Since Christmas is past, it's time to get ready for the new year. This morning, at the nursing home, I preached a message about New Year's resolutions. I thought it appropriate to preach about patience. If anyone needs patience it's nursing home residents. They are in perpetual care, waiting for someone to attend to their needs. This is a place where needs continue to be renewed. They are always needful. We, who are healthy, are always wantful (is that a word). Being wantful carries an adjective, impatience. Either way impatience probably should give way to patience. We live under some interesting opposites. We are to be patient yet look forward to the return of our Savior. I'm getting a little impatient for that. I want it now!
Hmmm, oh well, still here. In the meantime, while we patiently wait, others who are lost keep dying in their sins. We have a responsibility here. Dying in sin is not necessary and we should say so to as many people as possible. We can say it verbally or in writing. God chooses to communicate to us through His word. It's in writing. Why not carry that forward. Using a tract is helpful. It's concise, clear and direct. Using a tract that someone will read is also important. I have seen many tracts that, quite frankly, offend me. I'm a Christian and I cringe at the approach some people use to attempt to win someone to Christ. Paul talked about persuading some. Being persuasive begins by someone listening. Nobody listens to offensive language. The Kristin tract gets past the first barrier to persuasion. They begin to read a story that is not offensive. It offers a message of hope that is not offensive. It offers scripture that may offend some, but not all. It offers a prayer of redemption. It offers scriptures of assurance of salvation. Get a new box of tracts. Give them all out as soon as possible. If He comes soon at least a few more will get in.
3 Comments
Mary
12/28/2016 11:17:01 am
God bless you Kristin's friends :) could you tell me some of the tracts that offend you? i want to avoid them. Thank you and God bless :)
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Kim Magdalein
1/2/2017 06:54:42 pm
Sure. The ones that offend people unnecessarily. I understand that the Gospel is offensive for the right reasons, however attacking someone's sexual, political, drinking, drug, preferences won't make them read a tract. Attacking someone's life choices doesn't begin a conversation. It ends it. If we are to have any dialogue with lost sinners, we can't act like saved non-sinners. If we attack their sin choices, by name, we are appearing to say that salvation wipes away our habits of sin when it actually wipes away the consequence.
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