Q2. To Seek and Save

[rosegarden]

On 12/10/2015 at 2:33 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q2. How are we disciples to assist in Jesus’ mission to seek and to save the lost? What is the love-balance between seeking to save our friends and having to back off because they feel we are trying to pressure them?

 a.  We can assist in Jesus' mission to seek and save the lost by letting Christ shine through us, living a holy life, spending time with the Lord praying for the Lost, being led by the Holy Spirit's prompting to speak to them.  Who knows, we can plant a seed of the Word, or harvest what others have planted.  Truly loving and having compassion for them, because we were there once.  

b.  Sure, we want them to come into the Kingdom but they won't get there by our pushing and shoving.  We are to love them, let our light shine, live a life of peace, prayer and caring.   We have told them where we stand and they know it.  When they want prayer, they know where to come.  God is drawing them, pray for open hearts, laborers in the harvest field - people they might listen to, if not you.  

[Bianca]

We are to assist Jesus by ministering to lost souls when we have the opportunity. When God opens that door up. Some people heart is not as soft and we just have to wait until their heart softens some. Jesus wants all people to change though it doesn't happen. It still doesn't change his heart for all lost souls so it should be apart of all Christian's mission to minister to some extent to the lost.

 

 God doesn't force anyone to accept him so we shouldn't try to force others to accept him. If a person is not submitting to the words The Holy Spirit is trying to speak through us then we have to know when to say ok I have to let God soften this person's heart to listen to me or he will have to try in another way. You don't want to push people further from God by being forceful. You want to try to maintain that relationship so God might want to use you later.

[Krissi]

I do not feel I have anything to do with the choice God makes between those who are saved and those who are damned nor do I think I "assist" God in saving the lost. It is solely His choice. Solely. He alone separates the wheat from the tares, the sheep from goats.

Increasingly, I believe my role is to intercede in prayer for those who are lost. When God chooses someone, I may speak His words to them, but it is God who chooses and saves.

I am surrounded by secular people/family. Only when it is unavoidable to speak to them about the Lord, do I do so. My son, about a month ago, accepted the Lord. He said that he became a Christian because he watched and noted that I had never given up my faith in spite of enormous pressure to conform to secular ideas and behaviour. It wasn't my words to him, but my determination to silently stay the course that prompted my son to think about his own faithlessness. God chose to use my tearful, struggling and very imperfect life. He chose this life to be some sort of witness to others. I did not choose this. God did. He called my son via the Holy Spirit just as He had once called me. 

I feel no pressure except to pray before the Lord. Perhaps this is "intercessionary pressure." Since I am convinced that God alone beckons, calls and saves, I can rest in that knowledge. I know He's working in His ways, inexplicably. 

Salvation is wholly His. 

 

[Niyonka16]

Q2. How are we disciples to assist in Jesus' mission to seek and to save the lost?
ANSWER: Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, it was His passion which He devoted His life to. Jesus did not come to condemn. In everything He did (healing the sick, preaching, teaching, instructing His disciples, contending with the religious leaders, feeding the multitudes, or having lunch with a tax collector), He never lost sight of His true purpose—to seek and save the lost. He gave Himself for that cause, ultimately dying on the cross for our sins.

Today, Jesus’ mission statement has not changed. He is still seeking and saving the lost. Now, it is through you and me. We are His agents to fulfill His mission. Before He left the earth, He passed on His mission to us. Nothing has changed. We still are charged to seek and save the lost. Here are some of the practical ways that we can align ourselves with God’s purposes: Pray that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest of souls. We are to study the Word of God, especially the Gospel message. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in the Spirit. Share the Good News of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Give people an opportunity to receive Jesus as Lord. Pray for, support, and encourage ministries who are fulfilling the Great Commission. Encourage Christians to evangelize and make disciples.

What is the love-balance between seeking to save our friends and having to back off because they feel we are trying to pressure them?

ANSWER: Becoming friends with people in the world can bring pressure, temptation, and negativity because they don’t believe in or serve the same God the same way we do. If we’re constantly surrounding ourselves with people who believe and behave differently, we can discover that the world’s unbelieving spirit becomes an easy rope to cling to. It’s so important that every Christian in this world has a sincere relationship with God that people can feel. When we go back to our busy schedules, we shouldn’t leave our love for God at the altar on Sunday. Instead, we should bring that Holy Ghost with us.

It is vitally important to have church friends. If they’re true friends, they will pray with you, encourage you, lift you up, and strengthen you when you’re feeling down. God intended for us to work with one another to become who we should be for Christ. having a balance is essential in being friends with godly and worldly people. Socializing with people in the world is okay if you’re in a safe, better yet, godly setting. Be encouraged by your church friends, and never take them for granted. Be a light everywhere you go.