May I challenge you to wisely impact others, believer? Let's earnestly pray for wisdom from the Word and then go share Jesus Christ with all who will listen!
Read the room (be spiritually sensitive), speak in a language they understand. Listen, there are two types of unbeliever: 1.) Open and 2.) Closed.
Honor and respect others-- be approachable. Arouse the interest of your listener for Christ's sake. "What's your story?" Ask for permission to share a bit of your story. There indeed are those who are humbly open to truth and those closed to truth. Duh! I say share the Law of the Lord with the (possibly closed or open) person and you will find out if they are closed / too busy at that moment / prideful. I say please don't waste much time with "the closed" except on your knees. Yes, in private pray for "the closed" that they become open to the Gospel and get saved!
I say earnestly pray for "the open" unbelievers too, as well as tactfully, verbally witness to them of Jesus! Go for it, don't miss an opportunity (if you're on the job be careful to be a great employee)!
When the time is right ask God to help you segue conversationally to spiritual things. Segue in smoothly with His Message. Why verbally witness to those who tell you STOP? I mean those that say they don't want to hear it and or mock you? But keep going in witnessing if the unbeliever stays open (wanting to hear more truth from you) until you simply reap them into the Kingdom. There are times when they seem closed (and you're witnessing/praying silently and God makes them open to hear). Let the Spirit prompt you in witnessing further -- be sensitive to His lead not going too long before you "pop the question" asking something like...
"What would prevent you from turning from sin and trusting Jesus by faith here and now? Is there anything in your way today? What would prevent you from praying to receive Christ by faith right now. Can't earn forgiveness (share some verses). Sure, let's pray together okay."
The Bible says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30 nkjv
Cultural Christianity in the USA is now gone (Christianity used to be so acceptable in the USA. The media has effectively convinced people that Christians are the intolerant ones, but actually they have been for decades). Wise believers here still one by one impact the culture and community by being an on-fire witness and by giving bold witness of Jesus ..for the purpose of winning them to Christ. We force Him on no one, we save no one, we share the Gospel and leave the results up to God.
Wise believers also make an impact by cooperating with the Holy Spirit in making disciples of nations. Yes, by following the Lord close and preproducing themselves as godly soul-winners.
What are godly Christians? They live holy as good citizens in any Land and city. They love God most, and love their neighbors as they already love themselves (cuz they actually do).
• If you could choose anyone to be your neighbor, who would it be and why?
• What steps would you take to build a bridge of relationship with your new neighbor (not burn a bridge) and begin to pray and tactfully witness to them?
• Ideally, what would your relationship with your hypothetical neighbor look like?
Let's discuss proper neighboring, believer, and even defining what a decent neighbor is. What does a wise and decent neighbor look like? What does God in Proverbs say on this?
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.” Proverbs 3:27–30
“Don’t withhold repayment of your debts. Don’t say “some other time,” if you can pay now. Don’t plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you. Don’t get into needless fights.” tlb
"He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent. He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy and faithful keeps a matter hidden." Proverbs 11:12-13 amp
"To quarrel with a neighbor is foolish; a man with good sense holds his tongue. A gossip goes around spreading rumors, while a trustworthy man tries to quiet them." Proverbs 11:12–13 tlb
"The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many 'friends.' It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor." Proverbs 14:20–21 nlt
"Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away." Proverbs 27:10 nkjv
"Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he dwells by you for safety’s sake. Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm." Proverbs 3:29–30 nkjv
"The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." Proverbs 12:26 nkjv
"The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes." Proverbs 21:10 nkjv
"Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, for would you deceive with your lips? Do not say, 'I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.'" Proverbs 24:28–29 nkjv
Believer, you and I are to preach loud wordlessly. Yes get to the point of the gospel, clearly, boldly by simply livin' the life in both private and in public and with your good conduct. Why? So this could be recognized by all around you and then glorify God.
As the Lord leads you believer, do add words in there from time to time as well.. to biblically answer their questions, sow seeds of faith and give witness of Jesus. The problem with some so called crossover ministry is that Christians fail to bring the cross over. Too man seek common ground and to build a decent bridge relationally, but then fail to bring the cross over that bridge. We've got to brag on Jesus and all He's done for us--we've got to give Him all the glory.
"Be careful how you behave among your unsaved neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when Christ returns. For the Lord’s sake, obey every law of your government: those of the king as head of the state, and those of the king’s officers, for he has sent them to punish all who do wrong, and to honor those who do right." 1 Peter 2:12-14 tlb
"Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government." msg
"Keep your behavior excellent among the unsaved Gentiles conduct yourself honorably, with graciousness and integrity, so that for whatever reason they may slander you as evildoers, yet by observing your good deeds they may [instead come to] glorify God in the day of visitation [when He looks upon them with mercy]. Honor Authority Submit yourselves to [the authority of] every human institution for the sake of the Lord [to honor His name], whether it is to a king as one in a position of power, 14 or to governors as sent by him to bring punishment to those who do wrong, and to praise and encourage those who do right." amp
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| Photo by Amuro Mora |
In the New Testament, Jesus basically tells us that the two greatest commandments are to love God with everything you are and have and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34– 40). You and I already do love yourself and myself. We do. In a group photo, which person do you look for first when you are in that short. Yep, it's you.
This specific command to love your neighbor as yourself comes from Leviticus 19:18, but the concept of loving neighbors is all over the Old Testament. It is a key biblical truth, from beginning to end, that part of loving God is loving others.
You’ll notice that most of these Proverbs describe loving your “neighbor” rather than just generally loving other people. The word “neighbor” in Hebrew is a general term for “another” – it could be a friend, companion, husband or neighbor. When Jesus talked about the two greatest commandments in Luke, an expert in the law asked as a follow up, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered him with the parable of the Good Samaritan – a story that would have been shocking to any good Jewish person at the time, because the hated Samaritan was the “hero” of the story who was being “a good neighbor” to the man in need. The answer to his question is that everyone is your neighbor. Not just people from your own “tribe” – your friendship circle, community, neighborhood, family, race, or socio-economic level. As Christians, we are obligated to treat everyone on earth like a neighbor.
God’s law doesn’t just say that it’s a nice thing to help people when you can. Helping those in need is a command. In the Old Testament law, there are 613 commandments, two of which are the g’milut chasadim – “the giving of lovingkindness” – which can be done for any person, and tzedakah, which are acts of charity specifically to the poor. Both are considered moral obligations of giving to others without receiving anything in return.
Solomon also states helping others as a command, in a series of “do not” commands in Proverbs 3 (v. 27). He uses contrasting or antithetical parallelism to emphasize that love is a double-sided coin: do not plan evil against your neighbor (v. 29), but also do not withhold good from your neighbor (v. 27). The biblical ethic is that it’s not enough just to “do no harm” (which is what many people in our culture would say is their general guidance for their morality), we also must “do good” whenever we can.
Solomon tells us to treat our neighbors (i.e., everyone) with respect – not to belittle them or slander them (11:12–13) and to love our neighbors, not “despise” them (14:20– 21). In Proverbs 14, “despise” (which can also mean “scorn”) is contrasted with being generous, so it’s not about just disliking your neighbors; it’s about how you treat them – either being generous to those in need or withholding help from them. Solomon is saying that not helping someone in need is treating them with contempt, discarding them as worthless. Again, helping those in need is not just a recommendation, but a command and an expectation for those who claim to follow God. He describes those who don’t as “sinners” (14:21) and unwise people who “lack sense” (11:12).
Proverbs 27:10 tell us that a neighbor who is near is better than a brother who is far away. This is one of those “general principle” proverbs that shows us that sometimes, friends and neighbors can become closer to us than our own families. Though this verse is about a physical neighbor who lives close to you, the principle is that our love should not be limited to people who are “like us” or part of our “tribe.” Our community is made up of anyone and everyone around us, not just people who look like us or like the same things as us or people who fit a certain mold.
Paul in the Bible was a wise citizen and a good witness.
Why was wise citizen Paul thrown in prison?
Why do Christians try to impose their values on others?
What does the Bible say about women leaders in government? Should a woman be President?
What does the Bible say about paying taxes?
What is deontological ethics -- are you given to deontology?
Is being a citizen of Marxism in the USA compatible with the Christian faith?
Why do so many citizens reject the concept of moral absolutism? The Bible teaches moral absolutism in spirit, if not in specifics. We are to look to God’s Word, not our own judgment, to know what right and wrong behavior looks like. But because God’s creation reflects His character, it’s inevitable that men seeking wisdom would occasionally stumble upon His truths.
We can daily walk in wisdom -- Christ is our wisdom. The Bible says...
"It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption." (1 Cor. 1:30).
God has placed in our hearts a standard of right and wrong that, if followed, would result in our being blessed (Romans 2:14–15). But our fallen nature and bent to sin cloud our conscience. Therefore, the Bible admonishes us to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). Psalm 119:59 says, “I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies.” Consideration of human nature shows us our inability and our need for God: “If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92).
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| Photo by Nina Strehl |
God has set in place certain standards, and it is sin to break those standards. Psalm 24:1 testifies to God’s authority: “The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains; the world, and those who dwell in it.” He set the absolutes of our morality in His Word: “You shall therefore obey the LORD your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today” (Deuteronomy 27:10).
Q: How can you build community with people who are different from you?We've looked at Proverbs 3:27–30 above, so now let's focus on the first two verses of the section (vv. 27–28) – the command to do good to your neighbor whenever you can. The second half (vv. 29–30) is a contrast – a command not to do harm to your neighbor. First, Solomon warns his sons not to plan evil against their neighbors because they live “trustingly” beside you (v. 29). They trust that they can live safely next to you without your secretly plotting against them.
Q: Describe experiences in your life when people have become like family to you.
The principle would apply to other relationships with those with whom you have consistent interaction. Imagine that you put your trust in a coworker and that person ended up backstabbing you to get a promotion. Or you put your trust in a friend and you found out he or she had been gossiping about you to everyone you know. Having evil done against you is awful no matter what, but it’s especially awful when it’s done by someone you trusted.
Then, Solomon warns his sons not to argue with someone “for no reason” (v. 30). It’s OK to take action with someone who has done you harm. If someone has hurt you, you should confront him or her in Christlike love and accountability, using the process Jesus describes in the Gospels – healthy conflict resolution (Matthew 18:15–20). This is a command not to be an argumentative, contentious person when people haven’t done anything wrong.
Christians should be slow to anger (James 1:19; 1 Corinthians 13:5), not feeding off drama or looking for a fight. As Paul writes, “so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). Because God is patient, kind and slow to anger, Christian should be known for being patient, kind and slow to anger, not being hot-headed, argumentative, or easily offended. Solomon also tells his sons, just as Paul writes in Romans 12:17, that even if someone does harm to you, you should not repay him evil for evil (24:29). Christians do not take revenge; they work through the conflict with the goal of reconciliation and come to a peaceable resolution.
Solomon tells us that the soul of the wicked desires evil – he wants to do evil to his neighbor, deep down in his heart of hearts, and he shows no mercy (21:10). The wicked leads his neighbor astray, but the righteous is a guide to his neighbor – he shows him the right way to go (12:26). The wicked only look out for themselves, but those who are righteous humble themselves and seek what is best for others.
The last set of verses were about people who intentionally try to hurt other people. People who devise evil against their neighbors or deceive them or slander them. These passages are about ways we can unintentionally hurt others:
• Overstaying our welcome in their homes (25:17)
• Trying to cheer them up when they’re upset instead of mourning with them (25:20)
• Being loud early in the morning, even if you’re being kind (27:14)
• Using flattery instead of being authentic and truthful (29:5)
Some of these examples are lighthearted and a bit funny, like outstaying your welcome or blessing someone loudly. Solomon gets a little more serious when he describes how flattery may seem like a nice thing to do for someone, but it really sets a trap for them that will only trip them up (29:5).
When someone is grieving or hurting or in pain, we might think that “singing a song” (25:20) or trying to cheer them up or helping them “look for the silver lining” will help them, but what they really need is someone to just be with them in their pain. As Romans 12:15 tells us, we should rejoice with those who rejoice, but mourn with those who mourn.
When people are hurting, they need to mourn, grieve, and lament. There are many psalms of lament in the Scriptures – almost a third of the Psalms are laments. As a culture, Americans tend to push positive thinking and avoid lament.
But other cultures, including the ancient Near Eastern culture of the Bible, embrace lament as a healthy way to deal with our emotions and experiences instead of suppressing them. This is why so many psychologists label our tendency to gloss over difficult things “toxic positivity.” It’s not healthy to just avoid our pain in order to try to “stay positive.” Wisdom knows that and Proverbs teaches that it is better to mourn with those who mourn.
These are some great examples, but they are just a sampling. There are many more ways we can unintentionally hurt other people if we aren’t thinking about what we’re doing. But how do we know what those things are so that we can prevent hurting people unintentionally? Empathy. Putting yourself in their shoes. Taking the time to think about how you would feel if you were them. That’s why the Golden Rule is “treat others the way you would want to be treated.” When we think about how people would want to be treated rather than what we think we should do or even how we think we should help them, we can avoid a lot of hurt and pain.
THINK: Who is my neighbor? Have you been living a life focused only on yourself and those in your tribe? God has called us to extend the love of Christ to those around us – this includes being tangibly helpful. Consider the opportunities you have this week to demonstrate to someone that he or she is indeed your neighbor.
PRAY: that God would forgive you for any transgressions against your neighbor. This might be a time of conviction for you in which the Lord is bringing up an incident in which you acted un-Christlike. Pray that the Lord would direct you as you seek to make amends.
ACT: Be helpful. Demonstrate that you are a neighbor to those with whom you come in contact. That might be extending your assistance to someone struggling at work, buying a water for another parent at the soccer field or asking the waiter how you can pray for him. (Ask for resource references. Thank you Prestonwood for these words and ideas. Thanks for the editing Tyler Goldberg). kurtwVs.medium.com
