How Far Is Too Far?

Where do you draw the line? Where do you say this is too far for me and pull back? Or are you an “all-the-way-er”?  I have found that for me I like to talk about it, and get the others all excited, but then I usually get scared and find a way out of the situation.

Are you like me?  Lots of talk, and lots of thought about it but very little action? I am talking about the way that you share Jesus with people.

I was asked today, “do you have any unbelieving friends?”

Sure..

Then I was asked, “Would they say that you are an acquaintance or a friend…?”

My answer struck me; they would all say that I am not close.  In fact, even most of my believing friends would call me an acquaintance.   Not because I don’t love them, but because real friends depend on each other.  They truly need each other to live life.

Because I don’t have need of them, and I do everything myself, they don’t feel like they are part of my life. There is no room for more relationship. HUH? What do I mean by that?  Simply that if people feel we don’t need them they don’t feel needed. And who wants to feel like that?  Who wants to feel unimportant?  It is a reminder of being on the outside of, and not part of, my life.

This thought process came from being asked if I had asked a unbeliever for a favor in the last 30 days, and if no why not.  Then like a ton of bricks, why not landed in my brain.

I have been so busy taking care of all the things in my life, which frankly, is enough for about 10 people.  But, for years I have just done it myself.  I ask for people to work alongside me, but then I let them stand there, and I  still do all or most of the work.   They then feel unneeded and it causes them to resent me and look for other places to pour themselves out.

The church is like this too.  It does everything for others,  but does not leave room for others to come in and feel needed.  Especially when it comes to evangelism.   Showing weakness to the world allows them to get into your world on their terms.  Inviting them to involve themselves  in a way to serve you not to feel like a project..

See, we as believers bring people into our worlds by showing them there is a place for them.   A need is the best way to do that.  Randell Neighbor says that a friend in need is a friend indeed. The bigger favor you ask for the closer you are as friends.  He says he like to ask for crazy things all the time just to make the people feel that much more important.

We have no problem asking church people to help us, but why are we different with our neighbors.  Why can’t we be so close with them that we can walk in their house and grab a soda from their fridge and sit on the couch?  Why is there a barrier?  Jesus lived there and that is how he ministered.  Why are we different?

How will we reach them and love them if we have an us and them vision of life?  We need to be focused on not winning souls, but connecting people to us and our spheres so that God can break through to them and encounter them.