We are the aroma of God
“God always makes his grace visible in Christ, who includes us as partners of his endless triumph. Through our yielded lives he spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere we go. We have become the unmistakable aroma of the victory of the Anointed One to God—a perfume of life to those being saved and the odor of death to those who are perishing. The unbelievers smell a deadly stench that leads to death, but believers smell the life-giving aroma that leads to abundant life. And who of us can rise to this challenge? For unlike so many, we are not peddlers of God’s Word who water down the message. We are those sent from God with pure motives, who speak in the sight of God from our union with Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 TPT
Therefore make it your duty
“Walk in the wisdom of God as you live before the unbelievers, and make it your duty to make him known. Let every word you speak be drenched with grace and tempered with truth and clarity. For then you will be prepared to give a respectful answer to anyone who asks about your faith.” Colossians 4:5-6 TPT
The passionate love of God wants us to be free, to be holy, to be complete and fully satisfied in our inner person – way above anything that we can imagine. So, what is the best person you can imagine being? Great – God wants you enable you to become even better than that.
What prevents us?
Let’s ask ourselves, “What stops me from sharing the love of God?” Is it fear?
• Fear of being ostracised?
• Fear of being ridiculed?
• Fear that we will not be able to answer people’s questions?
• Fear of being embarrassed when people out-argue us?
• Fear that we don’t know all the answers to questions people may ask?
Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision. [A few verses on fear – inserted after notes above- to be edited/reviewed] If we are afraid of sharing the love of God, for any reason, here are some verses that may encourage us: “I know that you care, that you love me, be my refuge from pain, replacing my distress with peace, and be my strength when I feel weak and find it hard to carry on. Help me not to fear the future but to boldly trust that you are in control when my emotions plunge me down, and when I am in despair.”
God is with us at all times:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
God is our refuge – we can go to Him for encouragement, strength and security at any time. “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Psalm 9:9-10 NIV
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” I Peter 5:7 NIV
If you had something that was good for people, for their benefit, then you would want to share it, wouldn’t you? Is it because we do not, in our hearts, believe that this is the best thing ever for the person we are talking to – regardless of how good or bad they may be?
If so, try reading books about people whom God has transformed, such as True Red about the man God changed from being a gang leader to a godly saint. His previous life is described as: Debauchery, depravity and violence bound the boys together and they lived and died under the colour red. But he was rebellious and impossible to control even by Mob standards.
Tuhoe Issac – Life after the Mongrel Mob | RNZ
Tuhoe Isaac — Wild Side Publishing
Never Quit
“Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness. … …. 8 Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option” 2 Corinthians 4:1&8 TPT
“And don’t allow yourselves to be weary in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming! Take advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others, especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith!” Galatians 6:9-10 TPT
Always Be Ready
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV
“But give reverent honor in your hearts to the Anointed One and treat him as the holy Master of your lives. And if anyone asks about the hope living within you, always be ready to explain your faith with gentleness and respect. Maintain a clean conscience, so that those who slander you for living a pure life in Christ will have to lie about you and will be ashamed because of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16 TPT
Not “I am right and you are wrong” attitude. There are not seasons for salvation. Every day is ripe. Immediately after His meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said “ Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:35-38 NIV.
This was an opportunity that most others would have passed up.
We simply would not have seen this as an opportunity. Having said that, Jesus did not try to convert every person He came across. So, perhaps we ask God to guide us, to show us who is ready for an introduction to the God who loves them without measure.
We work in cooperation with Holy Spirit
While we need to be ready and to share gently – but purposefully – let’s face it, we cannot save anybody. They must be drawn and wooed by Holy Spirit. It is He who convicts of sin and also pursues people with His gentle and persistent love. However, He wants us to work in cooperation with Him. And what a privilege it is to work alongside and in conjunction with God Himself. People need to make their own decision. We could compare this with a bird hatching out of an egg. When a bird is assisted out of an egg there is a reasonable chance that it will die. When it finds its own way out of the egg it is likely to live. Pushing people to make the decision may cause them to be a “still birth”. We simply cannot force people into the Kingdom of God. Having said that, we must share: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 1:17 NIV
An ambassador for a country is an exceptionally important role. Ambassadors need to communicate messages from the home country to the host country. As ambassadors for Heaven our role is to communicate messages of love from Heaven to people on earth.
