The Pacific

Here is where I pause to consider: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NIV) How do you minister to non-believers and not be wit them? (although I think this verse is more directed towards dating and marriage, let's just go with it in this direction for a moment..) In most cases of evangelism, one must form a friend-relationship with the non-believer, not a romantic one. I'm sure you've heard it said, "You have to meet people at their level" so, we will! "what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?" Well, we are both loved by Christ. He died for us both. Christ wants them in His kingdom as much as He wants us there. In truth, I (and all other Christians) are no more deserving or special than they are. If all sins are equal, which I believe because the Bible tells us that they are, then all really have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Here's a good place to talk about grace, but we'll save that for another day. Yay!) An example someone once gave me was this... This is our relationship with Jesus, ready? Imagine, if you will that in order to get to God, all people have to swim across the Pacific ocean because God is in Japan waiting for us. (Of course, God does not live in Japan, please don't be confused) So, we all swim out into the ocean... I could maybe make it a few miles... Other people might make it ten... Those professionally people might make it 100 or so, but no one could swim across the Pacific from California to Japan. Agreed? Okay. So, God looked across the water and saw all his people still thousands of miles away and starting to drown. Well, He had compassion on those people and sent his son out in a huge ship to pick everyone in the water up who believed in Him and loved Him. No one could make it alone, so Jesus died to become our bridge to God. Isn't grace a wonderful thing? My heart goes out to those drowning and sinking. Jesus wants them. The Lord loves them. I recently have a new group of friends...They are not Christian, but I totally see God around them... Not in them, but around them.. Its like I can hear Jesus saying, "I love you!" right in their ears, and they're ignorant to it.. But I totally love these people now... Because I see that God loves them.. And things that they think are bad, I see as blessings from God. God is working in them even when they don't want Him to or don't think that He is. As Christians, we are the light of the world. If we live that way, we will not be swallowed up by the darkness of the water. Instead we will ride the waves on a giant ship bound for eternal life and glory. Yes, we must remain Christian in a non-Christian world. We must uphold and persevere in Christ. It is easier to be a light to light than a light to darkness. But Christ loves them and so must we by showing them His grace and mercy and love in our actions, not just speech. It would be easier to blend and fit in and not notice sin (not not noticing is the same as being immune and complacent and accepting of it) but the easy way is most often not the right way.