Acts chapter 11
Where Should I Go Or Not Go When Witnessing To Lost Souls?
When Peter went to Jerusalem, he was met by the Jews in Judea. They heard that the Gentiles had received God’s word so they criticized Peter because it was unlawful to go to the home of a non Jew and to eat with them. But Peter gave testimony of how God came to him in a vision and declared that the Gospel of Jesus was for all people.
What group of people do Christians say you should not hang out with? They may not say it verbally, but you sense a negative vibe if you bring up a certain group of people as individuals you are ministering to.
Such groups of people may be the homosexuals, or transgenders. It may be people with addictive problems in bars. If you were in a bar, not to drink, but to minister with someone, how would Christians reply to that? How would God reply? What does it mean in the Scriptures to be in the world but not of the world? John 15:9. John 17: 14-16. Romans 12:2. 1 John 2: 15-17. 1st Corinthians 5:9-10. James 4:4.
What does it mean not to cause your brother or sister in the Lord to stumble? (Romans 14:13-23). Are such places off limit for ministry? Or just those who struggle with alcohol? We are to be in the world for ministering purposes, but not of the world meaning we are not to be participating in the sins of the world. We are told to be different.
The purpose of this message is not to say you should or should not minister in bars and gay clubs, but rather to think how you can be affective in Ministering to certain groups of people without being offensive to other Christians. Yet your method should be effective in connecting and sharing the love of Jesus with those who need to hear it.
One last thought: perhaps the person Jesus wants you to minister to is not a group of people, but that one individual that everybody else dislikes or makes fun of.
Hope this causes you to think!
