"The Dangers of Sharing Christ" Matthew 7: 6
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast
your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn again and tear you in
pieces."nkjv" I have never heard a sermon taken
from this passage. There have been some on the
passage just before on "Judging," and some on
the passage following, "ask, seek and knock,"
but never on verse six of chapter 7, Matthew.
There is obviously a reason for this, but I can
only come up with one. Pastors do not wish to
offend. This passage may be offensive, but com-
municating the message of Christ in love is
essential. According to Isaiah 8:12-14, Jesus
is a "Rock of offense and a stone of stumbling."
Preaching the whole counsel of God, in love, we
"let the chips fall where they may," without pre-
judice.
There are basically three thoughts here.
One is; take care with whom you entrust the mes-
sage of Jesus Christ. Another, If you do witness
of Jesus Christ with callous, uncaring persons,
your reward may be that of rough handling.
Thirdly, and most important, share your witness
with persons to whom the Lord leads and not on
your own. Communicating the message of salva-
tion in Christ Jesus must only be done after care-
ful preparation. First, the witness must know the
Lord in a personal way, not just the facts. To be
successful one must know the Lord and be filled,
controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He
or she must be able to "give an answer for the
hope that lies within," in a clear, concise manner,
knowing the response of the person to whom you
witness has a will and must be willing to accept
the Lord. Don't forget the term,"whosoever will."
Since nothing goes without saying, all of this is
to be bathed in prayer and it is always helpful to
enlist others to pray for the witness as he goes
"into all the world."
Ephesians 6:18, Romans 8:14, Matthew 28:19-20
*1 Peter 3:15*
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts : and
be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in
you with meekness and fear."
In my experience, there have been times I have given little
thought to preparation, and it has resulted in frustration and
ultimately, timidity on my part in sharing Christ. The poor
results were not the fault of the Lord you and I serve, but in
failure to adequately prepare ourselves for the battle. “For
we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against princi-
palities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly pla-
ces." Ephesians 6: 12. When you look at the greater passage,
verses 10-20, you find a definitive description of preparation
for the battle using the “...whole armor of God.” If we are not
fully armed, we are vulnerable and will fail.
To close, consider what is left in the passage, uncovered.
The Apostolic advice to us:
Be strong in the might of God, and stand on the truth of the
Gospel of Peace. We must put on the righteousness of Jesus
Christ, since we have none of our own, exercise our faith in
Him, knowing our salvation is secure, praying for each other.
We may then speak truth with confident impartiality knowing,
in the Spirit, the Lord will direct us to the person He wills. In
all things, Jesus' prayer to the Father was, "...Not as I will,
but as thou wilt." Matthew 26: 39)
In all of this, the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God is pre-
eminent in what He does in and through us. We cannot do any
thing for Him, but With “Christ in you” all things are possible.
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
(Philippians 4: 13)
*******************************************************
The Armor of God
Ephesians 6: 10-20...the armor of God. The phrase, “The whole
armor of God,” is about the various parts of the protective gear
of a child of God in the metaphor of the body armor of a Roman
soldier. The idea is; without every part of the armor, the soldier
is vulnerable. If the whole body is not protected, the result may
be injury or loss of life. This Spiritual armor is as follows:
The first mentioned is truth or the Gospel of Jesus Christ which
is the basis for the entire battle. (You shall know the truth and
the truth shall make you free. John 8: 32 In another place our
Lord referred to himself as "truth." "I Am the Way, the Truth
and the Life...") The reason for the battle is to free men from
the clutches (lies) of the enemy, Satan. (The battle belongs to
the Lord.)
Secondly, we have the breastplate of righteousness; protection
from frontal assault. Next, we have shoes consisting of prepa-
ration of the gospel as recorded in God‘s Word, the shield of
faith, without which no man may see God, and the helmet of sal-
vation. All of these are the defensive parts of the armor. The
last part of the armor listed, is the sword of the Spirit or the
Word of God. This is the only "offensive" weapon in the arsenal
available to us. In order to prevail in this battle we not only
need to know the gospel of Jesus Christ, but the body of truth
which is the Old and the New Testaments.
Then one is included that is not "armor," but is just as important
and that is prayer and supplication for the saints. Here, Paul
requests prayer for himself, the principle warrior in this battle,
that he may stand boldly in the strength of the Lord. This whole
passage reminds us that we will never prevail in a spiritual war-
fare with weapons of flesh. We must use Spiritual weapons and
the protection Christ affords those who rely upon him. Relying
upon Him is getting into His Word and receiving our orders, or
His plans for the battle He wages through us.
(*"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: And be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the
hope that is in you with meekness and fear." 1 Peter 3: 15)
donporter, updated2.15.17
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