Have you ever been door knocking? Some of you know what I’m talking about. It turns out your success at door knocking and your overall experience has a lot to do with your partner.
One young man went door knocking and had this very memorable partner. We’ll affectionately call her Granny. It turns out Granny had a particular strategy that was a little brusque. Here’s what she’d do:
- Granny knocks on door.
- Person opens the door.
- Granny says, “Did you know that it’s most likely you’re headed to hell?”
- Person invites Granny to go first.
You wouldn’t do anything like that, right…
If you think of the gospel as learning the right list of things to do, and making sure we all get them right, then you might be like Granny.
If most of your Jesus sharing looks a lot like an argument or a debate, then you might be a little like Granny.
If you’ve spent more time in worship and studies talking about how to be baptized than how to love like Jesus, then you might be like Granny.
If you’re sure that once saved/always saved is wrong, but you’ve never really felt secure in your own salvation, then you might be like Granny.
Can we do better?
Can you know a way to present the truth of the Jesus in a way that people feel valued, respected, and loved?
Let me tell you another story.
” 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” Philippians 2:5-11
This is a story of a King. He laid down his crowns. He laid down the crown of timelessness and was bound in time. He laid down the crown of boundlessness and entered a breakable human body. He laid down the crown of holiness and entered a sinful world. He lived, and he died for us. Then, he took up his crown again. He reigns now, and he gives you the opportunity to work with him to build his kingdom in this world.
We seek to model him. We model his humility, his sacrifice, and his service, and you know what? We knock on doors. We’ll knock on the doors of the heart with our service. We will knock on the doors of their minds with our integrity. We will knock on the doors of their souls with the living Word. And, even if you feel like you’re alone, it turns out you have the very best door knocking partner of all:
“19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold,I am with you always, to the end of the age,” Matthew 28:18-20.
So, let’s go knock on some doors. Now, you know who will be with you.
Do you have a “door knocking” story?
