doG Rescue or God Rescue

10-16–19 Wednesday

TDAgiantslayer@gmail.com

 

Guys please share the posts for the conference on your social media and invite your friends. 

 

Room special! 

708-747-3500 Holiday inn 1 room 2 double beds $79

work out room, pool sauna 

 

 

If you want to kill an hour or 2 just go to youtube and watch Dog rescues. I smile, cry and am completely just amazed. But what strikes me is when a dog is so aggressive and mean and trying to attack the people who are wanting to help it… 

And what happens… in just a short week or even a few days the dog is loving, caring, playing with kids and even other dogs. 

what is the secret? They love the dog and give him all the space he needs. They force nothing on the dog. They never force teaching on an unwilling dog. They wait for the dog to come to them for attention. They do not react when bitten or when the dog lashes out at them. They never raise their voice and they never rush the process.

 

I actually have a police officer in my church who trains dogs. He will come to church quite often with bite marks on his hands and arms. He will tell you he never reacts to the dogs. As much as it hurts, as much as the instinct is to strike a dog or yell… he just doesn’t do it. He teaches the dog to trust him by allowing the dog to act out, while he only responds in love.

 

Do you want a great lesson in sharing Christ?

I will re-read what I just said in regards to sharing Christ…

Someone may be mean or aggressive, they may lash out at you, trying to hurt you, and even biting your reputation or even physical harm. But you don’t lash out, you do not react, you only continue to love. 

You share Christ with the lost and give them space to think and react… never forcing anything on them. 

You never raise your voice or try to force teaching on them they are not ready for… you just keep loving them.

They never give up and they never rush the process… for some to come to Christ it may take years, maybe even decades.

 

We have somehow thought it ok to hate the sinner and the sin. And even when we say we are trying to reach the sinner it comes at a price of watered down love. Until you can fully love the sinner, and engage them because you love them… you are a part of the problem.

 

I have had many people in my life that I do not agree with… not their lifestyle, not their choices, not their philosophy or outlook on life. Not their religion or lack there of… but my job is to love them anyway. And you know what is crazy… it bamboozles them. They can’t take it when you love them back no matter what. 

 

Luke 23 Jesus is beaten, whipped, mocked, insulted, spit on, and hung on a cross and never lashes out at anyone… and the centurion who was guarding Jesus at the foot of the cross watching everything says “surely this is the son of God”.

Can you imagine the centurion looking up at Jesus on the cross and jesus looking back at him with only love in his eyes.

 

Romans 2:4 Says its Gods kindness that leads us to repentance.

 

Am I saying you can’t take a stand against sin and unrighteousness? NO, but take a stand in love.

 

Think of the people who came to Christ,

Nicodemus the pharisee - uber religious and pious

Zacheus the tax collector

The woman at the well, despised and multiple husbands

The prostitute who came and anointed Christ feet

The centurion who approached Jesus to heal his servant

All of these people had strong polarizing sinful personalities… and yet… 

*All of them had experienced at some level the love that Jesus had for them in order to feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable and step out of “who they were expected to be” AND WHO THEY EVEN THOUGHT THEY WERE - and be open to who Christ said he was and what that meant to each of them. 

 

One of many stories I could tell you, but one in particular. When I lived in Seattle I taught guitar lessons at Musicians Friend. I talked to all the sales people there and all the other teachers etc… when I told them I was quitting and had to move to Minnesota they threw me a little party after work one night. One of the drum instructors named Scott (completely bald except one long braided ponytail, tats everywhere and very very very worLdy) He asks if he could talk to me alone. He went on to tell me that when I got there he hated me…I was religious, and close minded and hated people who weren’t religious like me… and then he stopped and said “well, thats the narrative I created in my head”. But you kept blowing my mind by NOT being that guy. You would let me talk about anything and never get mad at me or preach at me. You never talked down to me… and then he ended saying this “you are the first christian I have met who is not an A hole and I am going to miss you”. 

I hope Scott ultimately came to Christ… I don’t know. But I know this - Love wins if given enough time. And it always works better then hate, arrogance, spiritual pride and a pompous religious air about yourself.

Why not expect to be hated like Jesus said in John 15, and make it a game and love them anyway so you blow their minds… and show them what Jesus is like.