To answer the question I asked everyone to pray about in my last blog: yes, I have decided to return to the ministry here after Christmas until next July! I have seen God answer multiple prayers I have had concerning this, and He has revealed to me that the work I have been called to do has not yet to come to an end.
Has there ever been a time where we have built a relationship strictly for the purpose of evangelism? I do not mean a relationship in which we desire to see God move in that person’s life. I mean one where the goal is strictly to see that person become a Christian without wanting to deal with pain, suffering, or struggle they need help bearing. I guess the point is that sometimes I can have the mindset that people are projects; I think part of this comes from me being a problem solver/math person. I see an issue that needs correcting and I want to fix it.
People are not projects. People are people.
Jesus valued others and shared life with them, without neglecting the truth of their need for God. This is tough work, let me tell you. I have a friend who is 29 and is an asylum seeker from Syria. His wife and two daughters (one of which he has never seen before) are in a dangerous situation and are being harassed by the government. He has waited 9 months without a word from the English government as to the resolution of his current situation. He is a fairly devout Muslim, but is now suffering with depression and emptiness. I have cried with him as he talks about how dead and useless he feels, and how helpless he is to protect his wife and children. I have shared the gospel with him a few times, telling him about the hope Jesus can give, and he has kindly declined.
So if I am looking at this situation from a strictly evangelistic perspective, how much more do I invest into this one person?
But if I am looking at it from Jesus’ perspective, when do I stop loving my Syrian friend?
We can only trust that God will lead us into His perfect will for our lives as we seek Him, but the call from Jesus to love those around us is perfectly clear. This is just one example of the ministry I have been called to in England. I feel as if in my life in America it was so easy to distance myself from the pain and struggles of others. How often do we really live life with the hurting, the sick, the homeless? How often do we actually SEEK OUT those in need of the love of Jesus Christ? Door to door evangelism has its uses. But what about sharing life without promise of return? Our call is to follow where God leads, love others, share the good news, and let Him worry about the results.
Ben Stith 