Delivery, Not Results

I recently overheard my husband telling one of his employees to “release herself from the results” of a pending work situation that a client had made difficult. My husband’s company would do the best they could do under the circumstances, but the demands and the expectations of the client were untenable, and failure of some variety was inevitable. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. On another day, the very same quality of goods and services delivered would have pleased the client beyond words. It was the audience that had changed, not the product.

Jesus gives similar instructions to His disciples when He sends them out, two by two, to prepare the way for His ongoing ministry. Seventy-two of those who had been learning from Jesus and following Him had been appointed to heal and preach the message of the kingdom of God to various towns and places in the area. Among His directions are the following:

⁸"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' ¹⁰But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' ¹²I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:8-12)

Sounds a little bit like Jesus might be saying, “Release yourselves from the results”, doesn’t it? The message won’t change according to the audience. And they know the message they are to deliver: the kingdom of God is near. In fact, just a couple of chapters later in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is warning them about the persecution that may ensue because of this message, and He releases them from the results once again when He says,

¹¹"When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, ¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." (Luke 12:11-12)

God Himself will take responsibility for the results of the message of truth proclaimed. It was that way in the time of the Old Testament prophets, in the days Jesus walked the earth, and now, for us. We can control delivery of God’s message – how we speak and act – but God alone controls the content and the results.

A few years ago I spoke at a women’s retreat where our theme was “Impressions”. We explored the concept of light in impressionistic paintings and how important the effect of light is to shadows. Sunshine can illuminate a beautiful landscape, making water sparkle and petals of flowers glow. It can also cast shadows that take on bizarre shapes and hide segments of the landscape. When we live and speak as Christ calls us to – truthfully and in His will – we will shine His light for others to see and embrace, but we will also cause some to hide in the shadows and reject the message we bring because of their own sin baggage. If we are consistent in our lifestyle and message, God will take care of the rest. Paul reiterated this concept to the Christians in Corinth when he wrote:

¹⁵For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

The message is clear and consistent. What people do with it is up to God.

So what do we have control over? What is our role in the delivery of the message God calls us to? The way I see it, we can influence the method and make sure we know the message. Consider what the following verses have to say about the way we present the truth God has given us to share:

¹⁵But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…(1 Peter 3:15)

⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)

The important thing is that we represent the truth well. Argumentative, arrogant, or aggressive encounters with people will rarely reveal the best parts of God’s truth. Our focus needs to be on Christ and our fragrance should be pleasing. Stinky and self-centered doesn’t win people over to Christ (or to anything else, for that matter!). The way we communicate with people varies according to situations, personalities and the listener; creativity and authenticity are priorities. But letting God speak through us in respectful, gracious conversations is more in line with what He calls us to in relationships than debating our way to victory.

As for the message, there are a few core issues that people need to hear about our God. Too many tangents and controversies stir the pot but do little to enlighten. Here are some key elements to the message God has given us to carry:

1) God loves us. There is no more important element to the story of the Bible than this. He is holy and just and His love for us is complete and extravagant.

2) We are all sinners. Nobody gets a pass in the holiness category; we all fall short of the glory of God and need a Savior.

3) Jesus was 100% God and 100% man and is the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. There is no other way to have a relationship with God aside from accepting what Jesus said about Himself and trusting His death and resurrection to make us right with God.

4) Our response to God’s love and forgiveness is obedience. It’s not the other way around. We don’t earn His love and we can’t do anything to diminish it. But life change comes with understanding the price He paid to redeem us.

There’s plenty of doctrine and theology I’m leaving out. And this isn’t by any means a comprehensive list of my core beliefs or “The Bible For Dummies”. It’s just that there are so many things we can argue about; so many potential areas of diversity and digression. We are not all called to do expository teaching or apologetics to everyone we meet. It isn’t our responsibility to convince people that they’re wrong in their beliefs or to convict them of their sin. We are called to be a consistent, pleasant, truthful fragrance to the world that represents Christ and His message. The Holy Spirit’s job is to convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 15:8) And in my experience, He does a way better job than I ever could.

• Think of someone in your life who doesn’t have a relationship with Christ. Which element of God’s message does he/she need to hear most from you? What does he/she need to see? How can you pray for him/her? You may want to find some specific Scripture to prompt you.

• When have you confused your role with the Holy Spirit’s role in exploring spiritual matters with people? What would you do differently today? What did you learn?

• Read Proverbs 26:4-5. What kind of litmus test can you use to determine when to speak the truth, even though it may make someone uncomfortable, and when to let the controversy die down for the sake of the relationship?