I’m good at annoying people. Sometimes I repel people from Jesus, the very thing, the very Person, I’d like to compel them to without even trying. How about you?
I was thinking that some of you may not have the gift of annoyance like I do. #blessed
This blog is for you, dear brothers and sisters.
Here are a couple of ways that I’ve found are good at repelling people from Jesus.
Do these faithfully and you’re sure to succeed at being annoying for the cause of Christ:
For example:
I’ll use a conversation for a church announcement to illustrate this point.
“Ladies, if you want to be a woman of the Word, come Friday to fellowship with us. You’ll be blessed as we share time together.
Get prayed up and show up, and bring your lost friends because you are the only Bible that someone might read.”
I think this one is self explanatory.
What the heck does this mean, you may ask?
If you don’t know, then you need to get yo-self to CHURCH and start taking notes on our lingo right away so you can speak it fluently.
2. Love the sinner, hate the sin. I’ve actually said this. (gasp)
One of the problems with this is that I don’t see it anywhere in Scripture.
Yeah, I’m REAL good at annoying people. I’ve turned off my fair share of people from Christianity and from Jesus when I get all Pharisee-ical. See, I did it again!
That’s Church lingo for: legalist, person who looks down on others for not following the letter of the law perfectly and shuts people out for the very cause they are zealous for in doing so.
Don’t tell me you’ve done it, too? Told someone that you think they are great, but you don’t agree with their lifestyle. If this is you, maybe we can start a support group for Annoyers Anonymous.
How about if we do what Jesus did, and just love people?
Care about them and what concerns them? Period.
Right now, just as they are. Not in spite of a lifestyle, or choices. Because that’s one of the things I love most about Jesus.
He doesn’t require me to clean myself up from my sin before I approach Him, although He is Holy and could require that from me.
He wants me to turn to Him and away from my sin, but He still seeks me and you and each lowest-of-the-low person before we’ve even thought about turning to Him.
He simply loves me, and you, and the person that’s [fill in the blank] just as we each are. Right now.
He doesn’t like sin, but He also doesn’t say stuff like “Love the sinner, hate the sin.”
By the way, that’s all of us. Not one of us is without wrongdoing.
When we aren’t able, or don’t FEEL love for people of a certain category, then maybe the problem is us, not them.
This is a red flag to ask ourselves, “What’s going on in my heart that I’m making Christ’s love for them conditional based on _______? (fill in the blank with behavior, lifestyle, or looks)
I don’t have the power to love people without God or without Christ in me. His love overflows from me, out to others.
Don’t be an annoying Christian. Unless you want to repel people from Jesus. If you do, these are two very successful methods I’ve used through the years.
You’re welcome.
