Room for God.

Sitting in a Starbucks café within a Barnes & Noble store, I ruminated on the tensions concerning salvation, seekers, old-time Pentecost, holiness traditions and a myriad of other challenges to the church at large today. In my travels I often see folks firmly on their proverbial side of the fence, believing with all their heart that they are tuned in to the Holy Spirit and representing Christ as scripturally accurate as is possible. But when society takes us outside of scriptural precedence and into the realm of culture – we seem to clash more than we flourish.

I guess I have just been thinking of late, how much I want people to experience Jesus Christ in their lives. It seems as though we sometimes let the frivolous detour the best-laid plans of evangelism. To be sure, God has a standard and I am definitely for upholding God’s Word. I just think we sometimes focus on the external (tattoos, body piercings, smoking, etc…) more than the internal (a changed heart). I have heard plenty of Scriptures pertaining to the external and I truly believe we are indeed the “temple” of the Holy Spirit. But if we are not careful, we can so passionately convey our perception of the external that we destroy any chance of a changed heart.

I do know you must undoubtedly earn the right to speak into someone’s life concerning the deep issues of spirituality. Sometimes the right to speak comes from position or reputation, but the majority of opportunities for someone coming to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are through someone they respect. Since most Christians don’t have any more non-Christian friends after about 3-5 years, we must work to build relationships in hopes that God will provide opportunities to help introduce someone to His Son.

As I look back on my life, it took a “road to Damascus” experience for me to really know that God was real. But for most, finding the greatest friendship known to humanity still comes through an introduction by someone who knows that friend. May today be a day that we all reflect on how much Jesus Christ has done for us, and the mission that each one of us has - to share the good news with someone who just might have room for God in their world right now.