Friday, 28 March 2008

Bringing Salvation To Others

1) Read Luke 14, The parable of the great banquet.
This man wanted his friends to come to his house as he wanted to give a banquet but all his friends refused as they each had something to do. The host was angry, yeah. He then asked his servant to BRING in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. The same servant told his master that there was still some more room in the house. So the host ordered him to keep BRINGING them in till his house was full. Those whom he invited were not allowed in.

So what is this all about?
Just as the master remembered and counted the poor, the crippled and the rest, Jesus is stating that every single human in this world counts as we are all priceless. We count people as people count! We don't just invite people, we BRING people to God's Salvation. We cannot be let down even if that person just keeps ignoring you over your invitations to your Church. Believe in God that your loved ones, your friends, even enemies and strangers (Eg. Foreign people living in our midst)! We are the fishermen who CATCH fish, the former doesn't invite fish, do they? We are the salt of the Earth, we BRING flavour. Farmers don't wait for the harvest, they SOW the seeds. Every time you go to Church, pray for those "crippled" and the "blind" who pass by the Church or are brought to Church that they will be confronted by God. It's like them walking in a fog. Pray that these people who are being rejected, hurt, lost...etc. will have some kind of feeling they never could describe, yet feel overwhelmed. Of course if you ever bring your friend over to Church, anything can happen, don't bother asking how they are feeling as they can't describe anyway. God's presence will fill them, overflowing them. Amen?
Firstly, do you really and deeply love your Church? If not, we would be like zombies and look scary and boring...Which prebeliever will want to go to a Church like that? So SMILE! LAUGH WHOLEHEARTEDLY! NEVER BE GROUCHY or anything else silly, I don't know.
Why should we BRING and not only to invite?
See here, if you only invite these people, you are leaving them the responsibility of bringing themselves to Church to meet up with you. The devil wouldn't want that, would he? He keeps them busy with their lives and there will always be distractions around them. Remember the master's friends? They have no FAITH, don't know that the devil even exists (even so, the wrong impression of the devil). So it's better that we MAKE SURE THAT WE BRING THEM. It's better for us to be attacked by the devil as we have God on our side. We have the FAITH, the LOVE of God and his Kingdom. We have the authority over the devil! Pray that the lost sheep will be touched by God and know what they've been missing in their entire lives, even as we are worshipping God, even before the Preacher starts. Pray before you go in the Church!
PUSH ON! GO GET YOUR LOST SHEEP! Well, they don't know what exactly is the meaning of "Church" and we don't know what their past hurts and feelings are so it can be uncomfortable. But they are like the walking dead and the blind, they can't go to your Church alone, they need a deliverer, YOU! They 've been blinded by their pasts and are crippled in their hearts and minds! It takes effort and time for us, not them! We must not want to leave them the work and responsibility.
2) Luke 10, The Parable of the good Samaritan.
The Samaritan took responsibility to take care and valued the wounded man. He BROUGHT him to an inn and even paid for the bills. People don't like going to places which they don't feel safe in so make your Church very WARM. Be sincere! There are people out there who want to be restored, rebuilt and rid of their hurts whether in the past and in the present. Show them that they are of VALUE! How can we tell them that God Values them if we don't show Value to them? INVEST in their lives! Yeah, give them lunches (the Chinese like to do that) and gifts, encourage them! This is not bribing. We are BRINGERS not inviters (if there's ever such a word).
HAVE CARE AND COMPASSION! And GOD BLESS ALWAYS!

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