Beggars,Gunslingers and Spammers

This is Monday morning so after spending time reading my Bible and a few moments in prayer I went to check emails. There were 113 in my inbox. Of those 113, about 25% are really valid. Seventy or better emails tried to sell me something. Everything from making me a better investor to making me more of a man. There is also this bank, that I do not use, trying to update their files so I should click on a link and give them my current information. (I was born at night, but it wasn't last night.) What really confuses me is why these things get sent at all. Do you mean to tell me there are people who fall for such insincere and transaparant schemes? Is the public really this gullible? I hope the truth is that the tiny cost associated with sending these solicitations over the web is so small that these unsrcupulous marketers hope to "doop" one in a million. To me sincerity is more important than a "deal".
So here I go spiritualizing again. Maybe the reason I have always been reluctant to adopt a "soul winning" program is because they often seem insincere or phony. We are supposed to care deeply for someone whom we have never met and share witrh them the "plan of salvation." Don't rush to judgment. I believe in sharing our faith. Not only do I believe in it, I practice it weekly. There is not a Sunday morning that passes that I do not share the gospel with hundreds of people. I believe God has put us together for that reason. It is not contrived or setup. It is a genuine belief that God has placed these people in our congregation and prepared their hearts for the sowing of the gospel message. I do know however, that seeds need time to grow. Often I may only plant the seed and someone else will reap the harvest. That's all right with me. I'm just happy that God thought enough of me to let me be involved. I'm fearful that many of our soul winning efforts may do more harm than good. I have been called on several occassions by a relative or friend of someone who is lost and told "they need to get saved." Followed by a request that I go do the job for them because, after all, you're the preacher. I may be wrong here, but don't you think a presentation of the gospel will seem more sincere if offered by that friend or relative. It seems to me that I am more of a "gunslinger" hired to clean up the town because the sheriff is afraid to do the job himself. That may work in the movies, but it rarely works in rea life. The person often feels attacked by this stranger who doesn't know, or hasn't taken time to learn about their situation. Everytime Jesus shared life with a stranger it was either because they sought Him out or after He had taken time to know of their plight. There was nothing that resembled "unsolicited spam" in His "technique".
I like the old saying, "I am a beggar telling other beggars where to find food." Beggars trust beggars. They don't always trust bakers. I am finding more and more of our new found followers of Christ are trusting the Lord because someone in their small group took an interest in their situation. Or a woman who has been through a divorce shares with another who is also struggling with the same issue how she made it through. That's not a program, that is a relationship. "Lord help me not to "spam" my faith. Lead me to people with whom I can connect and after I have connected to them, give me the boldness to connect them with you. Amen."