Thankyou all for some really great replies. This question comes up from another post on here I started about a client who I work for who makes a living in an unsavory way(as a stripper) in the faith and finance section. I wanted to say something to her but didn’t and its kind of bugging me that I didn’t. My fear of crossing a line stopped me. She hired me to do a service and it was not to preach. On the other hand I feel like I let Jesus down by not saying something, I guess I’m kind of beating myself up over it a little. I feel as my spiritual life grows that this is something I need to explore more and deal with. I think at some point I need to be able to tell people and not just be an example.
When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, he never accused her of anything or told her to change her life style. Instead He did offer her living water.
Ask God to give you the words, and when to use them.
I just graduated from a college that actually promotes a certain lifestyle that is an “abomination.” During class discussions about this lifestyle, I was generally silent. However, there were times when I did say “Homosexuality is not a person. It’s an action.”
Some people involved in these activities have already been preached to, have been presented with the scriptural passages as to why they should repent and change their lives. They don’t want to hear it any more and do tune out. When Jesus preached, he used agrarian terms with which people were familiar. Trusting God to give me the words, I have been able to rephrase scriptural verses into modern terminology that the person will understand. I would like to give you an example, but none is coming to mind at the moment. The words are generally given as a word of knowledge specific to the person to whom I am speaking.
When a person talks about how long it’s been since he/she has “been laid,” I say “Celibacy is a gift.” The inevitable response is “I never look at it that way before.” A certain relationship will have already have developed before you get to this point. No judgment has been passed. “For the accuser of our brothers has been cast out.”
During a Eucharistic Conference, one of the speakers was a woman who talked to teens about abstinence. Teens already know about STDs, etc. They have heard all the scare tactics. Her source of information is Pope John Paul II’s
Theology of the Body. On a different thread I used the following quote from my notes. I think they were from her talk, although I did not reference the source in my notes. “To live chastely means being respectful of the gift of sexuality” Sex is the strongest drive for life. Placed in the wrong place, it becomes perverted and leads to self destruction.
A trusting relationship takes time to develop. Once it has developed, when she begins to confide in you, ask the Lord to give you “the tender words necessary” for her to hear His call on her life. Speak only the words he gives you, even if it means you stop talking in the middle of a sentence. As you learn to hear His voice, you will recognize the checks He places on you words. It may feel awkward. You may feel that you did not say enough. If God wants you to say more, He will give you the opportunity and the words that you need when you need them… Don’t let Satan overburden you with unnecessary guilt. That is one of the enemy’s tactics. When you feel you “let Jesus down,” you can ask for the opportunity to speak again, or ask Him to bring somebody else into her life to whom she will listen. Remember, we are not alone. It is His work. If you are the person sowing the seeds, you will not necessarily see the harvest.
