Defenders of the Faith

I have heard one Theologian say that he is a watchdog of God, and as such he cannot help but bark when his Master is attacked. As wonderful as this sounds, I think this is a terrible Theological statement. We are not called to be 'attackers of the faith', but defenders. We are told by Paul to keep our convictions between ourselves and God; not to go attacking others with our beliefs. Jesus tells us to make sure we do not cast pearls before swine, or they will tear us to pieces. We get a clear picture here of the fact that we are to be a light, an example, and a witness. We are not to shove our conviction in other's faces; for one, even if they did what we asked this does not make them Christians, and two, conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit, not ours to do. One that note, God does not desire dogs, he desires sons and daughters. God can defend Himself quite well if He would need to, and we as His children need to realize we are not to go fighting flesh and blood, but the spirit of darkness.

You may ask,"So are we not supposed to witness to people?" Of course we are! This is the function of a Christian. The very reason for our continued existence here on Earth. However, it is not as simple as just shouting in people's faces. Nor is it trying to guilt trip people into joining a church. Although these things may work from time to time, that does not make them the best alternative. You may be able to kill a fly with a shotgun, but that does not mean you should. In the same way, blasting people with the Gospel may hit one or two, but will most likely cause far more damage than good in the area.

In the end, there is no easy black and white line of evangelism. Instead, it is a day to day existence. If our relationship with the people around us does not show them Christ, we should not think that approaching a stranger will help. Oh, it may ease our conscience, we can say we tried, but that is not really what God requires of us. He requires us to be faithful. This is not a 10:00-12:00 every Sunday in Church type of faithful, but a faithfulness in every corner of our lives. It is a painful faithful, one that requires sacrifice and self-denial. It is one that we work with our entire lives here on Earth. That, my friend, is how we are to evangelize. And if we do, then people will come to us to ask of the hope that is in us. Until that time, we are to be faithful in word and deed. If we cannot be faithful in our own lives, how can God expect us to be so in someone else's?