Stand Still, Advance, Fight or Run.

To do the right thing at the right time is a big part of wisdom and discretion. To often we are passive when we should be active and active when we should be passive. Likewise, we may need to advance rather than be discouraged and at times fight for what is right with the right heart and certainly fight the good fight against evil and all it’s many forms and temptations. As well, at times we need to run from temptation.

Sometimes God says stand still. As in the case with the crossing of the Red Sea by the people of Israel. “And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today” (Exodus 14:23). A various time throughout Scripture God tells people to stand still for He was going to do a mighty work Himself without our assistance. This at times requires patience to wait on God. At other times God tells us to advance and to be part of the process. God told the people of Israel to enter the promised land and take it by force. The people refused and God told them that they would now go back into the wilderness and die there and that the next generation would go into the promised land. They were called to fight and God would cause them to win the battle. (Deuteronomy 1:26-46)

When Jacob was enticed by the wife of the officer of Pharoah He ran to get away. Jacob boss was the man’s wife. This is just a few examples of these various approaches to life situations in the Bible.

Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) However, how do we know when to do the right thing at the right time? This is not easy and it comes by knowing God’s word and putting it all together which is theology and by listening and learning of and by the Holy Spirit. We can learn to be in a more perfect union with the Divine.

Evangelism is an area that many people get wrong because either they don’t care about lost people or they just don’t want to bother and want to appear cool to the world. We need to be wise to win souls to Christ. (Proverbs 11:30) There is a time to let God work, but there is often a time to be involved in the process and take the initiative in evangelism. Too many are very passive about evangelism and life in general. Their thinking or justification is that God is the only one who saves, so He doesn’t need us to explain the gospel to people. If people want to hear the gospel they should go to church. They are like the elder’s group that told the missionary to India William Carey that “if God wanted to save the heathen, He will do it without you and me.” However, Jesus many times told us to go and declare the gospel to everyone. It is not just the ministry of a preacher. God saves but we are to be messengers of the gospel. We are co-workers together with God. (1 Corinthians 3:9) Of course is only Jesus that saves.

Other people believe that God has an elect people that He has chosen and they will come to Christ no matter what we do. If they are chosen than God will save them. We don’t need to bother going to tell them the gospel. Our involvement will make no difference in eternity. However, in the Bible God’s sovereignty and man’s free will are laid side by side. As C.H. Spurgeon said, “I believe much theology which is tinged with free will is true, and I know the teaching which fully proclaims God’s electing love and sovereign grace is also true, we find much of both of these truths in Scriptures. The fault lies in trying to compress all truth of God under either of these two heads.”

The important thing to remember is that we have a part to play. Most of the time we are not to be passive in Evangelism. Where there is a will there is a way and it is also learned by doing. Go will lead us to be creative and bold in various ways of sharing the gospel. We will make mistakes and can improve, but if we keep on trying to learning from the Holy Spirit and wise others, we will be successful as a servant and ambassador of God.

It is not easy but anything worthwhile is not going to be easy. We first of all develop a mindset to be committed to care for people and be very concerned about their souls. Ask God to give us His heart for lost people. After all it is a matter of heaven or hell and those who can not in Christ are destined to an eternity of misery.

If we care for people we will care much for their souls. This is the greatest act of friendship, which is to assist people come to saving faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, it involves taking risks, but we can go in faith, knowing that God is already at work in people’s lives. Some people may not respond positively at first, but the Holy Spirit may convince them later. Some people will never respond. Let us know the gospel very well and not be offensive in the manner in how we declare the gospel but let the gospel offend the natural man, so that they might see the light and be miraculously born again by the Holy Spirit in and through Jesus Christ.

May we see many souls in heaven because we were working alongside God to see people come to saving faith. Let us learn to do the right thing at the right time in sync with the Holy Spirit and with the Triune God. God will lead and guide us to do the right thing at the right time.