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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Should we try to bring Satan to Christ?


One of the things the anti Christian crowd likes to do is antagonize Christians and then when the Christians fight back or defend themselves in any way the anti's scream "Hypocrite!  Hypocrite!"

Unfortunately that works to shut up a lot of Christians.  It seems to me that they aren't heeding Paul's warning.

Acts 20:25-31(NKJV)
25“And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. 
26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 
27For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 
28Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church £of God which He purchased with His own blood. 
29For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 
30Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 
31Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

We want to do all that we can to bring people who are truly seeking to Christ.  However I think Christians sometimes spend way too much time trying to bring Satan to Christ. 

What I mean by that is there is a difference between someone who is seeking and someone who is trying to sow discord and persuade people against accepting Christ and serving God.  I believe those are the type of people Paul was referring to as "savage wolves".  Here is an example of how Paul dealt with people like that.

Acts 13:6-11(NKJV)
6Now when they had gone through £the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 
7who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 
8But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 
9Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 
10and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 
11And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 

To put it another way, Jesus used the analogy of the Shepard.  Is a Shepard going to sit there meekly and allow the wolf to destroy the flock?  Of course not!  It just seems to me that sometimes Christians, in an effort to bring everybody to Christ fail or refuse to recognize the wolf when it appears.

Now there are some who would say that deciding who is truly seeking and who is a "savage wolf" is making a judgement and the Bible says we shouldn't judge. 

I would suggest that is an improper understanding of what judgement is.  What does the Bible tell us about someone who has rejected Jesus?  They have declared themselves an enemy of God.  They have stuck their hand in the air and said with their own free will that they are rejecting God's free gift of salvation.

Recognizing that fact doesn't require any judgement on my part what so ever.  I am simply acknowledging the free will choice that person has made.  

There is Scripture that I can't find right now where God seems to say stop wasting my resources on those who have already chosen.  Spend your time and energy focusing on those who haven't heard yet.

I think that is kind of what happens here.  We spend too much time trying to change peoples minds who have already made a choice.  We are told that we shouldn't offend them so that they feel free to come back.  We censor God's message to make it more "palatable" for those who have already rejected Jesus. 

I just think that is a misuse of God's resources.  I think we need to recognize who we are dealing with and act accordingly.  And stop spending so much time trying to save Satan. 

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