Articles
Reaching Instead of Pushing (Pt. 3)
Speak humbly. Combativeness is telltale sign of arrogance: “He that
is of a proud heart stirreth up strife” (Proverbs 28:25). Let’s be humble
enough to admit if we are wrong: “Better it is to be of a humble spirit
with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs
16:19). Faithful New Testament Christians are susceptible to mistakes
& blunders, & even if we have replied inaccurately to a seemingly ir-
relevant question, we actually gain ground with honest people when
we are willing to admit the mistake & correct it. Let us all face the fact
that we might be wrong, but the Bible is right! As Paul wrote, “let God
be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
Instead of building barriers by focusing on potential points of conten-
tion, let’s find common ground by identifying areas where we can
agree & using those details as a foundation to move forward.
All of these qualities are actually reflections of who God’s people are
supposed to be: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffer-
ing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians
5:22-23). These personality traits will always be a boon to evangelistic
efforts & never a detriment.
No, not all will respond positively or obey the Gospel, but every soul
needs the opportunity to follow Christ. When God’s people decide to
reach instead of push, then we, like Paul, can honestly say that we
have done all that we could do to reach as many as we could, that we
“by all means might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
