I recently connected with someone who is introducing outreach at his church and is receiving a less than enthusiastic response. Not surprising.
In general, when we start something new, we will, of course, meet resistance. I have written a bit about the power of resistance on this blog and there is much more to write on this. Let’s face it – part of the fall of Adam is the tendency of all humans to be skeptical of new ideas no matter how powerful and important those ideas may be. Our role as idea carriers is to persevere come what may. The life we carry about is too important to worry about our personal sensitivities. Our role is to focus on the outcome.
What’s true for new ideas, in general, is especially true for outreach. I am convinced the Enemy of the purposes of God is hard at work seeking to dissuade people from positive thoughts about outreach. There is much-ungrounded fear surrounding the notion of reaching out.
“God empowers us for the marathon, not the 100-meter dash.”
Good thoughts, Steve. I’ve seen this in recovery ministry as well, getting others to embrace. Life stories, “Holy Ghost” stories as Wimber used to say, can be strong motivators against resistance. The more we can tell our story, the impact our ministry has had on others and on self, being open about the affect — God will use that to reach into hearts and change perceptions.
steve need to connect still getting churches outwardly focused . Bethany , my daughter going to the mission field.
Comments are closed.