Knocking On Doors

Knocking on doors with gospel tracts in your hand. I do that.

Some of my friends reading this might say, 'I do that too.'

Other friends might think, 'That is just crazy. I would never do that.'

Still others used to do it long ago for a season.

I get it.

I was just sitting here thinking about families. They all are a combination of function and dysfunction. I think one of the reasons why people like sitcoms is because people want to peek inside the lives of other families or groups of friends. "And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town." - Matthew 10:11-14 ESV

How do you 'find out who is worthy'?

I knock on their door. It is usually with someone who is very different from me. Some families have a person there who lets you 'in'. It might be the mother or the father or an adult son or daughter. Then you start talking and dysfunction can turn into function. Prayers get prayed. Jesus has a new home to live in. It is crazy really. I knock on some doors and shake off the dust because no one there wants us in their home. It can happen for many reasons but it happens and i imagine there is some mockery sometimes going on after we leave the doorstep. The thing is... it really isn't us they don't want. They don't want HIM. Still He Is patient and merciful and loving. Others may come on some future date with gospel tracts in their back pockets. We might come back weeks later, or months, or years later and someone might want HIM on that future day.

He sends us... strange imperfect us... odd folks who are just crazy enough to care and go knowing we are mocked... knowing that we don't really know what we are doing and have clashing personalities at times.

"And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:15-16 ESV

Hardcore.

If you never go you just won't see that miraculous dynamic where dysfunction turns into function. To bad for you really. It is worth a little mockery. It really is.

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Last Saturday we went door knocking in a neighborhood and after 4 or 5 doors I just didn't feel well so I went and sat in my car with the AC on. It was just too hot for me. My partner sat with me for a few minutes and then he got out and kept going. Two other men were on the other side of the street knocking on doors also. We were all there together. I sat there praying for them a little and just thinking about being in the car with them out there. A few minutes later, maybe 15 or 20, they came back all excited with cold water bottles in their hands that someone had given them. A family had invited them all in.

For a moment I thought, 'If i would have just stuck it out I would have been in that house.' but it was just fleeting. I was just glad to be there in my air conditioned car talking to these great people who saw God move. I got to see God move.

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