“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12:11-12, NIV)
My home course is a lot like yours. There are holes that make me uncomfortable, especially off the tee.
The preparation we most need is spiritual—are we following the lead of the Holy Spirit?In a tournament a week ago, my partner and I were assigned to start on one of those holes. OB stakes closely line the left side and large trees stand within that boundary. This forces the golfer to play to the right, where another line of trees with low hanging branches invites trouble of a different kind. It simply doesn’t fit my eye.
In a normal round, this hole is not so troubling. It’s the seventeenth. By then, you know full well what is working and what isn’t for that day. You can shape your shot accordingly. But to come to this hole cold, with no idea how the ball will come off the driver that first swing of the day? Not easy.
The same is true when we sit down with someone with intention to evangelize—that is, to share the good news about life in Christ. We can come with all our well-laid plans, but until we get a sense of the person’s reception, we have no guarantees about how the conversation will develop.
This shouldn’t be so frightening. For all our cognitive rehearsing, many conversations don’t go as we plan, from the incidental to the life-changing. But isn’t this why we are given the Holy Spirit?
When Jesus spoke to the disciples about the Holy Spirit giving them the words they would need to say, he set the context as predictable but difficult. They would find themselves in contentious, power-stressed environments, speaking with people who were likely to oppose them. We might think in such a circumstance that the preparation we most need is intellectual—have we done our theological homework? Jesus was saying that the preparation we most need is spiritual—are we following the lead of the Holy Spirit?
A good golfer comes to the round with a plan, but if the actualities of the day call for an adjustment, the golfer makes it. The same goes for good evangelistic conversation; we come with a plan, but we move with the Spirit’s leading. In this way our evangelism goes from a canned speech to an inviting dialogue.
—
Jeff Hopper
November 17, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
The Or Series 1: God or No God?
The Or Series 2: Grace or Works?
The Or Series 3: Alone or Together?
The Or Series 4: This Church or That One?
The Or Series 5: Sermons or Scripture?
The Or Series 6: Steady or Spirit-infused?
The Or Series 7: One Way or More to Practice Our Faith?
The Or Series 8: Old Nature or New Nature?
The Or Series 9: For Seekers or Believers?