God puts the brightest lights in the darkest spots so others may come to know the truth. If Christians spent all their time around other Christians how would the message of the Gospel every get out. How would the world know who Jesus is? Jesus spent time with sinners but He did not indulge in their sin with them, we should do the same.
Your friends that do not know Jesus will be quicker to come over your house for dinner then they would to go to church with you. They will be more tolerant of hearing the truth of the Gospel come from your lips then a preacher on Sunday or a televangelist on Monday.
We often lose sight of the mission God gave us in Matthew 28:18-20. Our job is to reach out to the lost. Some of us God will send to the most outwardly ungodly people but inwardly they are starving for spiritual help. We cannot only invest time in those who know Jesus, we have to invest time in those who are far from God.
I used to complain about the people I worked with, the schools I attended, and even the people who I ran into . I would tell God how ungodly these people were and how I just wanted to work full-time in ministry. But God, graciously, reminded me that my righteousness is like filthy rags and I was in the place I was to bring others to Him. I was there as a representative of Christ and not to complain about the sins if others. I was the light bulb and He was the Light that shinned through me. It was my job to stay put so He could shine His light of truth in a world filled with dark lies. But I had to humble myself and invest time in the lives of others.
We are quick to go to a third world country or a low economic neighborhood to share the Gospel with strangers. We will neglect to reach out to our coworkers, neighbors, family, and friends because they know us. And they see our struggles with sin, so to seem less hypocritical or to continue to freely indulge in sin we remain silent, this ought not be.
The mission field starts in the microcosm of your house and branches our to the macrocosm of your neighborhood, place of employment, and friends.
Working in the world and sharing the Gospel is full-time ministry. You do not need a pulpit are a multimedia ministry to share truth. All you need is a willing heart to share God's truth and a determination that you are going to honor God by living a life that pleases Him.
Invite your co worker over for dinner and find a way that you can pray for them, bless them, and bring honor to God. Ask your neighbors if they have something that you could pray for. Call your crazy cousin and text them an encouraging scripture. Offer to pay a bill for someone you know is far from God and tell them "Jesus loves you.". They may not understand it now but you are making an eternal investment.
What I am saying is God has not called Christians to live in an isolated bubble. He has not called us to act as ministers of silence. He has not called us to complain about the status of the world. He has called us to speak up. He has called us to go "out" and "reach" the lost. He has called us to impact the lives of others by investing in them. People are more reluctant to come to us so we must go to them. Jesus never said "Stay isolated and I will send people to you", no He told us to "Go make disciples and teach them." The lost are not like a tv dinner that we can pop in the microwave, no they are like the four coarse meal that has to prepared by hand. It will take time and effort on our part. But we must invest in the lives of the lost so they can become found. Stay focused you can do this.
Share the Gospel, Read the Word, Be Accountable
Matthew 28:18-20
"In His JOY!"
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