Common Ground

Isaiah 43:11-12 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

Yesterday as I left you with the thought that evangelism and discipleship are two separate issues, one being for the lost and the other for the saved. Those two have common ground and it exists here in the opening passage.

The approach to the lost differs in evangelism from that of discipleship in belief systems. What do the lost believe? The saved have our shared belief but do not know exactly how it works or why. With evangelism it is a matter of getting to know the lost through their belief systems. Key in Isaiah 43:12 are the words, while there were no strange gods among you. The words and works of our God have to be separated from the minds of the lost or else they will not be able to see Him as the One true God.

Most of the people that are lost in this world do not understand they worship false gods. Atheist worship the god of nothing. Agnostics worship the god of doubt. Anything that keeps you from seeing the One true God is a god unto itself. Poverty, hunger, disease, wealth, fame, and position can all be used to distract the lost from looking to God.

The evangelist calling is to recognize those blinders and find ways to allow the light to shine in dark places that have never seen the light before.

If you try to disciple the lost, you will fail. Discipleship only works for the saved.

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