Learning to Listen
The moment that we think we have something figured out we must think again. For years I have understood that God has made me an evangelist. Because of this gifting, God has blessed me with the privilege of leading many people to faith in Christ.
Sometimes our giftedness gets in the way of our usefulness.
We must be willing to adapt. We cannot use the same method to share Christ in the United States as we do in India, Israel, or Poland. The way we share the Gospel will often vary from person to person because the Holy Spirit is the One who is bringing a person salvation.
We are simply a conduit for God’s love.
One of the things that God has made clear to me is that I must be willing to listen, especially as it relates my time in Israel. There is much to learn about the Jewish people and their culture. They are God’s people (Romans 9:4-5), and He is in love with them. To reach them we must get to know them and to know them we must spend time with them. The Jews need our love and support like no other time in History. The world is currently turning against them.
The Lord has quieted my spirit. He is speaking to me about His people, and He has put a love in my heart for them. This is from the Lord, “…God’s kindness, is intended to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4. This is in the context of God saving His own people.
Sometimes we Americans think that we have it all figured out. While many of us publicly speak out against a replacement theology, we live out replacement theology in practice. The average American evangelical does not know that the Jews are God’s people or at least the depth of that reality.
We have a lot to learn.
We must not ignore what is happening in Israel. Now is the time for the church to wake up. Now is the time for the Church to stand. The church has an important role to fill, and it must begin with us learning how to reach the Jews not in our way but in God’s.
The question is, how can I show the kind of kindness of God to someone so they will be led to repentance? The answer is to show that person the love of God whether he/she is a Jew or a Gentile. We show people love by putting our faith into action. Our words will fall flat if our actions are nonexistent or weak.
That is what “Hope For Israel” is doing. Moran is the founder of this organization, and his heart is to be a disciple maker of the Messiah. He and his team are showing the people here the kindness of God. Evangelism looks different here. He is leading people to the one who came to save them, Yeshua, through acts of kindness and mercy.
All the doctrine, theology, and knowledge in the world cannot replace or mimic an act of kindness that can lead someone to the Savior.
Moran is an extraordinary man, but he would be uncomfortable with me saying that. That is part of what makes him extraordinary, his humility. He does not argue people into the kingdom. He is not pushing the Messiah onto people, but he is demonstrating the love of Christ by feeding the hungry, ministering to the broken, and loving the lost. This is a much slower process than a crusade, for example. A crusade will not win the lost in Israel but a demonstration of the love of their Messiah will.
“Hope For Israel” is meeting the most basic needs of the people out of genuine love for the people. God’s people are not a means to an end. We are to be a conduit for God’s love and when the time is right the Holy Spirit is the One who will lead us to share Christ. I think it is sad that evangelicals have sometimes viewed people in a different way than that.
We must not forget that God loves people and so we are to love people too.
Sadly, we often write off people who don’t believe right away. What if evangelism takes a lifetime for some people? What if along the way we are just a small part of God’s plan to reveal Christ to someone? Maybe it is a glass of water, a kind word, or a hug. Too often, out of selfish ambition, we give hugs with conditions. We hug and then we run our mouths and get pushy.
Most people have a good sense of whether or not they are being genuinely loved. People know when someone is about to sell them something. There are times when proclaiming the Gospel happens right away, but most of the time it takes time.
We must take time to listen to people and we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
He will lead, and when someone rejects the Gospel message the first time we don’t stop caring for or loving them. What if God had written you off the after you rejected Him the first time or the tenth?
Ultimately, on the Holy Spirit’s timeline, every person will have to decide if they will trust in Jesus or reject Him. Our part is to show them the love of Christ in word and in deed. We are not the ones saving people, God is.
God put us here for such a time as this, and we must not get in His way.
