are, without necessarily approving of their lifestyle.
The third thing that you should do is to meet their needs practically (Luke 10:9). Heal the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and lift up the downtrodden. Boldly step into the dimension of the Holy Spirit and ask God to touch them—especially in the area of healing. Unbelievers have lesser problems with prayer than believers. Their minds are usually not contaminated by wrong, religious theology. They are not going to ask, “Is healing for today?”
When you have blessed the lost, spent time to fellowship with them and met their needs, the fourth thing would naturally happen: preach the gospel to them. Their hearts are now very ready to hear the preaching of the good news. As you fi rst win the lost over with your friendship, you will find it easy to win them to the Lord. Try this four-step method this week.
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