Reach Out to Win Souls

Planet Earth is very different from the New Testament days. Crime, pollution and global warming have made for an intrinsically distrustful human race. Thus a Believer's approach to witnessing has to adapt from the methods used back then. It isn't easy to connect with perfect strangers. Much less to engage them in conversation long enough to touch on our beliefs. To our advantage, we have the perfect template provided by Jesus Christ and his apostles. We must use our interpersonal skills to make the template work for us. Here's the rub, not everybody has people skills. Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, does not automatically fix our personality flaws. When we read about the disciples in the gospels, they sometimes come across as petty, self-important and frustrating. It wasn't until Lord Jesus completed His task and went home, that they finally came to terms with the mantle of leadership.


We have to, at least, come to terms with our negative idiosyncrasies before reaching out to non-Believers. If we want someone to consider changing their lifestyle, mindset and philosophy; then we must have the courage to accept that we too are a work in progress. Human, fallible, flawed but living our lives for Him is far better than anything else we could imagine. We are not better than them but we have our purpose and that makes all the difference. Psalm 51:1 to 3 (KJV) encapsulates the humility that we must express:

"¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  ²Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me."

When I was in high school, our homeroom was right next to the Form where all the school prefects were. One day, during a free period, the quiet was shattered by sounds of tumult from a nearby classroom. We heard a desk get flipped over and a student screaming, "How dare you! I am not a whore!" Apparently this was the sound of a crusade invitation gone horribly awry. The young lady, invited to the church crusade, was gently told the Believer classmate, "It's time to put aside your whoring ways." They were not friends before that incident and certainly not afterwards.


We Believers are often broadly painted as judgmental, but telling somebody that they have "whoring ways" is flat out slanderous. Even if the young lady was sexually active, that gives no one the right to call her as a prostitute. What was the Believer thinking? Was she thinking at all? Reaching out to non-Believers doesn't mean that you must become a social butterfly, but you can't condemn someone like that. You're damaging the images of your church and faith. If you're going to break someone down with the invitation, why would they want to attend the event? Nobody willingly goes somewhere to be abused.


In addition to God's Word, there are other resources to help you fly the flag for Jesus Christ without traumatising the non-Believers in your life. In 1936, a man named Dale Carnegie wrote a book called "How to Win Friends and Influence People". This tome taught many to do just as the title declares. My Dad has had a copy in the house for decades but I only read it recently and was very surprised at how insightful it is. Originally geared towards sales people, it is clear that this is a good . However, many Biblical principles are seen applied in everyday situations. It's not about manipulating people. It's about positively influencing people. Jesus Christ has changed our lives for the better and we want as many people possible to experience the same. People are so jaded, burned out, stressed out, freaked out and worn out. If we want them to take a leap of faith and join our family, then we have to make them feel like welcomed not condemned. We have to think before we talk. Walk a mile in their shoes. Reach out to the non-Believers and be the salt bringing out the flavour in their lives.

Believers, read the Bible!

All Christian leaders urge their congregations to read the Bible everyday but most people don't. Most people don't open their Bible until the sermon starts. Or they will read a few psalms then pray as a daily devotion. In fact, some of my church-friends have said that reading the Bible beats insomnia every time. It's as if every fibre of our being doesn't want us to read this book. The flesh and spirit are battling for your attention. The flesh wants you to sleep and the spirit wants to be fed by God's Word. The flesh usually wins this battle unless we are very determined. Hearing the Word and reading passages in church are not enough. Reading the entire chapter that a sermon passage comes from is not enough. You have to get the whole picture. The Bible must be read from cover to cover, beginning to end, start to finish. As God's people, we cannot know where we're going if we don't know where we've been.


Admittedly, the Old Testament is a tough read, especially the genealogy. A study Bible is a great resource to have on hand. We have multiple copies of the Zondervan Study Bible (King James Version). You get more then in-depth notes on passages. Before each book, there is a history note telling you of the political climate of the time. Knowing what was going then adds even more flavour and meaning to the text. This is important especially for the proselytes because the Word of God is life. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God's Word and knowing the Word helps us to know Him.


The Bible is the foundation of our faith. It is the source of our history, divine doctrine, traditions, instructions and the plan for our Christian lifestyle. It is all laid out for us to take in. When you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will reveal God's intentions for you. God will speak to you and show His purpose for your life. No offense, but the Holy Spirit will speak to you in a clearer voice than any from the pulpit. By not making the effort to read your Bible, you're ignoring a huge part of your faith and the consequences are far reaching.


New converts are always eager to share what God revealed to them in a church service with their social circle. There is nothing wrong with that but it's not like the early days of Christianity. There was no New Testament and copies of the Torah (Old Testament) were kept in the synagogues. So the apostles didn't have any books to support their sermons. They were preaching under the direction of the Holy Spirit and winning souls for Christ. In this day and age, it is a far different story. Bibles are available everywhere in printed and electronic forms for little or no money. There are books, blogs, videos, seminars, conferences and degrees on Bible teachings. If we're basing our life on what is written in this book, the very least we can try to do is read it. Non-Believers are reading it, so why aren't we?


Oh yes, there are unsaved people reading the Bible and often out of sheer curiosity. We Believers must be ready to field questions and even defend God's actions in the Old Testament. After the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, there were hostile actions against nations occupying the Promised Land. For example the destruction of a city called Ai. Joshua Chapter 8:23 to 28 (KJV) says:

"²³ But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. ²⁴ And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. ²⁵ So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai. ²⁶ For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. ²⁷ Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which He had commanded Joshua. ²⁸ So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day."

God instructed His people to wipe out the occupants of whole cities. We have to know about those battles, why they happened and what they meant. A Believer can't effectively fly the flag for the faith but be almost clueless about its history? This is one of the reasons atheists are laughing at us. The common misconception is that are naive, backward thinking, prudish and uninformed. This couldn't be further from the truth. However, if they know more about God's Word than we do, Hosea Chapter 4:6 (KJV) comes into play:

"⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."

Remember the little children's words, "Read your Bible, pray every day and you'll grow, grow, grow!"

We Make the Pot Tasty

Hello and welcome to this blog. It is called 'Being the Salt of the Earth' because it is intended to bridge the gap between Christians who love Jesus and the non-Christians in their lives. There are Christians who are shell-shocked when their beliefs are tested; and, there are those whose patience is tested by the Christians. This is the place for questions to be answered, myths to be dispelled and hopefully we'll understand each other a little bit better.


In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus Christ called His people "the salt of the earth". Unfortunately, not enough people understand what that means. It's a very simple analogy that doesn't require too much analysis, and at the very least, a passing familiarity with food. Food must taste good. In order for flavours to be released, and/or amplified in any recipe, one must add salt to taste. Only a little salt is added to the pot and must mix with all the other ingredients. Add too much salt and the meal is yucky. Not enough salt in the pot and the meal is bland. Our bodies need salt in order to be healthy but only in the right amount. Jesus wants us to be the salt, in the melting pot that is the human race. We have to mix with the other ingredients, even though we're outnumbered and often taken for granted. However, we have a place and sometimes overstep our bounds. There is a difference between being bold and being boldfaced. The trick is to know when to be bold and how to avoid being boldfaced.


Who am I to start this blog? I noticed that a young sister from my home church has expressed her continued frustration with the people around her. Undoubtedly, they may be frustrated as well. She is certainly stressing herself out and I realised that there needed to be a resource dedicated to helping people like her to find the middle ground that does exist. This year will be the twentieth anniversary of my Salvation. Growing up, my parents made sure that our family had an appreciation for all faiths. We lit deyas for Divali as Mum had a Hindu background. We made sawine for Eid-Ul-Fitr as Dad had a Muslim background. We celebrated Christmas and Easter as, somewhere along the line, we were Presbyterians and I was Catholic. Then Mum and Dad accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour; then the kids followed suit. To this day we have all been baptised in water and the Holy Spirit. The kids joined the Choir ministry and participated in church events, while the parents gave support. We've been through trials and tribulations but this family has stuck together, clinging to the Rock that is Jesus Christ.


Although we gave up some things as we embarked on our journey as Believers in Christ, we never gave up our unsaved friends. We never separated ourselves or ostracised anyone. There was little understanding of our choices and many stereotypes to dispel. However, we learned to fly the flag of our faith without disrespecting anybody. It took me a long time to learn how to be like salt; and I would like to help others if this is the way they would like to interact with the world around them. Feel free to send me questions or situations that you would like addressed. I will do the research and answer them as best as I can. God bless you all!