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Plainly Speaking
with Karl J. Forehand
Going to Class with Jesus Series
A
Different Animal
by Karl J. Forehand
(read Matt. 10:16-23)
One of my favorite types of television
programs is the shows about animals.
I love to watch animals in their habitat. Someone once asked me, “If you could be an animal, which one
would you be?” That is a hard
question because I think many of them are so interesting. I am positive of one animal I would NOT
want to be – a cow. I think we are
doing cows a favor by eating them. I
certainly wouldn’t be a cat. But, I
also wouldn’t desire to be the animals that this passage stresses we ought to
be like. Of the four animals
mentioned, we are to be like three of them.
Being a person that shares the Gospel puts
us in a different category. We would
go through our whole life and be just the “religious” person on our
block. We could be known as a
church-goer or religious person and not encounter much opposition. When we decide to take the step of sharing
our faith, it puts us in a different category – we become a different animal.
When
you share your faith:
1. You will be
vulnerable
Behold, I send you out as
sheep in the midst of wolves; (Matt. 10:16a)
If you have ever attempted to share the
Gospel, you know what this feels like.
You tell someone at work, “I want to tell you about Jesus.” You imagine that you see his fangs begin
to emerge and he says, “YOU are going to tell ME about JESUS.” You can almost hear the other wolves in
the background begin to snicker and circle around. You say sheepishly, “Yehhhhhhsss.”
This passage shows us several ways we will
be like sheep among the wolves. It
says that we will be “delivered” to the courts. Whether that is the actual court system or the court of public opinion---others
will judge us unjustly. In essence,
we will be put on trial every day.
Why? Because they don’t understand this “new” thing we are trying to
introduce into their lives. We will
face unreasonable laws at work. We
will face unfair prohibitions at school.
We will be inundated with accusations that have no basis in
truth.
When Jesus told them they would be
“scourged” in the synagogues, he was instructing them that much of their
persecution would come from the religious.
If you are a soul-winner, you are a threat to false religions and
anemic Christians. Be advised that
the chosen frozen will unthaw when you attempt to fulfill the Great
Commission. Although they may say
that you SHOULD spread the Gospel, they won’t understand your methods and
will undermine your effectiveness – COUNT ON IT!
Jesus also reminded them that they would
be “hated” by the ungodly (v. 22).
Jesus name invokes a passion that no other name does. You can discuss God for hours; but when
you bring up the name of Jesus, the discussion changes in tone and
passion. The Gospel is
confrontational. It causes a person
to come to a crossroads and deal directly with the sin issue in their lives.
The last thing they will do is “question”
you. We sometimes get irritated when
unbelievers ask difficult questions.
But, remember, they are asking question because they want to
know. The world is searching for
answers. So, how to we answer those
questions?
2. We must be wise
(as a snake)
therefore be
shrewd as serpents (Matt. 10:16b)
I have often considered that nothing good
could come from a snake. We usually
associate Satan with the snake; but, as far as I know, he only used the snake
once. He uses people a lot more.
My mother is the postmaster in a town in
Oklahoma that hosts the annual rattlesnake derby. Every year, they gather to round up rattlesnakes from the
surrounding area. I once saw the cage
where they keep all of the snakes. I
assume it had nearly a thousand rattlesnakes in it. I saw rattlesnakes of every size and shape. Needless to say, I stayed only as long as
I had to. Where I live now, there are
very few poisonous snakes. However, I
still cannot stand to be anywhere close to them.
One thing I learned from rattlesnakes is
that they will do anything to avoid a fight.
Rattlesnakes are patient. They
warn you before they strike. They
will allow you to walk away from the battle.
When they do attack, they move slow and deliberately. In other words, even in a rattlesnake, we
see some characteristics of human wisdom.
What is God trying to tell us? Notice that He didn’t say “tricky as a
fox.” He wants us to be wise, not
clever. The Greek word for wise that
is used here means “sensible, prudent, using practical knowledge in
relationship with others.” In
everyday language, we might say “If you are going to share your faith and
enter into the wolf den…use your head.
Think a little before you speak.
Pray a lot before you share your faith. Be wise.”
3. We must be
gentle
and innocent as
doves. (Matt. 10:16c)
Some of us
complicate everything. If we are
going to witness, we assume that we will need a bunch of techniques and tools
to get it done. Akeraios, the
Greek word used here for innocent, means “pure or unmixed.” A dove is used to symbolize the Holy
Spirit. We must take the Gospel to
them in the purest way possible.
Remember, a
dove “lights.” It doesn’t come in
like a hawk or an eagle, with its wings spread wide and talons
outstretched. We must take the Gospel
to them with purity and simplicity.
4. We
must be dependent
But when they deliver you up,
do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given
you in that hour what you are to speak.
"For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father
who speaks in you. (Matt. 10:19-20)
We shouldn’t prepare a speech before we
share the Gospel. The very words we
need will be given to us. The Spirit
of God will be speaking through us.
That is all we need. We have
to remember that “nothing is impossible” for Him (Jer. 32:17). He has the power to work through us if we
will be dependent.
We will be vulnerable, we must be wise, we
must be gentle and we must be dependent.
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