That was a relevant question, indeed.  See 1 Sam. 29:3.  David and his men had nothing to do in the camp of God´s enemies.  Nor have we as followers of Christ.

As a young salesman I once spent a night in a hotel in Denmark.  I mingled cheerfully in the evening with other travellers.  Finally I thought I´d better try to “witness” to them .  One said to me, “Don´t tell us that you are a believer!”  He probably felt I was joking.  I had been so entangled with a spirit of worldliness that I wasn´t trustworthy.  I felt the non-Christian´s remark as a rebuke and had something to confess and talk with the Lord about alone in my hotel room.

It doesn´t mean that we should not meet with unbelievers, but our attitude should be that of Billy Graham´s when he writes, “I never go to see important people – or anyone else – without the deep realization that I am – first and foremost – an ambassador of the King of kings and Lord of Lords.  From the moment I enter the room, I am thinking about how I can get the conversation around the gospel…”  But then we must be filled with the King´s Spirit too.

As a young man I once went with a young business man from Williamsport, Pa.  to Pittsburg.  As far as I remember he wanted to buy some equipment for his dry cleaning plant.  In Pittsburg we drove along in the car of his Pittsburg contact. I remember how it impressed me that very soon the conversation was not about the equipment  but about the gospel and the urgency of receiving Christ.  That was the kind of guy he was that business man and what an example he showed.

So we may turn the question a little around.  What are we doing here?  Whether we are business men, doctors, lawyers, school teachers, factory workers or whatever, we are as Billy said, first and foremost to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ always thinking about how to get the conversation around the gospel!  Not as strait-laced moralists, but as thankful forgiven sinners with good news to a world full of bad news.

-jn-

21.5.09