II don’t spend a lot of time using the WordPress tools to analyze this blog, but a few days ago I actually took a look at my blog’s Dashboard and noticed that the “Most Active” post right now is How to Hate Your Neighbor, with triple digit views. Discounting the possibility that some of my own views are in included in the count, It’s still a sizeable number, at least for an ‘average guy’ blog. There are only four comments for the most active post, however, two of them being author replies to reader comments.

Apparently, while the title attracted curious viewers, few wanted to talk about the subject matter. Either they just thought the author was nuts, might have had a point but it was hard to understand, or the point just escaped them. Whatever the case, a bucket load of viewers didn’t comment, even though discussion was invited and encouraged at the bottom of the original post.

Perhaps the ‘personal’ tone generated the usual “he’s judging ME” in the minds of viewers who either don’t share the Gospel, or who share the “wrong” gospel (that would have been the “don’t ever tell them” list).

That post was only as personal as any reader perceived it to be, and if perceptions are a a kind of reality, I guess it was personal. When I remember the time, years ago, when I shared a tract with a prostitute on a downtown street of a small Kansas town that maximized God’s “wonderful plan” but gave second place to “sin”, it’s personal to me.

I was really proud of myself for not ‘witnessing’ like the fellows on the other side of the street who passed out tracts that talked about Hell and judgment and asked passersby “Where’s your soul going to die?”, with what I thought was a snarky tone. Those same fellows, from an Independent Protestant church in town with what I called “legalistic” tendencies, operated a little Servicemen’s Center on that street. Night after night, they would stand outside of the entrance and “ambush” unsuspecting sinners. The “regulars” just walked on the other side of the street.

Back to the point. . .

I was really proud that I was engaging a few people on the street that night in real conversation and not ambushing them. I simply walked both sides of the street striking up a conversation or two and guiding it to spiritual matters. If the person with whom I was speaking seemed receptive, I pulled out one of the pamphlets I had in my pocket and shared all about “God’s love and wonderful plan”. Sure, sin was mentioned, but in the sense that it separates us from God and the “wonderful plan”.

Does God have a plan” Sure He does, but it might only be wonderful in His mind and not ours. He doesn’t think like us. If you take a close look at evangelistic encounters in the New Testament, you don’t find the “wonderful plan” approach anywhere!

Where did that leave me, considering I loved sharing the Gospel? It left me with SIN as the main issue. I would have to be able to talk about that which unbelievers find extremely offensive and I certainly wouldn’t win friends and influence people. The ONLY reason a non-believer needs to come to Christ is to deal with the SIN issue. Everything else falls into place after that is taken care of.

“Leading” people to a “decision” to accept Christ for all the great things in store for them, is disingenuous at best, and an outright lie at it’s worst. You see, a half truth is still a lie, and representing something as the “main thing” when it’s not, is likewise a lie, at least in my book.

So yes, that last post was personal – and you are still encouraged to read it and respond, whether you agree, disagree, or just don’t care. I would love to talk about it.